Israel’s history shapes how it wages war

Israel’s history shapes how it wages war

In around ten minutes on April 8, the Israeli military hit more than 100 targets across Lebanon. Israel called the attack Operation Eternal Darkness and said it struck Hezbollah command and control centres. The Lebanese government said at least 300 people were killed and 1,000 injured.

Israel has a powerful and lethal army, and it’s been defending itself against attacks from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. But why has it chosen such brutal military aggression?

One historian, Yaron Peleg, believes the answer to this question lies in the early days of Zionism in the 19th century, when many Jews who arrived in Palestine were fleeing antisemitism in Europe. In defiance, they began a cultural revolution, emphasising military strength and honouring Biblical Jewish heroes.

But in the wake of the Holocaust, Peleg, who is a professor of modern Hebrew studies at the University of Cambridge in the UK, thinks Israel’s view of itself began to change. He tracks how he sees Israel’s self‑image changed from self‑reliance to aggressive militarism, and how that history helps to explain the way it wages war today.

This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and the executive producer was Gemma Ware. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the full credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.

If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

Mentioned in this episode:

Voices of the South

Episoder(275)

Trump v Leo: the war of words over a just war

Trump v Leo: the war of words over a just war

After Donald Trump took to social media to lambast Pope Leo's criticism of the Iran war, the pontiff told journalists "I'm not afraid of the Trump administration". Part of the war of words between Tru...

30 Apr 27min

How former insider Péter Magyar ousted Hungary’s Viktor Orbán

How former insider Péter Magyar ousted Hungary’s Viktor Orbán

For 16 years, Viktor Orbán built an illiberal democracy in Hungary. Orbán and his Fidesz party managed to take control of many of Hungary's levers of power, from the judiciary to state-owned media, an...

16 Apr 31min

The pseudoscientific scale looksmaxxers use to rate each other

The pseudoscientific scale looksmaxxers use to rate each other

If you have teenagers in your life, they’ll probably have heard of the PSL scale. Or at least the language associated with it. Chad. Stacy. Normie. Subhuman.The PSL scale is a pseudoscientific attract...

9 Apr 30min

The Making of One Nation: the unlikely rise of Australia’s Pauline Hanson

The Making of One Nation: the unlikely rise of Australia’s Pauline Hanson

From a fish and chip shop in regional Queensland to the heart of Australian politics: this is the unlikely story of One Nation, Australia's most controversial minor party.For thirty years, One Nation ...

2 Apr 26min

Artemis II: NASA’s long road back to the Moon

Artemis II: NASA’s long road back to the Moon

Final preparations are underway for NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first crewed mission around the Moon for more than 50 years. Four astronauts, three men and one woman, will spend 10 days aboard the ...

26 Mar 27min

How the US cloned Iran's drones

How the US cloned Iran's drones

The day after the US began bombing Iran, US Central Command confirmed it had used a new, cheap type of kamikaze drone called a Lucas for the first time in a combat operation. These drones were made in...

19 Mar 28min

Mystery covid methane spike solved

Mystery covid methane spike solved

Six years ago, as countries around the world went into COVID lockdowns, the air got cleaner. Factories slowed down, roads emptied and aeroplanes were grounded. As people stayed home, the world burned ...

12 Mar 23min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
det-store-bildet
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
e24-podden
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
frokostshowet-pa-p5