This is the first of a two-part Special Series on Israel.
Date: 29th March 2021
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Registration Link: bit.ly/dottalks2903
Concept Note: The formation of Israel took place alongside the independence of numerous former colonies of European empires. It was born out of several actions and historical forces. While many reasons behind it coming into existence shall be discussed, the person who first came up with a solid work to enable its formation was someone who died long before the holocaust began but he was witness to the same social and political realities that led to the holocaust.
One may wonder what was there in the Holy land before the “State of Israel” came into existence? What was the Yishuv and when did the Jews who had lived for long in Europe start moving to Levant. Why didn’t the Jews of middle-east try to create a state in Israel, beforehand?
We shall take a glance at anti- Semitism, holocaust and the legal agreements such as Peel Commission report and UN Partition plan that preceded state formation. Several incidents from World War II culminated into the Israeli War for Independence. How was a non-existent state able to fight a civil war and how did it fend off against several armies of its neighbours (1947-48).
The governance entity before Israel became a reality was Yishuv. We shall take a look at military and governance in Yishuv and the several forces such as Palmach, Jewish Brigade, Hagana, Irgun and Lehi.
The Kibbutz movement in Israel and the waves of immigration through Aliya and the foundation of the city of Tel Aviv created a society and culture that provided a diligent and dedicated pool of human resources among whom Israel could germinate.
We shall devote five minutes to the tales of Bar Kokhba and Maccabees as their history informed the people that a Jewish state had existed in these lands.
When Israel was formed who were the first nations to recognise it?
What was the biggest demographic change that occurred and how its consequence manifests itself in Israeli domestic politics?
The formation of Israel is often said to have shaped much of modern middle eastern history. Our discussion shall cover some of these topics. This piece of land on the eastern Mediterranean has often been contested as it lies at the meeting point of the fertile zones of Mesopotamia and Egypt. The Lebanese and Anatolian highlands are not far. These regions have bred large populations and civilisations and today’s Israel was historically on the cross roads.
Speaker Bio: Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan is the Director for Outreach and Initiatives at Young Diplomats, Paris (www.young-diplomats.com). He is a student of International Relations and Security. He holds an MA in Political Science, Security and Diplomacy studies from Tel Aviv University, Israel where he was a Tata scholar. His studies focussed on Israel and its security among other things. His thesis was in the field of Security studies. He interned as Research Assistant at the Jerusalem Institute of Security and Strategy working on Israel, Jerusalem, Iran. He has undergone a course on Public Diplomacy from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and StandWithUs foundation. He has travelled extensively within Israel, Palestine (West Bank), Jordan and participated in field visits to Israel’s borders with Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the Gaza Perimeter. He can be reached at jrpradhan@yahoo.com and on twitter @warsberg.