Israel’s international standing has suffered severe damage in the wake of the Gaza war. This decline is evident across most areas of national life—the economy, academia, culture, the security of Jewish communities in the diaspora, and most essentially – the basic legitimacy of the State of Israel and its right to defend itself. Attempts to isolate Israel are not new. They are rooted in disagreements over the appropriate resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, ideological opposition to Israel’s existence, and internal...
The visit of United States President Donald Trump to Beijing took place against the backdrop of intensifying great-power competition and the war in Iran. Trump sought to present concrete diplomatic and economic achievements and to demonstrate that the United States continues to manage its competition with China from a position of initiative. For its part, Beijing aimed to stabilize relations with Washington and shape a framework that would reflect recognition of its status as an equal great power, while setting clear boundaries...
The Jewish community of the United States is a valuable national security asset of the State of Israel. Over the years, including during the Gaza war, American Jews have helped to secure essential diplomatic and military support for Israel in the United States and have raised much-needed funds for Israeli civil society and nonprofit organizations. The capacity of American Jews to provide such support in the future, however, is called into question by a range of developments, including a weakening of American Jewish communal...
Introduction
Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency has consolidated a shift in American foreign policy toward unilateralism, economic coercion, and transactional diplomacy. At the core of Trump’s “America First” policy is the belief that the international order long led by the United States has been turned against it, driven by deindustrialization and the disruptive effects of globalization. Instead, Trump seeks to restore American economic primacy, which he views as having been exploited by economic rivals such as China,...
Israel’s dire standing in the United States is evident in polls showing negative attitudes among key constituencies, including younger Republicans, Evangelical Christians, and Democrats of all ages. The mounting hostility toward Israel is compounded by increasingly critical media coverage, particularly of Israel’s role in the war in Iran, moves in the US Congress to condition aid to Israel, and growing scrutiny of the pro-Israel lobby’s activities. If current trends continue—driven in part by Israel’s actions and policies, alongside...
This article examines antisemitic narratives prominent among extremists on both the right and the left in the United States during the US–Israeli military operation in Iran (“Roaring Lion” / “Epic Fury”). These narratives, which are intertwined with the legitimate domestic American debate over the necessity and objectives of the war, accuse Israel of dragging the United States into a war that contradicts American national interests while illegitimately controlling the government. The article concludes with a recommendation that...
The war with Iran has intensified debate in the United States over Israel’s role in American foreign policy and the future of the US–Israel relationship. While the conflict is unlikely to fundamentally transform Israel’s standing in the United States, it appears poised to accelerate trends already underway: growing partisan polarization, declining support for Israel among Democrats and younger Americans, and the emergence of dissenting voices within the Republican coalition. These dynamics risk shifting the US–Israel relationship...
In recent years, the integration of artificial intelligence into defense systems has evolved from a decision-support tool into a strategic infrastructure shaping the conduct of war. Within this trend, the Pentagon’s adoption of the AI-First doctrine marks a significant conceptual shift from the limited integration of artificial intelligence systems to a systemic approach in which AI becomes a foundational component in the chain of command, in intelligence collection and analysis, and in the planning of multi-theater operations. This...
President Trump’s statements in recent days reflect an effort to convey two parallel messages: presenting the campaign against Iran as an advancing success while, at the same time, avoiding a clear definition of its end conditions. This situation illustrates the growing tension within the administration between those pushing to continue the campaign to maximize its military achievements and economic, political, and strategic constraints pushing to shorten it. From Israel’s perspective, this is an especially sensitive stage: The...
The US–Israeli military campaign against Iran presents President Trump with the challenge of achieving a rapid, easily marketable success without becoming mired in a prolonged war. The president has adopted an especially hawkish public stance and has called on the Iranian public to “seize the moment”; yet ambiguity remains regarding whether there is an organized plan for regime change and for the “day after” the war. Within the Trump administration, the tension is likely to sharpen between maintaining maximal military pressure—aimed...
This interactive map provides a strategic situational overview of the Middle East theater during the joint Israeli-American operation against Iran. It features Israeli and U.S. strikes across the region, Iranian strikes within Arab nations, U.S. force deployments, and Iranian military facilities and bases. Additionally, users can enable an optional layer displaying strikes from Operation Rising Lion for comparative analysis. The map is updated continuously with the highest possible precision, based on open-source intelligence (OSINT)...
In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified its campaign against proponents of political Islam. This effort has been reflected in state-level proclamations by the governors of Texas and Florida, designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) as “foreign terrorist organizations,” as well as in a presidential order stating that branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon should be considered “terrorist organizations.” These moves have reignited discussion in...
