Description:

Join us for this unique lunch lecture featuring Alon Tal, a leading Israeli environmentalist and former member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, who has been working to promote cooperation in sustainability between Israel and its neighbors for thirty years.  
 
The talk will look at how the Gaza war is changing perceptions of Israeli politics and the impact it has on the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East. Alon will examine the question of whether common environmental challenges offer an opportunity for reframing the conflict and pursuing a more promising future for the region.

Professor Alon Tal’s career has been a balance between academia and public interest advocacy. Between 2021–2022 he was a member of Knesset, Israel’s parliament, where he served as chair of the subcommittee for environmental and climate impact on health. Presently he has an appointment as professor in the Department of Public Policy at Tel Aviv University. Tal has held faculty posts at Stanford, Ben Gurion, Hebrew, Michigan State, Otago and Harvard Universities. He has also founded several Israeli environmental organizations including Adam Teva V’Din, the Israel Union for Environmental Defense, and the Arava Institute. He has served as deputy chair of Keren Kayemeth L’Yisrael, where for many years he oversaw national forestry policy in Israel and is currently co-chair of Zafuf, the Israel Forum for Population, Environment and Society. He plays fiddle and mandolin in the Arava Riders, a leading Israeli bluegrass band.

This event is organized jointly by the Office of the President for International Relations and the Israel Innovations Project (IIP).

Lunch will be served. Please RSVP.