About this talk

Since March 2nd 2026, Israel has sharply escalated its assault on Lebanon amid the unprovoked US-Israeli war on Iran. This escalation comes after thousands of violations of the November 2024 so-called ceasefire, directly targeting civilians, destroying housing, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure, and forcibly displacing around 1 million people from South Lebanon. Israel has stated its intentions to create a "security zone" in South Lebanon, effectively ethnically cleansing the region from its Shi'a population. Meanwhile, Lebanon's president and prime minister are pursuing widely unpopular direct negotiations with Israel, even as it continues devastating daily attacks against the Lebanese people. This event aims to shed light on the complexities of Lebanon's position in the current regional struggle against Zionist expansionism. Through historical, political, legal, and social analysis, the event will unpack the current Lebanese division and debates on sovereignty and resistance amidst an ongoing reality of Israeli occupation. The panel will address the following: • The historical challenges to Lebanese statehood and institution-building in the Sykes-Picot Levant, • The longstanding and persistent threats and ambitions of Zionist settler colonialism in Lebanon, • The formation of Lebanese armed resistance and its connections to the Palestinian struggle, • Israeli strategies of stoking sectarian rifts in Lebanon and turning the Lebanese public against resistance, • The current Lebanese government's role in the war, ⁠the question of Hizballah's disarmament, and the question of a diplomatic approach to end the war. Speakers: • Professor Lara Deeb - Professor of Anthropology at Scripps College • Dr. Ziad Abu Rish - Associate Professor of Human Rights and Middle Eastern Studies at Bard College • Dr. Amal Saad - Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Cardiff University • Nour Kilzi - Legal Researcher at the Legal Agenda • Hussein Chaabane - Journalist at the Legal Agenda • Joumana Talhouk (Moderator) - PhD Candidate at the Oxford Department of International Development

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