January 24th – Israel and Palestine before and after October 7

Joel Migdal, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington & Visiting Professor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 

Dr. Maha El-Taji Daghash, Instructor, University of Haifa

Joel Migdal and Maha El-Taji join us from Jerusalem and Haifa to discuss the Israeli political system, its factionalization, and the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. They analyze the dominance of the political right including the Settlers in Israeli politics and the relative weakness of the Arab parties. Migdal and El-Taji reflect on the context of the October 7 massacres in Israel and the politics of Israel’s war in Gaza. Are there any prospects for conflict transformation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the medium or longer term?

Maha El-Taji Daghash resides in Haifa, Israel. She is a lawyer, who has an LL.M in International Human Rights Law from the University of Notre Dame, and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Near and Middle Studies from the University of Washington. She is an adjunct lecturer at Haifa University’s International School.

Joel Migdal has authored several books, among them Strong Societies and Weak States; State in Society; Through the Lens of Israel; The Palestinian People: A History (with Baruch Kimmerling); and Shifting Sands: The United States in the Middle East.