​On October 26, 2023, IFI, in collaboration with the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, held an online panel discussion titled “Gaza’s Unfolding Tragedy: Palestinian and Regional Perspectives.” Moderated by Middle East Council on Global Affairs Fellow Omar H. Rahman, speakers included IFI Director Dr. Joseph Bahout, President of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy Ines Abdel Razek, and IFI Distinguished Fellow Rami G. Khouri. The objective of the discussion was to look at the impact of the conflict on the domestic arena within Israel and the Palestinian territories, as well as to better understand the implications of the conflict’s regional and international spillover. 

​The American University of Beirut’s Nature Conservation Center (AUB-NCC) and the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), in collaboration with IFI, held a panel discussion titled “What to Expect from COP 28 - Definitive Actions or Deja-Vu Pledges?” on October 24. The event's main focus was on the upcoming COP 28 summit and the crucial issues pertaining to the worldwide effort to combat climate change. Moderated by Director of the Environmental Politics Program at ARI, Sarine Karajerian, speakers included UNEP’s Regional Coordinator for Climate Action Dr. Tarek Alkhoury, Climate Activist and MENA Operations Coordinator at Leave it in the Ground Georges Ziadeh, UNDP’s Climate Change Projects Manager Lea Kai, IFI’s Policy Advisor and Associate Fellow Camille Ammoun, and IFI’s Climate Change and Environment Program Director Dr. Nadim Farajalla. 

​On October 23, 2023, the American University of Beirut’s Center for Arab and Islamic Studies (CAMES), in collaboration with IFI, the Mohammad Atallah Chair in Ethics, the Palestinian Land Studies Center, with the support of the Palestinian Cultural Club and the Insight Club, held a panel discussion titled “Al-Aqsa Tsunami: Politics, Ethics, and Regional Implications.”