On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti A Holocaust scholar asks: 'Israel, what went wrong?'
May 13, 2026
Omer Bartov, Holocaust and genocide historian and Dean's Professor at Brown University, reflects on his Israeli upbringing and shifting views on Zionism. He discusses wartime service, links between the Holocaust and the Nakba, claims that recent Israeli policies risk ethnic cleansing or worse, troubling dehumanizing rhetoric, and why he believes strong international pressure is urgent.
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Early Zionism As Humane Nation Building
- Omer Bartov describes early Zionism as humanitarian, tolerant, and protective of minorities while enabling Jewish self-emancipation.
- He recalls growing up Israeli, playing in abandoned Arab houses, and living with Holocaust memory alongside a denial of the Nakba.
Young Platoon Commander Questioning Occupation
- Bartov recounts serving as a young platoon commander in Gaza, Sinai and the West Bank and feeling they were outsiders in occupied towns.
- He remembers patrolling Al-Arish, sensing fear from residents and asking himself why Israeli soldiers were there.
Zionism Shifted From Rescue To State Ideology
- Bartov argues Zionism morphed from self-determination into a state ideology that prioritized Jewish-majority survival over equal citizenship.
- He notes Israel never enacted the promised constitution and immediately enforced military rule over Palestinian citizens.
