Anat Kurz

When Israel faces two bad options in the Gaza Strip, researchers of the Palestinian arena at the INSS propose an alternative path that combines the military and political dimensions

The very fact that Israeli–Saudi normalization remains on the agenda, indicates that the fundamental motivations of Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States to advance this goal have not fundamentally changed, even after the momentum toward completing the process was halted by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war. The three main states involved in the process are still striving—each for their own reasons—to bring the negotiations to fruition, with the overarching goal being the shaping of a new regional architecture in the Middle East. This volume brings together articles written by researchers at the Institute for National Security Studies, which examine the positions and interests of various states and non-state actors in the Middle East and beyond, regarding Israeli–Saudi normalization. It explores how these stakeholders might influence the process and its chances of success—either positively or negatively, directly or indirectly.

Contemporary Israel, probably more than ever before, requires a widely accepted national security doctrine—grounded in the values of Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Its overarching objectives are to ensure Israel’s security, prosperity, and Jewish-democratic character, with a firm Jewish majority and defensible, recognized borders

Operation Home and Garden brought a prevailing sense of operational success, but without a complementary political move, the military achievement will wear off quickly. This will lead to greater weakness of the Palestinian Authority’s capabilities and stature, which in turn would accelerate Israel’s slide toward a dangerous one-state reality. How should Israel act?

Read the INSS Strategic Analysis for 2023