Foreign Policy Blogs

Middle East & North Africa

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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Israel: Spies and Maneuvers

Less than three weeks before the Lebanese parliamentary elections, Israel is stirring up trouble from the south. Israel has announced that it will be conducting large scale military training maneuvers the week before the  Lebanese elections. Also, a network of Israeli spies has been slowly uncovered in Lebanon over the past few weeks. To date, […]

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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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Israel Turns Over Bomb Maps

Israel has turned over maps showing where cluster bombs were dropped during the 2006 war with Lebanon. The maps, which were given to UNIFIL officials on May 12, could greatly help the de-mining effort in South Lebanon. UNIFIL  and other groups have been working to remove the explosive devices, as they pose an enormous safety […]

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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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Israel and the NPT

A new INSS article discusses Israel’s precarious posture between allying itself with the United States and the country’s refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. The article stems from a recent comment made by Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller urging every nation, including Israel, to sign the NPT. Israel refuses to sign the treaty, insisting […]

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Hizballah Says LAF Not Equipped to Face Israel

A Hizballah official complained Monday that the Lebanese army is still not equipped to deal with Israeli aggression. MP Mohammad Raad commented on the situation: “In military science, two regular armies should own balanced weapons to be able to confront each other,” adding “Despite the brave officers and soldiers of the Lebanese army, there is […]

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