Mission Statement
The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies seeks to contribute
by research, documentation, and publication to the study and understanding of the
modern history and current affairs of the Middle East and Africa. The Center is part
of the Graduate School of Historical Studies in the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of
Humanities of Tel Aviv University. The Center is governed by a Board of Governors,
acting on the advice of an International Board of Overseers. It is administered by an
academic director.
Founders
S. Daniel Abraham
Mordechai Ben Porat
Charles Bronfman
Joseph Ciechanover
Lester Crown
Michel Fribourg
Bernard Gitter
Guilford Glazer
Kemal Gürüz
Haim Israeli
Ludwig Jesselson
Elie Kedourie
Senator E. Leo Kolber
Naphtali Lavie
Bernard Lewis
Moshe Many
Herman Merkin
Harvey M. Meyerhof
Itamar Rabinovich
Raphael Recanati
Baron Edmond de Rothschild
Zalman Shoval
Shabtai Teveth
Dan Tolkowsky
Joy Ungerleider-Mayerson
The Hon. Cyrus Vance
International Board
Board
of Overseers
of Governors
Lester Pollack (Chair)
Joel Mandel (Vice Chair)
Mark Tanenbaum (Vice Chair)
Stanley Black
Gaby Brill
John Bussel
Ian Fisher
Cynthia Friedman
Alexander Gertner
Ted Ginsberg
Sandra Glass
Diane Glazer
Guilford Glazer
Stanley Gold
B. Kipling Hagopian
Margaret Newborg
Martin Peskin
Harvey Rothenberg
Yoel Saraf
Alan Schwartz
Mark and Christina Siegel
Jacqueline Simkin
Amos Sochaczevski
Michael Sorkin
Alan Topchik
Edwin Wulfsohn
Haim Israeli (Chair)
Shalom Abarbanel
Uri Bar-Ner
Mordechai Ben Porat
Shlomo Biderman
Joseph Ciechanover
Ronald Cohen
Zvi Elpeleg
Zvi Galil
Boleslav Goldman
Martin Kramer
Naphtali Lavie
Dany Leviatan
Itamar Rabinovich
Moshe Raviv
Oudi Recanati
Shimon Shamir
Zalman Shoval
Asher Susser
Mordechai Tamarkin
Shabtai Teveth
Dan Tolkowsky
Director: Eyal Zisser
Bulletin Editor: Joshua Teitelbaum
Assistant to the Editor: Daniel Zisenwine
Design: Elena Lesnick
Production: A.R.T. Offset Services, Ltd.
November 12, 2008, Prof. Asher Susser, the Center’s
Director for External Affairs, delivered the annual lecture
in memory of Avishai Ben Zvi, Yehoshafat Netzer
and Ziv Balali, former students in the Department of
Middle Eastern History, who had fallen in Israel’s wars. The subject of
the lecture was “Israel and the Palestinians: Acre and Gaza and All Inbetween.” The lecture explained the broader historical context that linked
the Yom Kippur riots in early October 2008 in the mixed Arab-Jewish
town of Acre to the constant tension between Israel and Hamas in the
Gaza region, which subsequently developed into the war between Israel
and Hamas at the end of December 2008.
It was not that the riots in Acre were ignited by Hamas or in support
of it. Rather, they were a manifestation of the grievances of the Palestinian
Arab minority in Israel and had no direct connection to the incessant
rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. The connection between these two
zones of conflict was elsewhere. Hamas represented a political position
that rejected a two-state solution in principle. For Hamas the main issues
in the conflict with Israel were not those that related to Israel’s expansion
in 1967, but rather to the very existence of Israel as the state of the
Jewish people since 1948. Increasingly, amongst the Arabs in Israel this
is also becoming the focus of their political struggle. Palestinian Israelis
are asking: “Can or should Israel remain the state of the Jewish people?
Or rather should it be a state of all its citizens, which further down the
road would merge with the future state of Palestine in one state?”
Prof. Asher Susser
close to thirty years, Prof. Bernard Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Middle East Studies at Princeton
University, has been an annual visitor to Tel Aviv University. During these visits Prof. Lewis has
customarily delivered two public lectures that attract a large audience. This year's lectures, which
were held on January 5 and 19, 2009, were no exception.
The first lecture, entitled “Israel’s Contribution: Ancient and Modern,” was in Lewis’ words somewhat of a
departure from his normal intellectual activity, and an attempt to assess Israel and the Jewish people’s contributions
to the world. Lewis outlined some of these contributions in a chronological order, highlighting ideas such as the
Sabbath as a day of rest, the effort to treat strangers decently, and avoid cruelty to animals. He underscored the
fact that the Jewish contribution to antiquity was impressive. Leaping to the modern era, Lewis noted Israel's
contributions to the Middle East. He emphasized Israel’s technological advances, and its (ironic) role as a “licensed
grievance” in Middle Eastern societies in which public debate is stifled, while anti-Israeli rhetoric is encouraged
and promoted by regimes. Lewis concluded by addressing the broader question concerning Israe’ls acceptance
in the Arab/Muslim Middle East. He noted that Israel is seen today among Arab countries as less of a threat than
other political obstacles such as radical Islam and Iran's revolutionary rhetoric. Lewis contended that the spread
of democratic ideals throughout the region could ultimately lead to a greater degree of acceptance, despite the
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rising specter of Iranian-inspired extremism.
Iran’s growing influence on the Middle East, and its
relations with Israel were the topics of Lewis’ second lecture,
entitled “Iran: Haman or Cyrus.” Using these two well known
historical-mythical figures, Lewis explored various aspects
of Iranian history that have influenced Iran’s earlier approach
towards Jews and later, towards the Jewish state. Each of
these figures, he noted, represents deep rooted Iranian
attitudes of good or ill will towards Jews. Lewis presented
the sixth century BCE Persian king Cyrus as an example
of Iran’s positive approach towards Jews. Lewis outlined
a number of similarities that may have influenced Cyrus’
tolerant position towards Jews, including the contempt for
Prof. Bernard Lewis
idolatry, shared by Judaism and the ancient Zoroastrian
religion. Iranian Islam, once it emerged, was far more intolerant towards Jews. This position, Lewis argued, was
underpinned by an apocalyptic mindset, and later had led the Iranian Islamic revolution to be viewed as a major
threat to Israel’s existence. Turning to ways in which Israel and the world could deal with Iran, Lewis acknowledged
the possibility of using military force, but argued that such an option should be used only after testing all other
possibilities. He called for pursuing other opportunities involving an internal opening, which would engage Iranian
society and weaken the regime’s hold.
December 22, 2008 the Moshe Dayan Center honored the
publication of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s book
“Like the Almond Flowers and Further” translated into Hebrew
by Senior Fellow Prof. Ofra Bengio and Shmuel Regulant.
The conference, chaired by Prof. Eyal Zisser, the center’s director, had a
unique dimension with the reading of poems in the original Arabic by Rana
Sobeh from the Academy of the Arabic Language and their Hebrew translation
read by the poet and
translator Roger Tavor.
In his opening remarks,
Micha Beser, who
spoke on behalf of the
publishers “Iton 77” and
“Pitom publishing”, dwelt
on the main motive for
the publication, namely
the need for a dialogue
with the Palestinians both
in times of peace and in
war.
Roger Tavor and Rana Sobeh
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Prof. Ofra Bengio
Mr. Micha Beser
Prof. Bengio highlighted two
pieces from Darwish’s oeuvre
which illustrated the dilemmas
between the national and
personal in his writing. Prof.
Sleiman Jubran of Tel Aviv
University addressed Darwish’s popularity, noting the late poet’s
personal charm, his recognition as the Palestinans’ national poet and his personal
dedication to writing poetry exclusively. Prof.
Emeritus Sasson Somekh of Tel Aviv
University analyzed the changes in Darwish’s
poetry, emphasizing that even though the
Palestinian issue was the basic topic of his
writing, he introduced over time changes in
style and content. Somekh also spoke about
the influence of the Bible as well as Hebrew
literature on his writing.
Mr. Benny Ziffer
Benny Ziffer, editor of Ha‘aretz’s literary
supplement, spoke on Darwish’s influence
on Hebrew literature through translations of
his work into Hebrew. Ziffer described him
as an eclectic poet influenced by diverse world
poets such as Elza Lasker Schüler, Garcia
Lorca and André Breton.
Prof. Sleiman Jubran
Prof. Sasson Somekh
Israel’s MIAs and POWs — Future Scenarios
The Center sponsored a conference devoted to questions concerning
Israeli soldiers missing in action or held as prisoners of war on
September 16, 2008. The conference was organized in conjunction with
The Born To Freedom Foundation, which seeks to help locate the MIAs
and bring them back home to their families. Dr. Uzi Rabi, Chair of the
Department of Middle Eastern and African history discussed the Arab
world’s approach and interest in the question of Israeli MIAs and POWs.
Additional panels focused on the Israeli media and the missing soldiers,
and the ways in which Israeli society copes with the question of locating
and returning MIAs and POWs.
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December 23, 2008 the Dayan Center together with The Ettinger
Chair for the Contemporary History of the Middle East held a launching
event for Senior Fellow Prof. Itamar Rabinovich’s new book, The
View from Damascus (Mitchell Vallentine & Company).The book is
a collection of 21 essays and chapters dealing with modern and contemporary Syria
published by Itamar Rabinovich, former President of Tel Aviv University and former
director of the Moshe Dayan Center, since the early 1970s.As the book’s subtitle
suggests, the essays deal with
three major topics: 1)The
emergence of the notion of a
Syrian entity and its translation
into an actual Syrian state 2)The
contending concepts of the political community that inhabits
this state and 3)The diplomatic history and foreign relations
of Syria with a particular emphasis on Syria’s conflict and
peace process with Israel.
Prof. Itamar Rabinovich (right) and Amos Harel
Four speakers participated in the panel:
Prof. Emeritus Shimon Shamir assessed Itamar Rabinovich’s contribution
to the study of modern Syria.
Prof. Eyal Zisser, Director of the Moshe Dayan Center spoke about the
“Assad Dynasty”’s policy toward Israel.
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz’s defense correspondent spoke about the military
dimension of the Syrian-Israeli relationship and the prospect of another
Syrian-Israeli war.
Prof. Itamar Rabinovich concluded the evening by responding to and
commenting on some
of the issues raised by
the first three speakers and shared with
Prof. Shimon Shamir
the audience some
“inside stories” from his involvement in Israeli negotiations
with Syria, as well as from his work in several archives.
Left to right: Prof. Eyal Zisser, Prof. Asher Susser,
Prof. Shimon Shamir, Amos Harel, and Prof. Itamar Rabinovich
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The Municipal Elections in the Arab and Druze Sector
November 17, 2008 The Konrad Adenauer Program for
Jewish-Arab Cooperation held a conference to discuss
and summarize the outcome of Israel’s November 11
Municipal Elections in the Arab and Druze Sector.
The first session, chaired by Dr. Ephraim Lavie of the Tami Steinmetz
Center for Peace Research, presented the main outcomes of the municipal
elections campaign. Mr. Arik Rudnitzky, Project Manager of the
Adenauer Program, delivered an overview of the elections results. He
noted that while nationwide turnout rate reached only 46%, the overall
turnout rate in the Arab and Druze sector transcended 77%, thus indicating
the importance of local government in that sector.
Mr. Salim Brake of the University of Haifa focused on the case of Mixed
Jewish-Arab Cities as a new local arena. Political parties that cater to
Arab residents in these cities tend to cooperate with each other more
actively in these settings, to avoid "wasting" votes. Arab voter turnout
in these urban areas is lower than in exclusively Arab communities, and
is closer to the Jewish voter turnout figures. Political lists representing
extended family clans are also non-existent, providing a greater opportunity
for women to be elected.
Dr. Ephraim Lavie
Dr. Muhammad Suwaed of Western Galilee College and Kinneret
College discussed the Elections Campaign in the Bedouin Community in the Negev. He noted that most of the
Bedouin population is not linked to a local government, often living in communities that are not recognized by
government authorities and therefore barred from voting in elections. Bedouins
who do vote tend to support representatives of tribes and clans.
Dr. Mordechai Kedar of Bar Ilan University analyzed the current situation
of the Islamic movement in Israel. He argued that the movement was currently
at a crossroads. Its Islamic ideology has been marginalized by the tribal and
personal interests that underpin political developments. The movement has
also been affected by internal personal squabbles among its leaders.
The main topic of the second session, headed by Ms. Ghyada RinnawiZuabi of the Arab Municipal Center, was Organizational Culture and Nature
of Management in Arab municipalities. Mr. Nayef Abu Sharqiya of the
Sikkuy Association, discussed the nature of management in Arab municipal
authorities. He highlighted the organizational difficulties Arab municipalities
face, often a result of clannish interests. Abu Sharqiya underscored the need
to train professional municipal officials as a remedy to these problems.
Mr. Arik Rudnitzky
Dr. Elie Rekhess, Director of the Adenauer Program, and Mr. Doron
Navot of the University of Haifa, presented the main findings of a joint
research study entitled “Patronage, Corruption and Democratization in Arab
Local Authorities.” Rekhess identified patterns of corruption such as clannish
patronage, which promoted their interests at the expense of the broader
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public. These patterns are linked to poor management and the weak
economic position of Arab municipalities.
Mr. Mohanad Mustafa of the University of Haifa discussed the status
of Arab local leadership. He presented four sources of local leadership,
ranging from traditional leadership to businessmen, academicians, and
professionals involved in party politics.
The third session, headed by Ms. Anna Hazan of the Ministry of
Interior, focused on the question of merging and dismantling Arab local
authorities. Mr. Rami Zaydan of the University of Haifa discussed
the case of the Druze “Carmel City” , which merged two Druze local
authorities, Daliyat al-Carmel and Usfiyya. While objectively, the
unification of these two neighboring communities made sense, residents
of the two towns opposed it, fearing that it would threaten their local
identity.
Dr. Ronit Davidovich-Marton, director general of the DMR Institute
for Urban Planning, presented governmental considerations in merging
Arab local authorities. These included dismantling failing local government authorities, and promoting a long term local economic infrastructure. She acknowledged that political considerations often
Dr. Mordechai Kedar
eclipsed urban planning issues. A lack of coordination between various
government agencies intensified the local residents’ objections to these mergers, which have often failed. Accountant
Ziyad Abu Habla, of Cost, Forrere Gabay, Ksirer — Ernst and Young accounting firm, discussed the impact of
social and cultural questions, which often fueled opposition to these attempts to merge neighboring communities
into a joint municipal structure.
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Farewell to Dr. Elie Rekhess
December 11, 2008, The Moshe Dayan center held a farewell ceremony for Dr. Elie Rekhess,
Director and Founder of the Konrad
Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab
Cooperation since 1995, on the eve
of his departure for a Sabbatical at Northwestern
University where he will serve as Visiting Crown Chair
in Middle East Studies at the Crown Family Center
for Jewish Studies.
Rekhess was honored by awards of distinction for his
term in office by Prof. Eyal Zisser, the center’s director, and by Dr. Lars Hänsel, Director of Konrad
Adenauer foundation’s office in Jerusalem.
In Rekhess’ absence, Dr. Ephraim Lavie, Director
of the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research,
will serve as Acting Director of the Adenauer Program.
6
Dr. Elie Rekhess
The Situation of the Yezidi Minority
in the Middle East
Monday, November 17, 2008, the Dayan
Center hosted Dr. Mirza Dinayi and Mr. Said
Pirmurat from the Yezidi community of
Hannover, Germany. Dr. Dinayi, former
advisor to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and head of the
“Iraq Air Bridge” humanitarian program, spoke about the
Yezidi religion and the Yezidi community’s situation in
contemporary Iraq and the diaspora. Mr. Pirmurat, a specialist in Iraqi criminal law, spoke about the implementation
of article 140 of the Iraqi interim constitution (which calls
for a reversal of the Arabization policy in Kurdistan promoted
by Saddam Husayn), focusing on its influence on the Yezidi
minority.
Mr. Said Pirmurat (right) and Dr. Mirza Dinayi
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In memory of Moshe Dayan
Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, the Chief Commander of the IDF’s
Intelligence Branch addresses the annual memorial lecture in memory
of Moshe Dayan, held at the Center on November 17, 2008.
The Center has recently received a sculpture of the late Moshe Dayan
by Prof. Jack Penn, presented by Mrs. Rachel Dayan.
Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin
Mrs. Rachel Dayan presents scuplture
7
Egypt’s Ambassador to Israel Visits the Center
gypt’s ambassador to Israel, Yasser Rida, and several other diplomats serving at the Egyptian embassy
in Tel Aviv visited the Center on December 2, 2008. Mr. Issa met with researchers at the Center, and
discussed a range of issues concerning the Middle East. The Center’s director, Prof. Eyal Zisser opened
the session by introducing the center, its activities, and staff to the Egyptian guests.
Prof. Emeritus Shimon Shamir, a former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt and the first director of the Israeli
Academic Center in Cairo, related in his opening remarks to the milestones of the Egyptian-Israeli peace process.
Senior Fellow Prof. Ofra Bengio followed by discussing the political situation in Iraq, and its effect on the new
Middle Eastern and Iraqi policies of U.S. president Obama. Senior Fellow Dr. Meir Litvak discussed the dangers
facing the region, such Iran’s nuclear policy and Iran’s assistance to Hamas in Gaza. Senior Fellows Drs. Bruce
Maddy-Weitzman and Joshua Teitelbaum discussed the Arab peace initiative as an alternative to the Egyptian
mediation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, while Prof. Eyal Zisser related to the Syrian channel and evaluated
the prospects of an Israeli-Syrian peace treaty in the in the near future.
Research Associate Dr. Esther Webman focused on expressions of anti-Semitism combined with anti-Israeli
ones that dominate the written discourse in the Arab press, and are salient in the Egyptian media. Center researcher
Dr. Mira Tzoreff focused on the dilemmas facing contemporary Middle East youth and the broader social
implications of their difficulties. Ambassador Yasser Rida concluded by expressing his personal hope that such
meetings between members of the Egyptian Embassy and researchers of the Dayan Center will become routine,
noting the benefit of these encounters.
U.S. Ambassador Meets Center Officials
Ambassador James B. Cunningham, U.S. ambassador to Israel,
visited the center on February 5, 2009. Ambassador Cunningham
met with Center Director, Prof. Eyal Zisser, and Prof. Asher Susser,
the Center’s Director for External Affairs.
Amb. James B. Cunningham (left) and Prof. Eyal Zisser
Remembering Aharon Amir
February 3, 2009, the Moshe Dayan Center held a memorial evening for the late Aharon Amir,
Israeli author and editor, and a long standing friend of the center. The evening, chaired by the
center’s director, Prof. Eyal Zisser, was devoted to
themes reflecting Amir’s interests and ideas. Speakers
included Senior Fellow Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, who spoke on
aspects of Syrian nationalism; Uri Lubrani, Israel’s former
Government Coordinator for Lebanese Affairs, who discussed
developments in Lebanon, and Ephraim Halevy, former director
of the Israeli Mossad Intelligence Service, who spoke about the
prospects for negotiations with Israel’s enemies.
Left to right: Prof. Eyal Zisser, Prof. Itamar Rabinovich,
Mr. Uri Lubrani, Mr. Ephraim Halevi
8
January 22, 2009, the Moshe Dayan Center held a oneday conference entitled “Youth in the Middle East – A
Conservative or a Rebellious Generation?” The
conference was coordinated by Dr. Mira Tzoreff of the
Dayan Center, and examined not only the thought of Muslim and Arab
leaders, but the voices of the youth of the Middle East themselves. Dr.
Tzoreff is coordinator of a new research project at the center devoted to
the study of contemporary Middle East youth.
Dr. Yotam Hottam of the
Hebrew University opened
the first panel with a
theoretical focus on the
concept of youth, which
originated in central Europe
at the late nineteenth
Dr. Yotam Hottam
century. He characterized
“The Age of Youth” as a conservative, anti-modern counter-revolution
against modern, bourgeois-liberal culture. Ms. Mona Eltahawy,
a columnist for Egypt’s al-Masri al-Yawm and Qatar’s Al-‘Arab,
discussed “A Voice to the Voiceless: The Middle East’s Facebook
Ms. Mona Eltahawy
Generation.” Eltahawy described the desire of young people in the
Middle East, women and men alike, to express themselves as well as their determination to use blogs and social
networking sites to circumvent censorship. Eltahawy claimed that the
Internet helps young people challenge authority. be it either political
or religious. Gamal Roshdy, of the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv,
discussed the aspirations as well as the social and cultural problems
facing Egyptian youth.
Dr. Liora Hendelman-Baavour
The second panel dealt with
leisure time among youth in various Middle East states. Dr.
Liora Hendelman-Baavour
of the Hebrew University and
the Center of Iranian Studies
Mr. Gamal Roshdy
at TAU analyzed the situation
of Iranian youth. In her lecture, “Sex and the Big City”, Hendelman-Baavour
described the ways youth in Iran use the new media to reach virtually
“forbidden spaces.” Samir Ben Layashi of the Dayan Center focused
on the dream of every young Moroccan – the desire to “live a better life.”
By using the word freedom in this context, Ben Layashi referred to freedom
in its very basic and prosaic meaning: the freedom to drink beer in public,
to kiss a girlfriend in the street and being able to express one’s feelings
while talking to parents. Dr. Eran Segal of the University of Haifa discussed
the role of youth in pre-oil Kuwait, while Ayellet Yehiav of the Center
for Political Research at the Israeli Foreign Ministry concluded the panel
9
with a discussion of the
culture of coffee houses in
Egypt and social change
among youth.
Dr. Uriya Shavit of the
Dayan Center opened the
third panel with a presentation on challenges of identity
among Muslim youth in
Europe, torn between the
appeal of an overarching
Islamic nation and the nationDr. Eran Segal
state. Dr. Mira Tzoreff lectured on the crisis of marriage among youth
in the Middle East, as well as the tactics and strategies singles use in order
to overcome this crisis. Prof. Mohammed Dajani of al-Quds University
in Abu Dis concluded the panel by introducing his peace vision presentation
entitled, “Big Dreams, Small Hope.”
Samir Ben Layashi
Muhammad Marzuk, a social activist, opened the fourth panel that focused on youth in Israel. Marzuk
stressed that Arab youth have trouble navigating between the traditional
and the modern worlds. Rabbi
Yehuda Gilad, Head of the Yeshiva
at Ma’ale Gilbo‘a, followed with his
presentation mainly on modern
orthodox Jewish youth, whom he
maintained successfully combined
the religious and the modern worlds.
He characterized them as fully
committed to Jewish law (Halacha),
but who at the same time developed
intellectual openness and social
consciousness based on the belief
that they have a responsibility to
Israeli society as a whole.
The conference was concluded by
Ayellet Yehiav
a discussion between Arab and
Jewish students of various backgrounds, moderated by Dr. Mira Tzoreff.
Dr. Mira Tzoreff
The center has recently launched a new feature, Middle East News and Views. Middle East News & Views is
a weekly sample of news and opinions on current events from around the Middle East, drawing on a
broad range of publications from the Arab countries, Iran and Turkey. It is edited by Senior Fellow Dr.
Bruce Maddy-Weitzman. Distributed electronically, it exposes editorial commentaries, analysis, and information
about the region to a wide audience. To receive this feature, please send an email to [email protected],
with the message: subscribe dayan-center.
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January 12, 2009, the Dayan Center
held a conference devoted to Palestinian
Politics, and the future of IsraeliPalestinian negotiations.
Dr. Matti Steinberg, of the Hebrew University
outlined the development of Palestinian consciousness
and identity, and its territorial foundations. He noted
that for many years, Palestinian nationalism’s territorial
dimension underwent changes and developments. In
Dr. Dan Schueftan, of the University of Haifa noted
the Palestinian national movement’s failure in achieving
its goals, and underscored the Palestinian’s own
responsibility for this situation. He argued that the
Palestinians had rejected various solutions that could
have ameliorated their lot, starting from the various
partition plans proposed during the British mandate
period. Schueftan raised several reasons for this
situation, including the Palestinian demand for justice,
a rejection of any compromise, and an unwillingness
to claim any responsibility for erroneous political
decisions.
Dr. Dan Schueftan
Dr. Matti Steinberg
the Palestine Liberation Organization’s early years,
the focus was on liberating historic Palestine completely,
turning later towards the idea of gaining only partial
control of the country in order to obtain some degree
of territorial based self-determination. For the
Palestinians, Steinberg argued, this was a sobering
development, shifting their focus from pursuing an
armed struggle, and a recognition of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip’s growing centrality in Palestinian
politics. In its negotiations with Israel over the final
status of these territories, the PLO seeks to base its
demands for sovereignty over these territories on
international legitimacy, in order to establish a viable
state. He concluded by noting that the decline of the
two state solution option would lead the Palestinians
to abandon this option and demand a one state
solution.
Senior Fellow Dr. Meir Litvak discussed how the
Hamas movement represents a new facet of Palestinian
nationalism. He presented Hamas’ emergence since
1987, and its efforts to serve as an alternative to the
PLO. The movement combined religious, national,
and social messages promoted by a young political
and militant leadership, as an alternative to the existing
Palestinian leadership. It also established a large
network of welfare institutions. Hamas benefited from
rising religious fervor among Palestinians, and the
failure of nationalist political movements to confront
problems affecting broad swaths of the Palestinian
public. Litvak noted how Hamas had deftly combined
an Islamist and national discourse to serve its political
needs.
Dr. Ephraim Lavie, Director of the Tami Steinmetz
Center for Peace Research (Tel Aviv University)
analyzed the Palestinian Authority’s continued existence
11
secular nationalism, and the shift within Palestinian
collective identity to Islam was the background to the
establishment of Hamas. Susser noted that both Hamas
and the PLO will remain central components within
Palestinian politics.
Dr. Menachem Klein, of Bar-Ilan University examined
the reality that has emerged with the absence of a
political agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
He contended that the conflict has shifted from a
dispute over borders to an ethnic confrontation over
the entire territory of historic Palestine. In addition,
Dr. Ephraim Lavie
throughout the past few years from the perspective
of a failed political entity. He contended that both
Hamas and Fatah had an interest in preserving the
PA. Israel, along with other Arab countries and the
international community, also continued to view the
PA as a viable entity. Despite the PA’s fragile situation,
it is likely to maintain itself in the foreseeable future.
Prof. Asher Susser, the Center’s Director for External
Affairs raised the question whether the Palestinian
nationalist movement’s secular era had ended. He
explained that while nationalism is fundamentally a
secular phenomenon, Palestinian society had never
been secular in essence. The PLO’s hegemonic
position maintained a nationalist focus of Palestinian
identity, and combined secular principles with a
religious presence. The decline of Arabism, which
served as the foundation of secular Arab politics in the
region, and the 1967 war led to a revival of Islam,
considered a more authentic idenity. The decline of
Prof. Asher Susser and Dr. Menachem Klein
the existence of Israeli rule from the Jordan River to
the Mediterranean leaves Israel as the sole security
force, after Israel dismantled the Palestinian Authority’s
military capabilities in 2002. The PA now functions
as an Israeli-sponsored order in a divided West Bank.
Israel continues to appropriate Palestinian land, build
new settlements, and holds thousands of Palestinian
prisoners and detainees. Israel also maintains different
types of security supervision over Palestinian Israelis
(Arab citizens of Israel), and Palestinians in East
Jerusalem. Any political agreement will have to
dismantle this multi-layered Israeli rule.
MECS and Middle East Record
Now Available Online at Google Book Searches
Past editions of the center’s publications, Middle East Contemporary Survey (MECS) and its earlier
volumes, Middle East Record, are now featured on line at Google’s book search. This will allow students
and researchers to access these volumes (including those out of print) with ease, and expand their availability
to the general public. To accesses these volumes, go to books.google.com.
12
subject of this year’s annual Moshe
Dayan Center Seminar is Secularism and
Nationalism in the Middle East. Secular
nationalist political movements have
suffered serious setbacks in different parts of the region,
from Turkey to the Palestinian Authority. In Turkey the
Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the Turkish
elections in 2002 and again in 2007, and in the
Palestinian elections in 2006, Hamas won handsomely
and then took over of Gaza by force in mid-2007.
The underlying assumption of the seminar is that
the rise of Islamist political movements to power in
Turkey and the Palestinian Authority are not accidental
phenomena but rather the result of profound historical
trends that the region has been undergoing. Secular
nationalism appears to be increasingly giving way to a
much greater impact of Islamist politics and identity in
Middle Eastern societies, at the expense of longstanding,
essentially secular nationalist movements.
During the first semester there were five lectures on
the subject, in which fellows, associates, visiting scholars
and graduate students participated. The first was by
Prof. Asher Susser, the Center’s Director for External
Affairs, who introduced the topic. Dr. Meir Litvak, a
Senior Fellow at the Center spoke on “The Construction
of a pre-Islamic Palestinian Past: Between the PLO and
Hamas.” Litvak discussed the construction of a preIslamic past by the Palestinian national movement since
its inception in the 1920s up to the present as part of
a broader nation-building process, which is common
to most national movements.
Dr. Mansur Abbas, one of the leaders of the Islamic
Movement in Israel discussed the movement’s place in
the Israeli body politic, and its political options. Senior
Fellow Prof. Joseph Kostiner lectured on “Secularization in the Gulf: A Comparative Analysis of Regime
Formation in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. Dr.
Menahem Klein of Bar-Ilan University elaborated on
the question of whether Hamas should really be seen
as a fundamentalist movement. Klein challenged the
“static” approach to Hamas by analyzing Hamas
documents and their contexts. Since entering the
political arena, Hamas has given numerous indications
that, in practice, it has ceased to be a fanatic and
fundamentalist organization unable to distinguish
between principle and practice. It has demonstrated a
willingness to change its positions on fundamental issues
and even to take public stands contradicting the Islamic
Charter.
Senior Fellow Prof. Yehudit Ronen is the author of a new book, Qaddafi’s Libya in World Politics
(Lynne Rienner), which focuses on Libya’s enigmatic Muammar Qaddafi. Ronen discusses Qaddafi’s
capacity for reinvention and survival, particularly in the realm of foreign policy. Her study traces
Libya’s sometimes tortuous trajectory in international affairs across the four
decades of Qaddafi’s leadership.
Senior Fellow Prof. Joseph Kostiner has published a new study entitled
Conflict and Cooperation in the Gulf Region (VS Verlag fur Sozialwissenschaften). This book
analyzes four main episodes of conflict and defense which have affected the Gulf region over
the past three decades: The Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988); the Iraq-Kuwait war (1990-1991); the
attempts to reestablish regional interstate stability in the Gulf during the 1990s, and the war of
Islamic terrorism (notably al-Qa‘ida) against Saudi Arabia, leading up to 2005.
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In another recently published book in Hebrew, The Marginal Peace: The Attitudes of the Persian
Arabian Gulf States towards Israel and the Peace Process (Tel Aviv University: The Tami Steinmetz
Center for Peace Research), Senior Fellow Prof. Joseph Kostiner analyzes the attitudes of the
Persian/Arabian Gulf states towards the Arab-Israeli peace process, and specifically towards Israel.
Despite its reputation as a region trapped by tradition, the Persian Gulf has taken several steps
toward political liberalization. Senior Fellow Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum’s edited volume Political
Liberalization in the Persian Gulf (Columbia University Press & Hurst Publishers) discusses whether
this trend is part of an inexorable drive towards democratization or simply a means for autocratic
regimes to consolidate and legitimize their rule.
Senior Fellow Dr. Paul Rivlin’s book Arab Economies in the 21st Century (Cambridge University
Press) examines the relationship between demographic growth and economic development in
eight Arab countries. Despite a slowdown in demographic growth, as a result of the change in
the age structure of the population, the labor force is increasing rapidly. In other parts of the
world, similar developments have enhanced economic growth. In the Arab world, however, many
of the opportunities presented by demographic transition are being lost, resulting in serious threats
to the political stability of the region.
Senior Fellow Dr. Meir Litvak and Research Associate Dr. Esther Webman have recently published
From Empathy to Denial: Arab Responses to the Holocaust (Columbia University Press & Hurst
Publishers),which tracks the evolution of post-World II perceptions of the Holocaust in the Arab
world. The book, which explores patterns of continuity and change in the representation of the
Holocaust, presents a nuanced portrait of the various strands of Arab attitudes on the issue, and
underscores the strong link between their development as part and parcel of the anti-Zionist and
antisemitic discourse and the evolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The Moshe Dayan Center Bulletin is published twice a year by the Center.
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