EconTalk Year Zero of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (with Hillel Cohen)
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Feb 12, 2024 Hillel Cohen, a historian from Hebrew University and author of "Year Zero of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1929," delves into the historical roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict, pinpointing 1929 as a significant turning point. He discusses the Hebron Massacre, exploring how differing narratives from Jews and Arabs contribute to ongoing tensions. Cohen emphasizes the importance of empathy and nuanced understanding, addressing how events like recent attacks shape perceptions and peace efforts. His insights reveal the complexity of identity, governance, and the impact of settlements on relations.
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Forgotten Massacre
- Hillel Cohen discovered a forgotten massacre of an Arab family by a Jewish policeman in Jaffa in 1929.
- This challenged his own narrative and led him to explore the Palestinian perspective.
Bottom-Up Narratives
- Narratives are built from the bottom up, shaped by personal experiences and emotions, not top-down pronouncements.
- Historians, like everyone, tend to believe what they want to believe, making objectivity a challenge.
Need for Morality
- People have a deep need to feel moral, even when exercising power or engaging in conflict.
- This desire for moral justification shapes narratives and actions on both sides of the conflict.
