He who controls the past controls the future

Quite typically, the Economist in its latest edition has written a highly favourable book review of a new revisionist work by Ha’aretz journalist Tom Segev about the build up to the Six-Day War. Segev claims in his book that “there was indeed no justification for the panic that preceded the war nor for the euphoria that took hold after it” and argues that Israel’s mad, gung-ho militaristic, Prussian-type Generals hijacked the decision making process and forced the politicians into a war they didn’t want. The Economist says of this book that “Mr Segev mixes a meticulous narrative with a shrewd analysis of the complex Israeli pysche” and that the work is “a marvellous achievement”.

Now it’s one thing to offer one’s opinion on a historical debate as the Economist does in this issue blaming Israel for failing to make peace with the Arab states after the war. It’s quite another to try to influence the historiography of an event by shamelessly promoting the view you agree with in a book review in order to have people by that book, read it, agree with it and thereby shape their views and the views of the intelligentsia in general. Frankly, this brazen attempt to manipulate history makes me sick and extremely angry. It is a particularly insidious, devious and underhand method of thought-control, worthy of an Orwellian dystopia.

Furthermore, as Michael Oren points out in a recent article in the Jerusalem Post, “the adversaries [of the historiographical struggle] are not merely vying for space on university bookshelves, but grappling with issues that have a profound impact on the lives of millions of people: Israel's security, the rights of Palestinian refugees, the future of Jerusalem”. He goes on to state that "the newly released Israeli diplomatic documents from the period leading up to June 5, 1967, offer overwhelming evidence against any suggestion that Israel sought war with the Arabs. Nor do the tens of thousands of papers so far declassified contain a single reference to any desire to divert public opinion from the economic situation, to overthrow Arab rulers or to conquer and occupy the West Bank, the Sinai or the Golan Heights".

The real purpose of the revisionist historians is to shape the current political and diplomatic situation. They are not just debating an abstract historical point, they are trying to assert real influence over the Israeli-Arab conflict in accordance with their own ideological and political views through the means of their distorted and purposefully slanted historical claims. Shame on them and shame on the Economist for promoting such manipulative, ideological obfuscation. The entire academic world, students, political commentators, journalists and general public should be on the highest alert for such outrages against history.

As Orwell himself wrote, “He who controls the past, controls the future; and he who controls the present, controls the past”. A salutary warning.