Foreign Policy Dialogues “Israel-Gaza War: Future of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Perspectives on Negotiations”

Given its magnitude and devastating consequences, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war undeniably marks a turning point for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for the entire region. Israel's military response to coordinated attacks by Hamas, resulting in nearly 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, and the abduction of around 240 Israelis, has killed over 33,600 Palestinians, with nearly 70% being women and children. Additionally, more than 80% of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been forcibly displaced from their homes and lands. 

As the war continues in the Gaza Strip, violence in the West Bank has reached to levels not seen since the Second Intifada. Clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, coupled with increased Israeli military raids in the West Bank, have already claimed the lives of more than 460 Palestinians. Furthermore, the feared regionalisation of the conflict has become a reality. While relatively contained to specific areas, the clashes between the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah do not rule out a potential escalation of violence. Emerging tension points in the Red Sea, Syria, Iraq and Jordan have drawn the United States and a few allies into confrontation with armed groups aligned with the “axis of resistance”. The recent Iranian attack on Israel, in response to an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, could have unpredictable consequences for the whole region. 

Regardless of the outcome of this conflict, one thing is certain in Israel, the Palestinian Occupied Territories, and the Middle East: there will be no turning back. While calls for a ceasefire in Gaza go unanswered, and despite the failure of various negotiation attempts between Israel and Hamas, some international actors are cautiously starting to call for peace. At the EU level, The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/ Vice-President of the Commission Josep Borell outlined a 12-point peace plan in January 2024. While the practical conditions for its implementation seem challenging at present, the underlying idea of the plan enjoys consensus within the international community: the resolution to this conflict must involve the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. 

Amid ongoing conflict in Gaza and escalating violence in response to this war, is it credible to discuss peace? What does a political solution in Israel and Palestine demand? More importantly, what factors would contribute to the success of negotiations? To tackle these questions, this year's edition of the Foreign Policy Dialogues will serve as a platform to assess the current conflict's magnitude at local, regional, and international levels, and to explore the conditions under which we could envision credible negotiations for a political resolution of this conflict.

Participants

Zaid Amali

Public Discourse and Communication Programme Director, MIFTAH

Haizam Amirah Fernández

Senior Analyst, Elcano Royal Institute

Inés Arco Escriche

Investigadora

Pol Bargués

Investigador sènior

Mariam Barghouti

Policy analyst and journalist (online)

Julien Barnes-Dacey

Investigador sènior associat

Moussa Bourekba

Investigador principal

Víctor Burguete

Investigador sènior

Emmanuel Cohen-Hadria

Director of the Euro-Mediterranean Policies Department, European Institute of the Mediterranean, IEMed

Akram Ezzamouri

Researcher, Istituto Affari Internazionali, IAI

Senén Florensa

Executive President, European Institute of the Mediterranean, IEMed

Gabriel Garroum

Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Group in International Public Law and International Relations, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)

Luca Gervasoni

Founder and Director, NOVACT – International Institute for Nonviolent Action

Francis Ghilès

Investigador sènior associat

Karim Makdisi

Associate Professor of International Politics, American University in Beirut

Yossi Mekelberg

Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House

Oscar Monterde

Professor at the Department of Economic History, Institutions, World Politics and Economy, University of Barcelona (UB)

Michelle Pace

Professor of Global Studies, Roskilde University

Pablo Pérez Guerreira

Deputy Director General for the Middle East, Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation

Claudia Saba

Adjunct Professor of International Relations, Blanquerna-University Ramon Llull

Fabian Schöppner

Researcher, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen

Leila Seurat

Researcher, Centre arabe de recherche et d'études politiques de Paris

Antoni Segura i Mas

President

Eduard Soler i Lecha

Investigador sènior associat

Alaa Tartir

Senior Researcher and Director of the MENA Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Lurdes Vidal

Professor of International Relations, Institut Barcelona, d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) and Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University

Pere Vilanova

Investigador sènior associat