Foreign Policy Blogs

Israel

Anti-Semitism Close to Home

Antisemitism isn’t only relevant when talking about parts of the Arab world and Europe, where hate crimes against Jews remain on the rise. Our readers in and around the United States also assuredly encountered bias directed towards Jewish-Americans, most recently outside Washington, D.C. An elementary school and police car in Bowie, MD were recently spray-painted […]

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Settlement Disbanding Contentious Within Coalition

As the Likud-led government prepares to dismantle some illegal outposts in the West Bank, some members of the coalition expressed deep dissatisfaction with the anticipated move. Reportedly, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister- and Labor Chairman- Ehud Barak agreed to withdraw some of the illegal outposts at Barak’s discretion. The U.S. government repeatedly pressured […]

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Bibi: Jerusalem is Israel's

Even though some reports indicated that the recent talks between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama succeeded in establishing a foundation for the renewal of the peace process, some  contadictory reports indicate that the status quo has not changed. Netanyahu, speaking at a rally in Jerusalem, unequivcally asserted that the holy city remains […]

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White House Meetings Show Signs of Success

With the White House in the midst of meetings with the Middle East’s leaders, some notable changes in posture occurred likely as a result of the discussions. Mere days following the first meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government dismantled a small settlement consisting of seven huts. The gesture […]

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Clinton Clarifies U.S. Stance Post Bibi Visit

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke candidly with Al-Jazeera following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House earlier this week. She restated the Obama Administration’s commitment to a two-state solution and clarified the U.S. stance on settlements, even declaring the need for an immediate end to ‘natural growth.’ Netanyahu repeatedly stated that settlements […]

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Pinkas on Three Peace Tracks

Alon Pinkas, a former advisor to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, discusses the three peace processes currently relevant to the the  new Israeli administration in an interview with Middle East Progress. He evaluates the Israel-Palestine track, the Israel-Syria track, and proposals to secure peace between Israel and all the Arab countries. He concludes that an all-encompassing […]

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And It Went… As Expected

The long-anticipated meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly went largely as expected with no major concessions from either leader. Both leaders agreed, however, that the region stands on the brink of a major opportunity that neither leader would want to squander. While Netanyahu urged a tough posture on Iran in […]

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And… They Meet

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama commenced today their long-anticipated meeting with analysts and the media still speculating on whether or not the two leaders will clash. Obama will likely press Netanyahu on affirming the need for a two state solution while Netanyahu will attempt to keep the discussion focused on limiting the […]

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U.S- Israel Confrontation Brewing?

A new INSS report evaluates the possibility of a confrontation between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during their upcoming meeting in Washington. The two statesmen will likely spar over the need for the resumption of a peace process with the Palestinians that includes granting them a sovereign state. Netanyahu will likely […]

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Israeli Strike on Iran Risky

Renewed discussion of a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities recently erupted days prior to the first meeting since the elections between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. A new study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies evaluates the intelligence surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and determines that any Israeli strike […]

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Peace Process Lip Service

Politicians throughout Israel, the rest of the Middle East, and the United States continue using the prospects of renewing the peace process as a tool towards garnering public support and international prestige.  The Obama Administration will soon host the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt in an effort to jump start the negotiations […]

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No Political Will in Syria-Israel Peace

As the U.S. continues to engage Syria in an effort for stability in the Middle East, an article from INNS last November by Tel Aviv University Prof. Eyal Zisser deconstructs the recent peace negotiations undertaken between Israel and Syria. Since the Second Lebanon War, both Syria and Israel anticipated increased tension along the border, with […]

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Happy Jewish American Heritage Month

President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring May the official Jewish American Heritage Month. To celebrate, I think I’ll go watch a Woody Allen movie. Notably, the White House release states: “Among the greatest contributions of the Jewish American community, however, is the example they have set for all Americans. They have demonstrated that Americans […]

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Halevy Addresses Iran Issue

In an interview with Middle East Progress, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy discusses the threat of Iran obtaining a nuclear device and states that Israel should not interfere with the new administration’s approach towards the rogue state. According to Halevi, Iran merely seeks regional influence and the only manner in which Iran can extend the […]

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Pope's Rocky Visit in Israel

The Pope’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories was marred by both sides of the ideological spectrum. After speaking at Israel’s holocaust museum Yad VaShem, many Israelis, including the speaker of the Knesset, lambasted the Pope for failing to show remorse over the six million Jews that were killed. Instead, the critics claim that […]

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