An influential group of Israeli historians have argued for decades that the country was forged in violence - that the original displacement of 700,000 Palestinians was not an accident of chaos, but deliberate ethnic cleansing. This viewpoint deeply challenges Israel’s founding narrative as a desperate underdog seeking fairness and peace.
In this episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, two opposing titans of historical and political debat - Simon Sebag Montefiore (author of 'The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East') and international relations scholar Avi Shlaim - discuss their opposing worldviews and how they continue to shape today's conflicts, from the events of October 7th to the escalating war involving Iran.
Plus, as President Trump threatens an “economic D-Day” and both sides talk up the return to all-out war, we break down the latest developments in Tehran and across the Middle East, also joined by Tehran University’s Professor Mohammad Marandi.
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:01:54) Professor Marandi on Iran America’s implementation of economic hardship on Iran
(00:08:37) Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz
(00:19:55) The Iranian regime’s support for terrorist organisations
(00:22:07) The 25th anniversary of 9/11
(00:29:10) Simon Sebag Montefiore joins Piers to discuss his latest book on Middle East
(00:38:23) The Israeli government’s increasingly violent rhetoric and anti-semitism
(00:45:58) The Two-state solution
(00:51:57) Simon Sebag’s new historian categorisation and critique of the Israeli government
(00:56:13) IR Scholar Avi Shlaim reacts to Piers’ interview with Simon Sebag
(00:59:10) Piers asks Avi Shlaim about the criticism of the Israeli government being stifled
(01:05:01) How many Israeli locals actually support the government vs those against it?
(01:08:42) Categorising Israeli activity in Gaza as a Genocide
(01:11:43) Avi Shlaim on Netanyahu’s war in Iran
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