One year on: Gaza, Israel and anti-Semitism

On the first anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel, join the Zurich Salon to debate Israel and anti-Semitism with our brilliant panel consisting of Thomas Fazi, Dominik Feusi, Daniel Ben-Ami and Stefan Ziegler. Our chair shall be Mo Lovatt.

Get your tickets here.

Is anti-Semitism on the rise? Are pro-Gaza protesters really apologists for Hamas or is Israel an out-of-control militarised state committing genocide? Do we need to allow the Israelis and the Arabs to sort this mess out without Western intervention? Should the protests be permitted or banned?

These questions and more will be addressed at the Volkshaus on 7 October 2024 at 19:00 in a Zurich Salon Battle of Ideas satellite debate. Tickets also available via TWINT via +41 78 943 61 22 (just write a note saying Israel Debate and the name of the ticket holder).

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Daniel Ben-Ami is an author and journalist. Two years ago, he launched the Radicalism of Fools website, on rethinking anti-Semitism, in the belief that the mainstream discussion is failing to grapple with this thorniest of subjects. He has contributed to numerous national, specialist and international publications, and his books include Ferraris For All (2010) and Cowardly Capitalism (2001).

Dominik Feusi is deputy editor-in-chief of Nebelspalter. He has worked in the Swiss parliament for a quarter of a century, first as a lobbyist and since 2012 as a journalist. In 2022, he was awarded the Röpke Prize for Civil Society by the Liberal Institute in Zurich "for his contribution to maintaining a culture of debate and journalism that persistently focuses on liberal values."

Thomas Fazi is a critically-acclaimed writer and journalist. His books include "The Battle for Europe: How an Elite Hijacked a Continent — and How We Can Take It Back" (Pluto Press, 2014), "Reclaiming the State: A Progressive Vision of Sovereignty for a Post-Neoliberal World "(co-authored with Bill Mitchell; Pluto Press, 2017) and "The Covid Consensus: The Global Assault on Democracy and the Poor — A Critique from the Left" (co-authored with Toby Green; 2023). His articles have appeared in numerous online and printed publications. He is a columnist for the British magazine "UnHerd" and a contributing editor for the American magazine "Compact”.

Stefan G. Ziegler is a Swiss national with 25 years of experience in the fields of research and advocacy related to humanitarian action. He has been lecturing and publishing at universities in Geneva and abroad since 2014. Currently Mr. Ziegler is producing documentary films about international law with which he demonstrates the power of film in humanitarian diplomacy. His Geneva-based company, AdvocacyProductions, has showcased and debated his award-winning film “BROKEN – A Palestinian Journey Through International Law” at events worldwide and the film is now integrated into numerous leading universities’ curricula. He lived in East Jerusalem and Gaza for nine years working for the ICRC and UNRWA for whom he managed the Barrier (Wall) Monitoring Unit financed entirely by the Swiss government.

Mo Lovatt is a programme coordinator for the Academy of ideas and co-convenor of the Buxton Battle of Ideas festival. She is also the national coordinator for Debating Matters, a debating competition for sixth-form students run by the Ideas Matter charity. Mo is an experienced cultural events manager and performing arts producer, having worked both nationally and internationally on a range of festivals and arts education programmes, as well as many theatre, dance and classical music productions. Mo read PPE at the University of Oxford and completed her doctoral research at the University of Northumbria, examining the application of arts and culture policy in areas of economic deprivation. As a post-graduate she developed two core modules and taught on the Master’s degree programme in Creative and Cultural Industries Management at Northumbria. Mo is a public speaker and a political commentator on TV and radio.

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