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Will the Environment Survive a Renewed Middle East Peace Process? A Blueprint for Progress

Professor Alon Tal, Visiting Fellow in Israel Studies at Stanford University

Because of its modest size, Israel's environmental problems are largely transboundary. Without cooperation with its neighbors, progress in areas from stream restoration to species repatriation will be modest at best. Professor Tal reviews over twenty years of "below the radar" environmental cooperation in the region and considers the present peace process and how it might be leveraged to ensure an ecological dividend for the region.

Professor Alon Tal is a renowned Israeli environmental leader, academic, and former Knesset member. He is currently a Visiting Fellow in Israel Studies at Stanford University and a professor in the Department of Public Policy at Tel Aviv University. Tal has held faculty positions at leading institutions, including Stanford, Harvard, and Hebrew University. He founded Israel’s leading environmental organizations, including the Israel Union for Environmental Defense (Adam Teva V’Din) and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, fostering regional cooperation between Arabs and Israelis. During his tenure in the Knesset (2021–2022), he chaired the Subcommittee for Environment, Climate & Health. He also served as deputy chair of Keren Kayemeth L’Yisrael, shaping national forestry policy, and is currently co-chair of Zafuf, the Israel Forum for Population, Environment, and Society. Recognized as Israel’s most effective environmental leader by Haaretz, Tal has received numerous honors, including the Ministry of Environment’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the prestigious Bronfman Prize for humanitarian impact.