Efraim Karsh is a prominent British-Israeli historian specializing in Middle East studies, born on September 6, 1953. He is best known for his critical analyses of the Arab-Israeli conflict and has authored numerous books challenging revisionist interpretations of Middle Eastern history, engaging in revisionist scholarship on Israeli-Palestinian history. Karsh has held significant academic positions, including founding director and emeritus professor of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies at King's College London, where he headed the department and served as Professor and Head of the Mediterranean Studies Programme. Since 2013, he has served as a professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. He was the director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA) and is currently a principal research fellow and former director of the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank focused on Middle Eastern affairs.

Karsh is a vocal critic of the 'New Historians,' a group of Israeli scholars who have questioned the traditional Israeli narrative of the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguing that their work often distorts historical facts to fit political agendas. His publications, such as works on Saddam Hussein co-authored with Inari Rautsi, draw on diverse sources including Iraqi, Arab, Western, and Israeli archives, establishing him as an authoritative voice in the field. Karsh's career spans academia, think tanks, and public commentary, influencing debates on regional geopolitics and Israeli policy.

Throughout his professional life, Karsh has contributed to understanding networks of influence in the Middle East through his research on authoritarian regimes, nationalism, and conflict dynamics. His dual British-Israeli perspective has shaped his interdisciplinary approach, blending orientalist scholarship with political analysis.