Israel Research Subject Index

Information on Israel's national security issues – filtered, sifted, and stored for easy retrieval –

from the treasury of electronic content at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

U.S. Middle East Policy	EU Middle East Policy	ME Diplomacy	International Law
Israel and Palestinians	Europe and Israel	Israeli-Palestinian	Israel and Palestinians
Middle East		Israeli-Arab	Israel and the Middle East

Newest Studies	Israeli Security	Jerusalem	Radical Islam/Iran
	Middle East		Global Terrorism
	Palestinians		Al-Qaeda
	Iran		Hizbullah
	Syria		Hamas
	Hizbullah

Ahmadinejad: Ahmadinejad Calls for Israel's Elimination and Declares War on the West: A Case Study of Incitement to Genocide
Manfred Gerstenfeld
Iranian President Ahmadinejad's call for the elimination of Israel led to many condemnations, including from the UN Security Council and the European Union.
Al-Qaeda: Al-Qaeda Affiliate - Jaish al-Islam - Receives Formal Sanctuary in Hamas-Ruled Gaza
Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Dahoah Halevi
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner confirmed in July 2007 that Hamas was in contact with Al-Qaeda. However, he clarified that their connection was not the result of Western policy to isolate the Hamas regime.
Anti-Semitism: Major Anti-Semitic Cartoons
Joel Kotek
Several Arab hate motifs also have permeated Western society as they resonate with the long-standing anti-Semitic prejudices of the Christian world.
Apartheid: The Campaign to Delegitimize Israel with the False Charge of Apartheid
Robbie Sabel
Israel is a multi-racial society, and the Arab minority actively participates in the political process.There are Arab parliamentarians, Arab judges including on the Supreme Court, Arab cabinet ministers, Arab heads of hospital departments, Arab university professors, and Arab diplomats in the Foreign Service.
Arab Peace Initiative: Arab Peace Initiative
Joshua Teitelbaum
However, Israel should refrain from accepting the initiative as a basis for peace negotiations because it contains seriously objectionable elements. Israel should also reject the “all or nothing” approach of the Saudis and the Arab League. Peacemaking is the process of negotiation.

Defensible Borders: Defensible Borders for a Lasting Peace
Dr. Dore Gold, Dr. Meir Rosenne, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, Dr. Yuval Steinitz
Resolution 242 did not call on Israel to withdraw to the vulnerable pre-war lines but merely “from territories” – notably, not “from all the territories” – that came under its military control.

Egypt: How Egypt Molded Modern Radical Islam
Zvi Mazel
The basic ideology of political Islam - which was later adopted by all radical groups - finds its origin within Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Sheikh Hassan al-Banna in the city of Ismailia, on the banks of Suez Canal.
European Union: The European Union Report on Jerusalem: Distortions and Omissions
Nadav Shragai
An imbalanced EU position paper on Jerusalem written in December 2008, and recently leaked to the media, completely ignores Israel's historical and legal rights to its capital.

Fayyad: A Paradox of Peacemaking: How Fayyad's Unilateral Statehood Plan Undermines the Legal Foundations of Israeli-Palestinian Diplomacy
Alan Baker

Gaza: Strategic Implications for Israel of the Gaza-Egypt Border Opening
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror and Dan Diker
Al-Qaeda operatives already infiltrated the Gaza Strip from Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen back in 2006. After the breach of the Egyptian-Gaza border, many Palestinians trained in Syria and Iran easily returned to Gaza.
Gaza War: The UN Gaza Report: A Substantive Critique
Dore Gold
The UN Gaza Report is the most vicious indictment of the State of Israel bearing the seal of the United Nations since the UN General Assembly adopted its infamous “Zionism is Racism” resolution in 1975, which it subsequently repealed.
Golan: The Golan Heights and the Syrian-Israeli Negotiations
Dore Gold
If Israel were to agree to the June 4, 1967, line, it would be rewarding Syrian aggression. It would be a cardinal error for Israel to put into jeopardy its own security by agreeing to come down from the Golan Heights.

Hamas: Hamas' Determination to Perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Critical Role of Hate Indoctrination
Justus Reid Weiner and Noam Weissman
Hamas' Al-Aqsa Television often broadcasts anti-Israel songs while showing pictures of masked gunmen in the background.
Hizbullah: Hizbullah’s Triumph: The Long-Term Implications of Prisoner Exchanges
Justus Reid Weiner and Diane Morrison
The status quo for prisoner exchanges harms Israeli deterrence, creates an appalling precedent that encourages further kidnappings.
Human Rights: The Use of Palestinian Children in the Al-Aqsa Intifada
Justus Weiner
Imagine how much less powerful Palestinian propaganda would be without cynically sacrificing children in front of the television cameras. Regrettably, the PLO chose incitement, blood, smoke and gunfire, bringing on the cataclysm which is swallowing young lives and the peace process whole.

Incitement to Genocide: What Iranian Leaders Really Say about Doing Away with Israel: A Refutation of the Campaign to Excuse Ahmadinejad’s Incitement to Genocide
Joshua Teitelbaum
Over the past several years, Iranian leaders have made numerous statements calling for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. The intent behind Ahmadinejad’s language and that of others is the actual physical destruction of the State of Israel.
International Law: Israel's Commitment to Domestic and International Law in Times of War
Judge Amnon Straschnov
All activities performed by Israel during the first intifada as well as nowadays are based on law. Israel follows the emergency defense regulations enacted by the British in Mandatory Pale
Intifada
Iran: The Global Range of Iran's Ballistic Missile Program
Uzi Rubin
Iran's political leadership is now aiming toward global power projection in the name of Islam, demanding recognition that Islam comprises 25 percent of humanity and should occupy its rightful place in decision-making in world affairs. Statements like this are not about self-defense.
Iraq: Israel's Strategy after the Iraq War
Maj. Gen. Ya'akov Amidror
Democratization in Iraq will not engender parallel changes in other Arab countries as long as they believe that the United States will continue to ignore the remaining dictatorships in the region.
Islamic Jihad: Brothers in Arms: Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Pinhas Inbari
Both Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah were established with deep Fatah involvement. Originally, Islamic Jihad was actually a purely Fatah offshoot, part and parcel of the military apparatus of Arafat's deputy, Abu Jihad.

Jenin: What Really Happened in Jenin?
Contrary to the repeated televised charges of Saeb Erakat and other Palestinian spokesmen, "hundreds" of Palestinians were not killed. Palestinians admit that they employed large amounts of explosive devices in Jenin. Essentially, Israeli soldiers lost their lives in order to keep the collateral deaths of Palestinians.
Jerusalem: Jerusalem: The Dangers of Division
Nadav Shragai
Given the appreciable dangers implicit in a partition of this type and given the Jewish people’s religious and historic link to Jerusalem and its holy sites, this study recommends addressing the principal factor behind the problem –the departure of Jews from Jerusalem- and attempting to check it.
Jewish Political Tradition: The Book of Joshua as a Political Classic
Daniel Elazar
The Book of Joshua is a classic of political thought, that can be and should be read as a coherent whole, in fact, as a major statement of the classic political world view of the Bible.
Jewish Rights in Israel: An Answer to the New Anti-Zionists: The Rights of the Jewish People to a Sovereign State in their Historic Homeland
Dore Gold and Jeff Helmreich
Given the historical background, it is impossible to argue that the Palestinians have a claim to the Land of Israel superior to that of the Jews, as Israel's detractors contend.
Jihad
Jordan: Jordan's Outreach to Hamas: The Politics of Distress
Pinhas Inbari
Jordan's greatest fear is that it be considered the "alternative homeland" for the Palestinians. That is why all political formulas that Jordan is ready to consider are based on the "two-state solution" - a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and a Jordanian state.

Lebanon: An International Force in Lebanon:Advantages and Disadvantages
Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon and Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror
An international force has no role in southern Lebanon along the Israeli-Lebanese border. Israel itself is deployed along its northern border to defend itself and prevent the strengthening of Hizballah, should it try to move southward.

Muslim Brotherhood: The Muslim Brotherhood: A Moderate Islamic Alternative to al-Qaeda or a Partner in Global Jihad?
Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Dahoah-Halevi
As far as the final goal is concerned, there are no policy differences between al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood. The two organizations have the same objective: to place the entire world under an Islamic caliphate.

Occupation: Why Is Israel's Presence in the Territories Still Called "Occupation?"
Avinoam Sharon
The term "occupation" is often employed politically, without regard for its general or legal meaning. If handing over authority to a Coalition-appointed interim government ended the occupation of Iraq, would the same not hold true for the establishment of the Palestinian Authority and Israel?
Oslo: Starting Over After Oslo
Gerald M. Steinberg
In retrospect, it is now clear that the entire Oslo concept and process were inappropriate and even counterproductive for the development of peaceful relations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Palestinian Authority: Can the Palestinian Authority's Fatah Forces Retake Gaza? Obstacles and Opportunities
Dan Diker and Khaled Abu Toameh
The U.S. must avoid the temptation of once again blindly relying on Fatah as the sole security and reconstruction subcontractor for Gaza.
Palestinian Statehood: International Recognition of a Unilaterally Declared Palestinian State: Legal and Policy Dilemmas
Tal Becker
The Palestinian entity does not become a state under international law merely by a unilateral declaration to that effect. To be eligible for recognition it must satisfy specific legal criteria.

Refugees: Legal Aspects of the Palestinian Refugee Question
Ruth Lapidoth
UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of 11 December 1948 does not recognize any "right" to return, but recommends that the refugees "should" be "permitted" to return, subject to the condition that the refugee wishes to live at peace with his neighbors.
Resolution 242: From 'Occupied Territories' to 'Disputed Territories'
Dore Gold
The politically-loaded terms "occupied territories" or "occupation" seem to apply only to Israel and are hardly ever used when other territorial disputes are discussed.
Right to Self-Defense: International Law and Gaza: The Assault on Israel’s Right to Self-Defense
Abraham Bell
A careful examination of the relevant law demonstrates that Israeli counterstrikes to date conform to the requirements of international law.

Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom of Incitement
Dore Gold
The war in Iraq reminds us that the Saudi role in global terrorism still needs to be addressed. The organizational link between Iraq and al Qaeda, identified as Ansar al-Islam by Secretary of State Colin Powell during his address before the U.N. Security Council, was not just a product of Iraqi policy.
Security Barrier: Israel's Anti-Terror Fence: The World Court Case
Laurence E. Rothenberg and Abraham Bell
The security fence is a necessary and proportional response to a campaign of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes by Palestinians. The "green line" from 1949 bounding the West Bank is solely a defunct military line demarcating the extent of the Transjordanian invasion of Israel in 1948.
Settlements: U.S. Policy on Israeli Settlements
Dore Gold
In seeking to constrain Israeli settlement activity, the U.S. is essentially trying to obtain additional Israeli concessions that were not formally required according to Israel's legal obligations under the Oslo Accords.
Syria: Anatomy of Syrian-Israeli Tensions: A Background Analysis
Jerusalem Center Strategic Affairs Unit
One of Syria's prime motivations in its current military behavior is to free itself of international pressure of its continuing involvement in destabilizing Lebanon and with regard to its suspected main role in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister.

Turkey: Turkey: Between the Iranian-Syrian Axis, Israel, and the West
Aydan Kodaloglu
The Iranian government sent a warning to Turkey saying that if it was involved in support of Israel and the United States, Turkey would not get away unscathed.
Two-State Solution: Banging Square Pegs Into Round Holes
Dore Gold
Realistically, there is no implementable agreement on the contours of a two-state solution on the horizon. Nevertheless, Israel and the next U.S. administration must work to influence the political environment in a manner that prepares the ground for any diplomatic engagement in the future.

UN Charter: Baseless Comparisons: UN Security Council Resolutions on Iraq and Israel
Dore Gold
Resolutions adopted under Chapter VI of the UN Charter - that deals with "Pacific Resolution of Disputes" - are implemented through a process of negotiation between the parties to a dispute.
Universal Jurisdiction: Averting Abuse of Universal Jurisdiction
Irit Kohn
It is important to remember that universal jurisdiction and the International Criminal Court are applied when a country does not or cannot act to prosecute. Yet Israel is a democracy with a well-developed judicial system and does not need external intervention.

War Crimes: How Should Israel Respond to War Crimes Accusations from the War in Lebanon?
Abraham Bell
Discussing how Israel should respond to war crimes accusations diverts the agenda away from Hizballah – a terrorist group that committed war crimes in the recent war.

Israel Research Subject Index

Publications List