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Assaf David

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Assaf David
אַסָּף דָּוִד
NationalityIsraeli
Occupation(s)Political scientist, peace activist

Assaf David (Hebrew: אסף דוד) is an Israeli political scientist, academic, and peace activist known for his work on Israel’s place in the Middle East, civil‑military relations in Jordan, and progressive regional policy discourse.

Personal life

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Assaf David was born in Ramat Gan and raised from the age of five in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba near Hebron, where he attended a religious school and grew up within the milieu of religious Zionism. He is of Yemeni Jewish descent, and his grandparents spoke a distinctive Judeo-Yemeni dialect of Arabic. His cultural upbringing included traditional Yemeni customs and religious practices.[1]

In the late 1990s, while still serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, David was seriously wounded in a Hamas suicide bombing on a civilian bus in Jerusalem. He lost his left eye and sustained injuries to his chest and arm. The trauma and long recovery led him to reflect on the causes and consequences of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. A pivotal moment in his healing process came when an Arab nurse treating his wounds expressed sorrow, saying, "What are we doing to each other?"—which moved David deeply and helped reframe his understanding of the conflict.[1]

He later pursued academic studies, during which he developed close friendships with Arab and Jordanian peers. His fluency in Arabic, shaped in part by his family’s heritage and later professional engagement, became central to his identity. David describes himself as Israeli, Jewish, Zionist, and Arab, and often notes that he feels culturally more Middle Eastern than Western. He has spoken openly about experiences of racism within religious Zionism and about his journey from a settler-colonial upbringing to advocating mutual recognition and equality between Jews and Palestinians.[2][1]

Career

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David has served as the director of the Israel in the Middle East cluster at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute since October 2018.[3] He previously taught political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in the Departments of Middle East Studies and Politics & Government at Ben‑Gurion University of the Negev.[4][5] He is also a research fellow at the Truman Institute for Peace at the Hebrew University and an adjunct lecturer there and at Ben‑Gurion University.[6]

Academic research

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David's doctoral dissertation, supervised by Prof. Avraham Sela at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focused on civil‑military relations in Jordan under Kings Hussein and Abdullah II.[7] His research interests include Jordanian state‑society relations, Arab public discourse, Israel’s regional identity, and the development of Middle East studies in Israel.[8][9][10][11]

Political activism

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David is co‑founder and academic director of the Forum for Regional Thinking, a think tank of Israeli Middle East scholars dedicated to re‑framing Israel’s regional discourse.[12][13][14][15]

After the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israeli invasion of Gaza, David became a vocal critic of Israeli policy, causing devastation and suffering to the civilian population in Gaza.[16][17][18][19]In February 2025, he co‑edited a major policy document titled “The Present Day: Peacemaking Alternatives for Israeli Policy”[20] advocating for an immediate end to hostilities, Palestinian sovereignty, halt to settlement expansion, and educational and regional de‑escalation initiatives.[21][22][23][24][25] On April 3, 2025, he and Smadar Ben‑Natan presented the document in a virtual briefing hosted by J Street’s Policy Center.[26][27][28]

Selected publications

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  • “Presence out, Ideas In: Representation and Socio‑Political Change in Jordan”, Representation, Vol. 48, Issue 3 (2012).[29]
  • Various essays and analyses in outlets like Molad and The Daily Beast on Middle East issues and Jordan.[30]
  • “The Self‑Orientalization of Israeli Politics” (with Arie Dubnov), Public Seminar (February 19 2025).[31][32]
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References

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  1. ^ a b c ואז הירדני שלא הכרתי אמר לי: קח את העין שלי, שיחה מקומית, February 20, 2020
  2. ^ "Can this astonishing poem hold the key to Israeli-Palestinian dialogue?". The Forward. 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  3. ^ Van Leer Jerusalem Institute – Dr. Assaf David
  4. ^ Van Leer profile
  5. ^ "Assaf David – Doctor, Department of Political Science". The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  6. ^ Haaretz – Author profile: Assaf David
  7. ^ Van Leer – Academic profile
  8. ^ "אסף דוד: על חלקה של הביורוקרטיה הישראלית במניעת התפתחותו של "שלום חם" בין ישראל לירדן – Meisai". Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  9. ^ Van Leer – Research areas
  10. ^ "Untitled INSS publication (PDF)" (PDF). Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Supreme Court of Israel – Decision 19027530 (Hebrew PDF)". Supreme Court of Israel. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  12. ^ Podcast: Assaf – An Eye for an Eye
  13. ^ 972mag – What is Israel's place in the Middle East?
  14. ^ "Israeli academics lead way in advocating 'process of extermination' of Palestinians". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  15. ^ Peled, Anat (9 July 2023). "What Was Israeli Researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov Doing in Iraq—an "Enemy Country"?". Haaretz. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Israeli academics lead way in advocating 'process of extermination' of Palestinians". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  17. ^ "ד"ר אסף דוד: "הקונספציה של 'ניהול הסכסוך' קרסה ב-7 באוקטובר"". קול ברמה (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  18. ^ מקומית, שיחה (2025-01-13). "לא ניהול סכסוך ולא הכרעה: תשתית למדיניות שלום שפויה". שיחה מקומית (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  19. ^ David, Assaf (2025-06-04). "שותפות גורל / אסף דוד". The Daily File (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  20. ^ הורביץ, נגה (2025-01-08). "היום שעכשיו: חלופות למדיניות ישראלית שוחרת שלום". הפורום לחשיבה אזורית (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  21. ^ "היום שעכשיו: חלופות למדיניות ישראלית שוחרת שלום". MAVIsrael (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  22. ^ FORTH – The Present Day
  23. ^ צדקיהו, ערן (2025-05-07). "המעגל עם חמוטל | "היום שעכשיו": חלופות למדיניות ישראלית שוחרת שלום". ערן צדקיהו // Eran Tzidkiyahu (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  24. ^ 'Daniela' (2025-01-23). "על המסמך "היום שעכשיו"". מכון ון ליר בירושלים (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  25. ^ "היום שעכשיו : חלופות עבור מדיניות ישראלית שוחרת שלום". kotar.cet.ac.il. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  26. ^ "Today is Now: Alternatives to a Peace-Seeking Israeli Policy (The Circle with Hamutal, Mothers with the Forum for Regional Thinking) Zoom, Hebrew היום שעכשיו: חלופות למדיניות ישראלית שוחרת שלום (המעגל עם חמוטל, אמהות עם הפורום לחשיבה איזורית)". Alliance for Middle East Peace. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  27. ^ Rose Media. "The Day is Now".
  28. ^ J Street – An Alternate Path for Israeli Policy
  29. ^ Van Leer – Selected publications
  30. ^ The Daily Beast – Author: Assaf David
  31. ^ Dubnov, Assaf David, Arie (2025-02-19). "The Self-Orientalization of Israeli Politics". Public Seminar. Retrieved 2025-08-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Public Seminar – Author profile
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