The understandings reached recently between the United States and Russia regarding Syria accept the deployment of Iranian forces and Iranian-controlled militias (proxies) on the range from the Golan Heights border – a situation that is entirely unacceptable to Israel. It seems that the time is coming when Israel, if it wants to stop Iran’s influence and consolidation in Syria, will have to become actively engaged in the Syrian quagmire. Israel must demonstrate determination in its demand to remove Iranian forces and...
After weeks of rising tension in anticipation of the October 15 deadline to recertify the JCPOA, President Trump explained his administration’s policy vis-à-vis Iran in a forceful speech that included a detailed description of the crimes of the Islamic Republic. The policy reflects the tension between the desire to undermine what Iran achieved from the nuclear agreement and its ongoing conduct in relation to all issues not covered by the agreement, and international and regional constraints. Regarding the nuclear agreement, the...
Now is not the time to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran. Rather, suitable strategic conditions should be created if a withdrawal is necessary in the future, with leverage built for a better option. Postponing a decision regarding the future of the JCPOA does not denote passivity toward Iran. Alongside efforts to set up an international coalition that will work to keep Iran from nuclear weapons, action must be taken against all negative Iranian activities that are not covered by the agreement. At the same time, the United...
According to different estimates, the Israeli community in the United States numbers between 200,000 and 800,000 people.4 It is concentrated in the big cities – New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, and Chicago – and is very varied, comprising students, families who have moved from Israel to America, families with Israeli parents and children who were born and raised in the United States, and others. Over the years the Israeli community has developed organizations that are active in different sectors, in particular academia and the...
Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Trump in New York in late September. With the events in the Korean peninsula in the background, the two leaders will almost certainly discuss the lessons for preventing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. Indeed, the parallel between the challenges posed by North Korea’s nuclear program and the Iranian nuclear program is clear, and in this context, an ongoing, intimate dialogue between Jerusalem and Washington is necessary. Israel and the United States would do well...
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s motives for his limited response to President Trump’s statements on the Charlottesville event are easily discerned, difficult though they may be for some American Jews to swallow. While for many American Jews the sight of neo-Nazis and white supremacists marching in the streets is difficult on several levels, many Israelis, even those who share American revulsion at racism and hate, may view other examples of anti-Semitism, such as certain manifestations of the BDS movement, as a greater threat. While these...
Senior officials within the Iranian regime have long been convinced that American administrations have striven to infiltrate Iran’s internal system and topple the Islamic regime, and this impression has been bolstered of late. For its part, even if the Trump administration has not presented a defined position on regime change in Iran, it undoubtedly has a clear interest in this regard. Yet the US administration has no concrete ability to bring about regime change in Iran in the desired direction – not by supporting internal...
The controversies surrounding the Israeli government’s recent decisions concerning the Western Wall and a bill on conversion underscore key divides in Israeli-Diaspora relations. The ensuing crisis took many Israeli political leaders by surprise, which itself is evidence of a deep disconnect between Israeli leaders attuned to Israeli voters, and the attitudes of American Jewish leaders and activists. Anyone who spends time these days in American Jewish communities cannot fail to note the anger and feelings of personal betrayal. It is...
The tension on the Temple Mount and the crisis between Israel and Jordan following the attack on a security guard at the Israeli embassy in Amman need more than ad hoc solutions that leave the basic situation unresolved and the strategic opportunities untapped. Israel would do well to seize the political and operational initiative before international and regional entities do, and propose, inter alia, an international meeting on steps that can prevent radical entities from violating freedom of worship and freedom of access to the...
The arrangement between the United States and Russia over southern Syria represents a test, both for the chances of jumpstarting a coordinated process between the world powers over a future settlement in Syria and for the relations between them on other contested issues. Israel was not mentioned in the context of the ceasefire arrangement, but it has scored several achievements. Nonetheless, Israel is likely to confront an attempt by President Assad to advance forces to southwest Syria and the Golan Heights. Because Assad’s forces...
Although President Trump described the G20 summit in Hamburg as a “wonderful success,” commentators emphasized the extent to which the US has been isolated, claiming that the summit provided additional evidence of the US losing its leadership status. Beyond the issues of disagreement between the US and other G20 members mentioned in the Hamburg Declaration, participants also noted the failure of the US to bring the G20 to condemn North Korea’s missile test. On the other hand, Trump’s encounter with President Putin may have added to...
Israel is monitoring the North Korean crisis and assessing its implications, particularly with respect to the Iranian nuclear program. There is concern exists that American restraint and continued provocative North Korean behavior would signal to Tehran that a country determined to cross nuclear red lines is able to do so, even in face of American opposition. Thus for Israel, it is necessary to resume a comprehensive dialogue with Washington, and to formulate a joint policy towards Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the risks incurred by...
