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.
To find answers to your questions about Israel use the search bar below and check boxes on the left to view articles, videos, podcasts, columns, eBooks, and more. Don’t see an answer to your question about Israel? Click here to let us know.
American Jewish Committee Welcomes Israel’s Admittance to U.S. Visa Waiver Program
American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today welcomed the U.S. Government’s announcement that Israel has been admitted to the United States Visa Waiver Program. Israel joins more than 40 other countries in this program that allows for simplified, automated approval for 90-day tourist and business travel to the US.
AJC CEO Ted Deutch Meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu During UN General Assembly
American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch today met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the Prime Minister’s address to the United Nations General Assembly. Deutch was among a group of American Jewish leaders invited to speak with Netanyahu.
AJC CEO Ted Deutch Denounces Abbas’s Hateful Attacks Against Israel at the UN
American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today decried Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas' address at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, during which he once again perpetuated baseless, hateful attacks against Israel.
Sen. Joni Ernst Reflects on the Abraham Accords and the Future of Arab-Israeli Engagement
As we mark the third anniversary of the Abraham Accords, significant progress has been made in deepening Arab-Israeli engagement. With us this week is Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a founding member of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus.
Is Zambia the Next Big Frontier in Israel-Africa Relations?
The deepening relationship with Zambia comes amid significant growth in ties with African nations. Last week, Sierra Leone announced that it would open an embassy in Jerusalem, making the West African nation the sixth country to place its top diplomatic post in the Israeli capital.
American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch Praises Nomination of Jack Lew to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel
AJC CEO Ted Deutch today praised President Biden's nomination of Jack Lew to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
American Jewish Committee Calls for Hezbollah Accountability Following Renewal of UNIFIL Mandate
American Jewish Committee issued a statement following the renewal of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) by the UN Security Council.
"The UN Security Council today renewed UNIFIL’s mandate for another year. But UNIFIL cannot carry out its peacekeeping responsibilities when Hezbollah ignores UN resolutions, strengthens its military presence in southern Lebanon, prevents the Lebanese government from extending its authority over its entire territory, and receives illegal arms from Iran."
"The UN Security Council today renewed UNIFIL’s mandate for another year. But UNIFIL cannot carry out its peacekeeping responsibilities when Hezbollah ignores UN resolutions, strengthens its military presence in southern Lebanon, prevents the Lebanese government from extending its authority over its entire territory, and receives illegal arms from Iran."
Unpacking The Latest Chapter of Israel's Judicial Reform - AJC Advocacy Anywhere
In July, the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed legislation which would limit the High Court of Israel’s ability to apply a “reasonableness” standard when reviewing certain administrative decisions made by elected officials. In conversation with AJC Board of Governors Chair Bobby Lapin, distinguished Israeli lawyer Lt. Col. (Res.) David Benjamin will provide insightful analysis on the history and effects of the Reasonableness Standard legislation and shed light on its implications for the Israeli legal system.
Hezbollah's Dangerous Provocations
Near the end of this month, the UN Security Council will convene to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for another year. But UNIFIL's mandate to confirm the implementation of Council resolutions regarding Lebanon will remain unfulfilled unless the Council takes the necessary measures to uphold its resolutions.
Four Reasons Why Uruguay Matters to Israel and the Jewish People
An AJC delegation led by AJC CEO Ted Deutch met with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou in the capital of Uruguay, which has been a friend of Israel since before the rebirth of the modern Jewish State. The meeting comes just weeks after Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with Lacalle Pou and invited him to Jerusalem to inaugurate Uruguay’s newest diplomatic mission to advance innovation, economic, and trade ties.
IsraAID CEO on Sharing Israel’s Expertise With the World's Most Vulnerable
Tune in for a conversation with Yotam Politzer, CEO of IsraAID, a leading Israeli humanitarian aid organization and longtime partner of AJC, about the group's mission and the impact of sharing Israel's expertise and technology to help millions worldwide after crises hit.
Letter to the UN Secretary-General over the volatile situation along the Lebanese-Israeli border brought about by Hezbollah’s provocations
Letter to the UN Secretary-General over the volatile situation along the Lebanese-Israeli border brought about by Hezbollah’s provocations.
It’s Time to Admit Israel to the US Visa Waiver Program
President Joe Biden is within arm’s reach of fulfilling his 2021 public pledge to help Israel join the United States Visa Waiver Program, an achievement American friends of the Jewish state are poised to celebrate.
What Does the Passage of the Reasonableness Bill Mean for Democracy in Israel?
The Reasonableness Standard Bill adopted by the Knesset this week, with the support only of members of governing coalition parties, will – if it survives legal challenges – alter the balance of power between the judicial and executive and legislative branches of government. Elected officials will have fewer restraints on their actions. The High Court of Justice will retain other oversight tools, however.
Israel’s Reasonableness Law: What it Means for Israel’s Democracy and Security
AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson breaks down what Israel’s recently-enacted judicial reform means for the future of the only democracy in the Middle East.
The EU Needs to Designate Hezbollah as a Terrorist Organization
Hezbollah is not a normal domestic player that can be reasoned with, moderated, or somehow stirred toward more responsible statecraft through just the right amount of “dialogue.”
Resources on Israel’s Judicial Reforms
In July 2023, the majority of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) began what many anticipate will be Israel’s judicial overhaul, passing legislation that would limit the Israeli Supreme Court’s ability to review the “reasonableness” of government decisions. This contentious legislation is part of a larger debate over Israel judicial reforms. Learn More.
American Jewish Committee Condemns BDS Vote by Anthropologists Group
The American Anthropological Association, an academic group, has voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions in support of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement. American Jewish Committee issued a statement in response:
AJC Statement on Israeli Reasonableness Standard Law
American Jewish Committee (AJC) today expressed profound disappointment over the passage of the Reasonableness Standard Law in Israel.
The new law was pushed through unilaterally by the governing coalition amid deepening divisions in Israeli society as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets. Of particular concern to AJC, the continued effort to press forward on judicial reform rather than seeking compromise has sown discord within the Israeli Defense Forces at a time of elevated threats to the Jewish homeland and has strained the vital relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
The new law was pushed through unilaterally by the governing coalition amid deepening divisions in Israeli society as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets. Of particular concern to AJC, the continued effort to press forward on judicial reform rather than seeking compromise has sown discord within the Israeli Defense Forces at a time of elevated threats to the Jewish homeland and has strained the vital relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
What is Israel’s “reasonableness” legislation and why is it so contentious?
The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) has initiated a legislative process that would limit the High Court of Israel’s ability to review the “reasonableness” of government decisions. This highly contentious legislation is part of Israel's protests against judicial reforms.
Featured Content:
- AJC's Tough Questions Series
- The Abraham Accords, Explained
- 10 Basic Facts About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Israel: A Nation Reborn
- 5 Things You Need to Know About Israel’s Iron Dome Defense System
- 8 Ways Some Anti-Israel Protests Have Spread Antisemitism
- 15 Israel-related Whoppers
- What Hamas is Hiding
- Setting the Record Straight on Hezbollah: Full Report
