Ignorance, Myths and Lies: The Philosophical Roots of the State of Israel

About Ignorance, Myths and Lies: The Philosophical Roots of the State of Israel

How did a secular lawyer who hated Palestine become the spiritual father of a Jewish state built there? 

Why have the very people a Nazi jurist planned to destroy ended up using his intellectual framework? 

And how could a military strategist whose ideas were so morally repellant that the first Prime Minister of Israel called him "Vladimir Hitler”, now be so much in favour that his sword hangs in the current Prime Minister’s office?

By now, pretty much everyone who is prepared to look, sees that Israel is a rogue state that openly commits the worst crimes known to humanity. Yet at the same time, it is a sophisticated, wealthy nation whose civilian army is probably one of best educated of them all. This is a mismatch that can only be explained and understood in terms of political ideology.

In this talk, hosted by Hastings & District PSC, Martin Cohen, a bestselling writer and freelance journalist with bylines in The Guardian and The Independent, teases out the direct links between the dangerous ideas of Israel’s Founding Fathers and the horrors of today.

Martin Cohen is political philosopher and writer specialising in philosophy, ethics and social science. His new book 'Israel–Palestine and the Case for One State: The Theft of a People’s Land, Lives and Identity', published by Anthem Press, will be available for sale on the night.

“Martin Cohen offers both a distinctive contribution to the history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and a blueprint for its future. Drawing on deep knowledge of philosophy and comparative history, this rich analysis provides essential context for understanding today’s realities and future possibilities.” —Dr Ilan Pappé, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, UK.