It is now clear to France that it is in the midst of an all-out war against the threat of terror from both internal and external sources. The assessment by the French of their security situation stems from their concern about additional attacks planned by either terrorist networks or individuals, some of whom are driven by external organized directives, particularly from the Islamic State. There is a fundamental debate underway in France between two schools of thought. One argues that the current wave of terrorist attacks derives...
The results of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union show a country fragmented and in a state of political and economic uncertainty that will persist for years. Moreover, the very idea of the European Union sustained a major blow that is liable to intensify during the process of separation. Two groups have formed: countries that are not interested in being EU members, led by Norway and Britain, and countries that cannot belong to the EU because the EU does not want them, including Morocco and Turkey. Consequently, the EU will...
On June 3, 2016, after several months of intensive diplomatic activity, France held an international summit designed to lay the groundwork for restarting the Israeli-Palestinian political process by means of an international conference to take place before the end of the year. The summit reflects a growing sense of frustration in the international community and the Middle East with the long-lasting political deadlock. It likewise bespeaks the growing sense that the status quo furthers instability and endangers the potential viability...
Meir Elran suggests that robust intelligence, strong resistance and protection measures, with enhanced societal resilience, are key lessons that Europe can take from Israel’s counter-terrorism experience.
For full article see in Crisis Response Journal
In recent years, much has been said about the need for Israel to identify opportunities that can be leveraged toward improvement of its strategic position in the midst of the regional turmoil. It seems that the renewed international and especially the regional interest in reviving the political process is just such an opportunity that, if exploited, can be a way for Israel to promote its relations with the pragmatic Arab states and serve as a channel to make progress toward resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. However, this...
While prospects for the French initiative on the Israeli-Palestinian political process are unclear, failure does not mean the end of international efforts to advance a solution to the conflict. The initiative reflects a concern shared by many in the international community that the current stalemate could block any possibility of implementing a two-state solution. The political status quo will almost certainly elicit additional international proposals, including a possible new initiative by President Obama in the period between the...
On March 18, 2016, a new agreement on the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe was concluded by the European Union and Turkey, similar to a previous deal formulated four months earlier. According to the latest agreement, Greece will return “irregular migrants” to Turkey (mainly those who were smuggled into Greece), and beginning April 4, for every refugee returned from Greece to Turkey, Turkey can send one Syrian refugee to Europe if s/he entered Turkey legally. The latest deal with Turkey highlights the EU’s distress regarding the flow...
The latest attacks in Paris and Brussels highlight Europe’s dilemma and its need to choose between strict preservation of various individual freedoms and a decision to eliminate the terrorist bases of fundamentalist Islam in Europe. In practice, this latter struggle will require closer supervision of religious institutions, heightened monitoring of various charity organizations, and strengthened security systems at public facilities. The cumulative effect of the reports about the Islamic State’s cruelty, the destruction and...
It appears that the European Union decision on marking products, which sparked the recent crisis between Israel and the organization, is a symptom of an ongoing problem, and should not be regarded, as the EU attempted to portray it, as a technical measure. It is a reflection of the EU’s policy of distinguishing between Israel within the 1967 borders and the territories captured in the Six Day War. From the EU’s perspective, the measure is designed, like other measures that may follow it, to preserve the idea of the two state solution...
Over the past decade, Israel has been challenged by large scale migration from Africa, mainly from Eritrea and Sudan. Tens of thousands infiltrated into Israel from the Sinai border in order to find employment. Countermeasures by the government focused on border closure, deterrence, and the encouragement of voluntary exit. However, these measures have since eroded, and hence the question is whether infiltration into Israel will grow in 2016. Here the proven link between measures adopted (or not adopted) by a country and the scale of...
The instability racking the Middle East of the past five years shows little sign of abatement, and every new conflict or war – between states and within states – constitutes another link in the chain of social, ideological, political, and territorial upheavals sweeping the region. With the Middle East thus having become a region marked primarily by violence, regional and international leaders must focus their attention on both defensive and offensive measures designed to reduce the potential for damage and destruction inherent in...
The terror attacks in Paris attributed to the Islamic State exposed severe intelligence failures and a lack of cooperation – or a willingness to cooperate – among European countries in the struggle against the Islamic State, and assigned the threat, yet once more, to a high position on the international agenda. It is almost certain that the Paris attacks will change, to some extent, the conduct of the European countries in their struggle against terror within their borders, especially against the backdrop of the intelligence-security...
