Arava Institute Executive Director Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed will unpack the opportunities and challenges of the Institute’s cross-border climate and environmental peacebuilding work on the ground in Israel during a time of conflict when hope and action seem scarce. 

Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed is the executive Director of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. A Palestinian citizen of Israel from East Jerusalem he received this year's AAAS Science Diplomacy award. Prior to becoming the Executive Director, he rose to become the Israeli Ministry of Science’s Acting Chief Scientist, the highest ranking Palestinian in the Israeli government at the time. Dr. Abu Hamed is the co-chair of the regional cooperation and security task force of President Herzog’s Israel Climate Forum. He is a sought-after speaker in international environmental conferences on regional cooperation and environmental diplomacy, recently at the UN COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai and will be attending COP29 this fall.

This event is co-sponsored by Beth Meyer Synagogue, Jewish for Good, and Judea Reform Congregation.