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.
AJC works every day, in the United States and around the world, to advocate for Israel through global diplomacy, political advocacy, coalition building, and strategic communications.
The resources below include facts and key insights into Israel-related topics, including the U.S.-Israel relationship, the Abraham Accords, Israel-diaspora relations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a two state solution, Israeli democracy, the UN’s anti-Israel bias, Israeli Arabs, the connection between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, Hamas, Hezbollah, Gaza, the West Bank, Palestinians, and more.
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American Jewish Committee, Other Jewish Organizations Welcome Suspension of Israeli Judicial Overhaul Legislation
We welcome the Israeli government’s suspension of legislative consideration of judicial reform measures. The last three months have been painful to watch and yet a textbook case of democracy in action. We respect the political leaders, business executives, community activists, cultural figures, and ordinary Israelis who took to the streets, exercising their love of country, and their passion for democracy."
American Jewish Committee Reacts to Unfolding Developments in Israel Tied to Proposed Judicial Reform
AJC believes in Israeli democracy and we believe in the Israeli people. We are concerned that continued internal turmoil could lead to violence and may leave Israel vulnerable to external threats. As stalwart friends and unwavering supporters of the democratic State of Israel, AJC urges Israeli leaders to put unity and security over politics and power.
U.S. Mayors Visiting Israel with AJC Project Interchange to Explore, Strengthen Cooperation
A bipartisan group of U.S. mayors is visiting Israel this week with Project Interchange, an educational institute of American Jewish Committee (AJC), in partnership with The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM). The program’s intensive sessions and visits throughout the country will enable the mayors to gain a first-hand understanding of Israel’s vibrant democracy, innovative technologies, diverse society, and regional challenges. This is the fifth delegation of U.S. mayors to participate in this annual seminar.
What to Know About Israel’s Judicial Reforms
Proposed judicial reforms in Israel that would dramatically shift the balance of power in the Israeli government have triggered mass protests, condemnation from wide swaths of Israeli society, and expressions of concern from American Jewish organizations. Over the last ten weeks, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens, in a country of just over nine million, have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv and other major cities each weekend to protest the reforms and other aspects of the current government.
American Jewish Committee Commends President Herzog's Efforts to Reach Judicial Reform Compromise
AJC commends Israeli President Isaac Herzog's remarkable effort to reach a resolution for the good of the State of Israel. We believe all sides should expeditiously work to forge a compromise that preserves Israel’s vibrant democracy and the principle of judicial independence on fundamental issues. The final outcome of this process should reflect the broadest possible consensus – not what is politically expedient in the short term.
American Jewish Committee Salutes Opening of Chad Embassy in Israel
American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, welcomed today Chad President Mahamat Déby’s inauguration of his country’s embassy in Israel. “Chad’s opening of an embassy in Israel is a significant development. The continuing renewal of Israel’s diplomatic relations with African nations is vital for expanding mutually beneficial relationships that initially began decades ago,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “Chad joins the growing number of African countries with a diplomatic presence in Israel that greatly contributes to the overall building of bilateral and regional relations with Africa.”
What You Need to Know About the Palestinian Terror Attacks in Jerusalem
AJC’s latest article tells you everything you need to know about the terror attacks in Jerusalem. Read it here.
American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch Meets with Israel President Herzog, Who Tells European Leaders Israel’s Right to Exist Can’t Be Questioned
American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today met with Israel President Isaac Herzog, after Herzog told the European Parliament that Israel’s right to exist is not subject to debate. Deutch was in Brussels with an AJC delegation to meet with members of the European Parliament and Herzog, who spoke to the parliament, one of the legislative bodies of the European Union, on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Tough Questions on Israel Answered
Despite its dynamic democracy and thriving economy, Israel is perhaps the most misunderstood and mischaracterized country. As the world’s only Jewish state, it is unfairly singled out in global forums for condemnation over its policies and even mere existence. American Jewish Committee explores this in its tough questions series.
American Jewish Committee Statement on the Formation of the New Israeli Government
American Jewish Committee, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, congratulated incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on forming a new government, following the Nov. 1 elections.
UN Climate Conference Highlights Israel’s Centrality to Solving Regional and Global Challenges
Encounters between Israeli and other Arab government representatives, even from countries that do not yet have relations with Israel, are plentiful. Venues like COP27 provide opportunities for countries in the Middle East and around the world to transcend conflict and work together to shared challenges and advanced common interests. Israel sent the second-largest delegation of the 192 countries represented at the gathering, and the country’s expertise in climate, water, and agriculture technology was on full display.
What Thomas Friedman Gets Wrong About Israel And Democracy
I read Thomas Friedman’s New York Times column, “The Israel We Knew Is Gone,” once, twice and a third time, repeatedly pinching myself for a reality check. In his piece, Mr. Friedman described the incoming Israeli coalition government as “the far-far-Right coalition.” It is a coalition, he argues, that threatens minority rights, regional stability, and even the very underpinning of Israeli democracy.
From one of America’s leading columnists, who has lived in Israel and visited numerous times over four decades, a myopic end-of-days view was presented in his widely read piece.
From one of America’s leading columnists, who has lived in Israel and visited numerous times over four decades, a myopic end-of-days view was presented in his widely read piece.
American Jewish Committee Applauds Azerbaijan Decision to Open Embassy in Israel
Jewish Committee (AJC) praised the Azerbaijan government announcement today that the Shi’ite majority country will open an embassy in the Jewish state. “Azerbaijan has long been a trendsetter in relations between Israel and the Muslim world. Opening an embassy in Israel reflects close and wide-ranging Azeri-Israeli ties spanning more than three decades,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “It is another example of the expanding cooperation between Israel and the Muslim world, including the historic Abraham Accords normalization agreements of 2020.”
American Jewish Committee Issues Statement on Israeli Election
Regardless of the composition of any governing coalition, we will continue to work with those in the Israeli government and in Israeli society who are committed to advancing democracy, inclusion, and peace, and to combating efforts to undermine these values.
AJC Lauds New Commerce Department Crackdown on Arab League Boycott Cooperation
American Jewish Committee has welcomed new regulations by the U.S. Department of Commerce that clamp down on companies that comply with a boycott of Israel by the Arab League. The updated rules were detailed by Matthew Axelrod, Assistant Commerce Secretary for Export Enforcement, during a meeting at the American Jewish Committee office in Washington. Axelrod also oversees the Office of Antiboycott Compliance, which has administrative enforcement authority over U.S. antiboycott laws that prohibit American citizens or companies from supporting unsanctioned foreign boycotts against countries friendly to the United States.
American Jewish Committee Disappointed by Palestinian Response to Israeli Offer on Two-State Solution
Just a day after Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told the United Nations he supports a two-state solution, it was regrettable that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reacted to this courageous overture with hostile rhetoric that prevents a meaningful dialogue.
American Jewish Committee Praises Israeli PM Lapid's Call for a Two-State Solution
American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s call, in his address to the UN General Assembly, for the search for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The leading global Jewish advocacy organization offered this statement:
Large American Jewish Committee Delegation, on Weeklong Arabian Gulf Visit, Marks Abraham Accords Anniversary and Opening of AJC Abu Dhabi Office
An American Jewish Committee delegation of 80 people from across the United States were joined last evening by Emirati government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, business leaders, and members of the local Jewish community to celebrate the second anniversary of the Abraham Accords and the official opening earlier this year of AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding.
Noa Tishby on the Abraham Accords: The Middle East Realizes Israel is Not the Enemy
Noa Tishby, Israel’s first special envoy for combating antisemitism and the delegitimization of Israel, joins us to discuss the impact of the Abraham Accords two years on, how she’s raising her son to love Israel, and why she doesn’t view antisemitism as a “problem to solve.”
The Abraham Accords Inspired a Daring New Path for the Middle East
After decades of disconnection, denial, and distrust, two years of normalized and remarkably warm relations between Israel and two Arab Gulf states have shown how ready the Middle East was — and is — for fundamental change.
