PHILOXENIA.  

Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue, Armbrustergasse 15, 1190 Vienna

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GIDEON LEVY

How Occupation Changes Israeli Society

Israel controls the Palestinian Westbank since 1967. In Israeli society the publicdebate about the occupation has shifted from a view that Israel's army was forced into occupation to a more recent view, expressed also by governmentministers,  of the occupation being legitimate due to historical and politicalreasons.  Talk of annexing large parts of the Westbank, which was judgedimmoral at the beginning of the occupation, has now become a central demandof Israel’s Premier Benjamin Netanyahu. How does this moral shift affect Israeli democracy? And what can be done to focus Israeli public opinion on the impactof occupation on Israel’s society and return to a political process of endingoccupation rather than deepening it?

The Israeli journalist Gideon Levy joined the Israeli daily Haaretz 1982. He hasextensively covered the Palestinian territories alerting Israeli society to theinjustice Israel is inflicting on the civilian population there. Levy was awardedthe Olof-Palme-Prize for his fight against occupation and violence in 2016.

Gideon Levy will be in converation with Tessa Szyszkowitz.