From the Arab Spring to Donald Trump: the Israel-Hamas war in a historical and geopolitical context

May 21, 2025 / 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. /

Hamas' brutal terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent military conflict represent a turning point that has had a lasting impact on the political dynamics in the Middle East. This only becomes understandable if the subsequent war is not viewed as an isolated event, but as the result of decades of geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Anyone who wants to understand the current developments in Israel and the Gaza Strip must therefore consider the wider historical and political context.

In his lecture, Uriel Kashi, tour guide and director of the Beit Ben Yehuda youth education center in Jerusalem, will first provide an overview of key developments in recent decades: the impact of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the upheavals of the Arab Spring, but also global factors such as climate change and changing raw material requirements that influence the geopolitical balance of the region.

The second part focuses on the present and future of the region: in Israel, the discussion about the responsibility of the political leadership for the failure on October 7 and the handling of the hostage crisis continues to dominate the public debate. How will Israel deal with the domestic political tensions that have intensified since October 7? What prospects are there for the Gaza Strip? What could the reconstruction of Gaza look like? Can there be a new political order for Gaza in the long term, and if so, under whose control? What impact does the war have on other countries in the region? While Hezbollah has lost considerable influence in Lebanon, Syria is going through a phase of reorganization after the fall of Assad, in which it is still unclear which actors will dominate in the long term. And, of course, what impact will Donald Trump's return as US President have on developments in the coming years?

The event is a cooperation between the German-Israeli Society Working Group Bonn and the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS).

Registration at bonn@digev.de is absolutely necessary! Please note that for security reasons, participation is not possible without confirmation of participation by email! 

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© CASSIS

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Uriel Kashi

Tour guide and director of the Beit Ben Yehuda youth education center in Jerusalem

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