Tjeerd Ritmeester – expert on international relations, economic diplomacy and economic security – discusses the Israel-Palestinian conflict: where it all began, and where it is heading to.
This year, we saw another major escalation of the seemingly endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since its founding in 1948, Israel has been in an ongoing struggle with its Arab and Palestinian neighbors, with no end in sight. The impact of the violence is felt all over the world, resulting in heated discussions and various protests. This polarized environment has a large impact on how many people see and understand the conflict; meanwhile, its real origins are fading away in history. Since there are many lessons to learn and nuances to consider, it is important to understand how this conflict originated and where it is heading to. This is particularly important now that Israel will have a government without Benyamin Netanyahu, there is growing ethnic conflict within Israel, Hamas is claiming power on the Westbank, and the Abraham accords have come into existence.
Tjeerd Ritmeester is an Academy Fellow at The Clingendael Institute and particularly interested in topics related to Israel, the United States, and economic security. He did internships at the Netherlands Embassy in Tel Aviv and the European Parliament in Brussels. After that, he started at ICODA European Affairs in Brussels in 2015 before being hired by Oxford Business Group in 2016. For three and a half years, he advised governments, organizations, and companies in the emerging markets of the Middle East and the Asia Pacific. He also organized events with public and private sector leaders. Tjeerd has worked and lived in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. When coming back to the Netherlands in 2019, Tjeerd founded his own market research company and did several projects before taking on his current role at Clingendael.