Can social media truly serve as a bridge between these historical rivals, or is it just another battlefield in a shadow war fought through screens? This May 13th webinar will consider how digital platforms both foster connections and amplify divides, contributing to a complex new dimension of relations between the two nations.
Tuesday, May 13, 202512:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Pacific Time)Webinar
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Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies in collaboration with the Tel Aviv University's Alliance Center for Iranian Studies (TAU).
About the Talk
In an era where social media transcends borders, young Iranians and Israelis find themselves caught between unprecedented opportunities for connection and the heavy hand of state surveillance. While platforms like Instagram, Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter) provide spaces for cultural exchange, political discourse, and even underground digital diplomacy, these same platforms are increasingly weaponized for espionage, cyber warfare, and ideological battles.
This lecture will explore the dual nature of digital engagement in the Iran-Israel relationship, where youth-led initiatives to break barriers exist alongside state-backed cyber militias, propaganda networks, and intelligence recruitment efforts. The talk will also address the profound impact of the October 7th attacks the growing digital activism in response to both the violence and the subsequent escalation in hostilities.
About the Speakers
Dr. Liora Hendelman-Baavur is a Senior Research Fellow at the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, where she also served as Director from 2019–2023. She specializes in modern Iranian history, popular culture, media, gender, and youth studies. Dr. Hendelman-Baavur received her PhD from Tel Aviv University, where she is a lecturer at the School of History: the Department of Middle Eastern and African History. Her book Creating the Modern Iranian Woman: Popular Culture Between Two Revolutions was published by Cambridge University Press in 2019 and received the Latifeh Yarshater Book Award from the Association for Iranian Studies in 2022.
Dr. Hendelman-Baavur has published numerous scholarly articles, including her recent work, "A Man for All Seasons: Mosaddeq's Image and Legacy in Contemporary Iran," in the International Journal of Middle East Studies (2024) and, "The Other 'Ashura': The Martyrdom of Fatima in Contemporary Shi'i Discourse," published in the volume on Martyrdom and Sacrifice in Islam by I.B. Tauris.
Her research on antisemitism includes the article "Online Antisemitic Propaganda and Negationism in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Ahmadinejad and His Enduring Legacy" in the edited volume Antisemitism Today and Tomorrow (2018) and contributions to "The Annual Antisemitism Worldwide Reports" in 2019 and in 2020 for the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry. She is currently in the final stages of a manuscript about the Pahlavi royal family.
Beyond her research, Dr. Hendelman-Baavur has organized international conferences on the Middle East and serves as a respected voice on Iranian affairs and culture in both academic and public contexts. She is also a member of Forum Dvorah: Women in Foreign Policy and National Security.
Professor Steve Zipperstein (moderator) is Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Middle East Development. He is also an adjunct assistant professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Zipperstein is a former US federal prosecutor and the former chief legal officer of Verizon Wireless and BlackBerry Ltd. He is the author of The Legal Case for Palestine: A Critical Assessment (Routledge 2025); Zionism, Palestinian Nationalism and the Law: 1939-1948 (Routledge, 2022); and Law and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Trials of Palestine (Routledge 2020).
DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views or opinions.
Sponsor(s): Tel Aviv University's Alliance Center for Iranian Studies (TAU).