Ilana Bet-El is a strategic adviser, writer and historian. A former UN official and senior adviser on the Balkans, she has worked extensively with both governments and clients in the private sector on geostrategic and policy issues related to security, defence and energy in the EU, Russia, Turkey and broader Europe, the Middle East and the Trans-Atlantic community. With a background in the media and academia, she has published widely, including a weekly column on EU defence and security. She holds a PhD in history from UCL, is a member of the WIIS (Women In International Security) Senior Advisory Board in Brussels, and a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London Department of War Studies.
Ilana Bet-El
Senior Associate Fellow
Content by Ilana Bet-El
Commentary
The Women Leaders podcast: As missiles fly
One year since Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel, Israel’s consequent offensive in Gaza, and Hezbollah’s initial rocket campaign in northern Israel, it appears as if the violence in the Middle East is only getting worse. In this unique episode, Women Leaders is building a bridge: Fania Oz-Salzberger, Professor of History at Haifa University and renowned public intellectual, and Roula from Beirut — for security reasons, we cannot release her real name — join ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El for an in-depth discussion of Israeli and Lebanese politics, the involvement of women in decision-making, and the hope of one day seeing a new Middle East.
Commentary
The Women Leaders podcast: Grinding horror
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is in its third year, with no end in sight. The Russian offensive in the East of Ukraine grinds on, consuming a mass of men and material on both sides while its conquest proceeds in tiny paces. To get a deep insight into what is happening on the ground, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Lisa Yaskow, Member of the Ukrainian Rada (parliament) and Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. In a frank and revealing conversation, Lisa reflects on the war from its start, the daily reality in Ukraine, and the shortcomings of the international community.
Commentary
The Women Leaders podcast: Events unabated
The Women Leaders podcast, hosted by ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-EL, is back after the summer break! In “Events unabated” Ilana is joined by Jodi Rudoren, Editor in Chief of the Forward and former New York Times Bureau Chief in Jerusalem. They discuss the rapidly changing realities of US politics and the changing gender roles within them, the prospects of both presidential candidates’ policies on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the appalling lack of women in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians — and elsewhere too.