The Middle East Forum cordially invites you to this week's podcasts.
Memorializing the Arab-Israeli Wars
with Robert Rook
Monday, September 16, 2024 | 1:00PM ET
For twenty-five years, 1948-73, three Arab states dominated the Arab-Israeli conflict: Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. For over fifty years, they have ceded the fight to Palestinians. All these decades later, how do the states recall the distant wars of 1948-49, 1956, 1967, 1970, and 1973? In part, the practices of remembrance reflect the particular interests of the Ministry of Defense that typically oversees military museums and monuments. In part, each ruling regime forwards its interest. And in part, foreign influence plays a role, especially from Great Britain and North Korea. How has the memorialization of the conflict changed over time? What role does it play in shaping national identity? What does it say about current attitudes toward Israel?
Israel's tactical gains in its south against Hamas and north against Hezbollah do not point the way to victory, while a deal for the release of Israeli hostages appears not imminent. Is the current deadlock likely to continue, or might something break it?
The Middle East Forum, an activist think tank, deals with the Middle East, Islamism, U.S. foreign policy, and related topics, urging bold measures to protect Americans and their allies. Pursuing its goals via intellectual, operational, and philanthropic means, the Forum recurrently has policy ideas adopted by the U.S. government.
