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.
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President Herzog’s Speech on the Judicial Overhaul’s Impact on the Country, March 2023
After his urging compromise on the proposed judicial overhaul, President Isaac Herzog, in the starkest of terms, says Israel is approaching the “abyss of a civil war” as opponents and proponents head toward a showdown. He characterizes the proposed overhaul as “wrong, oppressive, and undermines our democratic foundations.”
Remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Rabin at Signing of Oslo Accords, 1993
As a lifetime soldier-politician, Rabin acknowledges that the signing of the Declaration of Principles was profoundly difficult, and yet there is a yearning to end the cycle of violence and engage in reconciliation with the Palestinians. Drawing inspiration from Jewish tradition, he stresses the timeliness of pursuing peace and prays for a new era in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Begin’s Knesset Address During Sadat’s Visit, November 1977
Begin welcomes Sadat’s bold initiative, seeking an end to the conflict with other Arab states through negotiated treaties. Begin invites other Arab leaders to negotiate as Sadat was doing.
In the News: “How Israeli Elections Differ From US Political System”
CIE President Ken Stein speaks with the Atlanta Jewish Times in advance of the October 2026 election about differences between the U.S. and Israeli electoral systems.
Chaim Weizmann’s Notes for Speeches on “Rallying World Jewry to Partition,” 1938
Chaim Weizmann, a top Zionist leader, vividly pronounced parallel Jewish realities in 1938: disaster confronting Jews in Europe and advanced state building in Palestine. Ten years later history was written.
Explainer: A Short History of Hamas and the Hamas-Israel War
Updated July 10, 2026; originally posted October 2023. By Ken Stein Hamas’ Origins The 1988 Hamas Charter and remarks by its leaders and other publications express hatred of Zionism, Israel and Jews. It is thus unmistakable that Hamas…
Comparing the U.S. and Israeli Declarations of IndependenceCIE+
By Ken Stein, President, Center for Israel Education A short comparison of key concepts found in the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, and the Israeli Declaration of Independence, May 14, 1948. CIE+ Reliable…
#160 Contemporary Readings, June 2026
By Maya Rezak and Ken Stein, June 30, 2026 Videos and Multimedia Center for Israel Education, “Six Days that Redrew the Map of the Middle East,” audio playlist. Kirsten Fontenrose, Damian Murphy and Brian Katulis,…
