Shaiel Ben-Ephraim

Shaiel Ben‑Ephraim is an Israeli Jewish academic, writer, and former diplomat whose work has become increasingly defined by a sharp critique of Zionism, Israeli militarism, and the strategic narratives that sustain the occupation. Trained as a scholar of Israeli strategic culture and diplomatic history, he has taught Middle East politics at UCLA and published research examining the ideological foundations of Israeli security policy, the evolution of Zionist thought, and the political uses of force in the region. Drawing on his background in Israeli diplomacy and intelligence, Ben‑Ephraim uses his Substack publication The Grand Scheme to challenge dominant Israeli narratives from an explicitly anti‑war, anti‑militarist perspective. His writing interrogates the moral and strategic failures of Israeli policy, critiques the normalization of state violence, and highlights the structural dynamics that perpetuate occupation and regional instability. He positions himself openly against Zionist state ideology, arguing that Israeli political culture must undergo a fundamental transformation rooted in demilitarization, accountability, and equality. Through a combination of scholarly analysis and insider experience, Ben‑Ephraim has become a prominent voice in Jewish anti‑Zionist discourse, offering sustained, public dissent against Israeli state violence and the ideological frameworks that justify it.