Without an understanding of what happened in the past, it’s impossible to grasp where we are today — and where we are has profound relevance for the region and the world. Fifty-three years ago this week, the Six-Day War broke out.
Everything You Need to Know About Israel
American Jewish Committee (AJC) works to set the record straight on Israel, calling out fact from fiction and standing up to those seeking to tear down and discriminate against the region’s only democratic nation and world’s only Jewish state.
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Why History Still Matters: The 1967 Six-Day War
Is Hezbollah a Threat to Europe?
The question of the designation of Hezbollah by European countries and by the EU is partly a question of reconciling the law with the facts. But it will remain ultimately a question of politics. As such, any decision regarding its status should be part of a broader diplomatic and/or counterterrorism strategy.
Setting the Record Straight on Hezbollah: Full Report
AJC, together with the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) produced a fact-based analysis that makes the case for full designation.
No, Israel Didn’t Just Adopt Trump’s Muslim Ban
Omar and Tlaib were not banned for who they are, they were banned for things they have done and might have done had they been allowed entry,
Israeli, American, and French Jews on the Issues: Insights from AJC Surveys
While AJC has charted the shifting opinions of U.S. Jews for decades, and last year also polled Israeli Jews, the 2019 surveys convey a uniquely trifocal view of what Jews think in its first-ever concurrent surveys of Jewish opinion in three countries, on three continents - the U.S., Israel, and France.
‘Facts On The Ground’ Toward Healing The Rift
Hardly a week passes without a media report concerning the growing chasm between American Jews and Israelis over issues of culture, religion and politics. The recent Israeli elections may aggravate the divide.
NATO and Israel Are Right to Deepen Ties
Israel is fast becoming NATO’s premier partner country. As the alliance’s Mediterranean Dialogue program turns 25 this year, enlisting Jerusalem’s help to tackle today’s security challenges is still a no-brainer:
Malaysia’s Israel Obsession Must Be Addressed
Malaysia is 4,700 miles away from the Middle East, yet the leadership of this Muslim-majority country in Asia long ago chose sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Malaysia has recognized the “State of Palestine” and hosts a Palestinian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, but refuses to recognize the State of Israel.
The Impact of Elections on Israel-Diaspora Relations
One election in Israel, or for that matter in the US, does not fundamentally alter the foundation of the Israel-Diaspora relationship. Keeping it close and strong must be a shared priority for both American Jews and Israelis.
A Call For Nuance
I work for an organization often identified as part of the American Jewish mainstream – sometimes dubbed the “Jewish establishment” – whose position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been fiercely attacked, even defamed, and I’m sick of it.
Michelle Alexander’s Column In NY Times Hits New Low
Reading Michelle Alexander’s column, “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine,” in The New York Times (Jan. 20) isn’t for the faint of heart. So many questions swirl around it that it’s hard to know where to begin.
The EU's Approach to Israel: Even-Handed or Heavy-Handed Relations?
The state of the EU-Israel relationship would make an ideal topic for an Oxford Union debate. Cite the fact that the European Union is Israel’s biggest trading partner, that Israel is integrated into many exclusive EU programs, or point out how the “Open Sky” agreement has lowered airfares while boosting tourism between the two sides, and you can convincingly argue that they are the best of partners. But an equally convincing case can be made for the exact opposite motion. Cite the long list of Israel-critical EU statements, the disagreement about the Iranian nuclear deal, and the European public’s negative image of the Jewish state, and it looks like a relationship in crisis.
Israel’s Expanding Ties with Gulf States
A pattern of improved relations with almost all the Gulf states is emerging, backed by occasional statements by senior officials and a much livelier debate than ever in the local media about the legitimacy of Israel's presence as a player in the region.
Netanyahu in Oman, Hatikvah in Abu Dhabi
Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit in Oman – followed up with dramatic visuals published by his hosts soon after he left – is a truly dramatic event, one of the most significant even in a two-year period replete with diplomatic breakthroughs: it was the first of its kind in the Arab world since the heady days of the mid-1990s.
4 Takeaways from Chancellor Merkel’s Trip to Israel
After German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s latest visit to the Jewish state, AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich and AJC Berlin Ramer Institute Director Deidre Berger, answered key questions about the relationship between the German leader and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and what’s next for Germany-Israel ties.
Hezbollah’s International Presence and Operations
Dr. Matthew Levitt, the Fromer-Wexler fellow and director of the Reinhard program on counterterrorism and intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, details the European operations of the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah since the organization was partially designated a terrorist organization.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Visits Israel: A Historic Moment in Israel – Philippine Relations
On September 2, Rodrigo Duterte will become the first Philippine president to visit Israel since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957. The two nations have enjoyed reciprocal support and respect over the last 61 years, but even prior to the formal relationship, it is notable that in 1947, the Philippines was the only Asian nation to vote in favor of UN Resolution 181 that created the State of Israel.
The Cruel Conundrum of Gaza: What are Israel’s Options?
With no grand solutions either violent or peaceful at hand, the IDF's preferred option remains conflict management. At its core lies the old, ugly but useful concept that has always been central to Israel's security doctrine: deterrence, writ large.
A Dynamic Moment in Israel-Africa Relations
Why is Israel returning to Africa? For Netanyahu, one reason dominates all others. “The automatic majority against Israel at the UN is composed—first and foremost—of African countries,” he told a gathering of Israel’s ambassadors to Africa in February of last year. “Whether in the end or at the outset, our goal is to change their voting patterns.”
What Does the Trump Team Do Differently?
While it is too early to know what the Trump Administration's Middle East peace team – led by Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt – will suggest as the basis for possible negotiations, it is already evident that the Palestinian leadership is in anguish, and for the time being adamant in refusing to engage with the U.S. effort.
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