How did a state founded in the shadow of catastrophe arrive at this moment of profound crisis?

In this urgent and deeply reflective conversation, historian and genocide scholar Professor Omer Bartov joins the Britain Palestine Project to examine the political, moral, and historical trajectory of Israel from its founding to the present day.

Drawing on decades of research into nationalism, war, memory, and mass violence, Bartov explores the ideological foundations of the Israeli state, the long-term consequences of occupation, and the growing international debate around human rights, apartheid, and genocide. He also reflects on the changing role of Holocaust memory in Israeli political culture, the collapse of the peace process, and the dangers posed by rising extremism and dehumanisation.

This episode asks difficult but essential questions: What went wrong? Could it have been different? And what might accountability, justice, and coexistence look like now?

Professor Omer Bartov is an Israeli-American scholar and Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University. He has written extensively on war crimes, interethnic relations, nationalism, and genocide.

His books include:

Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz (National Jewish Book Award winner)
Genocide, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine: First-Person History in Times of Crisis
Israel: What Went Wrong? (2026)

His essays and commentary have appeared widely in international media and academic publications.

The founding ideals of Israel and how they evolved
Occupation, militarisation, and political radicalisation
Holocaust memory and national identity
Gaza and the international legal debate
The collapse of the Oslo peace process
Zionism, democracy, and ethnonationalism
The role of the international community
Prospects for justice, equality, and peace

About the SpeakerTopics Discussed