In her recent visit to Israel, Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yandong attended the opening of the second meeting of the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation and met with leading government officials. Liu and Netanyahu announced the start of talks over a free trade agreement between Israel and China; Liu stressed that since Israel is known for its innovative capabilities, it is important to promote cooperation between Israel and China, which recently began highlighting innovation-based development. A free trade agreement,...
One of the measures proposed in face of the wave of terrorism that began over six months ago to deter other potential terrorists is the deportation of terrorists’ families or their assignment of residence. International law views the deportation of residents to areas outside territory subject to belligerent occupation as illegal. Similarly, assignment of residence of family members within that area for reasons other than preventing a direct threat or danger, and solely for the purpose of deterrence, raises significant legal...
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...
The United States and Israel have conflicting interests on how to handle the region’s current challenges, and these differences are eroding the special relationship that has historically prevailed between the two countries. This essay proposes a joint regional strategy for the two countries resting on several anchors, including: mutual consideration by Israel and the United States of each other’s regional interests; fortification of the existing peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors – which are also a basis for promoting...
The discourse on Palestinian rights, intent on reframing the national conflict with Israel as a struggle for self-determination of all Palestinians wherever they may be, is designed to put pressure on Israel to change its policy on the Palestinian issue and enshrine the rights of Palestinians within whatever national solution is reached. While leaders of the BDS campaign in the Palestinian arena tried to recruit supporters for more than a decade by promoting a rights-based discourse, in the last two years Palestinian research...
The Israeli public, policymakers, and media are hard pressed to define the climate of terrorism that descended on Israel in September 2015 and has continued since. With a new phenomenon, the impulse is to frame it in familiar terms. For this reason, the terrorist attacks of the past half year have been referred to as an “intifada.” It is doubtful, however, that the term “intifada” suits the reality that has emerged. What can Israel do? First, it can improve the separation between Israelis and Palestinians, which will serve to reduce...
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...
In light of the growing concern that Gaza’s poor economy and high unemployment could foment unrest and lead to renewed hostilities between Israel and Hamas, many leading Israeli defense officials have voiced support for a Gaza seaport, if coupled with necessary security arrangements. The humanitarian situation in Gaza, combined with anti-Israel incitement, is a ticking bomb directed at Israel. At the same time, Israeli security officials understand that a Palestinian port in Gaza without adequate security arrangements presents a...
The prevalent view in Israel, which regards the young Palestinians who dig tunnels and conduct stabbing attacks as products of a process of religious and political radicalization by Hamas and of incitement led by the Palestinian Authority waged on the social media, is imprecise and at best a partial picture. The social networks are communication tools – not the root of the problems. The efforts to take care of the symptom, i.e., incitement on social media, without addressing the illness, namely, the problematic core issues in the...
The repeated rounds of fighting in the Gaza Strip forced on Israel by Hamas since 2009 have not achieved the necessary strategic goals: long term deterrence; severe damage to the Hamas military wing; the weakening of the organization; and effective constraints on its future military buildup. It is no surprise that Hamas, which is preparing for the next confrontation with Israel, is heavily invested in building tunnels. The optimal situation for Israel vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip entails a technological solution for Hamas’s attack...
On January 17-19, 2016, INSS held the latest conference in its annual conference series, “Security Challenges of the 21st Century.” The aim of this article is to bring together the key insights from the conference in a complete and coherent picture and use them as a basis for outlining policy recommendations to help the Israeli government contend with the challenges before it. • According to the situation assessment of Israeli policymakers, the current dangers stemming from the options that deviate from the status quo outweigh the...
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...
