After the Second Karabakh War (2020) and especially after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine (2022), France saw a number of new diplomatic opportunities opening up for it in the southern post-Soviet space as Russia's traditional influence waned.
Search Results for: Israel – Page 3
- Dr. Yusri Khizran
- Paper No. 2243
Hezbollah began in 1982 as an Islamist organization founded and shaped according to the ideological model of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The organization was founded to establish an Islamist regime in Lebanon and conduct a jihadist war against the enemies of Islam: the West and Israel. Hezbollah gradually โLebanonizedโ, meaning it claimed to be limit the military struggle to Lebanese territory, integrated into the Lebanese political system, and established an extensive civil infrastructure. This transformation was accompanied by a new discourse stressing its role as defender of Lebanon. But Hezbollahโs Lebanonization has not in any way diluted or moderated its conception of Israel, with which it believes itself to be in a doomsday war. Hezbollahโs military empowerment since the withdrawal of the IDF in 2000 does not correspond with its discourse about defending Lebanon. Hezbollah's involvement in the fighting since October 8 is not mere lip service but a demonstration of its total commitment to what it perceives as its deterministic conflict with Israel.
- Nir Reuven
- Paper No. 2241
Innovation and entrepreneurship are the cornerstones of contemporary economics. Recent history has shown that they are also among the most effective tools in overcoming disasters and crises. Post-WWII Japan, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and the COVID-19 pandemic all demonstrated how entrepreneurship and innovation aid recovery and growth and strengthen communities and economies after disasters. The State of Israel has experienced one of the most devastating disasters in its short existence, a brutal terror attack on its southern region that took place on October 7, 2023. In order to support the nationโs healing process and revive the affected regionโs economy and shattered communities, the Israeli government must enlist its considerable power of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Prof. Louis Renรฉ Beres
- Paper No. 2240
Israelโs security policy decision-makers must take into account the desire of Israelโs terrorist adversaries to achieve immortality through violence. Israel must be cautious about projecting conventional human rationality upon Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and others of their mindset if it is to combat them effectively.
The Hamas attack on Israel triggered a wave of antisemitism in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. The root causes of this surge are similar: anti-Israeli propaganda in Russia (which is anti-liberal and anti-Western in nature) and in the Islamic world (usually of a specifically religious nature), as well as in the West (typically taking on an extreme leftist nature).
- Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Shaul Bartal
- Paper No. 2230
Infiltrations of armed militants for the purpose of killing and looting are nothing new in the troubled history of the Gaza Strip. The attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of approximately 1,500 people, most of whom were Israeli citizens, is just one link in the chain of suffering between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Only when a determined governing authority held full control over the Strip, asย Egypt did from 1956 to 1967 and Israel did from 1967 to 1993, could the development of the western Negev and southern Israel thrive. Israel has spent 17 years trying to disengage from Gaza without success, and there has been round after round of fighting. Despite its economic dependence on Israel, Gaza has remained a significant security problem that only worsened over time. The Swords of Iron War could be an opportunity to change the reality in the Gaza Strip, but it might require the return of Israeli military governance until, with the help of regional and local actors and international support, a solution is found - a solution that does not merely establish temporary quiet but that ensures peace and stability in the Gaza region for all.
- BESA Center
- Paper No. 2229
Over six and a half years ago, two researchers from the BESA Center, Dr. Eado Hecht and Prof. Eitan Shamir, warned of a development that could lead to a scenario similar to the one that occurred on October 7 in the Gaza envelope. They and others made similar warnings about Hezbollah, but few pointed to the possibility of such a scenario unfolding in the south.
The BESA researchers not only outlined a scenario markedly similar to what actually happened in the south on 7th October 2023 but made practical suggestions regarding the force-structure required by the IDF to provide an effective response to such a scenario. They criticized the significant reduction in ground forces, especially in the armored and artillery units. The authors analyzed the various non-state military organizations facing Israel, including Hamas, and revealed the goal of their force build-up: creating the capacity to launch incursions with significant forces to occupy Israeli settlements close to the border. The researchers argued that in view of this enemy strategy, the IDFโs continued reduction and neglect of major ground forces, coupled with reliance on precision weaponry and airpower, constituted a flawed strategy.
In the Russian media, the objective coverage of the efforts of the Israeli authorities and military to counter the aggression of Hamas is growing thin. At the same time, stories full of sympathy for the terrorists and condemnation of Israel are becoming increasingly common. Many Armenian media outlets, social media and NGOs are joining in.
The issue of political representation of the Russian (or rather, Russian-speaking) minority, who comprise ca. 24 percent of the population, has been a challenge for Estonia since the re-establishing of independence in 1991. Even though some sources tend to exaggerate the problem of non-citizenship in Estonia, only 20 percent of the local Russians have so-called โalienโs passports.โ Moreover, even non-citizens are allowed to vote in the municipal elections.