When the West Bankers Arrive in Washington…

Hillel Frisch
Perspectives Papers No. 113, September 1, 2010

Substantive progress in the peace process is hardly what Mahmoud Abbas is seeking to achieve in Washington. While he wishes to maintain an appearance of movement in the negotiations, he cannot yet afford to lose the Israeli army presence in the West Bank as the threat of a Hamas takeover there still looms. While all of the major political actors involved concur on this point, the pretense of peace talks is essential to keeping the Arab world at bay.

Handling the “Tectonic Shift” in US Foreign Policy under Obama: A Strategy for Israel

Dr. Max Singer
Perspectives Papers No. 112, July 12, 2010

Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren and American President Barack Obama agree that Obama’s view of the Middle East is sharply different from previous presidents. While this dramatic difference spells trouble for Israel it also means that Obama’s view has not yet become US policy. No president has the power to make such a “tectonic shift" in US policy by himself. Israel must balance its acceptance of Obama’s policies with the reinforcement of parts of the American policy-making system that have not been converted to the President’s view.

Gazans Deserve a Better Future

Efraim Inbar
Perspectives Papers No. 111, June 30, 2010

The recent decision of the Israeli government to ease its blockade on the Gaza Strip works more in favor of strengthening Hamas rule than it does toward advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. The international pressure that led to this move indicates a gross misunderstanding of Israel's right to self-defense as well as a grave misperception as to Israel's responsibilities as a non-occupying power. It is clear that the international community has succumbed to the anti-Israel propaganda war.

Iran Targets Azerbaijan

Dr. Alexander Murinson
Perspectives Papers No. 110, June 23, 2010

Israeli–Azerbaijani trade, security, and diplomatic ties have raised Iran’s ire and exposed Azerbaijan and the Israeli assets there to terrorist threats. Azerbaijani security forces, in cooperation with Israel, have thwarted several Iranian-backed terrorist operations in that country, but there are reasons to believe that radical Islamic terrorist groups continue to operate in Azerbaijan at Iran’s behest. Israel should not only continue its successful joint security efforts with the government of Azerbaijan, but should also employ ‘soft power’ to enhance its positive image among the population and to counter Iranian influence.

Déjà vu? France and the Gaza Flotilla

Dr. Tsilla Hershco
Perspectives Papers No. 109, June 13, 2010

French government reaction to the flotilla affair has been tough, and is perceived by the Israeli mainstream as typical of the unjustified global diplomatic lynch Israel has been subjected to over the past two weeks. This threatens to undermine the trust that has been built-up in Franco-Israeli relations over recent years and to undercut the French desire to be recognized as an honest broker and player in the region.

Turkey Says Good Bye to Israel and the West

Prof. Efraim Inbar
Perspectives Papers No. 108, June 6, 2010

By endorsing the “Gaza Flotilla” Turkey escalates tensions with Israel. This is just another reflection of the change in Turkish foreign policy, which acquires a greater Islamic coloration and is distancing itself from the West. Only a change of government in Ankara can bring Turkey back into the Western fold and restore the partnership between Ankara and Jerusalem. The next elections in July 2011 provide the Turkish citizens an opportunity to remain democratic and part of the West.

In Defense of Defense

Prof. Shmuel Sandler
Perspectives Papers No. 107, May 24, 2010

One of the foremost criticisms of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's statecraft is that he has refrained from advancing a dynamic foreign policy or what is termed a peace “initiative.” He is accused of preferring political survival over an initiative that could help Israel ease its diplomatic isolation. But an alternative reading of the situation might lead to the conclusion that a protective or defensive diplomatic strategy is the right strategy in light of Israel’s bitter experiences with Middle East peace processes. Israeli “initiatives” of the past twenty years have produced such dismal results that any purported Israeli diplomatic initiative holds more pitfalls than promise.

Pirates: Not Only in the Caribbean

Yoaz Hendel
Perspectives Papers No. 106, April 14, 2010

Maritime piracy has been developing in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali littoral, a major transport route between Asia and Europe, as part of a global piracy problem. Pirates hijack civilian vessels carrying high-value merchandise for purposes of theft or obtaining ransom. There has not yet been a direct connection between piracy and terrorism; however, the world’s ability to cooperate in combating piracy indicates that progress in the worldwide battle against terror is also possible.

Prospects for Peace with the Palestinians

Max Singer
Perspectives Papers No. 105, April 12, 2010

It is useful to think of the Palestinians as engaged in an internal debate between those who favor keeping the goal of eliminating Israel and those who favor giving up that goal to gain peace and prosperity. Peace can be achieved only when the second group is dominant. The debate depends on two issues. Is there any realistic hope that Israel can really be defeated? Would it be honorable to make peace with Israel? The international movement to delegitimize Israel provides Palestinians the hope of eventually destroying Israel, and Palestinian leadership denial of the existence of a Jewish People with an ancient connection to the Land of Israel contradicts the basis of an honorable peace with Israel. If peace is to have a chance, Western leaders need to disabuse the Palestinians of both fallacies.

The Armageddon Scenario:
Israel and the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

Chuck Freilich
Perspectives Papers No. 104, April 8, 2010

The Iranian nuclear threat has obscured the possibility of waging nuclear terrorism against Israel. There is a clear rationale for employing nuclear terrorism and countering it needs calibrated policies of prevention and possibly US-Israeli cooperation. The time to prepare for the Armageddon scenario is now.

Netanyahu Can Say "No"

Efraim Inbar
Perspectives Papers No. 103, March 25, 2010

The Obama administration’s attempt to force Israel to accept the division of Jerusalem as a prerequisite for peace talks is astonishing. Despite the obvious reluctance to confront an American president, Prime Minister Netanyahu can effectively resist such American pressure on Jerusalem. In fact, Jerusalem is the issue on which Netanyahu can best make a stand against Obama.

Obama’s Pressure Will Backfire

Eytan Gilboa
Perspectives Papers No. 102, March 25, 2010

The Obama administration is repeating a pattern of behavior towards Israel that, as in the past, will achieve exactly the opposite of what was intended. The intense and exclusive pressure on Israel will result in the hardening of Arab and Palestinian positions, and will scuttle, rather than initiate, real negotiations.

Despite Pundits, Netanyahu Wants Peace

Efraim Inbar
Perspectives Papers No. 101, March 11, 2010

Israelis, as well as the current Netanyahu government, deeply desire peace. Netanyahu expressed a willingness to reach a territorial compromise through a two-state solution. Netanyahu's readiness to compromise has been met by continued resistance from the Palestinians, who have displayed a lack of political pragmatism that is a prerequisite for reaching a compromise. It is wrong to blame Netanyahu for the current political impasse, as it is the Palestinians who have displayed inflexibility in their approach to peace.

The Prerequisite for Peace in the Middle East:
Arab Recognition of the Legitimacy of Israel

Kenneth J. Bialkin
Perspectives Papers No. 100, March 4, 2010

Middle East peace diplomacy aimed at ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the broader Arab-Israeli conflict is bound to fail yet again unless the process is reconfigured to emphasize, as its centerpiece, Arab recognition of the Jewish People’s ancient claims to their ancestral homeland and the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state. Waiting for this necessary change of heart among Palestinians and other Arabs concerning Israel’s legitimate Jewish character and national future is the wisest route to peace.

Flaws in General Eiland's Alternatives

Stuart A. Cohen
Perspectives Papers No. 99, February 7, 2010

In his recent BESA monograph on "Regional Alternatives to the Two-State Solution," General Giora Eiland faults all the currently conventional approaches to Israeli-Palestinian relations – a spectrum that is not restricted to the two-state solution but also extends to the belief in the efficacy of "interim" arrangements as well as the notion that Israel might somehow "manage" the current conflict indefinitely. Instead, he proposes two "regional" solutions. The present article argues that Eiland's suggestions suffer from several fundamental flaws and that there in fact exists no alternative to an option that Eiland did not examine in any depth: a unilateral Israeli dismantlement of the civilian settlements established since 1967 in Judea and Samaria.

Understanding the Settlement Moratorium

Max Singer
Perspectives Papers No. 98, December 29, 2009

Does the tactical political value of the Netanyahu government’s ten-month moratorium on new building in the West Bank justify its diplomatic and security costs? It seems to be so because limited costs are better than risks of disaster. Analysis suggests that postponing and possibly avoiding a fight with the Obama administration was the main reason for Israel’s decision, and that ten months from now the Israeli prime minister will be in a better position to resist US pressures.

Islamic Imperialism: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Middle East

Thomas O. Hecht
Perspectives Papers No. 97, November 25, 2009

Samuel Huntington predicted that only the Islamic civilization would re-emerge as the nemesis to the West. Recently, there is a rebirth of the Islamic struggle to reassert control over parts of the world, with jihad, or its modern manifestation – international terrorism – as its tool. The US is losing its dominance in the Middle East and is gradually being replaced by Iran. The Western world is in urgent need of a leader who will powerfully defend Western values against the growing influence of radical Islam.

J Street Expands the Pro-Israel Tent

Dov Waxman
Perspectives Papers No. 96, November 11, 2009

Let me confess. I attended the recent J Street conference, its first ever, held with much fanfare in Washington DC at the end of October. This must surely make me in David Weinberg’s eyes, one of those Buddhist Seder attending, intermarrying, Ayatollah-loving, and Israel-bashing Jews – the kind he mocks in his article, “J Street’s Spiritual Conceit” (BESA Perspectives 94, October 25, 2009). But this is a grossly inaccurate caricature of J Street’s supporters. The reality is that J Street draws its support from growing numbers of American Jews who are deeply committed to the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; but they also recognize that the biggest threat to this is the continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and believe that strong American leadership is necessary to bring about a two-state solution before it is too late. Until J Street came along, many of these Jews felt politically marginalized within the American Jewish community. By mobilizing them, giving them a political voice in Washington, and a place in the pro-Israel community, J Street should be welcomed, not ridiculed.

Is Mahmoud Abbas Becoming Chairman Arafat?

Hillel Frisch
Perspectives Papers No. 95, November 8, 2009

For years, Mahmoud Abbas has been viewed both as a weak political figure and as a moderate state-builder. However, recent statements and actions suggest that Abbas is becoming a more effective politician and, unfortunately, also a radical one. This raises the question of whether Mr. Abbas is turning into Mr. Arafat – dominating Palestinian Authority politics and posing an adversarial challenge for Israel. Recent signs of Abbas' radicalization include indications of support for violence against Israel which suggest that Abbas, in the event he indeed resigns, may not have been the address for negotiation of a stable, two-state solution.

J Street's Spiritual Conceit

David M. Weinberg
Perspectives Papers No. 94, October 25, 2009

The pious spiritual claptrap that characterizes J Street's conference in Washington this week is both a conceit and a new form of Jewish apostasy. Conference speakers earnestly broadcast their "profound" Jewish and "spiritual" identities in order to besmirch the mainstream Jewish community and engender a distancing in US-Israel relations. This certainly does not fool the American Muslim leaders who are speaking at the conference. They know and appreciate exactly what J Street is up to.

Mitchell's Mission Impossible

Efraim Inbar
Perspectives Papers No. 93, October 22, 2009

Senator George Mitchell, US Special Envoy to the Middle East, has an impossible task. American clout in the region has waned over the years, and Mitchell faces a situation where a US president advocates a quick end to the conflict, an Israeli prime minister insists on negotiations without preconditions, and a Palestinian society lacks a united leadership – fragmented by Abbas' rule in the West Bank and Hamas' rule in Gaza. Mitchell, and with him a large part of the international community, fail to understand that the ethnic conflict being waged in the Holy Land will end only when the parties tire. So far, Israelis and Palestinians still have energy to fight for what is important to them.

An Open Letter To My Turkish Friends

Efraim Inbar
Perspectives Papers No. 92, October 11, 2009

After a long run of arguing the benefits of AKP rule in Turkey, the author fears his critics might have been right. Worrying trends by the current leadership, such as invitations to radical leaders and defense of Hamas, show a possible "loss" of Turkey to Islamism. The author appeals to his Turkish friends and colleagues to stop Turkey's slip towards the Middle East and maintain its alignment with "secure" Western powers.

Obama and the Middle East

Efraim Inbar
Perspectives Papers No. 91, September 24, 2009

US President Barack Obama has adopted an activist foreign policy, attempting to engage the Muslim world and signaling his expectation that an end the Israel-Palestinian conflict can be negotiated within two years. This ambitious agenda has so far produced meager results. Many regional players are primarily concerned about Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons, and are not easily amenable to American overtures.

The Fatah Conference: Finally an Abbas Victory

Hillel Frisch
Perspectives Papers No. 90, August 25, 2009

After a 20-year hiatus, the Fatah conference was held in August 2009. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas finally appears to have gained some power in his party, Fatah. Due to persisting Palestinian internal divisions, he will still need the help of Israel and the US for controlling the West Bank.

Apprehensive Allies:
India and Israel in the Obama Era

S. Samuel C. Rajiv
Perspectives Papers No. 89, August 10, 2009

India and Israel seem to be up against a "pragmatic," non-ideological American administration under President Obama whose policy initiatives and proclivities have the potential to cause friction in their respective bilateral interactions, despite the best of intentions. Each of the two countries is suffering from a bout of "Bush Blues" since Obama took over in Washington. The issues in contention range from strategic concerns like Pakistan and Iran, to nuclear non-proliferation and economic factors like outsourcing of jobs. Given the huge stakes involved in the interactions among these three vibrant democracies, concerted efforts must be made to minimize the negative fallout of any differences they might have, while striving towards mutually acceptable solutions.