Tom Segev at 80: Why One of Israel’s Leading Historians Now Calls Zionism a Mistake. Haaretz. Analysis and Summary. Haaretz
Looking Back, Israeli Historian Tom Segev Thinks Zionism Was a Mistake
April 4, 2025 — By Ofer Aderet (Analysis and Summary) Haaretz
Israeli historian Tom Segev, long known for his critical lens on the history of Israel and Zionism, has made perhaps his boldest statement yet. At the age of 80, Segev reflects on his personal journey and the historical myths that shaped both his family narrative and the nation’s identity. His revelations, detailed in an in-depth Haaretz article, offer not just a personal reckoning but a broader challenge to Zionism’s moral and historical foundation.
Key Themes and Analysis
1. Personal Revelation and Historical Reckoning
Segev opens his reflection by confronting a deeply personal myth: the circumstances of his father’s death during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. For decades, he believed the official narrative that his father, Heinz Schwerin, was killed heroically "by a murderer's bullet while on guard duty." Yet, upon researching for his book A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion, Segev uncovered inconsistencies in the official story.
This discovery became emblematic of a larger realization—that the Zionist narrative he grew up with was filled with constructed truths, designed to support the state-building project. Segev sees his father’s story as a metaphor for the myths embedded in Israeli national history.
2. Critique of Zionism’s Foundational Narratives
Positioned among the "New Historians," Segev has long questioned the sanitized versions of Israel’s founding. His body of work—especially One Palestine, Complete and 1967: Israel, the War, and the Year That Transformed the Middle East—exposes the less heroic, more complex motivations behind Israeli policies.
For instance, he argues that the post-1967 occupation of East Jerusalem was not merely the outcome of a defensive war but the fulfillment of pre-existing Zionist desires for expansion. According to Segev, these expansions were not necessities for survival but choices, deeply rooted in ideological ambition rather than ethical governance.
3. Ethical Failures and the "Transfer" Ideology
Segev doesn't shy away from highlighting the uncomfortable truths about Zionist thought leaders. He references early Zionist figures like Theodor Herzl and David Ben-Gurion, who openly advocated for the transfer of Palestinian populations to ensure a Jewish demographic majority.
In One Palestine, Complete, Segev documents how the concept of "transfer" was not fringe but mainstream among Zionist leadership.
He portrays this as a foundational moral failing—a calculated strategy cloaked in the language of pragmatism but rife with ethical compromises that continue to haunt Israel today.
4. The Six-Day War as a Pivotal Mistake
Segev pinpoints the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War as Zionism’s critical error. He believes that Israel’s decision to hold onto conquered territories, particularly East Jerusalem, was a grave moral misstep.
Rather than using victory as an opportunity for peace and compromise, Israel’s choice to entrench its occupation reflected a prioritization of land over justice. Segev argues this moment cemented a cycle of conflict, embedding occupation into the fabric of Israeli policy and deepening the rift with Palestinians.
5. Legacy of Historical Revisionism
The Haaretz article emphasizes Segev’s enduring role in reshaping Israeli historiography. By daring to interrogate state-sanctioned myths—such as the portrayal of the 1948 war as purely defensive or the innocence of Zionist aims—Segev has compelled Israeli society to confront uncomfortable truths.
His critique is not merely historical but deeply relevant to present-day debates. Segev draws direct lines from early Zionist ideology to contemporary policies, including recent discussions around "transfer" in Gaza. He argues that such rhetoric is not new but a continuation of old patterns, rooted in Zionism’s original compromises.
Broader Implications
Tom Segev’s reflections, as presented in the Haaretz piece, are both intimate and universal. His personal journey—from the son of a national "hero" to a historian challenging the very narratives that shaped his life—mirrors Israel’s broader struggle with its past and its future.
Segev’s conclusion is not an outright rejection of Jewish self-determination, but a sober critique of Zionism’s moral cost. He urges Israelis and Jews worldwide to confront the ethical contradictions embedded in their history, suggesting that true reckoning is essential for a just and sustainable future.
Final Thought
Tom Segev’s brave introspection invites us all to ask: Can a nation thrive if it is built on selective memory? And more urgently—what might it look like to build a future based not on historical myths, but on moral clarity and honest self-reflection?
For readers interested in Segev’s works, consider exploring his books, especially One Palestine, Complete and 1967: Israel, the War, and the Year That Transformed the Middle East. They offer invaluable insights into the complexities and contradictions of Zionism and Israeli history.
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