Publications

The talks that began in April 2025 between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff—with Oman’s mediation—are bringing Iran, the United States, and Israel closer to critical moments regarding the future of Iran’s nuclear program. The results of the negotiations will largely determine whether the direction will be toward a political-diplomatic settlement on the nuclear issue or toward a military strike (Israeli, American, or joint) against Iran’s nuclear facilities. At this...



The nuclear discussions between Iran and the United States are continuing, with both sides expressing a preference for an agreement over military confrontation—even though, at this stage, it is impossible to assess whether they will succeed in bridging existing gaps or those that may arise later. For now, both parties have expressed optimism and appear to believe that there is value in deepening the talks. The meeting that was supposed to take place on May 3 will likely be held in the coming days. According to President Trump, who...

We invite you to look and learn about the fallen through this annual memorial project—to once again recognize how, in the microcosm of the people’s army, the character of its fallen reflects the society itself.

The risks to Israel’s economy have risen in recent weeks, along with the likelihood of a financial crisis in Israel. This is due to three events that occurred simultaneously: the end of the ceasefire in Gaza and the resumption of fighting, the approval of a problematic state budget for 2025, and political instability reflected in the dismissal of gatekeepers and the return of the judicial overhaul. All these raise many questions regarding the fiscal responsibility of the Israeli government in general, and the financing of the war in...

After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the US Department of Defense undertook an extensive evaluation of the conflict, commissioning no fewer than 37 separate studies, including a still-classified seven-volume report on weapon systems. American military personnel walked the battlefields alongside Israeli commanders who had fought there, analyzing the strategies and technologies that enabled Israel to prevail against overwhelming odds. The lessons drawn from Israel’s battlefield successes would profoundly shape US military doctrine, directly...

User Guide: INSS Interactive Maps To the maps page https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to8vyAsA73U To the maps page

After approximately a year and a half of war in the Gaza Strip, Israel stands at a crossroads and must formulate a relevant strategy regarding the future of the Strip. It faces a rather grim range of alternatives, all problematic in their implications and feasibility: encouraging “voluntary emigration”—an option whose strategic consequences have not been thoroughly examined in Israel and whose feasibility is low; occupying the Strip and imposing prolonged military rule—while this may severely weaken Hamas, it does not guarantee its...

Israel faces three possible strategic paths to achieving the objectives of the war: the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the imposition of a military administration; a siege on the Strip, in which Hamas is weakened and deterred; or an agreement to discuss the Arab proposal for the reconstruction and stabilization of the Strip and the establishment of an alternative governing authority. Of these three, the diplomatic path—discussing the Arab proposal—is the only option that could advance the war’s objectives at a relatively low cost....

An empirical examination and historical review of appointments to key positions in the IDF’s General Staff over the past five decades reveal a marked tendency toward similarity bias, particularly evident in the frequent promotion of individuals from the Paratroopers and Sayeret Matkal units. This bias reflects a form of “human duplication,” stemming from a preference to appoint people who resemble oneself. As similar individuals tend to think alike, it reduces critical, challenging, and skeptical thinking, thereby affecting the...