Right to Exist

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Right to Exist is a 2003 book by Israeli historian Yaacov Lozowick, a “long time leftist and peace activist.” ^[1]

In the book, Lozowick draws on Just War theory, and particularly on Michael Walzer's work Just and Unjust Wars, in an attempt to evaluate Israel’s wars in the light of moral philosophy. ^[2]

According to Chad Alan Goldberg writing in Contemporary Sociology, Lozowick develops the following thesis: “What I found in my review of Israel’s wars, was that Zionism has mostly tried to be moral. Sometimes it made mistakes, from which it generally (but not always) learned. While being continuously at war, it was surprisingly successful at all sorts of other projects, such as the building of a reasonably healthy society out of diverse communities.” ^[3] According to Goldberg, Lozowick concludes that all of Israel’s wars except the 1982 invasion of Lebanon have met the test of ‘’jus ad bellum.’’ ^[4]

Goldberg writes that “One of Lozowick’s most important contributions is to refute the pernicious claim that Zionism is a form of European colonialism.” ^[5] And that another important contribution is the compelling refutation of the charge that Israel is a racist state. ^[6]

According to David Harsanyi, Lozowick argues that “Israelis have generally learned from their blunders, constantly reappraising their policies and their place in the world. Despite this self-criticism, Zionism is frequently rejected by classification regardless of its tangible policies, actions, or attempts at peace.” ^[7]

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