This event is part of the Center's urgent series offering different perspectives on the 2026 Iran War.
Monday, April 27, 202612:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Pacific Time)Webinar
12:00 PM Pacific / 3:00 PM Eastern / 20:00 UK / 22:00 Israel–Palestine
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Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Co-sponsored by the UCLA Center for Middle East Development.
About the Event
Most commentary regarding the Iran war has focused on the regional and global impacts of the conflict. But the impact of the war on the Israeli-Palestinian issue must also be addressed. Will the 20-point peace plan for Gaza move forward to Phase II, or will Hamas dig in and reject the Security Council resolution requiring it to disarm and cede control? Will the Israeli government, with elections scheduled for October 2026, be willing to take serious steps forward to implement the peace plan, or will it start a new round of combat operations against Hamas? And what are the prospects for stability in the West Bank, where settler violence has risen to unprecedented levels? Will the Iran War make Palestinian statehood more or less likely?
Please join us for an important discussion of these and other related issues with two leading experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
About the Speakers
Hiba Qasas is the Founding Executive Director of the Geneva-based Principles for Peace Foundation, a Swiss global think and do tank advancing a new approach to peacemaking. She convenes Uniting for a Shared Future, a coalition of more than 550 Israeli and Palestinian leaders working in support of a political solution, and leads discreet Track 1.5 dialogue on the broader Middle East when official channels are absent. She serves on the boards of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and Fondation La Tour en Commune. Ms. Qasas brings more than 22 years of global experience in conflict prevention and peacebuilding across the United Nations and other international organisations. Originally from the West Bank, she is widely recognised as an insider mediator who builds coalitions and helps translate political intent into executable steps.
Dr. Eyal Hulata was the former National Security Advisor and head of the National Security Council for the Bennett-Lapid government. He is a graduate of the IDF Talpoit program, has a PhD in Physics and an MA in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Dr. Hulata served for more than 20 years in the Mossad in technology and strategic planning roles. Currently, he is a Senior International Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and an advisor to advanced energy and sustainability start-ups.
Professor Steven E. Zipperstein (moderator) is the Director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. He teaches in the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He is a Visiting Professor at Tel Aviv University Law School and a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. He serves as a Distinguished Senior Scholar at the UCLA Center for Middle East Development and as a Senior Fellow at The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation in the Netherlands. Zipperstein is the author of three peer-reviewed books, most recently The Legal Case for Palestine: A Critical Assessment (Routledge, 2024).
DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views or opinions.
Sponsor(s): Center for Middle East Development