The United States is determined to advance the implementation of President Donald Trump’s framework to end the war and reshape the Gaza Strip without Hamas, and with the area demilitarized of military and terrorist capabilities. The gap between the strategic objective and the challenges of implementation indicates that the success of the framework will require coercive and sustained American involvement, close coordination with Israel, and persuasive US efforts to convince moderate Arab states to take an active role in stabilizing,...
The return of Trump to the White House has reignited discussions about normalization with Saudi Arabia and the establishment of a new regional order in the Middle East. A flash poll[1] conducted by the Institute for National Security Studies in early January examined these issues among the Israeli public.
According to the survey data, the majority of Israelis—approximately 70%—supported a deal to release the hostages and implement a ceasefire about two weeks before the actual agreement came into effect. Additionally, most Israelis...
As the war in Gaza—Operation Swords of Iron—continues, we examined the perceptions and attitudes of the Israeli public regarding the Palestinian issue as well as the functioning of the state in two rounds of focus groups conducted by INSS. The primary insights are that while the Israeli public does not have trust in state institutions, there is trust in the Israeli people themselves. Additionally, it will be impossible to improve Israel’s security situation through political agreement, and therefore, Israel should rely on military...
Israel and the Palestinian Authority are struggling for control of Area C, which makes up about 60 percent of the West Bank. The PA contends that Area C, with agricultural land, access to Jordan, natural resources, space for infrastructures, and residential construction, should be a central and essential part of the future Palestinian state. However, the aim of the current Israeli government is to establish Israeli control over all Area C, significantly expand Israeli settlement there, and prepare the conditions for Israeli...
The move away from the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, whether intentional or inadvertent, accelerates a trend of sliding toward a one-state reality. However, the assumption that after decades of conflict and bloodshed the two peoples can live together belies common sense. In the context of sliding toward one state, three scenarios, which can be dubbed “gray rhinos,” are galloping toward us, as we are ignore their dangerous approach: the creation of a mixed and intertwined way of life for Jews and Palestinians...
