Latest

The report, clearly a snap shot, conveys a picture of anti-Semitic activities on US campuses. A strong correlation is found between the occurrence of BDS activity and the occurrence of anti-Semitic expression where incidents were reported.

Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion famously said that the future of Israel lies in the Negev, a desert located in southern Israel.

Deep gulfs exist among Jews, as well as between Jews and Arabs over political values and religion’s role in public life. Divisions are sharp within the Israeli Jewish community as well as between Arabs and Jews, yet unity exists about the idea that Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people and necessary refuge from rising anti-Semitism around the globe.

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Hussein Abdulhussein, “Five Lessons from Syria,” Now, February 2, 2016. https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/566585-five-lessons-from-syria Abdelmahdi Alsoudi, “The Impact of the Arab Spring on the Political Future of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East: Jordan as a Case Study,” Rubin Center, February […]

In 2008 and again in 2012, President Barack Obama made lofty promises and gallant assessments about Iran and the Middle East respectively. His remarks to the annual AIPAC conference four years ago about Israel and Iran have proved to be out and out fictions. Who will hold the 45th President accountable for promises made but not kept?

For Malcolm Hoenlein, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations context matters. In his lengthy interview he suggests that Jewish students’ illiteracy is present before they hit American campuses.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified at the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 9, 2016 on the top global threats to the US.

ISIS has demonstrated an embryonic capacity to function as a legitimate governing entity. Unlike most terrorist groups, ISIS actually possesses its own means of income generation and financing.

After ten years in power, Abbas presides over a Palestinian polity that is more divided and dysfunctional than ever.

The Middle East is today divided into four rival camps: Iran, the Salafi Jihadists-dominated ISIL, the Muslim Brotherhood, and forces of stability.

The Islamic State is a terrorist state with almost all governing elements. ISIS rules today over a swath of land bigger than the United Kingdom, with a population of almost 10 million.

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Faisal J. Abbas, “An Unshackled Iran can only be Countered by a Firm Saudi Arabia,” Al-Arabiya, January 18, 2016. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/01/18/An-unshackled-Iran-can-only-be-countered-by-a-firm-Saudi-Arabia.html Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, “The Islamic State, Turkey, and Transportation,” Rubin Center, January 11, 2016. http://www.rubincenter.org/2016/01/the-islamic-state-turkey-transportation/ Sona Bahadur, “How Israel Went from a Culinary Desert to […]

Candidates that speak forcefully about a strong US-Israeli relationship and a need to provide Israel with a qualitative military advantage over any array of adversaries, secure the attention of American Jewish voters who put Israel at the top of their list in determining who should receive their vote in congressional and presidential election contests.

Claiming that Israel employs a double legal standard in the West Bank, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro receives a harsh rebuke for his remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu; Obama administration continues to chide Israel for its management of the West Bank.

Kerry states five major objectives for US foreign policy in the Middle East: mobilize partners to defeat ISIS, work diplomatically to end the civil war in Syria, keep it from destabilizing friendly nearby countries, monitor Iranian adherence to the nuclear deal, and seek a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Several reports and analyses published in Israel estimate that between between 21% and 31% of Israelis are living below the poverty line.

The collapsing Libyan state has become a textbook example of the law of unintended consequences. A review of how things fell apart—and what challenges lie ahead—may thus offer clues for how to approach similar situations.

As part of a joint statement, President Carter makes promises regarding US’ role in coming Political-Military Committee Talks in Cairo and Jerusalem. Likewise presenting a four-point formula for resolving the conflict, these statements contribute to US-Israeli tensions.

How deep, for how long, and with what ramifications for the Middle East will Saudi-Iranian tensions go?

Israel and the Middle East Assembled by Ken Stein, Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror and Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman, “Jordanian Security and Prosperity: An Essential Aspect of Israeli Policy,” BESA Center, December 27, 2015.  http://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/9583/ Associated Press, “In Israel, Arab chefs carve out a distinct cuisine,” […]

The sale of Zirin Village to the Jewish National Fund was collusively undertaken by a local Arab family through the British Courts in Palestine. The process intentionally avoided financial compensation to the resident Arab occupants.

For this project, Daniel Polisar of the Shalem College in Israel examined over 330 surveys carried out by the four major Palestinian research institutes, each of which has been conducting regular polls for a decade or more. His conclusions focus on what Palestinians think about Israel and why?

Hamas has long sought to stymie Egyptian control over the peninsula and keep its weapons smuggling routes open, but its latest opportunistic gamble on local jihadists carries wider dangers that should be nipped in the bud by sponsors Turkey and Qatar.

Israel and the Middle East #33 Contemporary Readings, November 2015 Assembled by Ken Stein, Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Saleh Al-Shayeji, “Israel is Not Our Enemy,” Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa, MEMRI, November 30, 2015. http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/8877.htm Adna Abu Amer, “How Palestinian Divisions affect the intifada,” Al Monitor, November 3, 2015. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/palestinian-intifada-disputes-objectives.html Maj. Gen. […]

This is the third (1971 and 1985) and most extensive trade agreement signed between Israel and the EC/EU, emphasizing that more than half of all Israeli exports are to Europe. Virtually every conceivable area of sharing and exchange is noted in the agreement.

(November 1, 1995) Interview with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by anchorman Ehud Yaari, Kol Yisra’el party affairs correspondent Yaron Dekel, and YEDI’OT AHARONOT political correspondent Shimon Schiffer

What are the implications of the Paris attacks; what do they mean for the US homeland in particular, and what next?

For the past four weeks, Israel and the West Bank have been hit by a wave of stabbing attacks by Palestinian Muslims on Israeli Jews and protests in the West Bank.

Assembled by Ken Stein, Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Éliette Abécassis “Jews of France hide like Marranos and turn towards Israel,” YNet News, October 20, 2015, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4713402,00.html Yossi Alpher, “Israel-Palestine: From Oslo to the Slippery Slope,” Verdidebatt, October 10, 2015, http://www.verdidebatt.no/debatt/cat1/subcat4/thread11602890/#post_11602890 Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, “This Is Not the Third Intifada,” […]

Obama’s legacy in the Middle East will be defined and deeply scarred by the region’s inconclusive wars.