Archive of The Idea of Israel

Recipient of the Palestine Book Awards' 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ilan Pappe discusses the development of Palestine Studies. 

Last week, on Thursday 7 December 2017, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, pledging the relocation of the US embassy to the city. Defying UN resolutions emphasizing the international status of Jerusalem, Trump’s move reverses years of American policy on the matter and has been met with widespread condemnation, sparking protests in the region. We asked Israeli historian and author, Ilan Pappe, for his views on the unfolding situation.

This week marks the 50th Anniversary of the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, fought from 5-10 June 1967. Israel’s decisive victory included the capture of east Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories – the West Bank and Gaza – as well as the Golan Heights and Sinai. The end of the war marked the beginning of what has become a 50-year military occupation of the West Bank. In Ten Myths About Israel, Ilan Pappe describes ‘The June 1967 War Was a War of “No Choice”’ as a core myth of Israel.