75 Years of Israel - 75 Years of Mythmaking Around the Israels Foundation 

Answers to all the questions you never dared to ask before

Webinar with Ulrike Becker and Michael Spaney (MFFB) 

An event of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation
April 27, 6 p.m., Zoom 

This May marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. 75 years ago, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, read the Declaration of Independence. Shortly after midnight, the armies of five neighboring states - Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq - marched into the newly founded state of Israel. War, flight and displacement ensued.

The historical narrative surrounding these events has always been contested. Myths are entwined in the narratives about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, events are presented one-sidedly or omitted. The founding of Israel itself is demonized: With the founding of the state, the Palestinian population was uprooted. Since 1947, "Israel has committed 50 holocausts against the Palestinians", said the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Mahmoud Abbas at a press conference with Olaf Scholz in Berlin in August 2022.

In Germany, the slogan widely used at Palestinian demonstrations, "From the river to the sea," claims the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. In this narrative, Israel is a destructive invader and has no right to exist at all. 

The story is complicated and overwhelms many. And it is precisely for this reason that the question arises: how can a constructive conversation about Israel be organized in the face of this hostility, especially in the educational space? So what happened in 1947/48 and why does it still matter today?

In this webinar, we will approach the basic questions together in order to be better equipped to deal with the most common myths and misinformation. Middle East experts Ulrike Becker and Michael Spaney from the Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin (MFFB) will give an overview of the most common myths and then join you in a discussion. The webinar intends to be less of a lecture and more of a space to ask questions and clarify problems.

The webinar will take place digitally at Zoom. In order to create a confidential atmosphere and to give enough space to questions, the number of participants* is limited. Therefore, please register at aktionswochen@amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de.