If President Obama has already decided to enter the pages of history as the US president who initiated the Security Council decision regarding an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, it is doubtful whether anything will change his mind on this point. If the issue is still under deliberation, however, it would be appropriate for Israel to advance a political initiative revolving around a number of practical measures. Among the possible components of an Israeli initiative: willingness to engage in future talks on an agreement based on 1967...
On February 27, 2016, a ceasefire went into effect in Syria between the forces of the Assad regime and the opposition. The understandings underpinning the ceasefire rely on the agreement between Russia and the United States, which are determined to promote a broader settlement in Syria. To maintain the ceasefire, they will need to restrain the other actors involved in the crisis. It is important for the United States to focus on fighting the Islamic State, and the key question is whether or not it will be able to join forces with...
The strength of insurgent populism is the headline story to date in the United States presidential campaign, and is relevant for Israel’s strategy in its US public diplomacy. Overall, populism is less predictable than elite politics, which favors continuity and stability in approach. Elite politics in recent decades have coalesced around support for a close US-Israel relationship. For Israel and its supporters, this is a signal achievement. Populism, however, could be more disruptive. For Israel and its supporters, therefore,...
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...
With December 2015 marking five years since the outbreak of the “Arab Spring,” a current assessment of Israel’s strategic situation must be based on the perspective of this period. What follows are twelve observations regarding recent political and security developments that impact on Israel’s national security and require the formulation of an overarching strategy for foreign policy and security policy for the coming five years.
The Islamic State burst onto the Middle East scene as an entity whose conduct and very essence challenge the existing regional order. With its military conquests in Iraq and Syria, its establishment of branches elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond, its state-like governance in the areas under its control, and the cruelty it typically exhibits, the Islamic State has become the focus of regional and international interest and concern. The articles compiled in this volume examine ways of dealing with one of the most salient military,...
Interest in the tensions and incidents in the South China Sea region has increased recently, with a focus on military actions taken by the parties involved, primarily China and the United States. The dialogue between the powers is conducted through public statements (and presumably through covert messages as well) between political leaders, ministers, and military commanders. Besides these official and public diplomatic communications, however, communication is also exchanged extensively through military channels and means. • For...
There appears to be a greater source of contention within the American Jewish community today, which did not originate with disagreements over the Iran deal. The source of this friction seems to be the result of multiple challenges of unprecedented magnitude, including: (a) apathy and ignorance about Israel, a partial result of the decline in the strength of American Jewish identity; (b) a tendency among left wing Jews to see Israel as a human rights violator and oppressor of the Palestinians; (c) a tendency by some right wing Jews...
Very few of Israel’s ambassadors in Washington have written insider accounts of the Jewish State’s most important bilateral relationship from the vantage point of the most senior overseas posting in Israel’s foreign service. Michael Oren, a brilliant historian and author, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009–13, set out to do so. Sadly, however, he missed his mark. Of course, it was not the author’s objective to write a comprehensive, scholarly work on the Obama–Israel relationship. That book has yet to be...
The United States drones program, which uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for targeted killings of a suspected terrorist or one suspected of involvement in terrorism, has aroused severe criticism following an investigative report published recently on an American news website that included disclosure of relevant secret documents. Earlier this year claims were sounded that the results of the drones program were inadequate. Against this background, and especially given the number of civilians killed in attacks, there were demands to...
Because the nuclear agreement with Iran is so problematic, a bilateral parallel agreement between the United States and Israel is imperative. President Obama’s recent letter to Rep. Jerrold Nadler detailing ways in which the administration intends to strengthen Israel and cooperate with it in years ahead is a good foundation for discussion, but its contents require expansion and elaboration. The parallel agreement should provide a suitable response to future dangers inherent in the agreement with Iran, and along nuclear,...
