On January 25, 2016, the Young Transatlantic Network (YTN) in Brussels hosted David Walzer, ambassador of Israel to the European Union and NATO, to give the Israeli perspective on recent events in the broader Middle East and the role of regional and international powers in the region. The conversation was moderated by Charlotte Brandsma, program coordinator at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Brussels.

The discussion focused on the current state of affairs in the Middle East, the root causes of the ongoing instability and the evolving presence of regional and international actors in the region. Topics that were addressed included the implications of the Iran nuclear deal, the conflict in Syria, China’s and Russia’s interests in the Middle East, the outlook for normalization of relations between Israel and Turkey, and the role of the transatlantic partners in the region.