Communications

The recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah has significantly increased Israel’s security concerns, adding another layer of complexity to an already volatile regional situation. As Israel navigates this heightened conflict, it finds itself at a critical juncture – mirroring the broader strategic challenges facing the nation – in the ongoing campaign to defeat Hamas in...

Notwithstanding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and perhaps even because of it, diplomatic contacts aimed at advancing a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia have continued. The fundamental motivations of the United States and Saudi Arabia in this context have not changed since before October 7.

The Palestinian issue is expected to command a more central role in the talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel on normalization, compared to earlier assessments or expectations by the Israeli government. The normalization should be seen as an opportunity to save Israel from the steep slope down which it is sliding toward a one-state reality (a situation opposed by a majority of...

In Israel, officials have spoken of a supposed rift opening up between Damascus and Tehran. Former IDF Military Intelligence head Maj.-Gen. Tamir Heyman, quoted by researcher Udi Dekel in a recent article at the Institute for National Security Studies, assessed that Israel has “driven a wedge between Assad and the Iranians,” through its ongoing military campaign.

The US must create a framework for a dialogue with Russia that can lead to an end to the war -- before the situation is completely out of control.

Well before the Sheikh Jarrah dispute erupted, Hamas was prepared to launch rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, including toward Jerusalem. Its goal was to tie the Gaza Strip to al-Aqsa (the Temple Mount) in the hearts and minds of the Palestinians and the wider Arab world. As Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh proclaimed, “The equation that connects the Gaza Strip with Jerusalem is...

The INSS 14th Annual International Conference, “National Security in an Atmosphere of Global and Internal Disorder,” was held on January 26-28, 2021. Participating in the conference were foreign ministers (from Germany, India, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel), party leaders in Israel, guest experts from Israel and abroad, and INSS researchers.

The political debate around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the second intifada has largely been characterized by a dichotomous conceptual framework: negotiations for a permanent status agreement of “two states for two peoples” versus “continued conflict management,” without seeking a solution in the absence of a proper partner for consent and implementation.