The program “Historical Walks” on Voice of Greece attempts to shed light on the roots of the Middle East Question — a conflict often seen as one of the world’s most intractable.
With international relations expert and Middle East specialist Sotiris Roussos, Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of the Peloponnese, we explore the deep historical background and key turning points of the Israeli-Palestinian issue, from the 19th century to the present.
In Part A of this two-part special series, airing on Saturday 12 July at 13:00 (Athens time), we delve into the origins of the conflict: from U.S. President John Adams expressing hopes of seeing the Jewish people return to Judea as an “independent nation,” to the first formal political statement of that vision in the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
What is Zionism? What is antisemitism? When did the idea of the Jewish “return” to Palestine begin — to lands abandoned under persecution two millennia ago?
This movement accelerated after the Holocaust and WWII. But before becoming a national movement shaped by rising antisemitism in the West, Jewish migration to Palestine was part of a colonial settler project aimed at founding the state of Israel — a goal realized in 1948. Since then, the region has remained a flashpoint of recurring conflict and escalating geopolitical tension.
In Part B, airing on Saturday 19 July at 13:00 (Athens time), the focus shifts to the political dynamics within Israel and Palestine from the mid-20th century to today. Was October 7, 2023 a tragic anomaly — or the inevitable result of developments since 1967? What has changed since then? And is sustainable peace still within reach?
Produced and presented by Marilena Katsimi
- Part A airs: Saturday, 12 July 2025, 13:00 (Athens time)
- Part B airs: Saturday, 19 July 2025, 13:00 (Athens time)
