The current stormy geopolitical environment will not afford the new Israeli government a grace period. The long list of serious dilemmas, complex and intertwined issues, and decisions that will be made (or delayed), are expected to critically influence Israel’s future. The main geopolitical challenges within the global and regional framework are also stormy, riddled with question marks and are very much relevant to Israel’s fortitude.
The following report is intended to summarize the developments of the recent months regarding the central geopolitical dilemmas and challenges Israel faces:
• The nuclear agreement achieved with Iran, and characterized by Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu as “a mistake of historic proportions.”
• The danger of a military deterioration – on the northern front (Hezbollah and Syria), on the southern front (Hamas and terror groups in the Sinai), in Judea and Samaria and in Jerusalem (individual violence, public protests, and organized terror).
• Continuing tensions with the United States.
• The continued erosion in the U.S. view of the need to fill a central leadership role, or even maintain a presence in the Middle East.
• The push to change the paradigm for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from direct negotiations led by the U.S. to a multinational initiative backed by the UN.
• Israel’s dwindling international standing and growing BDS and De-legitimization efforts to inflict further damage.
• The strained resilience of the “triangular relationship”: Jerusalem – Washington – U.S. Jews.
• Realizing the opportunity to improve relations with the moderate Sunni countries (given the Iranian threat and those posed by radical terror elements).
Given these various challenges, the need to rehabilitate and nurture the relationship with the U.S. takes ultimate priority – as the U.S. is Israel’s only true and significant ally. This task will be complex given the issues at hand – the Iran agreement and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its various derivatives – and the substantive differences between Jerusalem and Washington over them. Already inflamed tensions could potentially worsen in the coming months and weigh heavily on the U.S. Jewish community, which may find itself between a “rock and a hard place,” further straining the resilience of the “triangular relationship,” which has served as a cornerstone of the strength and security of Israel and the Jewish people.
Article Library / 2015
2014-2015 Annual Assessment
- Foreword
- Part 1
- Recommended Policy Directions
- The Struggle against De-Legitimization and BDS on North American College Campuses
- U.S. – Israel Relations
- India and China
- Israel-Diaspora Dialogue
- Immigration from Europe
- Jewish Identity
- The Approach to Populist Anti-System Right-Wing Parties in Europe
- Video Games and Interactive Entertainment as a tool to enhance Jewish identity and to counter BDS efforts
- 2014-15 Integrated ‘Net’ Assessment
- Recommended Policy Directions
- Part 2: Five Dimensions of Jewish Well-Being
- The Geopolitical Challenges Facing Israel’s New Government
- Geopolitics
- The Geopolitical Challenges Facing Israel’s New Government
- Jerusalem, Washington, and the North American Jewish Community
- “Drivers” Affecting the Israel-U.S. Relationship
- U.S. College Campuses and Israel De-legitimization – In Perspective
- An Integrative Measurement of European Anti-Semitism
- Looking East: New Opportunities in Asia
- Demography
- Bonds Within and Between Communities
- Israel-Diaspora Dialogue 2015
- Israel, a Divisive Subject
- IDF as a Moral Army
- The Effect of Israel’s Wars on Diaspora Jewry
- The Effect of Israel’s Wars on Non-Israeli Jews, and their Connections with Israel
- How Israel’s Wars Impact Relations between Jews and non-Jews
- In conclusion: Recommendations Regarding the Dialogue
- In conclusion: 2015 Dialogue Recommendations on the Use of Force
- Endnotes
- Israel-Diaspora Dialogue 2015
- Identity Formation and Expression
- Material Resources
- Part 3: Featured Articles
- Violence and Racism between Population Groups in Israel
- Australian Jewry
- Political Turmoil in Europe and its Implications for the Jewish People
- Attitudes toward Jews, Judaism, and Israel among anti-System Parties in Europe
- Why Europeans Turn to Populists?
- Anti-Jewish Prejudices among European Muslims and anti-Establishment Voters
- Far-Left Populist Rhetoric about the Jews and Israel
- Distinguishing between the “Old Far Right” and the “New Radical Right”
- “Old Far Rightists” Masquerading as the “New Far Rightists”: Is the Shift Real?
- The Case of France: The Gap between Le Pen’s Promises and her Official Program
- The Dilemmas of Europe’s National Jewish Institutions
- Implications and Directions for Action
- Directions for Action
- Endnotes
- Policy Opportunities for Video Games and Interactive Entertainment
Previous
Next