The Seventh Million

Tom Segev

Science always played a pivotal role in shaping Israel's future, leading to the establishment of a nuclear power plant ahead of other countries. However, their nuclear program wasn't solely for peaceful purposes, and by the late 1960s, reports surfaced that Israel was developing nuclear weapons. The reason? Well, throughout the 1960s, Israelis faced constant fear due to threats from their Arab neighbors. Since its inception, Israel had been continuously warned about the possibility of war by its surrounding Arab countries. The anxiety heightened on July 21, 1962, when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser displayed ground-to-ground missiles in Cairo. This act brought the threat from neighboring countries close to home for Israel, creating a strong sense of alarm. The Israeli population feared the Arabs' intentions to wipe out their existence. Nasser was often compared to Hitler, with many Israelis genuinely believing that genocide loomed if they lost a war against the Arabs. The escalation came to a head on June 5, 1967, when a war broke out. Within six days, Israel gained control of vast territories, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which still remain under Israeli occupation. The Arab residents in these regions faced discrimination and racism, particularly in the 1980s. In 1984, about 25,000 Israelis supported Rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated for expelling Arab citizens and those living in the occupied territories. He proposed segregating Jews and Arabs, even going as far as having separate beaches. This discriminatory attitude led to violence, with young Israelis attacking Arabs and chants of "Death to the Arabs" echoing across the country, reminiscent of the Nazi call for "Death to the Jews."

12 min

7 Bite

Einblick

Worum geht es?

"The Seventh Million (1991) explores how the Israeli identity has been influenced by the Holocaust. The cover various aspects such as the Zionist reaction to Nazism, the migration of the initial Jewish refugees from Europe to Palestine, the Six-Day War, and Holocaust Memorial Day."

Buchzusammenfassung

Tom Segev is a columnist at Ha’aretz, a leading Israeli newspaper, and the author of One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate.

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Alle Bissen

7 Bites

Unlikely Alliances: Zionists, Nazis, and the Haavara Agreements

The Jewish population in Palestine was mainly preoccupied with the establishment of the State of Israel and did not completely grasp the magnitude of the Final Solution in Europe.

Many Holocaust survivors were too traumatized to seek revenge after the war, whereas some Jews demanded retribution.

Controversial as they may be, negotiations for reparations with Germany proved advantageous for Israel.

The creation of military connections with Germany and the destiny of a Nazi ally were two additional contentious topics.

Israel put Adolf Eichmann, a well-known Nazi leader, on trial in an attempt to create national solidarity, yet it also provoked strong disapproval.

Motivated by a deep-seated dread of their own existence, Israelis took control of the Palestinian lands and showed prejudice against Arabs during the 1960s.

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