Israel on the Brink at 75 (Benny Morris)

What on earth is happening in Israel right now? Widespread protests, political clashes, and rising violence in the West Bank paint a grim picture as the country approaches its 75th anniversary. In this episode, Robert visits controversial Israeli scholar Benny Morris to talk about this chaotic moment in historical context, and specifically about the ongoing battle between Israel’s various tribes over the meaning and purpose of a Jewish state.

Benny Morris is a journalist and historian of the Arab-Israeli conflict who served in the Israel Defense Forces as an infantryman from 1967 to 1969 where he was wounded in combat during the War of Attrition. In his 12 years as a correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, Benny covered Israel’s conflicts with Arab states, notably the 1982 Lebanon War. He was also a longtime professor of Middle East Studies at Ben-Gurion University and Goldman Visiting Israeli Professor at Georgetown University's Department of Government. His work on the Arab-Israeli conflict has won him praise and criticism from both sides.