Is the history of Israel a record of facts or a contested political narrative?
In short: Avi Shlaim, a prominent member of Israel's New Historians, has spent decades challenging established accounts of the Middle East. By re-examining declassified archives, he argues that Zionism and the state of Israel have often operated through collusion and strategic violence, sparking intense debate over his methodology and political objectivity.
Born in Baghdad in 1945, Avi Shlaim grew up in a wealthy, non-Zionist Jewish family that identified primarily as Iraqi. His life trajectory shifted dramatically in 1951 during Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, when his family forfeited their citizenship and property to emigrate to Israel. This personal history, which he explores in his memoir Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew, informs his critical perspective on the Zionist movement. Shlaim, who holds dual British and Israeli nationality and has lived in the UK since 1966, argues that the historian’s primary duty is not merely to chronicle events but to rigorously evaluate and challenge the claims of all protagonists.
Shlaim gained prominence as one of the 'New Historians' after the Israeli government unclassified archives related to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War in 1982. His scholarship, including works like Collusion Across the Jordan and The Iron Wall, suggests that the Jewish Agency and King Abdullah of Jordan secretly agreed to partition Palestine, feigning conflict to implement their goals. He further contends that Mossad was responsible for bombings against Jews in Iraq to accelerate the mass exodus of 110,000 people to Israel. These interpretations have earned him prestigious recognition, including a British Academy Medal for lifetime achievement, but they remain highly controversial.
Critics such as Efraim Karsh, Joseph Heller, and Benny Morris argue that Shlaim’s work is marred by an anti-Israel bias and a political agenda that distorts historical records. For instance, Yoav Gelber has challenged Shlaim’s conclusions regarding the 1948 war, asserting that the documentary evidence does not support the claim of a pre-arranged collusion. Despite these disputes, Shlaim’s influence persists, with his recent work on Gaza and Zionism continuing to provoke debate. His career illustrates the friction between academic inquiry and political narrative, as he remains a polarizing figure whose work is cited by both academic peers and political actors.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Avi Shlaim
- Also: www.sant.ox.ac.uk — Professor Avi Shlaim - St Antony's
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