Rory Stewart Attempts to Explain the History of Israel-Palestine in 10 Minutes 

From a TRIP point of view, it is important to hear and listen to as many different perspectives as possible. Find some of our other videos on the matter here: - A View From a Liberal Israeli: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9qaxYQqmzIg.htmlfeature=shared - The Palestinian Perspective: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AtsTsCFxrNI.htmlfeature=shared

From someone who is from Belfast and knowing what sectarianism can do to communities and how evil operates. I sympathise with all those innocent people. On both sides.

As a committed "Not Tory" voter for 40 odd years, I alarmingly find myself thinking again how good it would be to have Rory as PM. Well informed, thoughtful, nuanced and realistic, here as ever. I probably don't agree with some of his political views, but I do see intelligence, integrity, and good motives. It's usually interesting listening to you both.

Great explanation by Mr. Stewart. I'd been looking for a concise and clear explanation of this complicated issue, and I finally found it. Thanks.

'Going back 3000 years ...' Rory, you are an absolute star and this should be required listening for everyone. Thank you both for opening a little window of sanity in a world of madness.

I so wish we had serious, measured and professional people like Rory in government. Quite a few MP's could learn a lot from his morals and the way he presents himself. Keep up the good work Rory and Alastair. 💙❤

How refreshing to have a space which acknowledges both sides in this conflict and applies an intelligent understanding in interpreting events there.

THank you for sharing. Never was there a more critical need for facts, trust, truth and transparency.

Hi Rory, I admire your work so much. I’m so glad you are educating us on the Middle East.

I’m glad Rory left frontline politics, he was too good for the swamp and this way he kept his hands clean. He’s of much greater service as a thinker, educator and advisor. That’s his real talent - to counsel and advise, using his considerable talents of being able to analyze the journey from A to B. He can see the journey both past and future, and therefore provide very useful predictions that can help to figure out the best actions to take.

Thank you gentlemen. This discussion is exactly what I need hear. What a mess. My heart bleeds for the innocent men, women and children from both "sides" who are experiencing suffering beyond my comprehension.

Subscribed off the back of this conversation thanks very much. Always learning 💪🏼

Excellent explainer. Thank you Rory 👍

Thank you for explaining such a difficult history so lucidly. My heart aches for every innocent involved.

My god, Rory was such a loss to UK politics... Seems like a really nice, honest and fair man. Such a shame politicians like him just have to get out.

As someone who has lived in Israel for 43 years, and having developed strong connections with both Israelies and Palestinians, I found it very heartening to hear such a sensible, balanced presentation of the painful, heart breaking situation we are now in. Many thanks.

Thank you for explaining this to me. I have lived in Belfast all my life and just thankful for the GFA.

I’ve been meaning to catch your podcasts for literally months, but this is the 1st I’ve managed - helped for me by the RU-vid format! I think Alastair hit the nail on the head at the start when he says that the situation requires nuance that is lacking in mainstream media coverage. I was dimly aware that there was history, but Rory’s summary explains it very well, and I also love that he is at pains to say that other people will see things differently. It is very refreshing to have experts stating their understanding of a situation/ subject and simultaneously recognising that this is not the whole story. Thank you both.

Rory Stewart is a national treasure. The Conservative party should have voted him as leader. Manages to sum up a 3,000 year old subject in about 10 minutes!👌👏.x

Excellent. I hope this overview reaches as many as possible.

Thank you for providing a balanced perspective of a very complicated issue

How a people that suffered so much in the past can make another people suffer so much in the present,goes beyond my understanding.

Rory Stewart, a man that is always worth listening to no matter if you agree with him or not

Thankyou for doing this. Wonderful incite

Thank you so much for clearly advising me on such a difficult matter.

Rory, excellent as always. More people should listen to him.

Thank you another excellent nuanced, thoughtful discussion. In a way relieved that Rory escaped the insanity of being PM. And so he now has space to think and reflect. Just wish we had more politicians like him.

This version of history is so highly sanitised that it completely bypasses the truth.

Thank you for explaining this and breaking it down for me.

This podcast is my favourite. I started with the rest is history years ago and I’m only now putting faces to voices. Thank you for all your amazing work.

Such a relief to see/hear such a responsible and sensitive discussion on the issue. Thank you.

This will never be over.

This is by far the most clear and unbiased summary of the conflict thumbs up

Little detail Rory missed out, which I think is also very important to note is that in 2006, the international community led by the US, pressed for democratic elections in Palestine, which Hamas decisively won. But seeing how the results were not what Israel and America had hoped for, all attempts were made to prevent Hamas from forming a government. I feel this was a missed opportunity.

Rory is very knowledgeable and smart, and the discussion was well balanced. Good work guys.

This explanation was very kind to GB.

It’s sad that Rory is no longer a politician as he is always so calm ! Never been a fan of Alistair, but I found this very interesting!

The settlers encroaching on Palestinian owned land, aided by an ultra rightwing government, have really made the dire situation in the region worse

You missed out the part where Britain promised Palestine the land if they helped them defeat the Ottoman Empire. Then once Palestine helped Britain defeat the Ottoman Empire they backtracked and allowed Israel to colonise the same land. Britain then preceded to attack Palestinians and realised they couldn’t win that fight so they passed the issue onto the UN. Britain has collective amnesia. I’ve decided to go into greater detail for the people who disagree with history and facts. The British and the French had promised the Arabs sovereignty and Arab leadership over the Arabian peninsula and the levant if they helped them defeat the Ottoman Empire The Arabs agreed, and they helped them defeat the Ottomans. When the British and French won, the Arabs wanted the land that was promised. Little did they know the British and French had a secret meeting in which they decided that the Ottoman province would be divided into British and French control and influence. The British required Palestine, Jordan and southern Iraq, whilst the French had south eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In 1917 Britain declared its intentions of establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine so the British just gifted Palestine a country that is 90% Palestinian to Europe. The Palestinian would demonstrate their concerns to the British but the British weren’t listening, so the Palestinians naturally rejected and revolted against the British in which the British killed thousand of Palestinians. The British eventually becoming fed up gifted the responsibility over to the UN. Britain had a massive part to play in this conflict.

Rory , what a superb summary of the Israel/ Palestine conflict ,balanced , clear and plenty of hair rearranging. Thank you .

Thank you. Excellent insightful work. Rory Stewart is exceptional..

The “ trouble “ with Rory Stewart is that he’s too intelligent and too honest to be acceptable to major political parties .

Exceptional discussion. How Rory can articulate such complex history so clearly is a marker of his intellect. A brilliant episode about something horrifying

Great explanation. Thanks, Rory

Thank you Rory.

So good to hear such an emotive and complicated situation discussed calmly and objectively, giving a fair analysis of historical events leading to this dreadful slaughter of so many innocent people on both sides.

Thanks guys for the calm and respectful conversation . Much appreciated .

Informative, clear and concice. Excellent job, thank you!

Thank you.

Appreciate the nuanced and rational discussion of this difficult topic. Happy to see that 1.3 million people have listened and wish that several billion more would…

Very helpful and timely show. You present the issues clearly and perhaps as objectively as is possible. Thank you.

Thank you both...nice to hear some balanced and reasonable perspectives as well as usefully informative summaries on the history of a toxic situation which all reasonable people hope finds a peaceful solution as soon as possible

thank you gents very educational

Thankyou Rory for showing exceptional diplomacy and skill in explaining the situation by stating simple facts and showing empathy to all sides, a true humanitarian. My wife and I had a long discussion about how history is littered with examples of groups of people believing that they are somehow chosen or ordained. By its very definition this creates a schism, and that almost inevitably leads to the suffering of innocent people. It seems to be the tragedy of humanity, and as Bob Marley said "Until the philosophy which hold one race superior and another Inferior is finally and permanently discredited snd abandoned - everywhere is war". My thoughts and prayers are with all the innocents caught up in this.

Rory Stuart, always a pleasure to listen to him, a true gentleman and scholar.

Thank you, very helpful

What an excellent objective analysis. Thank you.

This is delightful. Thank you Mr Stewart for so much insight and for a much needed space for nuanced debate.

First time listener. Rory is amazing. His talent of explaining extremely complicated issues into understandable lessons is epic. I will be back for more.

I have a strong opinion on this - this measured cautious calm balanced discussion is helpful in and of itself while also showing us how to think about this difficult issues.

Superb. Thanks

I came off Twitter because it was impossible to speak of diplomacy, it was impossible to speak of being able to condemn Hamas and the Israeli government. I love to read and listen about history, I enjoy reading about diplomacy, but even educating myself and offering to educate others just turns into one side vs another - which is anything but diplomatic. I get the anger on both sides, I get the history and I'm willing to understand that It's a serious and very complex issue, I just wish there were more people willing to understand and learn from the past and learn from diplomats from the UN. The humanitarian issues should be the biggest focal point, innocent people always die by those in power who don't really care about them, only their own prejudices. One side you have Hamas being extreme to do the unimaginable, the other is and Israeli government going further beyond the two party state, and now collective punishment and mass murder. in the middle are innocent Israelis and Palestinians just trying to survive. It's so extreme, I just don't know if there are any solutions. I hope that there are those willing to stand up and fight for an equal society, not the destruction of one, or worse both. I got banned from the UKPolitics subreddit for talking about diplomacy and talking about how its important that language is vital when peace-making, It's what I've learned from reading UN articles and about how language is a key element to bring back some sort of justice and understanding. I hope I don't get banned her, I just feel it's so important to speak about, that not many people are willing, or able, to do.

This has been the best most reasonable informative debate I've seen on this subject to date. This needs to be widely seen in main stream media outlets!

What do Rory Stewart and Alistair Campbell think this week? Now there are 10,000 + dead Palestinians and 4 - 5,000 children. Has the response of Israel improved the situation or worsened it?

Rory thanks for your 10min fast track explanation I have now passed onto my family what's app group as I tried and failed with what you just did so brilliantly.

Thank you both for one of the only balanced and considered opinions of this horrendous situation! I have children and many grandchildren in Israel, although I'm not Jewish! Even sadder in many ways, is the loss to the British nation of two of its best known and informative political champions! Really appreciate all that you both contribute to our world dilemma!

Only came across this discussion today. So, a little late in terms of events, but still very much worth listening to, in terms of what led to this major crisis.

Rory is such a clear and concise speaker! Alaistair & Rory, both held such a simple yet accurate discussion!

Thank you to Alastair and Rory, for demonstrating to us what the fundamentals of a functioning democracy are. Two intelligent, informed individuals, with integrity, discussing and debating fully-formed and nuanced ideas. Agreeing and disagreeing, all the while respecting each other’s right to different political positions. We really need to get back to a place where this is happening among the leadership of this country and not just on podcasts. Perhaps then it would filter through to wider society. I agree with an earlier comment, I’m not fully aligned with Conservative politics but I would be rejoicing to have Rory as PM, not just right now, but at any point. We need leaders we can respect, whatever our stripes.

Excellent outline of the situation. Much better than the main stream news can produce

It's important to mention that Jews have lived in historical Palestine before Zionism. Jerusalem was more than a third Jewish in the 19th century. Also, not all Jews emigrating to Palestine were European. Half of the current population in Israel come from Arab/Muslim countries where they were persecuted and expelled from.

Brilliant episode.

I think Rory's explanation absolutely spot on. Fair, balanced and very informative. Well done

The seemingly immortal stalemate that has engulfed the question of Israel and Palestine for over seven decades now may be a complicated one, but just how complicated is really an unknown quantity. In assessing the situation, scholars, politicians, activists, journalists and victims alike present their views and the public, largely ignorant of all the facts and highly susceptible to the dangers of prejudice, assumption and emotional reaction, either chose a side or retreat from the topic in apathy. We hear of Palestinian militants launching rockets over the border and we shake our heads in indignation. Then we see Israel retaliate with disproportionate brutality and wonder how such a thing can possibly be justified. When the dust settles, both sides accuse the other of premeditated murder and the whole thing begins again. The problem with this apparent catch-22 is that it is a superficial conundrum; a perpetual cycle of violence that cannot be interrupted by dialogue or mediation because its roots run far deeper than most people understand. I am not talking about the historical events which led us here. These are well documented and serve only to explain the general air of distrust and mutual suspicion between the two factions involved. If this were the sole reason things appeared so impossible to solve, the international community would have made far more headway by now than it has. The real issue, the 900 pound gorilla attending every effort at negotiation to this day, is one of territorial sovereignty. By this I don’t mean the periodic incursions by the IDF into Gaza or the West Bank. The question of Israel’s “right to defend itself” is a legitimate one, even if the means employed to achieve it are not always mired in temperance. What I am talking about is the right of Palestine to exist as a single, defined territory, unbroken and undivided by the arbitrary appropriation of land by its neighbor. Unlike the myriad of other questions involved, this one is clear and unambiguous. The IDF may feel it has a right to cross the Palestinian border - and under certain conditions I agree that it does - but that is not the issue. The issue is permanent settlement by Israeli citizens within the borders of Palestine. Of all the moral decadence, reactionary upheaval and misguided action in the region, the question of settlements and its many disastrous ramifications, is one for which Israel alone is responsible. No Palestinian government will ever succeed in quelling its own radical factions, nor achieve any wide consensus among its own people in putting an end to violent reaction, until this indignity is rectified. Human nature simply doesn’t have the capacity to endure a humiliation of this magnitude, and nor should it have to. The truth is that nothing Israel says or does in the name of peace or reconciliation will have any meaning as long as it continuous not only to allow this practice, but actively support it. Therefore every other argument is secondary to this one by necessity, if not inclination. You simply cannot claim to desire something while actively working to make that thing impossible. No nation on Earth would stand for an arrangement in which its own lands are divided arbitrarily by a foreign power and permanently occupied by citizens of that power. Palestine, as it exists today, is not a nation, as so should not be expected to function as one. One need only look at a map to see what the effects of the current situation are. It is not a country at all, but a piece of land dissected by concrete walls and the threat of force into a patchwork of disconnected territories that stifle the possibility of free movement within. In any sense of the term, Palestine is not a nation. It is not a distinct geographical entity. It enjoys no real sovereign rights, be they judicial, military or political. To pretend it is a nation and accuse it as such of belligerence, negligence or collusion is the height of both irresponsibility and hypocrisy. You don’t need to be schooled in the details or the history of the region to appreciate why little will come of any effort until this fundamental issue is addressed. And by addressed I mean that Israel must withdraw its claim on Palestinian land down to the last settlement. Not as a gesture of goodwill, or a concession to peace, but in recognition of the fact that to abuse the right of a people to exist as such without let or hindrance is to provoke in them all the violence and hatred of which humans are capable. This is not a question of individual responsibility for acts of violence. Murder is murder. No civilized society allows for the killing of one person by another, regardless of motivation. But to be civilized, a society must have the freedom to develop and support those institutions which safeguard it against anarchy and unsanctioned violence. There is no society in Palestine today, nor will there ever be unless the roots of self-determination are allowed to take hold and grow. I wrote this on Medium in August of 2014 and nothing has happened since that would make me change my mind.

It was a very good explainer…. Thanks.

Thxs for that talk. The one thing you don't mention is that the Arabs (1948) and later the Palestinians, were offered a 2-state solution, and always refused.

First time I’ve listened to this podcast. A very good explainer for someone like me who didn’t know the roots of the present situation. It’s a real shame Rory left politics, but I understand why.

Keep filming and recording these; they are informative and enjoyable !!!

Excellent debate by Rory Stewart, calm, verbose, and his knowledge quite exceptional. Worth listening too.I must add as a one time Tory voter, ( no more) it was a great loss that he did not win the conservative leadership!Anyway, a brilliant interview.

Rewatching this 7 months and 30-40,000 Palestinian deaths later. One of the most awful situations the world has seen in recent history.

Excellent summary & discussion - it accurately, though superficially, reflects the disaster I’ve observed over much of my 65 years. Regardless of the side, Palestinian or Israeli, the treatment of the other is appalling and reprehensible. For many years I was a supporter of Israel. That support waned then evaporated in recent decades for several reasons. Primarily, I wonder how is it that a nation born out of the horrors of WWII can justify or excuse its treatment of the Palestinians: failure to pay for property taken in 1948 and in subsequent actions, further expansion from the Wall and settlers illegal taking, Ariel Sharon’s 1982 War Crimes in the Sabra & Shatilla refugee camps in Lebanon, Israeli Defense Forces 2008 War Crimes due to the repeated exploding of White Phosphorus munitions over Gaza in late 2008 and, ultimately, the assassination of Yizhak Rabin in 1995 by a Right-Wing Israeli extremist bent on killing off the Oslo Accords (he succeeded). At some point one has to conclude, well, I did, that Israel really wasn’t interested in peace. It turns out that theirs is a policy of expansionism - one meter, one farm, one settlement at a time. When one’s jailers are so successful that it appears they have solved the ‘terrorist problem’, the rest of the world, particularly we in the US, shrug and say “whew, glad the Israelis dealt with that.” All the suppression, the hiding of the odious treatment of the subjugated (by walls, weapons and checkpoints) simply fans the flames of rage. Yes, Hamas’ actions are repugnant, vicious and stupid, stupid because of the reign of terror that civilians will suffer as a result. Sadly, these Hamas dudes (a sneer is attached to dudes) seem only to care about themselves and their acquisition of power: the freedom, care, safety of women, children and elderly Palestinians is, and has been, immaterial. However, Netanyahu is also responsible. The Knesset should fry him in hot oil. His pandering to the ultra orthodox and extreme right so he can stay in power and avoid going to jail has contributed to the rage that delivered a nasty blow to Israel this past weekend. Battles for power and wealth lead to distractions. The Israeli government’s and military’s distraction was clearly illuminated over recent days. It’s time someone, I hope it’s Biden, knocks some heads together - threaten Netanyahu with withdrawal of US support for his policies and figure out how to get Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, to get in there and find a solution. It’s certainly time for the Israeli government to pay reparations. It’s also time for the illegal settlements to be removed and violators punished. Ah, if elephants could fly.

Rory needs to have a senior cabinet post. What an intelligent and well thought out chap. Very impressed with his chat. First time i ve listened to him. Excellent. We need someone like him running the country.

Just read a interview in the Irish Times with this gentleman wow so likeable true... rory Stewart is a wonderful explainer and can't be bought ...like Jimmy Carter the good are let slip ....a few more RORY STEWARTS...THIS WORLD WOULD ..BENEFIT

Fascinating. Thankyou

Imagine what British politics would be like if the average Tory and Labour MPs were as intelligent, rational, and articulate as these two.

Just love the way you can tackle such difficult topics. Wish others could have similar insights. keep it going guys

Alastair, thank you for providing a platform to Rory Stewart, our lost statesman premier, whose clarity of intellect is a refreshing sitrep on the asymetric conflict between Zionism and Palestinian ghettos. Keith (Philly's dad).

He left out the Sykes-Picot agreement, the McMahon-Husayn correspondence, and the contradictions between the two.

This account omits a key stage, when in the summer of 1947, the newly-formed United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) came up with the two state solution in Palestine. (committee members were from Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, India, Iran, the Netherlands, Peru, Sweden, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia - notably not GB). They gave 55% of the land to the Jews, even though they were only 1/3 of the population, because a) a lot of the area was desert and b) they felt guilty about not doing enough to save the Jews from the Nazis. The Arabs did not accept the UNSCOP decision and as soon as Ben Gurion declared Israel a nation state in 1948, all five arabic neighbouring countries declared war on Israel. Israel won the 1948 War and in the process took another 23% of land, (ending up with 78%), and expelled 750,000 Palestinian Arabs. It did this because they would have outnumbered the 650,00 Jewish Israelis in an election and Israel was planning to be a democracy.

After being exposed to so many one-sided coverage by mainstream media globally, we finally find this balanced, nuanced discussion. What a relief.

A very interesting and balanced account of the conflict.

Amazingly concise explanation. Thanks

Shared this on Twitter - quite possibly the single most useful thing I’ve read / watched today.

Thank you for such a nuanced explanation of whats going on in Israel. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a perspective that isn't biased or sensationalized in some way. It's strange that to get the news these days, I can no longer watch the "news" on mainstream media. So thank you.

This is a really good explanation. It's non-judgemental, not leading nor biased in anyway

A great summary of the politics of the Holy Land from Rory.

Listened to this in the car and found it fascinating. Appreciate you can’t cover thousands of years in 10 minutes but it’s been incredibly helpful as a guide and a starting point to investigate in detail. The additional image references are very helpful too. An incredibly complex and difficult discussion with very heated views but you helped many of us understand a little better. Thank you.

My congratulations to Rory, for this outstanding presentation on such a very complex subject.

Great Explination

I appreciated the efforts for respect: thank you brothers Rory and Alistair! Raza :)