About this episode
This episode explores the annexation of the West Bank by Israel and its historical context.
Subscribe now for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content! With the Greater Middle East on fire from Gaza to Iran, bureaucratic and administrative changes taking place inside Israel may be easy to overlook. The right-wing coalition of Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's security establishment are annexing the West Bank. Even before the Six-Day War in 1967, the West Bank, often called Judea and Samaria, had been eyed by Jewish settlers, some of whom believe their holy books sanction the taking of Palestinian territory. In this episode, Dahlia Scheindlin and Yael Berda delve into the historical origins of today's crisis and explain how annexation has been realized. Dahlia Scheindlin is a public opinion researcher and a political advisor who has worked on nine national campaigns in Israel and in 15 other countries. She is the author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled. Yael Berda is an Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology at Hebrew University. Her research focuses on the way bureaucracy shapes politics, and how mundane and routine practices of the state determine citizenship, sovereignty, and social power. Recommended reading…
People in this episode
Host: Martin Di Caro
Guests: Dahlia Scheindlin, Yael Berda
Topics covered
- Israel
- West Bank
- annexation
- politics
- history
- Middle East
Keywords
- annexation
- West Bank
- Israel
- Gaza
- politics
- history
- Benjamin Netanyahu
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Haaretz, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies
Books & works: The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled
Places: Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Iran
More episodes of History As It Happens
- The Meteorologist Who Saved D-Day · June 12, 2026 · 49 min
- Everyday Watergate · June 9, 2026 · 58 min
- Cold War Liberalism Redux · June 5, 2026 · 46 min
- Dealing with Iran, Obama to Trump (Bonus) · June 3, 2026 · 31 min
- America250! Lincoln and the Declaration · June 2, 2026 · 46 min
- The Nakba: 1947 to Present · May 29, 2026 · 59 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the History As It Happens podcast page.