What May Israel Do? – A Debate
Politics / Economics, Non-Fiction, Current Affairs
A Turning Point in the Middle East – and in a friendship
The terrorist attack of October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza have dramatically reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East. But the shockwaves have reached far beyond the region — even Germany is witnessing a profound shift. Long-standing taboos are suddenly being broken, and public discourse is becoming increasingly polarized. Even among friends, positions are hardening.
Hamed Abdel-Samad, an Egyptian-German political scientist, and Philipp Peyman Engel, the son of a Persian Jewish mother and a German father, swap letters about the situation in the Middle East. They discuss controversial matters, such as: Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? Do the Palestinians want to wipe Israel off the map? Which side is Germany on? Do many people underestimate the meaning of 7th October 2023? How might a resolution to this conflict look?
- A timely and curageous political debate on the situation in the Middle East
- To be published on the anniversary of 7th October
- Two prominent German authors
Philipp Peyman Engel, born in Herdecke in 1983, grew up in the Ruhr region as the son of a Persian-Jewish mother and a German father. He studied philosophy, education, and literature and media studies in Bochum and Essen. The journalist is the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Jüdische Allgemeine. In 2023, he was awarded the title 'Editor-in-Chief of the Year.' Texts by Engel on Jewish life, anti-semitism, and Israel are published regularly in SPIEGEL, FAZ, and Deutschlandfunk.
.jpg "Philipp Peyman Engel")
Hamed Abdel-Samad studied English, French, Japanese, and Political Science. He has worked for UNESCO and held a professorship in Islamic Studies at the University of Erfurt and at the Institute for Jewish History and Culture at the University of Munich. Abdel-Samad is one of the most profiled Islamic intellectuals in the German-speaking world. As a result of his taboo-breaking autobiography an official fatwa was placed on him in 2013. Since then, he has lived under permanent police protection.
.jpg "Hamed Abdel-Samad")
A Turning Point in the Middle East – and in a friendship
The terrorist attack of October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza have dramatically reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East. But the shockwaves have reached far beyond the region — even Germany is witnessing a profound shift. Long-standing taboos are suddenly being broken, and public discourse is becoming increasingly polarized. Even among friends, positions are hardening.
Hamed Abdel-Samad, an Egyptian-German political scientist, and Philipp Peyman Engel, the son of a Persian Jewish mother and a German father, swap letters about the situation in the Middle East. They discuss controversial matters, such as: Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? Do the Palestinians want to wipe Israel off the map? Which side is Germany on? Do many people underestimate the meaning of 7th October 2023? How might a resolution to this conflict look?
- A timely and curageous political debate on the situation in the Middle East
- To be published on the anniversary of 7th October
- Two prominent German authors