In spring 2023, journalist and filmmaker Antony Loewenstein published <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/products/2684-the-palestine-laboratory?srsltid=AfmBOoonhCIeaBw1dyR9leyuiGw7SlSdsXNQGQqVTZVYyAOWXezzf-th" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Palestine Laboratory</a>, a book tracing the way that Israeli military technology and weaponry, battle-tested on Palestinians, is exported around the world. Lowenstein argues that as Israel’s surveillance and combat technologies are sold far and wide, we can expect to see the forms of violence carried out in Gaza, for example, appear elsewhere in the world. Last month, Jewish Currents published an article by Rhys Machold called “<a href="https://jewishcurrents.org/the-myth-of-israeli-innovation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Myth of Israeli Innovation</a>,” which takes a critical look at what Machold has termed “the laboratory thesis” and examines how it obscures Israel’s dependence on powerful allies, while doing PR for the overhyped Israeli tech sector.&nbsp;On this episode of On the Nose, Jewish Currents editor-in-chief Arielle Angel hosts Loewenstein and Machold for a comradely debate about the “laboratory thesis” and whether it serves a narrative of Zionist exceptionalism. The guests discuss how advanced Israeli weapons really are; how “Israeli” they are, given the role of Western governments and corporations in their development; and how much of Israel’s “innovation” should be considered technological as opposed to political. They also explore whether or not Israel is on the verge of collapse, and how to characterize the balance of power between Israel and the US.Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”Articles and Media Mentioned and Further Reading<a href="https://www.versobooks.com/products/2684-the-palestine-laboratory?srsltid=AfmBOoonhCIeaBw1dyR9leyuiGw7SlSdsXNQGQqVTZVYyAOWXezzf-th" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Palestine Laboratory</a> by Antony Loewenstein<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/video/featured-documentaries/2025/1/30/the-palestine-laboratory-ep-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Palestine Laboratory</a>, documentary series by Antony Loewenstein on Al Jazeera“<a href="https://jewishcurrents.org/the-myth-of-israeli-innovation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Myth of Israeli Innovation</a>,” Rhys Machold, Jewish Currents“<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0962629817300239" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reconsidering the laboratory thesis: Palestine/Israel and the geopolitics of representation</a>,” Rhys Machold, Political Geography“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTfQo4t_zVY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How Palantir, Google & Amazon armed Israel's genocide in Gaza</a>,” interview with Antony Loewenstein on The Big Picture, Middle East Eye&nbsp;“<a href="https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza</a>,” Yuval Abraham, +972 Magazine“<a href="https://liberatedtexts.com/reviews/profiting-from-terror-in-coldwar-latin-america-bishara-bahbahs-israel-and-latin-america-the-military-connection/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Profiting from Terror in Cold War Latin America: Bishara Bahbah’s Israel and Latin America: The Military Connection</a>,” Alexander Aviña, Liberated Texts“<a href="https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/israel-military/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">From Domination to Extermination</a>,” Shir Hever, Phenomenal World“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZVj1_SE4Mo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus</a>,” Frontline, PBS“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOK06tX_14M" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zionism is an anachronism</a>,” Makdisi Street“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG_JFp0MDLs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The rot is very, very deep</a>,” Makdisi Street<a href="https://www.beacon.org/Israel-on-the-Brink-P2220.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Israel on the Brink</a> by Ilan Pappé“<a href="https://jacobin.com/2025/09/israel-war-economy-reservist-compensation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How Israel’s War Economy Defied Economic Predictions</a>,” Assaf Bondy and Adam Raz, JacobinThe Israeli Connection: Who Arms Israel and Why by Benjamin Beit-HallahmiDrop Site reporting on “<a href="https://www.dropsitenews.com/s/epstein-and-israel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Epstein and Israel</a>” by Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussein“<a href="https://jewishcurrents.org/on-jeffrey-epstein" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">On Jeffrey Epstein</a>,” On the Nose“<a href="https://religionnews.com/2021/05/26/survey-young-evangelicals-largely-backed-biden-and-have-shifting-views-on-israel/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Survey: Young, diverse generation of evangelicals shows growing ambivalence toward Israel</a>,” Jack Jenkins, Religion News ServiceTranscript forthcoming.&nbsp;

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