Did Israel Use “Disproportionate Force” in Gaza?

- Dore Gold

Decoupling Syria from Iran: Constraints on U.S.-Syrian Rapprochement

- David Schenker

While moving Syria into the Western camp would be a great accomplishment, it's not clear that this development would necessarily constitute a long-term strategic setback for Iranian efforts to undermine U.S. policy in Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and Iraq. In the absence of Syria, Iran would still be capable of supporting Hizbullah, Hamas, and its Shiite allies in Iraq.

The Future of the Two-State Solution

Click here to watch Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, former chairman of Israel's National Security Council, discuss new proposals for Mideast peace.
(Nov. 17, 2008, Institute for Contemporary Affairs)

Jerusalem: The Dangers of Division

An Alternative to Separation from the Arab Neighborhoods

- Nadav Shragai 
A principal argument of those who support the division of Israel's capital is the need to improve the city's demographic balance between Jews and Arabs in favor of Jews. However, a higher Arab birthrate is not the primary cause for the decrease in the Jewish majority in Jerusalem. Rather, the main reason is that large numbers of Jews are leaving the city due to housing and employment difficulties. To reverse Jewish emigration from Jerusalem, the city must be declared an area of national priority of the highest order. 

The Influence of Christian Interests in Setting the Route of the Security Fence in Jerusalem

- Col. (res.) Danny Tirza

In March 2002, at the height of a terror campaign in which 1,804 Israelis were killed in Palestinian suicide bombings, the government of Israel decided to take a defensive measure to block terrorists from reaching Israeli population centers by establishing a physical obstacle. Even Israel's worst enemies confessed that the security fence saved Israeli lives. In building the fence, great efforts were invested and solutions were provided to meet the unique needs of the Christian churches in the region to guarantee freedom of religion and religious observance, and free access to holy places.

Israeli Approvals for Medical Entry in the Shadow of Terror Attacks at the Erez Crossing

- Elihu D. Richter MD, MPH

Human rights groups have criticized the Israeli government for denying access to Gazans seeking to receive permits for care in hospitals in Israel, the PA and Jordan. Yet the data show that the number of patients receiving permits for referrals to hospitals in Israel - or the PA or Jordan - increased by 45 percent from 4,932 in 2006 to 7,176 in 2007, and continued to increase in the first six months of 2008, despite increasing rocket attacks on Israel's civilian population, including mortar and terror attacks directed at the Erez crossing used by patients.

A New Strategy for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

- Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon

The central conflict of the Middle East is not territorial but ideological; not about borders but about Islamic Jihadism and Western liberty. No ideology, least of all radical Islam, can be defeated by concessions, which encourage, energize, and inspire Jihadists. Those who wish for peace must face and assimilate this fact, and realize that territorial concessions, or any concessions in any realm in the struggle against militant Islam, have been consistently counterproductive.
    From Oslo to Annapolis, we have engaged in a top-down strategy. We aimed to reach a political horizon or a final settlement agreement with the Palestinian leadership, hoping that political reform among Palestinians would follow. I propose we replace this approach with a bottom-up strategy in which the PA first proves its willingness and ability to govern.

Winning Counterinsurgency War: The Israeli Experience

- Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror

Contrary to popular belief, conventional armies can indeed defeat terrorist insurgencies. This study details the six basic conditions which, if met, enable an army to fight and win the war against terrorism, among which are control of the ground where the insurgency is being waged, acquiring relevant intelligence for operations against the terrorists themselves, and isolating the insurgency from cross-border reinforcement with manpower or material.     
 It also examines the factors that can help drive a wedge between the local population and the insurgent forces seeking its support. The principles of war are also analyzed in terms of their applicability to asymmetric warfare to show how they still serve as a vital guide for armies in vanquishing terror.
    Finally, the study warns that if the U.S., Israel, or their Western allies incorrectly conclude that they have no real military option against terrorist insurgencies - out of a fear that these conflicts inevitably result in an unwinnable quagmire - then the war on terrorism will be lost even before it is fully waged.

Hamas Is Not the IRA: The Myths, Misconceptions and Misapplication of the Northern Ireland Peace Process

- John Bew and Martyn Frampton

It has become fashionable to look to the lessons of the peace process in Northern Ireland as holding insights for other areas of conflict in the world. However, the core realities unique to the region do not necessarily translate elsewhere. For the British government, formal negotiations with the IRA could only occur in a context in which republican violence had been brought to an end. With the IRA in a position of declining military and political fortunes, it sought to extricate itself via the peace process.

Daily Alert

Long-Term Jerusalem Center Projects

Video: "Gaza Ground Attack"

Dore Gold discusses the Israeli ground operation in Gaza. (BBC News)

International Law and the Fighting in Gaza

- Justus Reid Weiner and Avi Bell

In every flare-up of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the air is thick with accusations of violations of international law. Yet criticism of Israeli behavior lacks any basis in international law. By contrast, criticism ought to be voiced about illegal Palestinian behavior for launching rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli civilians.

Averting Abuse of Universal Jurisdiction

Conference - "State-Sanctioned Incitement to Genocide: What Can Be Done?"

Iran's Race for Regional Supremacy: Strategic Implications for the Middle East

- Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon, Dr. Dore Gold, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Aharon Farkash, Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira, Daniel Diker, Uzi Rubin, Dr. Martin Kramer, Lt.-Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi

What Iranian Leaders Really Say about Doing Away with Israel: A Refutation of the Campaign to Excuse Ahmadinejad’s Incitement to Genocide

- Joshua Teitelbaum

Defensible Borders for a Lasting Peace

(Revised and Updated - 2008)

When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon first proposed his Gaza Disengagement Plan he did not seek a quid pro quo from the Palestinian side. Instead, he obtained one from the United States in the form of a letter from President George W. Bush, dated April 14, 2004, in which the U.S. assured Israel that with respect to the disputed West Bank, Israel was entitled to defensible borders. How the idea of defensible borders works into the post-Iraq War Middle East is fully examined as well as the territorial, legal, and policy implications of this critical U.S. guarantee.

From Durban I to Durban II: Preventing Poisonous Anti-Semitism

- Alfred H. Moses

There can be no repeat of the anti-Semitism displayed at Durban. It has no place anywhere, but most certainly not at a follow-up conference to combat racism and intolerance. This message has to be delivered forcefully, not only to Europe and elsewhere but also to the conference's chief sponsors in Africa who have the greatest stake in the outcome of the Durban process. The same message needs to be conveyed to the Muslim world. Similarly there can be no linking of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with racism.

Antisemitism Embedded in British Culture

- Interview with Robert S. Wistrich

Major Anti-Semitic Motifs in Arab Cartoons

- Interview with Joël Kotek

The main recurrent motif in Arab cartoons concerning Israel is "the devilish Jew." This image conveys the idea that Jews behave like Nazis, kill children and love blood. The similarity with themes promulgated by the Nazis is evident. Many Arab cartoons praise suicide bombing or call for murder. The collective image of the Jews thus projected lays the groundwork for a possible genocide.