The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel
For most of its early history, Israel was dominated by left-leaning, secular politicians. But today, the right is in power. Its politicians represent a movement that uses a religious framework to define Israel and its borders, and that has aggressively resisted a two-state solution with Palestinians. And its government – led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — is waging a war in Gaza which, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, has killed over 30,000 people, many of them children. The government launched the war in response to the October 7th, 2023 Hamas-led attack that, according to Israeli authorities, killed over 1,200 Israelis with an additional 250 being taken hostage.This is not the first time that tension has erupted into violence. But the dominance of right-wing thinkers in Israeli politics is pivotal to how the war has unfolded. On today's episode: the story of Israel's rightward shift.
Guests:
Amjad Iraqi, senior editor at +972 Magazine.
Natasha Roth-Rowland, historian and director of research and analysis at Diaspora Alliance, an international organization that combats antisemitism.
Sara Yael Hirschhorn, historian, visiting professor at the University of Haifa and fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute.
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Correction March 13, 2024
In a previous version of this episode, we said incorrectly that Benjamin Netanyahu was born in 1948. He was born in 1949.
Previously posted March 7, 2024: In this episode we refer to Natasha Roth-Rowland as a researcher at Diaspora Alliance. She is the director of research and analysis at Diaspora Alliance.