What are the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian relations in the wake of the Israeli elections?

02  December 2026    4:00 pm CET

Panel discussion in the context of the wiiw-oiip seminar series 'Europe in a Fragmented World: Geo-economic and Geo-political Dynamics'

In cooperation with:
   

Venue

Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche (wiiw)
Rahlgasse 3
1060 Vienna
Seminar room souterrain, entrance from the ground floor

Registration

Description

What are the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian relations in the wake of the Israeli elections?

This panel will discuss three topics in the wake of the Israeli and US elections:

  • What is the scope for civil society organisations to shape Palestinian-Israeli relations and how do they influence political processes?
  • Are there likely changes in the social and economic situation of the Palestinian population in Israel and how does it engage politically?
  • Which developments are likely in the occupied territories (Westbank and Gaza)? Are there possible scenarios for positive economic and social developments in these territories and for the reconstruction of Gaza?

Panelists

Anat Ofek, active Member of the New Israel Fund’s (NIF), Shatil Center for Policy Change (CPC)
Aida Toumi-Suleiman, Israeli Arab Journalist and Politician
Sameh Hallaq, Affiliated Researcher at the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS)

Moderation

Michael Landesmann, wiiw

Following the discussion with the three panellists there will also be short interventions by Dr. Cengiz Gunay (Director, oiip) and Mag. Sabine Kroissenbrunner (Secretary General, BKF) on the changing regional context of Israel/Palestine.

Anat Ofek is an active Member of the New Israel Fund’s (NIF), Shatil Center for Policy Change (CPC). She manages the lobbying activities of the coalition of civil society organizations supported by NIF Shatil in the Knesset. The New Israel Fund funds activists and organizations that defend human rights, pushes back against far-right extremism, and advances the causes of peace, equality and democracy. The Shatil Center for Policy Change acts as a central hub for Israeli non-governmental organizations (NGOs), activists, and progressive civil society groups seeking to influence public policy and government decision-making.

Aida Toumi-Suleiman is an Israeli Arab Journalist and Politician. She has been a member of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) for Hadash (part of the Joint List) since 2015. She is the fourth Arab-Israeli woman to become a member of the Knesset and the second Arab-Israeli woman member of the Knesset from a non-Zionist party. She was elected (by unanimous vote) to head the Knesset's Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality. She was the first female member of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel and co-founded the International Women's Commission for a Just Palestinian–Israeli Peace.

Sameh Hallaq is an Affiliated Researcher at the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), an Associate Professor of Economics at the Al-Quds Bard College, Al-Quds University, and a Research Affiliate at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, New York, USA. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Wuppertal, Germany, in 2019. His research focuses on human capital in Palestine, particularly the factors shaping early-life outcomes in education, health, and well-being amid political and economic instability and prolonged violent conflict. His work also examines the long-term implications of these early-life conditions for educational attainment and labour market outcomes, including employment, wages, and working conditions.

This discussion will be jointly organised by NIF (the New Israel Fund) that supports civil society organisation in Israel/Palestine, the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip) and the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue (BKF).

*The seminar series, titled Europe in a Fragmented World: Geo-economic and Geo-political Dynamics, jointly organised by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) and the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip), aims to analyse geopolitical and geoeconomic trends and their impact on Europe’s future from an interdisciplinary perspective. The series seeks to contribute to the ongoing debates on how to reposition Europe within an increasingly politically unstable and economically competitive international system.

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