Avi Shlaim: zionism, anti-semitism, and Palestinian rights

Historian Professor Avi Shlaim – who, was born in Baghdad, and describes himself as ’an Arab Jew’ –  is well placed to talk about both zionism and anti-semitism, and to comment on the present state of Palestinian rights. His research has challenged perceived notions about Israel, arguing that it has become, “an ethnocracy; a political system in which one ethnic group dominates the other” – yet at the same time, he observes, any critical discussion of this situation is being closed down in both the UK and the US.