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.
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 Statement on the Formation of the New Israeli Government
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.
5 Things to Know About Israel’s New Prime Minister Yair Lapid
With the Israeli Knesset voting to dissolve itself and head to its fifth election in just three years, the country will see Yair Lapid, who served as alternate prime minister and foreign minister in the outgoing government, become the Jewish state’s 14th prime minister.
Address from Israel's Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid
In a special video message to AJC Global Forum 2022, Israel’s Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid described the current global struggle between good and evil, with terrorism and violence on one side and freedom and democracy on the other.
1967 Six Day War: Why It Matters
Fifty-five years ago this month, the Six Day War broke out. 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.
Millennial Jews Are Choosing Between Israel And Social Acceptance
A new American Jewish Committee (AJC) survey revealed that 53% of US Jews ages 25-40 feel connected to Israel. For those who do not, there are two camps. First are those who have disengaged over disagreements with Israel’s policies. Second are those who fear social ostracization driven by both blatant and casual antisemitism, which is being fueled by anti-Israel sentiments among their peers. Our survey indicates that millennial US Jews may be willing to suppress their Zionism, or even their Jewishness, to remain in good social standing, and we must be cognizant of the long-term toll this will take on this key demographic. No Jew, no person, should have to hide who they are and what they believe.
American Jewish Committee Flies 141 Ukrainian Jews to Israel
A plane filled with Ukrainian Jewish refugees — sponsored by American Jewish Committee (AJC) and organized by Jewish Agency for Israel — has arrived in Israel from Budapest, Hungary. “For Jews facing uncertain safety in their homes, Israel is a lifeline, a sanctuary, and a haven,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “Whether they are still living in Ukraine or have fled the violent Russian invasion to neighboring countries, these Jews know they have a home in the State of Israel, where they can build their lives anew because of the warm welcome they receive.”
Refugees, Rights And Peace In The Middle East
AJC CEO David Harris, responding to a Wall Street Journal essay by Israeli historian Benny Morris, points out that the mission of UNRWA, set up in 1949, made no reference to refugee resettlement, and its definition of a Palestinian refugee included future generations without any time limit. Question is why Unrwa is not under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Amnesty International Claim That Israel Is An Apartheid State Is Recklessly Ill-Informed
The fundamental problem with the Amnesty International report is that it is disconnected from reality. Israel has nothing to do with apartheid, and apartheid has nothing to do with Israel.
Don't Damage American Jewish Ties To Israel During COVID-19
The power of visits to Israel to foster deeper attachment between American Jews and the Jewish state is well-known. 73% of American Jews who have been to Israel reported that their visit strengthened their connection to Israel, the AJC survey found. Israel and the organized American Jewish community need to think creatively and in partnership about how to recapture at least some of these lost opportunities during the pandemic.
The Key To Engaging Alumni
When we incorporate alumni into our leadership councils and caucuses and invite them into our local interreligious dialogues or communities of conscience, they speak out loudly against antisemitism and in favor of Israel’s right to defend itself.
7 Things You Need to Know About Israel’s Iron Dome Defense System
Israel’s Iron Dome is a short-range missile defense system that intercepts rockets and drones aimed at civilians, with a success rate of nearly 90% during attacks like Hamas’s October 2023 assault. In September 2025, Israel added the Iron Beam laser system, which uses high-energy lasers to shoot down rockets, mortars, and drones at low cost per shot, complementing Iron Dome and other defenses. Both systems protect Israeli civilians, reduce the need for large-scale military operations, and highlight strong U.S.–Israel defense cooperation, including funding, component production, and integration with American bases.
Exclusive AJC eBook – Israel and the Arab-Israel Conflict: A Brief Guide for the Perplexed
Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, written by former AJC CEO David Harris, provides a clear and concise picture of Israel’s ongoing struggle for peace and security in a tumultuous region that all too often has denied the very legitimacy of a Jewish state.
AJC Welcomes Knesset Approval of New Israeli Government
American Jewish Committee (AJC) congratulates incoming Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid on successfully forming a new government in Israel. “The new Israeli government reflects the country’s diversity and is determined to pursue peace, security, and prosperity,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “AJC looks forward to working with the new coalition, as we have consistently done with every Israeli government since 1948, and we wish the leadership every success.”
The Nations That Stood with Israel
In May 2021, Israeli towns and cities were bombarded with over 4,600 rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza. 30 nations spoke up in support of Israel's right to defend itself from these terrorist attacks. This video, shown during AJC Virtual Global Forum 2021, highlights and thanks those nations.
AJC Project Interchange Expanding Visits to Israel for Groups from Arabian Gulf, North Africa
Project Interchange (PI), American Jewish Committee’s signature educational institute introducing Israel to leaders from the United States and countries around the world, plans to host delegations of policymakers and opinion influencers from countries that signed the Abraham Accords last year. The new initiative, announced today to a worldwide audience attending the 2021 AJC Virtual Global Forum is intended to support the growing foundation of peaceful cooperation in the region. The first educational seminar in Israel for Arab Gulf leaders will take place in November, and a second group will come in January 2022.
Voices from Israel
Five Israelis share what they think the world needs to know about their country, and how attacks from Gaza in May 2021 impacted them.
Hamas Then, Hamas Now
It was exactly 20 years ago. My wife and I were attending a Shabbat dinner in Madrid on June 1st when someone gave us the news. A suicide bomber had struck a seaside discotheque, the Dolphinarium, in Tel Aviv. There were reportedly many casualties. It seems there’s no more understanding or, worse, concern among many today about what Hamas actually is than there was that unforgettable Friday evening in 2001.
Featured Content:
- What Hamas is Hiding
- AJC's Tough Questions Series
- Timeline: Key Events In The Israel-Arab And Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Tough Questions About Gaza Answered
- Setting the Record Straight on Hezbollah: Full Report
- 10 Basic Facts About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- What You Need To Know About Israel’s Judicial Reforms
- The Abraham Accords, Explained
- 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
- Tough Questions About Gaza Answered
