Berkley Center

Taking into consideration the lack of political willingness and/or ability of both the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to advance peace after the current war, the dire situation in the Gaza Strip, and the international and domestic political repercussions for several key actors, in his January 2024 paper Hebrew University professor Arie Kacowicz examined the possible role and functions that an International Peace Conference (IPC) might fulfill in granting domestic and international legitimacy and the drawing of a coherent road map leading to de-escalation, stabilization, demilitarization, reconstruction, and governance of the Gaza Strip in the immediate term.

The paper draws on historical precedents from other conflicts and reflects on examples and experiences from the Arab-Israeli conflict—first and foremost the relevant and successful example of the Madrid Conference of October 1991. Kacowicz posits that the major insight to be drawn is that an IPC is a necessary but not sufficient political diplomatic ingredient in the road map leading to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the war in the immediate term, as well as to peace negotiations toward the peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In this webinar Kacowicz discussed his paper in a conversation moderated by Georgetown University professor Anthony Arend.

The event was co-sponsored by Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; Center for Jewish Civilization; Master of Science in Foreign Service Program; Department of Government; and Center for Security Studies.