- Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen
- Paper No. 1633
At critical junctures a national leadership should be expected to uphold its country’s sovereign right to pursue its own vital interests, even in the face of heavy international pressure.
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. Edy Cohen
- Paper No. 1631
Is the UAE beginning to open relations with Israel at the expense of the Palestinians? The PA thinks so, and is willing to deny its own people urgently needed humanitarian aid during a global health crisis to make their point.
- Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen
- Paper No. 1630
Israel’s National Outline Plan (NOP 35) has effectively frozen Jewish settlement in the Galilee and the Negev and spurred massive illegal building and land occupancy by the Negev’s Bedouin community. Without renewed Jewish settlement momentum in the land that is still available, the police and law enforcement agencies will be unable to alter this unlawful reality.
- Irina Tsukerman
- Paper No. 1629
Turkey and Russia are embroiled in separate proxy conflicts on multiple fronts in Syria and Libya, but could be on a collision course in the complex political landscape of Yemen. This can be avoided if Turkey does not try for an aggressive Islamist takeover and respects Russia’s desire to share gas profits, exercise political influence with whatever factions end up dominating the sphere, and retain access to strategic waterways.
- Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Raphael Ofek
- Paper No. 1628
Three incidents, including two explosions at nuclear facilities, have shaken Iran in recent days. Were they connected? Were they caused by accidents or were they carried out by a foreign power? If the latter, were they executed via cyberattack? And what will be their domestic and international implications?
- Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen
- Paper No. 1627
The moment the issue of extending Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and parts of the West Bank emerged, it took on a dynamic of its own. Not only did the opposing sides’ positions grow sharper and more polarized, but the way claims are being made—accompanied by fear-mongering and threats—has changed the dynamic of the internal Israeli debate on the Israeli-Palestinian problem.
- Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld
- Paper No. 1626
Many understand that racism is an intrinsic part of Western societies. So is antisemitism, yet this is acknowledged by very few. Antisemitism was on display during mass demonstrations about the coronavirus pandemic and the problem of racism, but was scarcely remarked upon. There has also been an outpouring of new mutations of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories in the wake of the pandemic. As has occurred for millennia, western cultures are interweaving their antisemitism into issues of the day.
- Col (Res.) Dr. Raphael G. Bouchnik-Chen
- Paper No. 1625
The Palestinian-Arab propaganda machine incessantly fuels aggressive anti-Israel campaigns. The PA’s public diplomacy is based on manipulation: it takes advantage of the ignorance and superficial historical knowledge of the rest of the world about the Israeli-Arab conflict to implant an invented history. The Jewish State may have committed a historic misjudgment by selecting the name “Israel,” as the choice has damaged the state’s strategic interests.
- Dr. James M. Dorsey
- Paper No. 1624
The Middle East is at a crossroads. The coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout confront regional leaders with a stark choice: dial down tensions to open the door toward cooperation in tackling existential challenges, or risk ever more aggravated political and economic threats enhanced by a potential wave of social protest.
- Dr. Jiri and Leni Valenta
- Paper No. 1623
The case of Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, accused of lying to the feds, was recently reopened by a new attorney. Though the appellate court has since upheld the Justice Department’s order to dismiss the case, the matter remains unresolved, and Flynn remains in danger. The effort to oust Flynn as NSA was a key aspect of a complex plot at the highest levels to overturn the election of President Donald Trump. The DOJ should turn its attention to the people who put Flynn in their sights.