Anat Matar is an Israeli academic and philosopher who is leading an open call from Israelis to have sanctions imposed on their own country. Since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began after the events of 7 October, Matar and a few other Israelis have seen the social space around them get narrower and narrower, as mainstream Israeli society, educators, media institutions and leaders have stood behind Israel’s war. As we reflect in our conversation, some parts of Israeli society may differ on the tactics being used, but the vast majority stand behind the army's actions on the whole and defend or deny their country’s obvious and very visible atrocities. This episode was recorded on 11 November 2024. 00:00 Intro 05:25 Macabe Tel Aviv slogans and Israeli media 08:30 How Israeli society justifies war crimes 11:30 What are anti-government protests in Israel all about? 16:20 The open letter to sanction Israel 20:20 What was the societal discourse like 18 months ago 24:00 Academic and social media freedoms in Israel 33:00 Situation for Palestinians who are Israeli citizens 37:40 What has happened to the media in Israel - Haaretz 41:51 Is Israel safe for you? 45:00 Anat’s early life and childhood 48:00 Oslo accords’ shortcomings and settlers 53:45 Endgame for Gantz, Lieberman and Lapid 58:30 Israel’s expansionist nature 01:03:30 Zionism’s future and normalisation 01:09:40 Will the call for sanctions work? 01:14:20 What will the legacy of the genocide be in Israel
