What Britain’s Most Famous Philosopher Said About Zionism

In January 1970, the year of his death, Russell issued a fascinating statement, a letter condemning, quote, Israel's aggression in the Middle East, unquote, and in particular, Israeli bombing raids carried out deep in Egyptian territory as part of the so-called war of attrition, which he compared to the bombing the German bombing raids in the Battle of Britain, and the US bombing of Vietnam.

4:55

The last phase of the undeclared war in the Middle East is based upon a profound miscalculation. The bombing raids deep into Egyptian territory will not persuade the civilian population to surrender, but will stiffen their resolve to resist. This is the lesson of all aerial bombardment. The Vietnamese, who have endured years of American heavy bombing, have responded not by capitulation, but by shooting down more enemy aircraft. In 1940, my own fellow countrymen, obviously the British, resisted Hitler's bombing raids with unprecedented unity and determination.

5:41

For this reason, the present Israeli attacks will fail in their essential purpose. But at the same time, they must be condemned vigorously throughout the world. The development of the crisis in the Middle East is both dangerous and instructive. how little has changed. I think for over 20 years, Israel has expanded by force of arms.

6:05

At every stage in this expansion, Israel has appealed to reason and has suggested negotiations. This is the traditional role of the imperial power because it wishes to consolidate with the least difficulty what it has already taken by violence.

6:27

This is the traditional role of the imperial power because it wishes to consolidate with the least difficulty what it has already taken by violence. Every new conquest becomes the new basis of the proposed negotiation from strength which ignores the injustice of the previous aggression. The aggression committed by Israel must be condemned not only because no state has the right to annex foreign territory but because every expansion is an experiment to discover how much more aggression the world will tolerate.

7:15

The tragedy of the people of Palestine is that their country was given by a foreign power to another people for the creation of a new state.

8:56

We are frequently told that we must sympathize with Israel because of the suffering of the Jews in Europe at the hands of the Nazis. I see in this suggestion no reason to perpetuate any suffering. What Israel is doing today cannot be condoned.

9:56

All who want to see an end to bloodshed in the Middle East must ensure that any settlement does not contain the seeds of future conflict.

10:10

Justice requires that the first step towards a settlement must be an Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied in June 1967. A new world campaign is needed to help bring justice to the longsuffering people of the Middle East.