An Austrian-born journalist, activist and writer, Birnbaum coined the word “Zionism” in the late 19th century. Using the pseudonym Mathias Acher, he wrote about the sociopolitical culture of European Jewry and expanded on the ideas...
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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 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, 1922-2026
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.
Secretary of State Shultz’s Speech to Washington Institute, 1988: Last Israeli-Arab Peace Pitch From Reagan Administration
In the waning days of the Reagan administration, Secretary of State George Shultz pushes for U.S.-mediated peace negotiations, including Palestinians, and offers the outlines for a resolution to the conflict.
Scholarly Praise for CIE’s Website
The following scholars, academics, think-tank leaders and other academics offer their thoughts on israeled.org. “CIE’s website is the most comprehensive and reliable resource pertaining to the modern State of Israel that I know of. With…
#155 Contemporary Readings January 2026
Maya Rezak and Ken Stein, February 8, 2026 Hussain Abdul-Hussain, “Why Is Saudi Arabia Abandoning Peace?” The National Interest, January 23, 2026. Oded Ailam, “‘The Glass Wall’: How Israel Turned Intelligence Into an Insurance Policy…
9 Key Questions About Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State,” February 14, 1896CIE+
Nine questions guide key understandings about Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State.”
Israel Sends 10 Athletes to Milan-Cortina Winter OlympicsCIE+
Israel is competing in bobsled, alpine and cross-country skiing, skeleton, and figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Kushner, Gaza Officials Present Rapid Gaza Redevelopment, January 2026CIE+
While the Palestinian official leading the technocratic Gaza administration promises to open the Rafah Crossing and the Bulgarian high commissioner for Gaza urges the world to focus on the big picture, U.S. envoy Jared Kushner lays out a vision for Gaza as a rapid, phased real estate redevelopment.
