WATCH: Yardena Schwartz in conversation with David Hazony

'Ghosts of a Holy War': The Z3 Project's Jerusalem Series at the Begin Center

David H.—Last Wednesday in Jerusalem, I spoke with Yardena Schwartz about her important and beautifully written new book, Ghosts of a Holy War.

The conversation was about history, but it was just as much about our the present war: How a single event, the 1929 Hebron massacre, not only foreshadowed but directly led to the conflict in its present shape. It was the Grand Mufti, of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini, who took the lead in creating Palestinian nationalism on the basis of the complete rejection of Zionism and, later, the State of Israel. He took his maximalist position with him to Berlin, where he headed up the Nazis’ Arabic-language propaganda machine—and inspired a new generation led by Yasser Arafat and the PLO, the forerunners of today’s Hamas.

The lesson is powerful and simple: This conflict will remain stuck where it is until Palestinians abandon the dream of Israel’s destruction. Watch it here:

I’m proud to be able to host this ongoing Z3 Project Jerusalem Series event at the Begin Center. Many thanks to all involved!