Ilan Pappé is a Jewish professor of history at the University of Exeter (UK), specialising in Middle Eastern studies.
Born in Haifa, Israel, he served in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) before pursuing an academic career. He completed his PhD at the University of Oxford, with a focus on the history of Israel and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Summary
Ilan challenges incorrectly held beliefs such as Israel being an empty land before its creation, the Jews having an ancestral claim to the land, and Israel being the only democracy in the Middle East.
He argues these are false narratives not supported by historical facts, and provides a more nuanced perspective on the region’s history, Zionism’s origins, and Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Israel is not the only state in the world that has dispossessed another people and occupied their land, but it is the only one that has done so in the late 20th century with the full support of the international community.
Ilan Pappé
