Martin Kramer
511 posts
@Martin_Kramer
Historian @TelAvivUni & Walter P. Stern fellow @WashInstitute. Past 1st president @ShalemCollege J’lem. History & politics of Middle East & Israel.
🔈 Our comments condemning the reprehensible actions of Itamar Ben-Gvir: “The @AIJAC_Update unequivocally condemns the appalling, unacceptable and inflammatory conduct of Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in taunting activists from the Gaza flotilla. Such behaviour is irresponsible and inexcusable, serving no constructive purpose and only undermines Israel’s legitimate legal and security rights in stopping this flotilla. Detainees simply should not be treated this way, and the international community has the right to expect far better from an Israeli minister. Importantly, Ben-Gvir’s disgraceful actions were swiftly and publicly condemned by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, multiple high-ranking Israeli officials and many others across Israel, underscoring that his outrageous conduct does not reflect the position of the Israeli Government or the broader values and norms of Israeli society. At the same time, we must underscore Israel was fully justified, both legally and operationally, in intercepting vessels attempting to breach the naval blockade. The legality of Israel’s actions, and its right to stop such boats in international waters when they have a declared intent to breach Israel’s legal blockade, has been repeatedly affirmed under international law, including in the UN’s 2011 Palmer Report. Everyone involved in this flotilla knew full well they would almost certainly be intercepted, briefly detained and deported, as has occurred with numerous previous flotillas. The fact is, this latest flotilla was not a genuine humanitarian mission, but a dangerous and provocative political and media stunt. No previous flotillas have carried any meaningful aid for Gaza, and organisers have consistently rejected opportunities to transfer aid through Israel or established international mechanisms. Reports also indicate this flotilla was linked to the Hamas-affiliated Turkish group IHH, which Israel designates as a terrorist organisation and which played a central role in the violent 2010 Mavi Marmara incident. Meanwhile, hundreds of truckloads of humanitarian aid continue to enter Gaza through established channels every day.” Dr Colin Rubenstein, Executive Director, AIJAC
🇱🇧🇮🇱 Here is something Arab historiography will never tell you : during the Lebanese Civil War, many of the first people to benefit from Israel’s "Good Fence" policy were actually the inhabitants of South Lebanon themselves, especially Shiite villagers. In the 1970s, Israel opened crossings along the border that allowed thousands of Lebanese to work, receive medical treatment, trade goods, and access services that the collapsing Lebanese state could no longer provide. Many families in the South depended economically on these connections to survive. Contrary to the simplified narrative often presented today, cooperation with Israel in South Lebanon was not limited to Christian militias. Many Shiites initially viewed the arrangement from a pragmatic perspective. The "Good Fence" policy brought jobs, hospitals, infrastructure, and a degree of security against the chaos of armed Palestinian factions and the violence consuming the region. Israeli hospitals treated Lebanese civilians free of charge, and cross-border commerce sustained entire villages. The "Good Fence" policy was therefore not only a military strategy. It also functioned as a humanitarian and economic lifeline for parts of South Lebanon abandoned by the central government of Beirut.
.@YKleinHalevi exposes a striking imbalance in how the 1948 war is taught and remembered today. Most people can instantly name massacres committed against Palestinians that year, Deir Yassin and Lod come to mind right away. But when asked about massacres committed by Palestinians and Arab forces against Jews in the same period, like the Hadassah convoy, the response is almost total silence. This is not accidental. It reflects a widespread pattern where only one narrative dominates public discourse while the parallel Jewish story is minimized or erased. The reality is that 1948 contains more than one legitimate story. Both peoples lived through fear, loss, and existential stakes. Honest history demands that both sides be fully presented and acknowledged, not just the Palestinian perspective. When only one single account is consistently highlighted, the full truth of what happened is distorted and a fair understanding of Israel becomes nearly impossible. #Israel #History
In this tour-de-force presentation, eminent historian @Martin_Kramer - @WashInstitute's Walter P. Stern Fellow - explains to our annual conference how #America's early leaders navigated the republic's first encounters with the #MiddleEast—and hears some echoes of today's policy dilemmas vis-a-vis #Iran, the #Gulf and the #StraitofHormuz. youtu.be/x3E3A3eDtaQ
