Mr. Hirsh Goodman visited ISDP on the 15th of November, 2011 and held a lecture on "The Arab Spring and Implications for Israel". The lecture was divided into two parts. The first part dealt with the implications of the Arab Spring uprisings, while in the second part, Mr. Goodman gave his views on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and future prospects.

With regards to Israeli-Egyptian relations, Mr. Goodman expressed both optimism and pessimism. While operational relations can be said to have improved somewhat since the fall of the Mubarak regime, the rising threat of Islamic terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula as a cause of the general instability in Egypt is a cause for concern in Israel.

Speaking about the situation in Syria, Mr. Goodman argued that the demise of the Assad regime is a positive development for Israel, and has also put Israel's number-one enemy Hezbollah, on the defense. Still, however, the situation is currently very unstable and restoring the balance will take a long time.

In his lecture, Mr. Goodman criticized the Netanyahu regime for avoiding negotiations with the Palestinians and argued that engaging with the Palestinian Authority (PA) is the only way to reach a peace agreement. Mr. Goodman recommended the Israeli government should accept a 10-year ceasefire with Hamas while starting negotiations with the PA. This would afford the regime some international legitimacy, and ultimately lead to a more stable situation. Mr. Goodman also spoke of the problematic Israeli political system, and argued for the need to raise the threshold to the parliament in order to achieve a stable political situation, with fewer parties in coalition and less power for the small parties.

In conclusion, Mr. Goodman expressed great optimism for the younger Israeli generation, which in recent months has demonstrated for socio-economic change. A change in leadership, Mr. Goodman claimed, is absolutely necessary for Israel to achieve peace and stability in the future.