S&D Group | The Middle East at crossroads: a progressive vision
On 9 September, the S&D Group brings together political leaders, researchers and civil-society voices for a public conference on the forces reshaping the Middle East — from new geopolitical fault lines to the prospects for peace, rights and regional cooperation. S&D Group President Iratxe García Pérez opens the conference, with Vice-President Yannis Maniatis delivering the concluding remarks. On 10 September, the conversation continues behind closed doors with The courage to keep talking, a roundtable bringing S&D members together with Palestinian and Israeli peace activists.
About the Event
Hosted by
MEP 
Greece S&D Group Vice-President
Member of the European Parliament
Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament | 
PASOK-KINAL 
Speakers
José Manuel Albares BUENO
Minister for Foreign Affairs
European Union and Cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
European Union and Cooperation of Spain
His diplomatic career has included postings in Colombia, France and at the OECD.
Michael YOUNG
Senior Editor
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Previously opinion editor and columnist at The Daily Star in Lebanon, he also writes for The National. He is the author of The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle, which received the Silver Prize in the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s 2010 book prize competition.
Ellie GERANMAYEH
Deputy Director
Middle East and North Africa programme
Senior Policy Fellow
European Council on Foreign Relations
Her work focuses on European policy towards Iran, including the nuclear and regional dossiers and sanctions policy.
Olivier ROY
Joint Chair at the RSCAS and SPS Department; Adjunct Professor
European University Institute
He is a political scientist whose research focuses on religion and politics.
Yasmine FAROUK
Project Director
Gulf and Arabian Peninsula
International Crisis Group
She leads the organisation’s research, analysis, policy recommendations and advocacy on the Arab Gulf countries, and supervises its work on Yemen.
Andrew MILLER
Senior Fellow
National Security and International Policy
Center for American Progress
He previously served as Director for Egypt and Israel military issues on the U.S. National Security Council from 2014 to 2017.
Dalal IRIQAT
Associate Professor of Diplomacy
Conflict Resolution and Strategic Planning
Arab American University Palestine
Business & Professional Women Network Palestine
Recognised as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, she is also the Founding President of the Business & Professional Women Network (BPW-Palestine), where she promotes women’s leadership across academic, professional and diplomatic sectors.
Nimrod GOREN
President and Founder
Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies
Diplomeds – The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy
His work focuses on regional foreign policy and unofficial diplomacy, including track-two channels related to Israel and its neighbours.
Maha ABDEL-NASSER
Member of Egypt’s House of Representatives
Vice President, Egyptian Social Democratic Party
Egypt’s House of Representatives
Egyptian Social Democratic Party
A prominent opposition figure and seasoned telecommunications engineer, she advocates for public accountability, education, healthcare reform and digital transformation in Egyptian public policy.
Shaqued MORAG
Former Executive Director
Peace Now (Shalom Achshav)
She also served as Executive Director of Peace Now (Shalom Achshav), a longstanding Israeli peace movement advocating for a two-state solution.
Konstantin WITSCHEL
Resident Representative
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Palestine
He has extensive experience as a Middle East policy adviser, including previous work for the German Federal Foreign Office and international humanitarian NGOs.
Daoud KUTTAB
Journalist
Community Media Network
A former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University, he is widely recognised for pioneering independent Arabic digital media and advocating for press freedom in the Middle East.
Programme
Important – The 9 September public conference requires registration for in-person attendance. The 10 September session is a closed-door roundtable and is not open to the public.
Staff
European Parliament
Rue Wiertz 60 1047 BRUSSELS