A prominent Israeli journalist and author, Gideon Levy is known for his opinion pieces and weekly column “Twilight Zone” in the newspaper Haaretz, which often focus on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Born in 1953 in Tel Aviv, his published works include Twilight Zone – Life and Death under the Israeli Occupation (2004), The Punishment of Gaza (2010), and The Killing of Gaza: Reports on a Catastrophe (2024). Levy has received numerous awards, including the Olof Palme Prize (2015), shared with Palestinian pastor Mitri Raheb, for their "fight against occupation and violence”; and the Sokolov Award (2021).
As part of his visit to Geneva for the event, he was featured in a profile piece by Luis Lema in Le Temps on 17 September and on the RTS on 16 September.
The evening offered an opportunity to reflect on the political, social, and human dimensions of one of the world's most enduring and consequential conflicts.
Ravinder Bhavnani, Professor of International Relations/Political Science at the Geneva Graduate Institute, opened the evening, noting the urgent nature of the conversation and the “particularly fitting” nature of having it in Geneva, “a city whose history is deeply associated with international dialogue and with the difficult task of finding ways to speak to one another across profound disagreements.”
François Barras, ICAM President, and Géraldine Savary, Executive Director of the Geneva Press Club also made opening remarks, with Géraldine Savary introducing Gideon Levy as a “tireless seeker of humanity” who “looks beyond the walls of Israeli settlement in the West Bank beneath the rubble of houses destroyed by bombs to rehumanise those who are denied a future hope and life”.
Blaise Lempen, President of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) awarded Gideon Levy the 2026 PEC Prize for his “independence and critical analysis during the dramatic period Israel has been experiencing since October 7, 2023” before giving him the stage.
The electric conversation between Gideon Levy and Metin Arditi, author of La Trilogie de Constantinople, among many other works, and columnist at Le Temps, explored some of the most pressing questions facing the region today: How did we get here? What role can the Jewish diaspora play? And what prospects lie ahead for the Middle East, particularly for Palestinian and Israeli populations?
Together, they looked at Israel’s zionist history, Israeli apathy towards Palestinians, the rise of far right extremism and anti-intellectualism in Israel’s younger populations, Israeli emigration since 7 October, and much more. Highly criticised in Israel for his cynicism, Gideon Levy argued during the event, that his vision of hope lies in the international community.
The conversation was followed by a question and answer session with the highly engaged audience, including questions from former Swiss President, Ruth Dreifuss, who addressed European hesitancy to sanction Israel, and Swiss film director and screenwriter, Jacob Berger, who raised underlying issues of race and the Western tendency to “not listen to non-white people.”
