Benny Morris

Benny Morris is a prominent Jewish, Zionist, Israeli historian. He is considered the most influential and prolific member of the New Historians, a group of scholars who have challenged much of the received wisdom of the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Related Topics:
Jew - Zionist - Israeli - New Historians - Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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The son of immigrants from England, Morris was born in Kibbutz Ein HaHoresh and was a member of the left-wing HaShomer HaTza'ir youth movement. In 1988, he was imprisoned for refusing military service in the West Bank town Nablus.

Related Topics:
England - Kibbutz - Ein HaHoresh - HaShomer HaTza'ir - Youth movement - Refusing military service - West Bank - Nablus

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Morris received his doctorate from Cambridge. For a number of years, he was the diplomatic correspondent of the Jerusalem Post.

Related Topics:
Cambridge - Jerusalem Post

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Morris is currently professor of history at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva.

Related Topics:
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev - Be'er Sheva

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In his studies of the origins of the Palestinian refugee problem, Morris argues that the approximately 700,000 Palestinians who fled from their homes in 1947 left mostly due to Israeli actions or fear of Israeli actions, but not as the result of a preexisting expulsion plan.

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He documented atrocities on the part of the Israeli armed forces, including cases of rape, torture, and ethnic cleansing.

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Morris was once considered a representative of the radical left; he was accused of being an "Israel hater" and was boycotted by the Israeli academic establishment. But his disillusionment with the peace process has caused him to increasingly make statements commonly associated with the right-wing, while still claiming to belong to the left.

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