Zionism and the Refugee Machine (w/ Dr. Einat Wilf)

Uncertain Things

Dr. Einat Wilf is an Israeli writer, speaker, former (and future?) politician, podcaster (We Should All be Zionisists), and co-author of The War of Return. In this episode, we dive into some historical context for the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Vanessa asking all the ignorant questions you were too afraid to ask: What/who was there in Israel before 1948? Was displacement a part of the Zionist vision? Why did displacement happen? Then we pivot to the subject of Dr. Wilf’s book: The right of return, and the fundamental reason why peace, until this day, has been impossible. We conclude with a deep dive into UNRWA — the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees — and explain the role it’s played in perpetuating the conflict, to this day.

On the agenda:

-Zionism’s Parents and the Land of Israel [3:22-11:33]

-The Disappointment of Emancipation/The Possibility of Self-Determination [11:34-21:21]

-On Sovereignty and Displacement [21:22-53:29]

-The Refugee Question [53:30-1:02:37]

-UNRWA & Palestinian Identity [1:02:38-1:33:58]

-Where do we go from here? [1:33:59-1:42:30]

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