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Professor Asher Susser describes the neighborhood of the Middle East, Arab nationalism, and the changing relationships of the region’s states with Israel.

Sea usted judío o no, aprender y familiarizarse con la historia y el futuro de Israel es un ejemplo poner el control de su destino en sus propias manos. Cada individuo está en su derecho de creer en una idea, de ser libre, de elegir su propio destino, y si es necesario, también de morir […]

On October 21, 2018, Jordan’s King Abdullah II informed Israel that he would not renew two annexes of the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan that leased the territory of Naharayim and Zofar to Israel. Many factors contributed to this decision, including Jordan’s anger over its exclusion from issues related to Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the recent diplomatic talks with the Palestinians. The single most significant factor that led to this decision, however, was Abdullah’s need to shore up his legitimacy in the aftermath of the protests and social unrest that erupted in Jordan over the summer.

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Adnan Abu Amer,  “Have Palestinians given up on resistance?” Al-Monitor, October 26, 2018. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/10/palestinian-poll-support-armed-resistance-negotiations.html#ixzz5VfZvi5PS Entsar Abu Jahal, “How Palestinian Exports of $1 Billion Impact Trade Deficit,” Al-Monitor, October 31, 2018. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/10/palestine-exports-increase-israel-economy-trade-deficit.html Anna Ahronheim, “The Most Vegan Army in the World,” Jerusalem Post, October 3, 2018. https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/The-most-vegan-army-in-the-world-568595 […]

In the past decade, relations between Israel and China have become closer, following a decision in Jerusalem to diversify and expand Israel’s ties with emerging powers and countries that do not belong to the European Union and are less identified with the American coalition. The visit to Israel by China’s vice president is evidence of the warming of relations between the two countries.

ISMI’s Eli Sperling presented this discussion on Religious Pluralism in Israel for the Anti-Defamation League on October 25, 2018.

Looking back on a June 10, 2018 article by the Jewish Telegraph Agency, we can see polling data reflect a divide between Israeli and American Jews when it comes to approval of President Trump’s policies.

This presentation addresses the changing practices within shared holy places in Jerusalem between conflict and contestation with special focus on the Temple Mount compound and the Western Wall. It discusses strategies of stakeholders and conflict management methods that have been used in order to mitigate disputes as well as the incentives for tolerance and coexistence. Presenter Yitzhak Reiter, ISMI visiting scholar, is a Professor of Islam, Middle East and Israel Studies. He chairs the Department of Israel Studies and is the head of the Research Authority at Ashkelon Academic College.

The Jewish People celebrates, in 2018, 70 years of sovereignty. There are still many challenges confronting the Jewish state today. But at the same time, Israel can note that 70 years of independence had brought her to unfathomable heights of success beyond any dreams held at its founding.

The erosion of support for Israel among the liberal American public and the positioning of Israel at the heart of the political dispute between the Republicans and the Democrats could undermine the special relationship between Israel and the United States in the medium and long term. To maintain the alliance between the two countries, Israel’s positive image among the American public must be strengthened, which will help reverse the trend of eroding support among the liberal target audience. The Israeli community in the United States is an asset that has great potential to contribution to realizing this goal.

This document was secured at the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem. Five months before Hitler invaded Poland, Arab leaders with an interest in Palestine are starkly disappointed that the the German government did not go to war against the Zionists in Palestine. The same leaders give the Zionist national builders high marks for their perseverance against terrorist bands in the Palestinian countryside. They worry that unless Arab states come to the Palestinians’ assistance, Palestine will be lost to the Zionists. A remarkable assessment for Palestinian Arab leaders and their supporters.

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu  Adnan Abu Amer, “Economic ties going strong between Israel, Palestine,” Al-Monitor, September 28, 2018. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/09/palestine-israel-telecom-economic-political-relations.html Dania Akkad, “Pipeline purchase paves way for Israeli gas exports to Egypt,” Middle East Eye, October 1, 2018. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/deal-allow-israeli-gas-exports-egypt-1178922390 Alexander Apfel, “Trump says ‘two-state solution […]

Profesor Kenneth W. Stein Emory University y Center for Israel Education Nota sobre las fuentes: en 2013 y 2014, el gobierno de EE. UU. publicó dos volúmenes de documentos, memorandos y resúmenes de reuniones que cubrieron la gestión de la administración del presidente Jimmy Carter en el conflicto árabe-israelí. Al mismo tiempo los Archivos del […]

How might we have to imagine the Middle East if there were a political thaw between Iran and Saudi Arabia? Could Turkey leave NATO in the near future? What would happen if security-related EU databases were successfully hacked; if South Korea were to arm itself with nuclear weapons; or if an American woman were to head the United Nations? Of course, these situations, as explored in the SWP’s latest Foresight research paper, are only hypothetical. Why address them?

The US can and should develop a coherent region-wide strategy, involving US allies including Israel, to impede Iran’s ability to continue developing in ways detrimental to the region’s security. However, Iran is proficient in the practice of using proxies and paramilitary methods, as well as in the combination of paramilitary and political struggle. Its response to a US-led strategy to contain and roll back their influence is likely to focus on these areas.

Emory Professor of Contemporary and Middle Eastern History, Political Science, and Israeli Studies and Center for Israel Education President Kenneth W. Stein applies decades of document-based research, interviews and scholarship, including new insights gleaned from the study of detailed minutes in the Israel State Archives, to examine the Camp David Accords 40 years after Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin signed the agreement Sept. 17, 1978, that concluded 13 days of negotiations led by President Jimmy Carter.

One can praise the Israeli habit of Yom Kippur bicycle riding, or one can denounce it. However, one thing one cannot do is ignore it. The streets of Israel have been flooded with bike riders on Yom Kippur for quite a few years, and it has become clear that bike riding on Yom Kippur has gone mainstream.

Our second animated white board video covers in detail what took place during the thirteen days of negotiations at Camp David in September 2018. The video begins with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s priority on getting back the Sinai Peninsula which Egypt lost to Israel in the June 1967 War and the origins of direct negotiations between Israel and Egypt following Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem in November 1977.

The Oslo process – started between Israel and the Palestinians 25 years ago – clearly failed to bring a resolution to the conflict and did not result in peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. The nearly 1,600 Israeli casualties and many more thousands of wounded during this period by Palestinian terrorist and rocket attacks testify to this failure. Yitzhak Rabin’s land-for-security formula did not work.

Recent months have witnessed a warming of relations between Russia and Israel. One indicator of the trend is the frequency of high-level meetings, culminating in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s participation – as the only Western state guest – in the military parade on Red square on 9 May.

There has been a significant revitalization of Jewish life among the Jewish communities of Latin America although they are shrinking, mostly due to emigration processes. Over the course of two generations, Latin American Jewry has transformed from mostly immigrants and immigrant communities to rooted communities of locally-born citizens and, simultaneously, of emigrants and expatriates.

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Anna Ahronheim, “American Students go back to School with Israeli Bulletproof Backpacks,” August 29, 2018. https://www.jpost.com/Jpost-Tech/American-students-go-back-to-school-with-Israeli-bulletproof-backpacks-566069   Amiram Barkat, “Israel’s economy grew at just 2% in Q2,” Globes, August 16, 2018. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-economy-grew-at-just-2-in-q2-1001250399 Tal Becker, “The Claim for Recognition of Israel as a Jewish State,”Washington […]

When a leader of one country considers whether the time is ripe to commence peace negotiations with the leader of an enemy, there are two important questions that the leader must consider: Is the other leader willing to make the sacrifices necessary to attain peace? Is that leader strong enough to make those sacrifices and enforce the deal internally, that is, is he capable? The answer to both of these questions must be ‘yes.’ A willing but incapable leader is as bad for reaching a peace treaty as a capable but unwilling leader.

The month of May was fraught with turbulent events that began with the disclosure of Iranian nuclear documents by Israel, and continued with an Israeli air strike against Iranian missile bases in Syria, the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, and the riots at the border fence with Gaza. The discourse involving users from the Arab world on social media illustrates their contradictory attitudes towards Israel, which are influenced by the respective interests guiding various groups.

Israel’s containment policy vis-à-vis Iran in Syria has entered a new phase of direct confrontation aimed at achieving a decisive outcome on the ground. Israeli decision-makers now see a window of opportunity to remove Iran’s long-term military presence in Syria through a combination of military and diplomatic means.

In this animated white board video, we explore Jimmy Carter’s efforts at achieving peace in the Middle East. Beginning with the origins and formulation of Carter’s foreign policy as he prepared to run for President in 1976, the video emphasizes the influence of Zbigniew Brzezinski on Carter’s evolving Middle East policies. These included appeasing Arab countries, embracing Egypt’s Anwar Sadat as he turned away from the Soviet Union, and emphasizing Palestinian rights. It covers the fraying US-Israeli relationship through the end of the Carter administration.

Forty years ago this month, President Jimmy Carter convened the Camp David summit between Israeli and Egyptian leaders to push Arab-Israeli negotiations forward in an unprecedented and intensive manner.

S&P recently raised Israel’s credit rating to AA minus. This is a welcome development of much economic value and prestige, the result of a long process of economic improvement. From the perspective of national security, the high grade reflects Israel’s ability to grow in economic terms while simultaneously dealing with unusual security challenges.

Embedded in the September 17, 1978 Camp David Accords were broad outlines for an Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty and a Framework for Palestinian autonomy. The details of both remained to be negotiated. Yet, obstacles to implementation of the Accords appeared almost immediately.

Despite a pattern of the US using its veto power to sink UNSC resolutions that were critical of Israel, the Obama administration in its last days in office, and deeply perturbed by Israel’s settlement policies, abstained from voting on this resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction, including East Jerusalem.