NEW PODCAST EPISODE:
Could the Israel/Hamas ceasefire lead to lasting peace?

We should report the reality, which is complex and painful sometimes. But it's very difficult to do that when you are in specific system in your media outlet. You are a reporter, but you're also an Israeli or a Palestinian, a Gazan or a Tel Avivan. You report about what hurts you the most, and you tend to be oblivious to the suffering of the other. It's very human, but it's also very wrong."

— Ksenia Svetlova

Political analyst and peacebuilder Ksenia Svetlova has her finger on the pulse of Middle East politics and media — and a mission to build a peaceful, integrated region.

Israel and Hamas are just over two weeks into a ceasefire agreement after fifteen months of fighting.
This is a paradoxical moment to talk about long-term peace. The horrific October 7th attacks and the near-destruction of Gaza that followed served to amplify already high levels of distrust, hate, and trauma. At the same time, the war has demonstrated to Gazans that their government placed conflict with Israel above their own survival. And it has shown Israelis that an indefinite blockade of Gaza doesn’t ensure their security.
Yet with all it's complications, the cessation of hostilities does offer an opportunity to envision a way out of this seemingly endless conflict.
Our guest for this episode is Ksenia Svetlova, an expert observer of politics and media in the Middle East and the executive director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economics, and Security, or ROPES.
Svetlova is an immigrant to Israel from the Soviet Union, an Arabic speaker and a Middle East specialist. For fifteen years, Svetlova reported from Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and different countries in the region. She served four years in Israel’s parliament representing the center-left Zionist Union Coalition.