The strategic assessment for Israel for 2021 is shaped by significant uncertainty in three principal areas: the level of success in coping with COVID-19; the modus operandi and policies of the new administration in the United States; and the political developments in Israel. The current assessment is based on a broader conception of national security, which places greater weight than in the past on the domestic arena and on threats to internal stability, social cohesion, values, and fabric of life. This of course does not detract...
Recent developments in Jordan and its immediate neighborhood have raised questions about the stability of the regime in the kingdom, and with that, have aroused concern in Israel. The questions stem from the possible ramifications of the economic crisis in Jordan, especially among the tribal Bedouin population, which is the traditional support base of the monarchy, and from the response to the reforms that the king intends to implement in the parliamentary electoral system; from the direct challenges by various Jordanians toward the...
At the start of H. E. President Isaac Herzog’s term of office, and following the many global and local developments and changes over the past six months – including a new administration in Washington, President Biden’s decision to try to return to the nuclear deal with Iran, the formation of a new government in Israel, and growing tensions in Israeli society, including clashes between Arabs and Jews in Israeli cities – the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) presented to President Herzog highlights on the main strategic...
At the virtual summit on climate change hosted by the United States on April 22, 2021, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled the government’s goal of generating 30 percent of electricity from renewable sources by the end of this decade. While further advances in innovative technologies, including hydrogen and carbon capture as well as renewable energy and solar energy storage, are certainly needed for Israel to meet its projected national targets, becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2050 may require cooperation...
The about-face by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in early April rejected Jordan’s request for another three million cubic meters of water and then changed his mind after sustaining public pressure, reflects one of the failures in the bilateral relations and Israel’s lack of regional thinking. Any Israeli government, even if short-lived, is advised to hold a strategic dialogue about relations with Jordan and how to leverage the water-energy-Green Revolution triangle, in order to promote constructive regional...
A decade after the regional upheaval, the struggle over the shape of the Middle East continues to play out in two realms: over the regional order, between four camps seeking to advance their ideology and interests; and within the states, between rulers and publics clashing over fundamental economic, social, and identity-related problems that have not been resolved since the Arab Spring and have even intensified. 2020 saw a decline in the confidence of the Iran-led Shiite axis; a rise in the assertiveness of the axis led by Turkey; a...
The strategic assessment for Israel for 2021 is shaped by significant uncertainty in three principal areas: the level of success in coping with COVID-19; the modus operandi and policies of the new administration in the United States; and the political developments in Israel. The current assessment is based on a broader conception of national security, which places greater weight than in the past on the domestic arena and on threats to internal stability, social cohesion, values, and fabric of life. This of course does not detract...
The strategic assessment for Israel for 2021 is shaped by significant uncertainty in three principal areas: the level of success in coping with COVID-19; the modus operandi and policies of the new administration in the United States; and the political developments in Israel. The current assessment is based on a broader conception of national security, which places greater weight than in the past on the domestic arena and on threats to internal stability, social cohesion, values, and fabric of life. This of course does not detract...
The State of Israel’s strategic balance in 2020 is the basis for the policy recommendations for the coming year. In implementing these recommendations, it is important to emphasize the State of Israel’s overarching objectives: to strengthen Israel as a Jewish, democratic, secure, prosperous, and just state that is at peace with its neighbors. These objectives define Israel’s purpose, both in the eyes of the Israeli public and in the eyes of the international community.
The State of Israel’s strategic efforts and...
In advance of the parliamentary elections in Jordan scheduled for November 10, 2020 King Abdullah has appointed Dr. Bisher al-Khasawneh, a close advisor, as Prime Minister. The new government was sworn in on October 12. In addition to the changes in the government and those likely to occur following the elections, the King has also changed the composition of the Senate, the other Jordanian legislative body. This will complete the shake-up in the Jordanian political system. The new system, however, will have to continue to confront...
On August 13, 2020, a significant breakthrough between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was announced on the road to the establishment of full relations. The agreement, under the auspices of the United States, is an important reinforcement for the moderate pragmatic camp in the region against Iran and both Shiite and Sunni radicals. Vis-à-vis the Palestinians, the agreement removes the issue of unilateral annexation from the agenda, and improves opening conditions for negotiations and a future arrangement.
The parliamentary elections that will be held in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on November 10, 2020 will take place in the shadow of three crises – Covid-19, economic distress, and growing civil tension as a result of the government’s actions against the Muslim Brotherhood and the Teachers Association. On the one hand, the King’s decision to hold the elections in accordance with the constitution, despite the social unrest, is admirable. On the other hand, his firm stance toward professional and political organizations...
