Yes, I was not trained in the history of Israel-Palestine. When October 7 happened, I was on sabbatical in the United States. Observing events from the outside — especially by consuming non-Israeli media and in particular alternative, nonmainstream sources — was extremely influential for me. It made me realize the horror of the events I was witnessing.
At that point, I felt I needed to make other people aware of what I was seeing, particularly a broader Israeli audience. I tried different ways of doing that. I spoke with friends and family, and I attempted to publish op-eds and opinion pieces in Haaretz. None of this seemed to have much impact.
Then, in December 2023, South Africa filed its [International Court of Justice] case. I read the full document — the eighty-plus-page submission — and I remember thinking that this was something I could actually do myself. The sources and methods were not fundamentally different from the kinds of materials I work with in my academic research as a historian.
I don’t think I could have started this project had I been in Israel at the time.
Already before October 7, I had been thinking about my obligations as an academic to the society that pays my salary. After October 7, I tried to understand what role I was supposed to play in this reality. I was also influenced by the political scientist John Mearsheimer, who made the point that even if no one listens, you still have an obligation to speak and to put the argument out there, publicly, for the record of being on the right side of history. I started compiling evidence and publishing it on my social media, which at the time was essentially nonexistent. At first, hardly anyone paid attention, but I continued anyway. Eventually people did start to care. I began publishing in early January 2024.
Auteur: Lee Mordechai
