Just over a week after Israelis went to the polls, our panel will unpack the results—and what comes next for Israel and the region. Speakers will examine the political forces shaping what follows and what the results could mean for Gaza, the West Bank, the Palestinians, and prospects for a political process, as well as Israel’s approach to Iran and its relationships with the United States and Arab states. Moving beyond campaign rhetoric, the conversation will consider where the election could lead to meaningful shifts in policy, where continuity is more likely, and what to watch as Israel’s post-election political landscape takes shape.

Dr. Nimrod Novik is a former senior policy advisor to Prime Minister Shimon Peres, special ambassador of the State of Israel, and advisor to the Israeli National Security Council. He is associated with Commanders for Israel’s Security, Israel Policy Forum, and the Economic Cooperation Foundation, and has long been involved in Track II diplomacy through a network of security and diplomatic contacts in the Middle East and beyond. Before joining the Prime Minister’s Office, he taught at the University of Pennsylvania and Tel Aviv University, where he conducted research on Middle East regional dynamics, Israel’s security strategy, and US-Israel relations. Dr. Novik previously served in the IDF intelligence branch.

Suleiman Maswadeh is the senior US correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13 News, based in Washington, DC. He previously spent nearly a decade at Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, covering politics, war, and foreign policy. Raised in Jerusalem’s Old City, he learned Hebrew at the age of 20 before pursuing a career in journalism.

Moderated by Dr. Mike Yaffe, a diplomat, public policy practitioner, and educator with extensive experience in Middle East security, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and civic engagement. He is currently the director of the George Washington Leadership Institute at Mount Vernon. Previously, he served in senior leadership roles at the United States Institute of Peace, where he was vice president overseeing multiple centers focusing on the Middle East and Africa, civic engagement, and global peacebuilding. During a 25-year career in the US government, he served as senior advisor to three successive special envoys for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and as a foreign affairs officer in the US State Department focusing on arms control, nonproliferation, and regional security. He also served as dean of faculty and distinguished professor of strategic studies at the National Defense University. Dr. Yaffe holds a PhD in political science from the University of Pennsylvania, an MSc in international relations from the London School of Economics, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.