Join us for the insightful three-part series exploring the evolving dynamics of Israel's relationships amid global and regional shifts. The series examines the impact of domestic polarization in Western states on responses to the Israel-Hamas war, Israel's place in the context of great power competition, and the implications of the war for Israeli-Palestinian relations and broader regional politics. Each session provides a comprehensive analysis of how these factors influence Israel's standing in the world and its internal divisions.
Part 1 - Changing Israel and a changing West. The responses within western states, including the US, to the war than began on October 7, are shaped by growing domestic polarization about their values, identities and role in the world. They are also influenced by the changing nature of Israeli politics and society. This session will ask: how are these longer term trends reshaping Israel’s relationship and standing in both the US and Europe, and what will be the legacy of the Israel-Hamas war? It will assess the anti-Zionism of the radical left; why far right political parties that used to be antisemitic now claim to support Israel; and why in the US, support for Israel is no longer bipartisan.
Part 2 - Changing Israel and the Great Power Competition. We live in a world where the relative power of the US is declining and we see rising great power competition. This is not just a struggle over material power, but also over the values, ideas and identities that influence our world. States are pulled between universal values of liberal democracy, and demands to preserve local, regional and even civilizational values and identities. This session looks at how deep identity divides within Israel leads to diverging views about Israel’s place in the world, and how that affects policy responses to events like the Russia-Ukraine war, and the growing power of China.
Part 3 - Changing Israel in a changing Middle East. The Israel-Hamas war is an irreversible turning point for the Israeli-Palestinian arena and the wider region. Hamas’s actions on October 7 were not just about Gaza but an attempt to reshape the politics of the region, against the backdrop of a trend towards Arab-Israeli normalization. This session takes stock of what has happened and why, what it means going forward for Israel's relations with the Palestinians, Arab states, and the wider world, and how Israel’s response is shaped by its deep internal divisions.
Dr. Toby Greene is visiting fellow in the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics and a lecturer in the Department for Political Studies at Bar Ilan University. He is a former Marie Curie Fellow at Queen Mary University of London and has held research and teaching positions at Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University. He earned his PhD from UCL for his thesis on British foreign policy in the Israeli-Palestinian arena. Toby’s research and teaching focuses on foreign policy, with a focus on civilizational identity politics in the Middle East and Europe. He publishes and lectures widely for scholarly, professional and general audiences.
3 сен 2024
