French historian Jean-Pierre Filiu says Gaza’s rich civilization has endured centuries of war, but Israel’s has not.
Israel has fought 15 wars against Gaza over the past 75 years, and all of them have failed to resolve fundamental problems, says former French diplomat Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor of Middle East studies at Sciences Po .
Filiu tells host Steve Clemons that Gaza’s rich history as a trading post connecting Africa and Asia dates back 4,000 years. The way Israel has cut it off from the world “goes against its history and the nature of its people.”
He says Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s heritage sites – ancient mosques, churches, museums – means “the memory of humanity is being erased before our eyes”.