1.9.1 Back Rent: Sources and Methods in the Ongoing Israeli-Palestinian Hostilities [Part I]

This week we welcome Mike Hilkowitz to The Caves of Altamira. Our conversation takes a relatively deep dive into several significant historical undercurrents shaping the most recent wave of violence in this long-simmering dispute. Our conversation winds its way from a property dispute surrounding two houses in East Jerusalem to the Camp David negotiation in the late 1990s to a broader discussion of Yasser Arafat, Hamas, and Israel’s relations in the region. This circumlocutious path itself speaks to how dense and difficult it can be to get any sort of handle on the conflict. We certainly do not cover it all, but we dig into several critical areas that drive distinct understandings of specific causes and ultimate culpability. Fair to say, Mike and I don’t see eye to eye on everything, which helps to push the conversation into meaningful and fruitful domains. Note: Our conversation ran a bit long, so I have divided it into two episodes. Part Two will be published sometime next week.