Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 7 pm Palestine time
Prof. Sari Hanafi, American University of Beirut
Title: Beyond the Headlines: Deconstructing Jeffrey Epstein’s Multifaceted Relationship with Israel
Abstract: The Jeffrey Epstein affair offers an exceptional window into the contemporary organization of elite power across the United States and Europe. This talk approaches the scandal not as an anomaly attributable to an individual predator, but as a moment that renders visible the patronage networks, circuits of prestige, and moral compromises through which oligarchic formations reproduce themselves.
This talk delves into the recently unsealed FBI and Department of Justice documents to explore the complex relationship between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the State of Israel. Moving beyond the speculation of the espionage, this presentation examines three distinct yet interconnected dimensions of this relationship: Epstein’s financial support for Israeli institutions, his deep personal and business ties to Israeli elite figures (and American one that deal with the Palestinian-Israeli peace process), and the ensuing political firestorm that has exposed deep rifts within the country’s leadership, legal system and liberal democracy.
Bio: Sari Hanafi is Professor of Sociology, Director of Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies and Chair of the Islamic Studies program at the American University of Beirut. He was the President of the International Sociological Association (2018-23). Among his recent authored books: Against Symbolic Liberalism: A Plea for Dialogical Sociology. In 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) from the National University of San Marcos (the first and the leading university in Lima- Peru – established in 1551). In 2022, he became International fellow of the British Academy.