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In a bold move, the Trump administration has designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This is historical justice, since the IRGC has sponsored various terrorist militias and organizations, Shiite and Sunni alike, which have committed many attacks against Western, Israeli and Sunni targets.

Demographic pressures lie behind much of what is happening in Gaza. In 1948, 250,000 Palestinian refugees fled to Gaza, where the existing population was 80,000. Today, the population of Gaza is about 1.9 million of whom 1.3 million (68%) are refugees. Palestinians are the only people to retain refugee status generation after generation as a result of United Nations support.

The developing economic crisis In the Palestinian Authority warrants a heightened alert in Israel as to a possible strategic shift in the Palestinian system. The crisis, should it prove protracted, and all the more so should it worsen, is liable to ignite several threats concerning Israel: an expansion of the circle of Palestinians involved in violent acts, specifically civil disturbances and terrorist attacks; difficulties for the PA to provide services in the civilian realm, which could deepen the Palestinian public’s dependence on Israel; Hamas’s intensified presence and tactics in face of the PA’s weakness; and compromises in the security cooperation.

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Said Affassi, “First Arab Cultural Center to open in Israel’s largest Bedouin city,” I24News, April 26, 2019. https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/society/1556210665-the-first-arab-cultural-center-to-open-in-israel-s-largest-bedouin-city Harriet Agnew and Mehul Srivastava, “Israel looks to ultraorthodox to fill tech skills shortage,” Financial Times, April 7, 2019. https://www.ft.com/content/dae642aa-5601-11e9-a3db-1fe89bedc16e Muriel Asseburg, […]

Por Ken Stein No final de tarde tempestuoso do dia 17 de setembro de 1978, na presença do presidente americano Jimmy Carter como testemunha, o presidente egípcio Anwar Sadat e o primeiro-ministro israelense Menachem Begin dirigiram-se a uma mesa na Casa Branca e assinaram os Acordos de Camp David, que consistiam em dois acordos-quadro: um […]

Avi Gil’s paper addresses the reality that we are witnessing the end of a rules-based international order emphasizing freedom, open markets, and liberal values, and wisely points out that this will have implications for Israel and the Diaspora. He does a service by explaining what is producing the break down, noting in particular, American weariness with its global responsibilities and conflicts in the Middle East; loss of faith in elites and international institutions after the global economic crisis of 2008; and loss of identity and social status in the face of changing demographics and immigration. He goes on to suggest what is likely to replace the rules-based order: either a multi-power world based on great power competition or global disorder with vacuums being filled by the worst forces.

Odds are that China and Russia will prove to be long-term US rivals. However, it may just as well be that their alliance will prove to be more tactical than strategic, with the China-Russia relationship resembling US-Chinese ties: cooperation in an environment of divergence rather than convergence.

Boys from an alternative agricultural high school tend Bat Shlomo Vineyards, with winning results for the student farmers and the finished product. At 15, Shilo Eliash was thoroughly urban. Growing up in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv, he thought of agriculture – if he thought of it at all – as a menial job for foreign workers. Yet when he heard about a new alternative high school for religious boys dedicated to educational, personal and spiritual development through a connection with the land, he persuaded his parents to let him try the boarding school far from home near the Jordan River.

The discovery of rich fields of natural gas beneath the eastern Mediterranean Sea has given traditionally resource-poor Israel the chance to supply its own energy needs, help wean the European Union off its dependence on Russian energy, and build closer economic and diplomatic ties with Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece and even the Palestinian Authority. But Israel only has a quarter-century or so to make the most of its newfound energy wealth.

The growing process of public and political polarization in the United States impacts on support for Israel, which for many years was in the bipartisan political consensus. Joined by awakening waves of anti-Semitism, support for Israel, now identified most strongly with the Republican party, is becoming a controversial issue. These developments have weighty implications for Israel.

From traffic jams and chocolate-spread matzah to the largest Seder night in the world, check out these fun facts about Passover Israel-style. It’s no different in Israel, of course, where the week-long holiday is going to be celebrated in full vigor. However, there are some unique aspects to the holiday in the Holy Land, some more bizarre than others.

The 2019 election results mark the return of Israeli politics to two large lists. Voter turnout declined, as the parliamentary fragmentation. The impressing increase in female representation was halted, and the number of ex-generals will be the highest in decades. An initial analysis of the election results.

The prospective EastMed pipeline would be the flagship project of the Cypriot-Greek-Israeli collaboration, a developing friendship that enjoys deep foundations. The US has now made its support for that partnership official.

After an exhausting and polarizing election campaign, the people have spoken, and we’re now entering the next stage of the political lifecycle: forming a new government – Dr. Kenig explains what’s next.

The Israeli election on April 9 is just the first part of the process to decide who will lead the country. Our newest Israel on Board video explains what happens next and how the country’s government is formed.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-recognizing-golan-heights-part-state-israel/ (25 March 2019) The State of Israel took control of the Golan Heights in 1967 to safeguard its security from external threats. Today, aggressive acts by Iran and terrorist groups, including Hizballah, in southern Syria continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks on Israel. Any possible future peace agreement […]

CIE Vice President Rich Walter speaks with Eli Sperling, Academic Research Coordinator of the Emory Institute for the Study of Modern Israel and a Visiting Professor for the Tam Institute of Jewish Studies at Emory University about the influence of politics in Israeli culture.

In this two-part Whiteboard video series, we explore the transition from the 1978 Camp David Accords to the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty signed at the White House on March 26, 1979.

On April 9, Israelis head to the polls to elect the 21st Knesset. CIE’s extensive collection of election materials has a wide variety of resources. Our election content includes items related to Israel’s democracy, electoral process, results of past elections as well as information about the political parties and factions. Materials are available for use in a variety of learning settings or for expanding your personal knowledge. These include: analyses, infographics, videos, and links of interest.

For many years the ultra-Orthodox were perceived as “captive voters” who would always comply with their rabbis’ instructions to cast their ballot for ultra-Orthodox parties. In today’s new reality such directives are no longer enough

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Ghaith Al-Omari, “Oslo’s Mangled Legacy,” The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Winter 2019. https://www.thecairoreview.com/essays/oslos-mangled-legacy/ Inball Arieli, “How chaos drives success, from the IDF to Tesla,” Israel21c, March 3, 2019. https://www.israel21c.org/how-chaos-drives-success-from-the-idf-to-tesla/ Amb. Allan Baker, “U.S. Recognition of Israeli Sovereignty over the […]

On March 25th 2019, President Trump signed an order for the United States’ official recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. This article surveys Israeli public opinion regarding this issue, and its reactions to this announcement. Surveys have shown a consistently high level of support among Jewish Israelis for keeping the Golan Heights, and while there is some disagreement – Jews across the political spectrum support President Trump’s decision.

Here we present a variety of other websites, each with valuable resources and information for enhancing your knowledge about the upcoming elections in Israel. Like our election page, most of these sites are updated regularly and are not politically biased.

A referendum on a constitutional amendment is to be held in Egypt at the beginning of May, which would enable President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi to continue governing after the end of his current term. In the face of massive repression, approval seems certain. This would largely complete the power consolidation of the Sisi-regime, which emerged from the military coup of July 2013. But how will this regime develop in the future? Possible scenarios are a successful development dictatorship, decades of political and economic stagnation, as under Hosni Mubarak, or imminent failure.

In this four part video series, CIE Vice President Rich Walter speaks with Emory University Professor Rabbi Michael Berger about the influence of religion in Israel’s politics.

While much has been written about some of the candidates participating on the various lists vying for the 2019 Knesset, most of the focus has been on those at the head of the lists.  Knowing more about those further down on the lists, who are likely  to be a part of the 21st Knesset following […]

On a stormy evening on Sept. 17, 1978, with President Jimmy Carter as their witness, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin stepped to a table at the White House and signed the Camp David Accords, consisting of two framework agreements: an outline for the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty and a scaffold for planning self-rule for the Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, held by Israel since the June 1967 war. Six months later, on March 26, 1979, the three men gathered again at the White House to sign the peace treaty. But their path to the ceremony 40 years ago was hardly smooth.

Por Ken Stein En una tarde de tormenta, el 17 de septiembre de 1978, con el presidente Jimmy Carter como testigo, el presidente egipcio Anwar Sadat y el primer ministro israelí Menachem Begin se sentaron en una mesa en la Casa Blanca y firmaron los Acuerdos de Camp David. Estos consistían en dos acuerdos marco: […]

Despite ongoing efforts to improve relations between Fatah and Hamas, there is no serious hope of reconciliation between them in the foreseeable future. Noteworthy against this background are the attempts by Hamas and other opposition organizations to challenge both the PLO’s standing as the sole representative of the Palestinian people, and the senior standing of Fatah within the PLO. The Palestinian public, which saw the PLO as its sole representative, understands that it can no longer ignore the dominance of Hamas, which has competed with Fatah for their hearts and minds since 1987.

Through a national-political lens, political cooperation between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel seems unlikely, as their national issues seem to be insurmountable and of central importance. However, the formation of a mixed Jewish-Arab municipal coalition in Lod brings the supposed centrality of national politics into question, and points to cooperation on shared local issues.