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New at the BESA Center

A look at what’s new at the BESA Center.

The events of October 7 and Hezbollah's subsequent attacks on Israel’s northern border have renewed the question of whether energy considerations can serve as a lever on Hezbollah's policy towards Israel, as was claimed following the signing of a maritime border agreement by Israel and Lebanon in October 2022. During the months of fighting, reports have emerged of internal pressure being exerted by Beirut on Hezbollah not to enter the conflict against Israel as doing so would likely exacerbate Lebanon's state of deep crisis. This crisis includes frequent power outages in Beirut, unprecedented fuel shortages nationwide, and delays in gas exploration in Lebanon's waters. If Lebanon's energy crisis does lead to the “concentration” of Hezbollah within Lebanon's economic and political arena, it is possible that Israel, through US mediation, could exploit this to undermine Hezbollah and restore stability on the northern border.
The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and its Director, Efraim Karsh, mourn the passing of the father of our colleague Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen.
The BESA Center is sorry to announce that Ambassador Arye Mekel, a senior research associate at BESA, has passed away following a battle with cancer at the age of 74. Amb. Mekel served as Israel’s envoy to Greece from 2010 to 2014. He was also deputy Israeli ambassador to the UN, diplomatic advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, consul general in New York and Atlanta, and spokesman and deputy director general of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as director general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. He will be greatly missed.
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our longtime contributor, Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld. Dr. Gerstenfeld was former chairman of the Steering Committee of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and the author of many books, including The War of a Million Cuts. Among the many honors he received was the 2019 International Lion of Judah Award of the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research paying tribute to him as the leading international authority on contemporary antisemitism. He will be greatly missed.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Max Singer, co-founder of the Washington-based Hudson Institute and research associate of long standing at the BESA Center. Max was an expert on American defense policy, US-Israel relations, and long-term strategic planning. He will be greatly missed.

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