Harry & Blanche Posen Memorial Lecture: The First Year of the Post-Netanyahu Era in Israel
May 11, 12:30 pm
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Special thanks to the Posen, Spiegel and Cohen families for making this annual event possible.
June 2022 will mark the end of the first year of a new government in Israel, following a twelve-year period dominated by the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu. The new government, made up of unlikely partners, has had to deal with endless risks and threats to its very existence and stability, at the same time also with manifold problems on both the domestic and the international scene.
The government has had to try to reconcile distinctly right- and left-wing parties while initiating a series of economic reforms, struggling with legal definitions of the character of the Jewish state and handling the difficulties of the lengthy pandemic. Also, the government has experimented, for the first time in history, with an Arab party playing an important role in the ruling coalition. On the regional scene, Israel has continued to struggle with the lethal threat of the Iranian nuclear project, with the manifold attempts by Iran to send its proxies to wage daily attacks on Israel, and with the grim reality of large terrorist organizations dominating both the Gaza Strip and the failed state of Lebanon. Yet the government has managed to solidify the relationship with the Arab Gulf states and even engage in an effort of RAPPROCHEMENT with Turkey, a key regional power. For the first time, Israel has also appeared as a possible mediator, and a significant player in general, in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, while attempting to maintain and solidify its all-important relationship with the new administration in Washington. In recent weeks, the government has had to face two new and harsh threats: a wave of Islamic terrorism in key cities in the country, and the defection of a key member of the coalition.
Professor Ben-Dor will analyze all of this against the background of Israel’s good relations with the future superpowers of China, India and Brazil.
Gabriel Ben-Dor is Professor of Political Science and Director of National Security Studies, University of Haifa and is one of the foremost thinkers on Israel in the current political moment. He has devoted his academic career to the study of ethnic politics, minorities in the Middle East, the role of the military in politics, political violence, conflicts and their resolution, strategy, and national security. He has taught in these fields and organized various study programs and research centers and institutes. He served as Rector at the University of Haifa and served as a member of the Council for Higher Education in Israel. He has been our guest at Holy Blossom’s Harry and Blanche Posen Memorial Lectures for many years and is also a popular lecturer in Holy Blossom’s “Israel Dialogues” series.
