In his latest book Israel: What Went Wrong ? (Yale University Press, 2026), Omer Bartov examines the evolution of Zionism from a movement of Jewish emancipation into a state ideology increasingly shaped by ethno-nationalism. Drawing on historical analysis and personal reflection, he explores the roots of the current conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, including the relationship between Israeli statehood and Palestinian displacement, the role of Holocaust memory, and debates surrounding war crimes and genocide. Addressing difficult questions about responsibility, identity, and historical memory, Bartov offers a thought-provoking critique of contemporary Israeli politics and reflects on the challenges and possibilities for the future of Israel and Palestine.

This timely discussion will be moderated by Riccardo Bocco, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Omer Bartov is an Israeli-American scholar and Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University. He has written widely on war crimes, interethnic relations, and genocide. Recent books, published in multiple languages, include Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz (2018), which won the National Jewish Book Award; Genocide, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine: First-Person History in Times of Crisis (2023), named Choice 2024 Outstanding Academic Title; and Israel: What Went Wrong? (2026). Bartov’s essays and commentaries have been widely featured in national and international magazines and media outlets.