After a century of conflict, it is often said that in the Middle East the past is the enemy of the future. Nonetheless, it is unwise to consider alternatives for resolving the Israeli/Palestinian conflict without understanding the antecedents to the present Gaza War, the concerns of the sides and the key reasons behind the failed past efforts for reconciliation.

Alon Tal, a leading Israeli environmentalist and former member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, has been working to promote cooperation in sustainability between Israel and its neighbors for almost thirty years.

This talk will briefly consider the basic history of the military conflicts in the region, how the present war in Gaza is changing perceptions, the shift in the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East, and the prospects for transforming the present tragedy in order to open a new page in the relations between these historic adversaries.

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This event will also have a livestream option. View the livestream on YouTube:

Livestream: The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Finding a Path Forward

About the speaker

Alon Tal is a visiting professor in sustainability at Stanford University and a professor of public policy at Tel Aviv University. In 2021 and 2022, he was a member of Israel’s Knesset, where he chaired the country’s first parliamentary sub-committee on climate change and the environment.

This lecture is cosponsored by the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Ph.D. Program and by the Middle East Center of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.

The University of Washington is committed to providing access and accommodation in its services, programs, and activities. To make a request connected to a disability or health condition contact Grace Elizabeth Dy at (206) 543-0138 or jewishst@uw.edu at least 10 days before the event.