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Jacobin Radio

Behind the News: Best of 2024

Jan 6, 2025
Rashid Khalidi, a retired Columbia history professor and author, discusses the historical complexities of Zionism and the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Pankaj Mishra, an essayist, critiques the implications of U.S. foreign policy under the Biden administration. Aziz Rana, a law professor, reevaluates the U.S. Constitution, advocating for inclusivity in governance. Brooke Harrington, a sociology professor, delves into the offshore wealth management sector and the tax strategies of the ultra-rich, revealing the interplay between wealth and power.
53:01

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The historical narrative of Israel's colonial approach towards Palestine reveals a complex interplay of liberation and oppression that remains vital to understanding the ongoing conflict.
  • The U.S. political response to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis illustrates a disconnect between historical allegiance and current humanitarian realities, necessitating a reevaluation of traditional policies in the region.

Deep dives

Historical Context of Israel's War

The podcast highlights the historical background of Israel's colonial approach towards Palestine and its neighbors, centering on Zionist leadership's self-perception as liberators and settlers. Early Zionists like Theodor Herzl and David Ben-Gurion believed they had a divine right to claim Palestine while acknowledging their actions as part of a settler-colonial endeavor. This dynamic, according to Rashid Khalidi, persisted until global decolonization movements prompted a shift in language, positioning Israel as an anti-colonial actor. The discussion emphasizes that the historical understanding of this narrative is essential in comprehensively analyzing the ongoing conflict and its moral implications.

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