Ep. 19: The History: Conflict History from 1967 to October 7 (Prof. Dr. Moshe Zimmermann – Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Guest: Prof. Dr. Moshe Zimmermann, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hosts: Philip & Efe Bio: Prof. Moshe Zimmermann, born in 1943 in Jerusalem, comes from a family that emigrated from Nazi Hamburg to Palestine in 1938. He served as Professor of Modern History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was Director of the Richard Koebner Center for German History (1986–2012). He is one of Israel's most distinguished historians and an internationally leading expert on German-Jewish history, antisemitism, nationalism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His major works include Die Deutschen Juden 1914-1945 (1997) and Deutsche gegen Deutsche. Das Schicksal der Juden 1938-1945 (2008). He has received numerous awards, including the Humboldt Research Award, the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Prize of the DAAD, the Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize, and the Theodor Lessing Prize for Criticism. In this Episode: Hosts Philip and Efe speak with Prof. Zimmermann about the Israel-Palestine conflict from 1967 to the present. The discussion covers Israel’s conflicts with the Palestinians, neighboring Arab states, and Iran, and how these tensions evolved. Key topics include the Six-Day War (1967), the occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, Israel’s occupation policies, settlement expansion, and the Yom Kippur War. The episode also explores the role of the PLO, the 1982 Lebanon War, the rise of Hezbollah, the First and Second Intifadas, the Oslo Accords, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the rise of Hamas, the ongoing Gaza crisis, Israel-Iran relations, shifts in Israeli domestic politics, and the effects of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Prof. Zimmermann provides historical context, political analysis, and a clear understanding of the conflict’s evolution from 1967 to today. This episode was recorded July 1, 2025. Links: Die Deutschen Juden 1914-1945 (Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 1997) https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/9783486702071/html Deutsche gegen Deutsche. Das Schicksal der Juden 1938-1945 (Aufbau-Verlag, 2008) https://iupress.org/9780253062307/germans-against-germans/ Deutsche Israelpolitik: Die Stunde der Wahrheit ist gekommen (Die Zeit, 2025) https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2025-08/deutschland-israelpolitik-existenz-grundprinzipien-waffenlieferung-gazastreifen Disclaimer: Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team. Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.