Dror Ze'evi is an Israeli historian who studies political, social and cultural history of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey and the Levant. Ze'evi was born in Haifa in 1953. His father Benjamin (Benny) Zeevi was deputy head of Mossad, and his mother, Galila, is an interior designer. Ze'evi grew up in different cities around Israel and the world, including several years in France and Britain. He served as an intelligence officer in the IDF until 1983, and was awarded the rank of Lt. Col. during his reserve service. He is one of the founders of the Israeli Forum for Regional Thinking.