Yehudit Ronen: Libya’s Descent into Chaos: North African Turmoil
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.
Statements by Presidents Sadat and Carter in Aswan, Egypt
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.
Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall: Iranian-Saudi Relations Before the Abyss
How deep, for how long, and with what ramifications for the Middle East will Saudi-Iranian tensions go?
#34 Contemporary Readings, December 2015
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,” […]
Zirin Village Land Sales
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.
Daniel Polisar: Why Do Palestinians Believe What They Believe?
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?
Ehud Yaari: Hamas and the Islamic State: Growing Cooperation in the Sinai
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.
#33 Contemporary Readings, November 2015
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. […]
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Levy Comments on EU – Israel Association Agreement
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.
Interview with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin Discussing Lebanon, Syria, & Palestinian Track
(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
George Washington University Center for Cyber & Homeland Security: PARIS INSIGHTS
What are the implications of the Paris attacks; what do they mean for the US homeland in particular, and what next?
Jonathan Spyer: Israel is avoiding the abyss, for now
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.
#32 Contemporary Readings and Analyses, October 2015
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,” […]
Hisham Milhem: Obama’s Scarred Legacy in the Middle East
Obama’s legacy in the Middle East will be defined and deeply scarred by the region’s inconclusive wars.
INSS: Russia’s Involvement in Syria: A Strategic Opportunity for Israel
Russia’s intervention in the Syrian civil war allows – or perhaps even requires – Israel to reevaluate its objectives and rules of the game vis-à-vis other actors in the region, beginning with Iran and the Assad regime.
PM Netanyahu’s Speech at the United Nations General Assembly
Netanyahu reproaches the international community for supporting the Iran deal, the UN for its deafening silence against threats to Israel, and, against Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for promising to cancel all agreements with Israel.
#31 Contemporary Readings and Analyses, September 2015
Assembled by Ken Stein, Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Tamer Al-Ghobashi, “Israeli Officials Concerned Over Gas Discovery in Egypt,” Wall Street Journal, September 2, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/israeli-officials-concerned-over-gas-discovery-in-egypt-1441233087 Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, “Israeli Strategic Challenges and Opportunities in the New Year,” BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 307, September 16, 2015, http://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/israeli-strategic-challenges-and-opportunities-in-the-new-year/ […]
#30 Contemporary Readings and Analyses, August 2015
Assembled by Ken Stein, Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Ephraim Asculai, “The Unbelievable Side Agreements with Iran,” The Jerusalem Post, August 24, 2015, http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/The-unbelievable-side-agreements-with-Iran-413137 Julie Bort, “The Startup Scene in Israel is Going Bonkers, and the Chinese Are Swooping In,” Business Insider, August 13, 2015, http://www.businessinsider.com/china-is-all-over-israel-startups-2015-8 Steven A. Cook, “The […]
Stopping an Ominous Iran
In the interest of securing any deal rather than the right deal – politics over principle – the president and the diplomats he sent to negotiate seem to have forgotten or perhaps never learned why Iran must not get a nuclear weapon.
“The Decision that Changed History”: Ten Years since the Disengagement from the Gaza Strip
Shmuel Even’s article provides a detailed and cogent analyses about why another unilateral Israel withdrawal from the Palestinian areas is strategically untenable.
JINSA: Assessment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
The final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has potentially grave strategic implications that directly threaten to undermine the national security of the United States and our closest regional allies.
Remarks by President Obama on the Iran Nuclear Deal at American University
Vigorously promoting this Iran Deal as a viable way to block and limit Iran pathways to a bomb. While recognizing Israel’s intense trepidation to the deal, he forcefully claims that war remains the only alternative to accepting this agreement, or to any changes to the agreement.
Mitchell Report
In the midst of severe Palestinian-Israeli clashes, the Report concluded as had many previous investigations that the two communities feared, disdained, and wanted to live separately from one another. From the report flowed the EU, UN, US, commitment to a two-state solution suggested in the 2003 Road Map for Peace.
Michael Singh: Implications of the JCPOA for US Policy in the Middle East
“When we analyze foreign policy, the first question should be what interest or objective is served by a particular policy. A good policy should clearly advance U.S. interests and should complement rather than clash with our larger strategy, unless the policy in question heralds an entirely new strategy that can be clearly articulated and implemented.”
George Perkovich, Mark Hibbs, James M Action, and Toby Dalton: Parsing the Iran Deal
On July 14, 2015, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) concluded a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) concerning the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
#29 Contemporary Readings and Analyses, July 2015
Assembled by Ken Stein, Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Elliott Abrams, Itamar Rabinovich, and Amos Yadlin, “Israel’s Northern Border and the Chaos in Syria: A Symposium.” Summer 2015. https://jewishreviewofbooks.com/articles/1667/israels-northern-border-and-the-chaos-in-syria-a-symposium/ Asi Aivas, “The Angelecy prepare to go global.” Israel21c. July 16, 2015. http://www.israel21c.org/the-angelcy-prepare-to-go-global/ Raphael Ahren, “Israel: Inspection clauses in deal ‘worse than worthless,’ […]
Leonard Saxe, Theodore Sasson, Graham Wright, Shahar Hecht: Antisemitism on the college campus: Perceptions and realities
In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war in summer 2014, US and Canadian college campuses were the settings for many anti-Israel activities, including the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
Robert Satloff: If the Iran Deal Fails…
Congressional rejection of the nuclear deal wouldn’t be pretty, but a messy domestic political battle is a far cry from the president’s warnings of potential war with Iran.
#28 Contemporary Readings and Analyses, June 2015
Assembled by Ken Stein, Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Gaar Adams, “Sick Beats and Sykes-Picot.” Foreign Policy. June 5, 2015. http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/05/sick-beats-and-sykes-picot-a-wa-band-yemen-israel-middle-east-music/ Owen Alterman, “The Dead End of Snapback Sanctions: How the P5+1 Proposal Blocks Meaningful Re-imposition of Sanctions on Iran.” INSS Insight No. 713. June 25, 2015. http://www.inss.org.il/index.aspx?id=4538&articleid=9940 Burak Bekdil, “Post-Election Turkey: […]
Washington Institute: Public Statement on US Policy Toward the Iran Nuclear Negotiations
The agreement will not prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapons capability. It will not require the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure. It will however reduce that infrastructure for the next 10 to 15 years.