Ilan Pappe was one of the keynote speakers at the Bristol Nakba Conference last Saturday (26th April). The conference, organised by Bristol PSC, attracted a respectable-sized audience to the Malcolm X Centre, and featured a range of speakers and several useful workshops.
But for me it was Ilan’s speech which was the highlight of the day. An Israeli Jew and anti-Zionist activist, he has recently taken up a history post at the University of Exeter, and has published a new book, ‘The Ethnic Cleansing Of Palestine’ (available from Amazon).
What impressed me most about Ilan’s speech was the cool, uncompromising incisiveness of his analysis. He warned the audience against conflating the Palestinian struggle with other issues, and argued for the irredeemably racist nature of the Zionist enterprise. In a debate often clouded (understandably) by emotionalism and often plagued too with shoddy thinking, Ilan’s contribution to the discussion was timely, erudite and razor-sharp. If you’re not already familiar with his work, check it out.
You can find Ilan’s official website here - ilanpappe.org .
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