In this conference, we had the opportunity to organize two roundtables. The first, titled The Current Situation in the Palestinian Territories and Israel, was moderated by Vicente Garrido, Director General of INCIPE. Participants included Óscar Millajo, international news journalist for TVE and former Middle East correspondent; Miguel de la Fuente, international photojournalist and recipient of the ‘Cirilo Rodríguez’ award for foreign correspondents (2023); and Colonel José Ignacio Castro, an associate analyst at the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE) of the Ministry of Defense.
The second roundtable, titled Geostrategic Consequences of the Conflict, was moderated by Eloísa Moreiro, diplomat and analyst in the Geopolitics area of the Coordination and Security Studies Division of the Ministry of Defense. Participants included Brigadier General Víctor Bados, Director of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies at the Ministry of Defense; Carlos Echeverría, Professor of International Relations at UNED and Director of the Ceuta and Melilla Observatory; and Alberto Priego, Associate Professor of International Relations at Comillas Pontifical University (ICADE) and contributor to the newspaper El Mundo.
Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner, Secretary General of INCIPE, emphasized the need to strengthen the culture of defense in the context of rising global conflict, which demands reinforced national and collective security mechanisms. With large-scale and nearby conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East, it becomes essential to consolidate the relationship between security, the role of the armed forces, and media coverage.
In Spain, collaboration between the armed forces and the media has grown, driven both by increasing participation in international peacekeeping missions and by responses to national emergencies. Given the strengthening ties between civil society and the armed forces, the media bears the responsibility of reporting on the actions of the latter. News coverage in conflict zones presents complex challenges, requiring respect and international protection for journalists. Furthermore, social media introduces a new dimension, allowing misinformation to spread rapidly. Díez-Hochleitner concluded by stating that, ultimately, information, defense, and security are becoming increasingly intertwined, particularly in the context of asymmetric conflicts like that of the Middle East.
Current Situation in the Palestinian Territories and Israel
During the first roundtable, titled Current Situation in the Palestinian Territories and Israel, Miguel de la Fuente, an international photojournalist and recipient of the ‘Cirilo Rodríguez’ award for foreign correspondents (2023), began his presentation by highlighting the increasingly close relationship between the media and the armed forces over the past few decades. He then reviewed the history of the 1947 UN Partition Plan for Palestine, approved by Resolution 181, emphasizing that the origins of the Israel-Palestine conflict extend far beyond the recent attack on October 7, 2023.
Miguel de la Fuente illustrated the current situation in Israel through four reports: the first described the devastation of a kibbutz following the attack; the second depicted the use of the Iron Dome defense system against rockets launched from Gaza; the third explored Israel’s military capabilities, with a particular focus on its tanks; and the last covered the increase in violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank against Palestinian communities since the onset of the confrontation with Hamas.
In his presentation, Óscar Mijallo, an international news journalist for TVE and former Middle East correspondent, evaluated the conflict between Israel and Hamas one year after its initiation, highlighting the emotional and strategic impact of the initial attacks, which exposed intelligence failures within Israel. He emphasized that Hamas has a political and social arm in Gaza that grants it significant influence among the population, in addition to its military wing.
Mijallo noted that Hamas underestimated the severity of Israel’s response, which many international organizations consider disproportionate despite acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defense. The lack of information from Gaza, exacerbated by Israel’s information blockade, hinders media coverage on the ground. Israel has learned from past experiences, where, despite military victories, it lost on the media front, prompting it to develop a strong propaganda strategy. In the West Bank, the situation for Palestinians was already critical, but after the attacks, violence by Jewish settlers has escalated. Furthermore, Israeli authorities have intensified pressure on Israeli Arabs. Mijallo briefly mentioned Israel’s recent invasion of southern Lebanon and provided a projection of the potential evolution of the conflict.
To conclude the first roundtable, Colonel José Ignacio Castro, an associate analyst at the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE) of the Ministry of Defense, outlined five key objectives that Israel set following the October 7 attack: three military and two political. These included restoring security in areas near Gaza, conducting military operations against Hamas, securing other active fronts, gaining international support, and unifying internal political forces.
Militarily, these objectives translate into dismantling the military and political structure of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, creating conditions for the return of displaced persons, strengthening border security, and fostering national resilience. In the long term, the goal is to prevent a lasting armed threat against Israel. Colonel Castro analyzed the main strategic challenges in Gaza and the West Bank, highlighting these as the most critical fronts for Israel’s internal priorities.
After the panelists’ presentations, a Q&A session was opened to both in-person attendees and virtual participants, addressing various aspects discussed during the roundtable. This exchange of ideas and perspectives expanded shared knowledge and enriched the discussion on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East before concluding the session.
Geostrategic Consequences of the Conflict
The second roundtable, titled Geostrategic Consequences of the Conflict, focused on analyzing the future trends shaping the region from a strategic perspective. Carlos Echeverría, professor of International Relations at UNED and director of the Ceuta and Melilla Observatory, was the first to speak. He began by comparing the speeches of the Israeli Prime Minister at the UN in 2023 and 2024, highlighting a significant change in tone: in 2023, before the Hamas attacks, the outlook was optimistic within the framework of the Abraham Accords; in 2024, however, the discourse unfolded in a context of war.
Echeverría emphasized that the escalation of the conflict, particularly with the involvement of Iran’s proxies, could lead to a geopolitical reconfiguration in the region. He also noted that Israel faces a type of conflict that can no longer be won with conventional strategies, as asymmetric warfare challenges traditional military tactics. This explains the ground invasion of Gaza, driven by the insufficiency of aerial means that could have avoided a ground war. Echeverría concluded by stating that the current context, far more complex than previous escalations, seems to diminish the likelihood of a lasting solution in the region, suggesting the conflict could become prolonged indefinitely.
General Brigadier Víctor Bados, director of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Defense, addressed the Middle East conflict through four key dimensions that underscore the complexity of the actors involved and their objectives.
In the political and existential dimension, he highlighted the absence of a political end goal in Israel’s military objectives. Moreover, violations of humanitarian limits are eroding its support in the West. Regionally, although Hamas has been weakened, its ideological significance, supported by Iran, could ensure its resurgence. Iran itself grapples with the dilemma of its nuclear ambitions and strategic limitations. Turkey, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly assertive. On the global stage, Russia and China are strengthening their influence militarily and commercially, respectively. Meanwhile, the U.S. maintains its unconditional support for Israel, a stance expected to remain unchanged regardless of the outcome of the November 5 elections. The speaker concluded by noting Europe’s largely passive role.
Alberto Priego, associate professor of International Relations at the Pontifical Comillas University (ICADE) and contributor to El Mundo, closed the second roundtable by recalling the October 7 attacks as the starting point of the current conflict in the Middle East.
Priego framed the conflict as the second chapter of the Yom Kippur War and part of a broader context that could potentially lead to a Third World War. Similar to the Yom Kippur conflict, today’s situation involves multiple fronts. Priego also highlighted significant coordination between Hamas and Hezbollah, which likely facilitated the joint planning of the attack on Israel. This offensive caught Israel off guard, exposing numerous shortcomings in its management of a latent conflict, as well as deep internal divisions within the country. Despite Israel’s robust response capabilities, the attack has left an unprecedented sense of vulnerability. Priego reviewed the phases of Israel’s response to the attacks, noting the complexity of the situation. Finally, he posed the question of whether the growing international tensions could escalate into a Third World War.
After the panelists’ presentations, a second debate session was opened, allowing both in-person and virtual participants to pose questions to the speakers of this roundtable.
Closing of the Seminar
To close the seminar, we had a brief intervention from Juan Billón Laa, head of the Defense Culture Department at the Secretariat of Defense Policy (SEGENPOL) of the Ministry of Defense. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of defense culture in inspiring public will to support the maintenance of an effective defense policy. Juan Billón Laa highlighted the two main tools used by the Ministry of Defense to foster defense awareness: spreading culture through data and transparent policies, and encouraging reflection through exercises like this seminar.
