Dror Ze'evi

Dror Ze'evi was born in 1953 in Haifa

Dror Ze'evi was born in Haifa in 1953. His father, Benny Zeevi, became deputy head of the Mossad, and his mother, Galila, is an interior designer. Because of his father's work, he grew up in several countries, including England, France, Belgium and Israel.

He served for years as an intelligence officer in Unit 504. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning degrees in Middle East history and Semitic linguistics. His doctorate, supervised by Ehud Toledano, dealt with the Ottoman district of Jerusalem in the 17th century.

After a postdoctoral year at Princeton, he joined Ben Gurion University and founded its Middle East studies program with Meir Zamir. He chaired the department twice and was the first head of the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy. He became a full professor in 2015, moved briefly to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and later returned to Ben Gurion University.

He was the first president of the Middle East and Islamic Studies Association of Israel, which replaced the Oriental Society. He was among the founders of the Movement for Quality Government and of the Forum for Regional Thinking. His book on 17th century Jerusalem argues that the region did not decline in that period.