- Prof. Hillel Frisch
- Paper No. 992
Nearly a half-century after the Yom Kippur War, it is instructive to note how the war is remembered and understood by the chief protagonists.
Perspectives Papers
Perspectives Papers provide analysis from BESA Center research associates and other outside experts on the most important issues pertaining to Israel and the Middle East.
- Dr. James M. Dorsey
- Paper No. 991
The death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is proving to be a blessing in disguise for cash-strapped Pakistani PM Imran Khan. Khan’s blessing is also likely to offer Saudi Arabia geopolitical advantage.
- Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld
- Paper No. 990
Conspiracy theories can usually be found in anti-Semitic environments. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a terrorist sympathizer, supporter of Holocaust distorters, anti-Israel inciter, and part-time anti-Semite. He has also promoted conspiracy theories about Israel. Years ago, senior Labourites were heard to promote anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Nowadays conspiracy theories targeting Jews, Israel, and others are being heard once again in Labour circles.
- Dr. Jiri Valenta
- Paper No. 989
An important lesson of the notorious Munich Agreement, which marked its 80th anniversary last month, is that small nations must defend their independence at all costs, even at the risk of defying most of the international community. Had Czechoslovakia defied the Munich sellout and defended its territory, Hitler’s bluff would have likely been called. And even if he had made good on his threat and invaded, the Czechoslovak army could have put up a spirited resistance that might have contained the German army, which was not yet at the peak of its operational competence. This clash might have sparked an international backlash that could have stopped the invasion and possibly prevented the outbreak of WWII.
- Dr. Edy Cohen
- Paper No. 988
Jordanian soldier Ahmad Mussa Dakasma, the notorious murderer of Israeli schoolgirls in Naharayim, was recently released from prison after serving 20 years. His name is back in the headlines following a series of posts he wrote encouraging the murder of Jews inside Israel. Dakasma claims that such incitement is consistent with Jordanian law, citing an addition to the State Security Law of 2013. Israel should demand that Jordan immediately cancel this addition to the law and stop Dakasma from inciting the murder of Jews.
- Dr. Alex Joffe
- Paper No. 987
It does not matter that UNRWA employees would never dream of breaking the code of silence regarding Hamas’s use of UNRWA facilities or UNRWA’s hiring of terrorists. They were forced to flee for their lives anyway for the cardinal sin of having failed to keep American money coming in.
- Col (Res.) Dr. Raphael G. Bouchnik-Chen
- Paper No. 986
Europe’s attitude towards Iran, particularly with respect to the 2015 nuclear deal (the JCPOA) and related ballistic issues, is hard to understand. A collective desire to defy the US, which pulled out of the JCPOA in May and re-imposed tough sanctions on Tehran, can’t be the cardinal reason. It is more likely that the EU states are succumbing to a sophisticated blackmail campaign directed by the Iranian regime aimed at preserving the JCPOA and deepening existing cleavages among the transatlantic partners.
- Dr. James M. Dorsey
- Paper No. 984
The fate of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, assuming that his disappearance and apparent murder was the work of Saudi security and military officials, threatens to upend the fundaments of fault lines in the Middle East.
- Noah Phillips
- Paper No. 983
On October 2, Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to obtain documentation for his upcoming marriage to his Turkish fiancée. He was never seen exiting the compound and has not been seen or heard from since. This has sparked intense speculation that he was the victim of a hit arranged by the Saudi government, of which he had been sharply critical in his writings. President Trump now has an opportunity to pressure the Saudi leadership to incorporate journalistic freedom into its program of domestic reform.
- Emil Avdaliani
- Paper No. 982
The downing of a Russian air force plane by Syrian government forces was a predictable consequence of the overcrowding of the Syrian battleground. The Russians might genuinely be angry at what happened, but from a geopolitical perspective, they understand that Israel will not abstain from further military interventions in Syria when needed. Israel’s national interest is at stake, and Jerusalem will not allow Iran to increase its already substantial presence.