Syriza’s Victory and Greek-Israeli Relations
The Coalition of Radical Left (Syriza) was the big winner of the Greek national elections of January 15, 2015, as expected. With 36.34% of the votes, Syriza and its leader (now Prime Minister)
Israel’s Foreign Policy: Towards Isolation or Integration?
MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union), Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz (Likud), MK Ofer Shelah (Yesh Atid), Dr. Michael Oren (Koolanu) and Mossi Raz (Meretz) spoke at a pre-elections event on Israel’s
Kosovo and its Relationship with Israel
In February 2015, Dr. Enver Hoxhaj, a Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, Chairman of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kosovo’s former Foreign Minister, visited
Hope for a left-wing victory in Israel’s election
Election season in Israel has returned and for the first time since 2001 the Left has a fighting chance come voting day on March 17. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to stymie
Israel won’t become part of the Middle East until the occupation ends
A few months ago, former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni traveled in secret to New York to a meeting attended by the foreign ministers of several Arab countries, Arab League officials and European
Mitvim Experts Weigh In On Egypt-Qatar Rapprochement
In late December 2014, Egypt and Qatar have agreed to normalize their relations, which were strained due to Qatar’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood. The deal, which coincides with parallel
US Vetoes on UN Security Council Resolutions Dealing with the Israeli-Arab Conflict
The 2014 Israeli Foreign Policy Index
The annual public opinion poll of Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies on Israel’s foreign policy has been carried out between September 9 and 11, 2014 by the Rafi
The 2014 Israeli Foreign Policy Index
Findings of the Mitvim Institute Poll, December 2014 The annual public opinion poll of Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies on Israel’s foreign policy has been
The writing is on the wall
Senior Israeli security personnel, Israeli and Palestinian political leaders, rabbis and imams have been warning for years that the Jewish-Muslim conflict over the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif
Israel-Turkey Relations after the War in Gaza
On November 20th, 2014, Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies and the Global Political Trends (GPoT) Center held their 4th policy dialogue. The dialogue took place in
The US Midterm Elections: Projections for Mideast Policy and Relations with Israel
The 2014 American midterm elections on November 4 brought a sweeping victory for the Republican Party, which among other gains retook the Senate. When the new Congress convenes on January 3,
What is the role of Israel in Turkey’s political universe? A Q&A with Dr. Emre Erdoğan
Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan’s anti-Israel comments during Operation Protective Edge were driven by domestic concerns, including the August 10th Presidential elections; But Turkey needs to be
Israel, Gaza and the Region: Post-Ceasefire Opportunities
In light of the prolonged fighting between Israel and Hamas, forty experts, diplomats and journalists, from Israel and abroad, convened in Jerusalem on July 24, 2014 for a policy planning
Israel Is Challenging America to Support Kurdish Independence
The ongoing crisis in Iraq has revived fervid calls for Kurdish independence, and yet the immediate viability of a future Kurdish state depends overwhelmingly on a single factor: stable oil
Congress Shouldn’t Cut Aid to the Palestinian Authority
Following the kidnapping of three Israeli youths and Secretary of State John Kerry hinting at Hamas responsibility, U.S. congressmen were right to question the merits of the new Palestinian
By condemning abduction, Abbas proved he’s a statesman
In front of the cameras, at the conference of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority chairman chose Wednesday
Palestinian reconciliation process
Palestinian inner strife which started in June 2007 seems to be on its way to an end. The two major Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas, entered into deliberation after realizing that current
The European Parliament Elections and Israeli-EU Relations
Following the May 2014 elections for the European parliament, the Mitvim Institute and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung convened an experts’ workshop to analyze the election results and their impact
Abbas Is on His Way to the UN Again
A week after he was attacked in Ramallah, Israeli reporter Avi Issacharoff was invited by President Abbas to his office to condemn the attack and grant him an exclusive interview. Among the
“Israel Benefits from the Collapse of Syria”
In January 2014, as the second Geneva conference on the Syrian civil war was being conducted, Channel 9 and The Mitvim Institute’s Ksenia Svetlova interviewed Dr. Samir al-Taqi, a former advisor
Turkey’s Former Foreign Minister, H.E. Yaşar Yakış, Visited Israel to Promote Israel-Turkey Reconciliation
Turkey’s former Foreign Minister, H.E. Yaşar Yakış, visited Israel on 20-21 May 2014, upon the invitation of Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies. The visit was
US Foreign Policy towards Israel and the Middle East
On 19 May 2014, a symposium on American foreign policy towards Israel and the Middle East, hosted by Mitvim – the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies and the Tami Steinmetz
Israeli foreign policy experts: Palestinian reconciliation can be good for Israel
The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement is being harshly condemned by Israeli government officials, including the Prime Minister himself. However, Israeli foreign policy experts from Mitvim
Suicide by Statehood
On Tuesday night, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, appearing live on television, signed the documents necessary for the Palestine Liberation Organization to seek membership in 15
The Resumption of the Palestinian UN Campaign?
Palestinians see the delay in prisoners release by Israel as a negation of their commitments to halt the international campaign; Abbas is looking to increase his leverage, but the US should be
Key Elements of Israel’s Foreign Policy Paradigms
Israel lacks a coherent foreign policy paradigm. However, an analysis of Israel’s foreign policy conduct since 1948 highlights seven key elements: the influence of the coalition system on foreign
Key Elements of Israel’s Foreign Policy
The symposium, which was held as Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was on strike, examined how Israel facilitates its foreign policy, what the pros and cons of its policy are, and how it can
For Netanyahu, security trumps rapprochement with Turkey
The ongoing drama between Israel and Turkey seems to be approaching its final act. However, even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Anadolu Agency (AA) that Israel desires
Palestine’s Plan for when Peace Talks Fail
Despite the unshakable and quixotic optimism of John Kerry’s Middle East negotiating team, the prevailing prognosis in Jerusalem and Ramallah is that even an attempt to implement an interim
Israel’s Arab Citizens and Foreign Policy
A workshop entitled “Israel’s Arab citizens and foreign policy” was held at the Nazareth Academic Institute on January 28th, 2014. The workshop was a joint initiative of Mitvim – The
The Egyptian revolution is stuck
Almost three years after the Arab Spring, the Egyptian revolution seems to have become stuck, and may even have devolved to its starting point. This observation first emerged after the events of
A new understanding for the Middle East
As Secretary of State John Kerry hammers out the principles for an Israeli-Palestinian “framework agreement,” many are speculating that he has formally adopted Jerusalem’s demand that the
The EU and Israel: Much ado about love
As Israel and the European Union this week initialed an agreement paving the way for Israel’s participation in the mega European research funding program known as Horizon 2020, they will be
Jerusalem’s Itchy Trigger Finger
Of all the dangers associated with a nuclear-armed Iran — from the onset of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and an Iranian extension of “a nuclear umbrella” to regional
Findings of a Mitvim Poll on Israel’s Foreign Policy, 2013
The majority of the Israeli public believes Israel’s foreign policy is more reactive than proactive and that it is not conducted according to clearly defined principles. A recent poll of Mitvim
In praise of appeasement
If the Israeli prime minister and his self-appointed advocates across the ocean took their historical analogies seriously, they would know that the surest recipe for war with Iran lies not in
Obama dials down in the Middle East – but is it the right move?
‘There’s a whole word out there, and we’ve got interests and opportunities in that whole world.” In one sentence, Susan Rice, the National Security Adviser, succinctly summed up the Obama
Palestine’s Self-Inflicted Wounds
About six months ago, I sat in a coffee shop in al-Tireh, a suburb of Ramallah, and interviewed a senior official within Fatah. The official, wanting to talk about the internal dynamics within
Curing the hiccups in Israeli-Turkish negotiations
From tales of Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan revealing the names of 10 Mossad assets to Iranian authorities, to El Al being locked out of the Turkish market, it is hard to find a silver
New Opportunities for American Contributions to Transforming Israeli-Palestinian Relations
New circumstances within the U.S. and the Middle East open a window for a more effective American role in transforming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a role that must convey a sense of
Reaching Out to the Arab Spring: Lessons from an American Experience
For Americans, reaching out to the Arab Spring is much easier than for Israelis. Therefore, Israeli institutions seeking dialogue with the region can benefit from insights collected and lessons
The Putin Doctrine
For more than a decade — after he replaced Boris Yeltsin in the Kremlin and even during the time he had to serve as prime minister under his protege, Dmitry Medvedev — Russian President Vladimir
If only Morsi had listened to Erdoğan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s September 2011 visit to Cairo was full of pomp and circumstance. Thousands of adoring Egyptians welcomed him waving Turkish flags and sounding their
Palestine’s Plan B
In the time it took John Kerry to announce that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians would be starting again, a microcosm of the past couple years in the conflict played out. Initial
Back to Basics: The Evolution of the Palestinian UN Campaign
In the wake of the Palestinian UN campaign, many asked: ‘why?’ Why the sudden change in a decades-long process, why the abandonment of the bilateral process, why the confrontation on the
The 2013 Israeli Foreign Policy Index
Findings of a Mitvim Poll on Israel’s Foreign Policy, November 2013 The majority of the Israeli public believes Israel’s foreign policy is more reactive than proactive and that it is not
5 Arab Spring Opportunities For Israel
The Arab Spring was initially embraced with much enthusiasm and hope in the West. In Israel, however, it has been generally perceived as a threat to national security. Israel’s official policies
Reactions to a Turkish poll on Israel-Turkey relations
In late April 2013, the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) published a public opinion poll regarding Israel-Turkey relations. The poll results can be read here.
Israel Is Choosing Regional Isolation, Not Alliances
The Arab Spring upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East started in Tunisia at the end of 2010, and subsequently spread into Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, triggering repercussions in a wide
Israel Should Support Palestinian Reconciliation
Hamas has notified Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that it wants to join a national unity government with Fatah, marking a breakthrough in reconciliation talks, according to the
Israel-Turkey Relations
Summary of Mitvim’s activities towards mending the relations, August 2011-March 2013 Towards Mending Israel-Turkey Relations Summary of Mitvim’s Activities August 2011- March 2013 In
Why Israel Shouldn’t Consider a ‘Security Zone’ in Syria
With the chaos of the Syrian civil war escalating, tensions on the Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line on the Golan Heights are running high. Israeli defense officials stated just over a week ago that
Blowing Hot and Cold: Israel’s Divided Reaction to the Arab Spring
After dramatic events began unfolding across the Arab world starting two years ago, most of the world began using the term “Arab Spring” to describe the popular uprisings and
An Interview with Ajmal Sohail, Leader of the Afghan Liberal Party
What does Afghanistan mean to Israelis? What does Israel mean to Afghans? Most Israelis identify Afghanistan with the War on Terror and Osama Bin Laden. However, as Ajmal Sohail points out,
Two Years After Tahrir Square: The Battle for Egypt’s Identity Is Far From Over
Two years ago, on 25th January 2011, it began with a big dream: Millions of people went into the Cairo streets with the aim of toppling the dictatorial Mubarak regime and establishing a democracy
Why Won’t Israel’s Politicians Talk Seriously About Foreign Policy?
A pre-election foreign policy debate was held today on the campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Candidates in attendance were from four of the major Israeli parties, and in many ways,
Syria as a Linchpin
In 1965, the eminent British journalist Patrick Seale published an important book titled “The Struggle for Syria.” Its main thesis was that anyone who wants to acquire dominant status
Much ado about something
As the celebrations commenced in Manara Square in Ramallah, and the votes were tallied in New York, the Palestinian delegation had done something almost entirely unique to the post-Arafat era: it
Spoilers of Peace and the Dilemmas of Conflict Resolution
On July 23rd 2012, Mitvim—The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies has conducted a workshop in cooperation with U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv on the topic: “Spoilers of Peace and the Dilemmas
Time to Impose a Plan
AS the dust settles over the Israel-Gaza border, attention shifts to New York, where the Palestinian delegation will ask the United Nations next Thursday to upgrade its status to that of
There Is No Israeli Partner
The claim that there is no one to talk to on the Palestinian side is a common one in Israeli discourse, seemingly an axiom. The Netanyahu-Barak-Lieberman government has managed to stick the
3 Key Takeaways From This Week’s Palestinian Elections
The democratic process was alive and well in at least one part of the Middle East this past weekend, as the West Bank saw a frenetic end to its campaign season. Municipal elections were held on
Israelis readier than ever for raid apology, poll shows
The Arab Spring appears to have changed the views of Israelis on Turkey, as a recent poll revealed that a majority favor Israel apologizing to Turkey for the 2010 killings of Turks in a
New Paradigms, New Voices in a New Middle East
Most Israelis do not really understand the Middle East. This is true for the general public as well as for decision makers. Israelis get their information about regional realities from certain
New Paradigms, New Voices in a New Middle East
Op-ed, Dr. Nimrod Goren, September 2012
Turkish-Israeli Relations and the Paradigm Shift in the Middle East
Mitvim – Global Political Trends (GPoT) Center Policy Dialogue; Istanbul, Turkey; September 2012 Mitvim representatives: Dr. Nimrod Goren, Dr. Alon Liel, Ms. Ghaida Rinawie-Zoabi, Mr. Arik Segal
A Call to Convene Regional Middle Eastern Think Tanks
Mitvim calls to regularly convene think-tanks from the broader Middle East, to discuss implications of the ongoing changes in the region, and to explore and promote paths to security and peace
Israel and Turkey During the Arab Spring
Winds of change have begun blowing across the Middle East in early 2011. For the first time in decades, Arab citizens in different countries have been going to the streets and demanding freedom
Ten paradoxes in Israeli foreign policy
The composition of a broad coalition government presents opportunities to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in several directions, including the possibility of renewed dialogue with the
Israel Is Missing an Opportunity to Mend Ties With Turkey
In the last couple of days, Israel’s Counter Terrorism Bureau has warned Israeli citizens against travelling to Turkey for fear of terrorist attacks, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
What Happens After Israel Attacks Iran
Since its birth in 1948, Israel has launched numerous preemptive military strikes against its foes. In 1981 and 2007, it destroyed the nuclear reactors of Iraq and Syria, operations that did not
Time to Recognize Kosovo
Four years ago this Friday, on Friday, February 17, 2008, the Republic of Kosovo declared its independence. This move, which followed years of failed international efforts to broker a compromise
Continuing on the Path to Statehood: The Palestinians Following their Septmember 2011 UN Bid
Mitvim representatives participated in meetings with a series of key Palestinian figures from Ramallah and Nablus. The meetings focused on the implications of the Palestinian UN statehood bid of
Changing Paradigms in Israel’s Foreign Policy: Do Think Tanks Matter?
Mitvim, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, held a workshop led by Prof. Donald Abelson from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. The workshop dealt with the role of think
