To discuss how October 7 was experienced in Israel, Gaza, and abroad, and to assess how the region and its political landscape have evolved since then, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum featuring leading Arab, Israeli, and American experts. The event will be moderated by David Makovsky, the Institute’s Ziegler Distinguished Fellow.
Ghaith al-Omari is the Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute. Previously, he advised the Palestinian negotiating team during the permanent-status talks in 1999-2001 and held various other positions within the Palestinian Authority.
Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon (Israel Defense Forces, Res.) became the IDF’s point person on hostage negotiations following the October 7 attack. Previously, he served as head of IDF Central Command (2012-15), head of the Military Intelligence Operations Division (2007-09), and commander of the regional division responsible for the West Bank (2009-11), among other posts.
Ksenia Svetlova is executive director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economics, and Security (ROPES) and a former parliamentarian in the Israeli Knesset. She has covered the Middle East for fifteen years at Israel’s Channel 9 and written for a wide array of domestic and international media, including the Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Haaretz, and BBC Russian.
Dennis Ross is the counselor and Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and coauthor (with David Makovsky) of the 2019 book Be Strong and of Good Courage: How Israel’s Most Important Leaders Shaped Its Destiny. Previously, he served in multiple Democratic and Republican administrations, including as the president’s special envoy for Middle East peace.
