Recent years have witnessed the framework of Setter Colonialism gaining hegemonic explanatory dominance among attempts to elucidate the Palestine/Israel trajectory. Scrutiny of many texts in this (newly-awoken) domain ultimately reveals that a modest number of new insights have been added to those already published by (anti-Zionist) Arabs and Israelis between 1962 (the foundation of Israel’s Matzpen) and 1974 (the PLO’s adoption of its Ten Point Programme). Whereas the pre-1974 Settler Colonial school was ‘historical’, the 21st century one appears somewhat ‘ahistorical’.

The Israeli news media has transformed significantly in recent years, due to an unprecedented wave of anti-media populism and online harassment. In this talk, I examine how and why Israeli journalists use their military service as a shield in response to online violence and digital hate, and what may be the implications for the future of media and democracy in Israel. What I call ‘the military-as-alibi strategy’ is highly consequential, I would argue. First, it excludes Israeli citizens who are exempt from military service (mostly Palestinian citizens of Israel and ultra-orthodox Jews).

Israel was originally to have a Constitution, but it never did as the issue proved divisive on religious grounds, among others. An unwritten constitution developed in its place. This is the legal context of current constitutional debates, including on the constitutional status of religion in Israel. The solution was the adoption of chapters or Basic Laws, that together would form a constitution. What are the Basic Laws - an exercise of a constitutional authority of the Knesset, if such existed? An exercise of legislative authority?

This study seeks to analyse the ways in which Little Red Riding Hood was instrumentalized in the Palestinian critical and subversive discourse. Although this text is usually presented as a children's story, various media sources use it as a tool for social and political criticism of Palestinian society and Israeli policy toward Palestinians. One of the unique themes identified in the study highlights the absence of the grandmother's character. Considering the significance of this character as an essential part of the classical fairy tale, this absence grabs attention.

Focusing on the relationship between Zionism and science in the first two decades of the Zionist movement, the argument of this paper is threefold. First, that a relationship was established with the very inception of the Zionist movement.

What are the social and economic costs of using cohorts of local informers to ensure military control of a hostile territory? In 1994, an Israeli NGO (B'Tselem) published a study that analysed the incidents of Palestinians murdered by their own people on suspicions of collaboration with Israeli intelligence during the first Palestinian uprising (Intifada 1987-1993). It has been estimated that 900 Palestinians were executed on these grounds.

Timothy Garton Ash discusses his new book with Lenka Bustikova Siroky, Sonia Cuesta Maniar (St Antony’s, Oxford) and David Priestland (St Edmund Hall, Oxford). Wine will be served after the discussion, and copies of the book available at a reduced price.

Dahrendorf Programme special workshop.
Panel 1, 2-3.45pm: European strategy: Lessons from history, with panellists Patrick Cohrs, Jakob Zollmann, Patricia Clavin and Chair Paul Betts.
Panel 2, 4.15-6pm: European strategy: Lessons from politics and international relations, with panellists Andrew Hurrell, Kalypso Nicolaidis, Kira Huju and Chair Hartmut Mayer

Eamonn Noonan examines the European Parliament promotion of international human rights since 1979. How has this contributed to the development of EU law, policy and practice? What factors influenced the choice of priority themes and cases? What limitations mitigated the Parliament’s impact? At a time when invasion and coup attempts challenge the existence of democratic states, the near-term prospects for the Parliament’s human rights work will also be considered. The talk is based on an ongoing study of EP acts and proceedings.