Policy Memorandum

The Policy Memorandum series consists of policy-oriented papers.

Space Wars

Col. (res.) Aby Har-Even | May 17, 2016

This study looks at the wars of the future in space. In particular, it explores the development of Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASATI), and the threats that they already pose, with particular focus on the US, Russia and China – all of whom are seeking such weapons and the defenses against them. (Hebrew).

Israel-Greece Relations

Ambassador Arye Mekel | September 14, 2015

This study focuses on the strengthening of Israeli-Greek relations, especially since 2010. The enhanced ties between the two countries allows for the emergence of a new pro-Western geopolitical bloc in the eastern Mediterranean. (Hebrew)

Perfect Storm: The Implications of Middle East Chaos

Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror | July 5, 2015

The storms now convulsing the Middle East are civilizational shifts of historical proportions. Anyone from the outside trying to influence these regional upheavals in a positive direction will find the task very difficult. Israel must focus narrowly on the greatest threat looming in its vicinity — the Iranian drive for nuclear weaponry.

An Integrated Imperative: Attack Iran and Launch a Regional Peace Initiative

Prof. Yehezkel Dror | May 1, 2012

Israel must destroy Iranian nuclear facilities and simultaneously launch a comprehensive Middle East peace initiative, relying in part on the Arab-Islamic Peace Initiative of ten years ago. A violent Iranian reaction is to be expected, but its maximum costs to Israel, the US, and all of the Middle East are much smaller than those stemming from Iranian possession of nuclear weapons.

Regional Alternatives to the Two-State Solution

Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland | January 1, 2010

Within the currently-defined, narrow confines of the conventional two-state parameters, no Israeli-Palestinian agreement is likely. Regional alternatives that widen the scope of actors taking responsibility for a settlement can creatively help break the impasse.

A Different Perspective on the Temple Mount Crisis

September 8, 2017 Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen

Moderate leaders warn that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may turn from a national conflict into a religious one. Right-wing leaders claim it has been a religious conflict from the start. Both approaches have been applied to the Temple Mount crisis, and both are affected by a totalist perception of the understanding of the religious imperative.

Palestinian Settler-Colonialism

September 3, 2017 Dr. Alex Joffe

The concept of “settler colonialism” has been applied with almost unique vehemence against Israel. But the fact that Jews are the indigenous population of the Southern Levant can be proved with ease. In contrast, historical and genealogical evidence shows Palestinians descend primarily from three primary groups: Muslim invaders, Arab immigrants, and local converts to Islam. The Muslim conquest of Byzantine Palestine in the 7th century CE is a textbook example of settler-colonialism, as is subsequent immigration, particularly during the 19th and 20th centuries under the Ottoman and British Empires. The application of the concept to Jews and Zionism by Palestinians is both ironic and unhelpful.

Israel’s Possible Paths to Nuclear War

July 22, 2017 Prof. Louis René Beres

North Korea’s nuclearization has implications for Israel’s nuclear deterrence posture. There are several plausible means by which a nuclear conflict could arise in the Middle East. It may be time to consider a phase-out of Israel’s “deliberate nuclear ambiguity” and to focus Israeli planning around evaluations of enemy rationality.

Ehud Barak: Blatantly Ignoring Danger

May 31, 2017 Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen

Former PM Ehud Barak’s arguments in favor of withdrawal from Judea and Samaria undercut Israel’s security and are a departure from the Oslo Accords’ security vision. Israel would be wise to present President Trump with actual facts on this issue.

Myth: Israel Is the Largest Beneficiary of US Military Aid

February 10, 2017 Prof. Hillel Frisch

Many American detractors of Israel begin by citing that Israel receives the lion’s share of US military aid. The very suggestion conjures the demon of an all-powerful Israel lobby that has turned the US Congress into its pawn. But these figures, while reflecting official direct US military aid, are almost meaningless in comparison to the real costs and benefits of US military aid – above all, American boots on the ground. In reality, Israel receives only a small fraction of American military aid, and most of that was spent in the US to the benefit of the American economy.

The Oslo Disaster

September 4, 2016 Prof. Efraim Karsh

The Oslo diplomatic process is the starkest strategic blunder in Israel’s history and one of the worst calamities ever to have afflicted Israelis and Palestinians. Twenty three years after its euphoric launch on the White House lawn, the Oslo ‘peace process’ has substantially worsened the position of both parties, and made the prospects for peace and reconciliation ever more remote.

Policy Memorandum

Space Wars

Israel-Greece Relations

Perfect Storm: The Implications of Middle East Chaos

An Integrated Imperative: Attack Iran and Launch a Regional Peace Initiative

Regional Alternatives to the Two-State Solution

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A Different Perspective on the Temple Mount Crisis

Palestinian Settler-Colonialism

Israel’s Possible Paths to Nuclear War

Ehud Barak: Blatantly Ignoring Danger

Myth: Israel Is the Largest Beneficiary of US Military Aid

The Oslo Disaster

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