AN AFRICAN GLOBAL DIALOGUE
Narrative Conditions Towards Peace in the Middle East
We’re grateful to all who contributed to fostering sustainable peace through these meaningful dialogues.
18-20 SEPTEMBER 2024
JOHANNESBURG, SA
This inaugural event has concluded.
Discover summaries, recordings, and outcomes below.
ABOUT
African
Global
Dialogue
The African Global Dialogue is an initiative that focuses on strengthening and building democracy in places struggling with the legacy of colonialism, military dictatorship, and authoritarian rule. NSI works across the African continent, as well as in South America and in Eastern Europe. Our work is focused on the practical work of institution-building as a condition of democracy.
PANEL 1
Understanding global disorder

Ayşe Zarakol
Professor of International Relations at the University of Cambridge

Étienne Balibar
Professor Emeritus of moral and political philosophy at Université de Paris X and Professor Emeritus of Humanities at the University of California

Radmila Nakarada
Sociologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Belgrade
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PANEL 2
Revisiting the past apartheid and settler colonialism

Benny Morris
Professor of History in the Middle East Studies Department of Ben-Gurion University

Eugene Rogan
Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Oxford and Director of the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College, Oxford
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PANEL 3
Zionism and post Zionism in Israel and the Palestinian politics

Colin Shindler
Professor, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London

Fania Oz-Salzberger

David Hirsh
Sociologist and author specializing in antisemitism and human rights, based at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Frances Raday
Head of Concord Institute for the Study of the Absorption of International Law

Jie-Hyun Lim
Director of Critical Global Studies Institute at Sogang University

Radmila Nakarada
Sociologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Belgrade

Eli Salzberger

Miloš Hrnjaz
Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Belgrade
Polarization of the Public Discourse
Since the physical assault on Israel on the 7th of October and the subsequent Israeli war with Hamas in Gaza, the public discourse on Israel/Palestine has radicalized in crude and violent ways. The protracted occupation of the West Bank has come to resemble an annexation, calling into question the conditions for a just resolution of the conflict. Right-wing extremism and messianism in Israel, moreover, threatens the fabric of democracy, the rule of law, and puts Israel in existential danger.
At the same time, many Israelis, including those who are deeply critical of the current Israeli government, find difficulty being heard in the public domain unless they are willing to reject the right of the Jewish state to exist at all. Palestinian politics, especially since the rise of Hamas, entertains fascist strategies and messianic fantasies. The atrocities committed by Hamas are symptomatic of a profound malaise.
What has been lost on all sides is an appreciation of nuance and complexity and, in turn, the search for constructive ways out of the current dead-end. Informed by the idea that political narratives, especially about history, concepts, friends and enemies, matter, we seek critically to engage current political framings, with a view to opening a discursive space about Israel/Palestine and the region that is conducive to more positive engagement.
As the war continues, with increasingly catastrophic consequences for Palestinian civilians and growing danger for the hostages held by Hamas, so does the polarization of the public discourse – which only hinders attempts to break out of the zero-sum logic of conflict and destruction, and the increasingly wide gulf between friend and enemy.
THE EVENT
Format
This event featured live sessions with experts in moderated discussions, convened by AGD, and joined by small, invited audiences of thought leaders and journalists from South Africa, other parts of Africa, and the New South.
All sessions were broadcast online for public viewing, with opportunities for participants to send in questions.
This site now serves as an archive of the event, preserving its discussions and insights.
Live
Sessions
Intimate, Invited
Audiences
Thought Leaders
& Journalist
Virtual
Broadcast
LOGISTICS
Date & Attendance
This event reached participants across the globe through a virtual broadcast. This site now serves as an archive of its legacy—explore the highlights here.