In his address to the Knesset marking the end of his term as prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu depicted a gaping chasm between Israel and the Biden administration on the Iranian nuclear issue, noting that he had told senior administration officials: “If I have to choose between friction between us [Israel and the US] and eliminating the existential threat, eliminating the…

Introduction The strategic challenges facing Israel are largely unchanged from the previous year. The Middle East remains volatile. The cornerstones of the old regional order are crumbling, and a new, more stable order has yet to take its place. The international arena, as it applies to the Middle East and to Israel’s strategic resilience, is also enduring shockwaves and is…

Since the interim framework deal between the US led 5+1 and Iran was announced in April, Israel has come out strongly against what it views as a “bad deal,” one that grants international legitimacy to Iran’s nuclear program. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked time and again, Israel is not against a diplomatic solution. In his speech in March to…

Opening Remarks by Avinoam Bar-Yosef (March 11, 2014) JPPI’s 2014 brainstorming conference was initiated to address the urgent need to discuss in depth a few processes that are coming to a crossroads at the same time, and which will have great long-range impact. First: Secretary Kerry’s forceful effort to bring an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has been going on…

2014 is likely to be a decisive year for the issue of Iran’s nuclear program and for the fate of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. These two subjects pose challenges for the triangular relationship: Israel, the United States, and the American Jewish community. The interim agreement with Iran, and the Vienna talks on a permanent settlement that followed, provoked extremely harsh responses…