Sheldon Richman shares some of the real history of the Zionist movement, described in his new book, Coming to Palestine. Richman reminds us that this history started long before the Second World War, and was originally not a refugee movement at all. It was simply a project to try to get all Jews worldwide to reconstitute their historical and biblical homeland in Palestine. Given that Jews all over the world had already established homes in other countries for generations, it’s understandable that most were reluctant to get on board with such a radical scheme. After the Holocaust, however, views began to change, both among Jews and non-Jews, who were understandably sympathetic with the horrific genocide the Jews had gone through. This support eventually led to the establishment of Israel, which allowed the beginning of the long process of displacement, ethnic cleansing, and occupation that the Israelis have perpetrated against the native Palestinians, who, if anything, are actually the ones descended from the ancient Israelites of the Bible, not these modern Israelis of mostly European descent.

Discussed on the show:

• “To Be or Not To Be a Jewish State: That Is the Question” (Antiwar.com Original)
• Balfour Declaration
• Zionism in the Age of the Dictators
• “Exodus (1960)” (IMDb)
• The Invention of the Jewish People
• The Forgotten Palestinians: A History of the Palestinians in Israel

Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of Coming to Palestine and America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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