Yossi Ben-Aharon was the director general of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's office from 1988 to 1992. He was intimately involved in Israeli-U.S. negotiations that eventually saw a highly reluctant Israeli prime minister attend the October-November 1991 Madrid Middle East Peace Conference. Ben-Aharon's evaluations of U.S. Secretary of State Baker, his assistant Dennis Ross, and President George H.W. Bush are insightful.
Latest articles from CIE
#156 Contemporary Readings, February 2026
Maya Rezak and Ken Stein, February 27, 2026 Hussain Abdul-Hussain, “Why Saudi Arabia is Turning Back to Islamism – and Against Israel,” Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, February 6, 2026. Al-Arabiya, (editorial) “The Crisis…
Israel in Context With Ken Stein: Israel, the U.S. and Iran — a CIE+ WebinarCIE+
Why did the United States and Israel decide to strike Iran on February 28? What does the coordinated action say about the U.S.-Israel relationship? What are the possible consequences after the death of Iran’s supreme…
President Trump Announces Attack on Iran, February 2026
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Prime Minister Netanyahu Announces Strike on Iran, February 2026
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces Operation Roaring Lion and briefly explains why Israel, with U.S. help, has attacked the nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities of Iran. He also encourages the Iranian people to topple their regime.
Board of Peace Inaugural Meeting, 2026: Hamas Disarms for Redevelopment, or Gaza Returns to War
The first meeting of the Board of Peace convened under the Trump ceasefire for Gaza offers grand plans for reconstruction and a vibrant, peaceful future for Palestinians but depends on the disarmament of Hamas.
Stein: The Causes and Consequences of the 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel War (transcript)
CIE President Ken Stein addresses what is and what is not known about why Hamas attacked October 7, 2023, why Israel was caught off guard, and what happens after the war across the region.
Controversies Uncool for Israel’s Olympic “Shul Runnings”
Israel wasn’t expecting gold, silver or bronze in the 2026 Winter Olympics, but it also wasn’t expecting controversy to mar the happy story of its first Olympic bobsledders.
Evaluating the 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel War and Its Consequences (video, 44:06)CIE+
CIE President Ken Stein briefly reviews the 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel war and examines the short- and long-term consequences.
American Officials on Zionism, Israel, the U.S.-Israeli Relationship and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1922-2026CIE+
Using published archives, press conferences, speeches and numerous interviews, this compilation of quotations traces how official American views on Zionism and Israel have evolved over a century.
