Security Challenges Facing the New Israeli Government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo credit: Reuters

The State of Israel is not required by law to adopt a national security strategy. But the need for such a document has been often raised, and several efforts have been made to write one. In October 1953, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion presented a long disquisition on Israel’s security needs to the Cabinet, which he […]

Will Marwan Barghouti be the Next Palestinian President?

Palestinian children hold a poster depicting jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti. Photo credit: REUTERS

The first thing one sees after crossing the Qalandiya checkpoint from Jerusalem en route to Ramallah is a huge mural of Marwan Barghouti, the imprisoned Fatah leader who is seen by many Palestinians as the successor to Mahmoud Abbas. Next to Barghouti’s portrait is that of the late Yasser Arafat. Placing these two figures together […]

The Debate over Military Rules of Engagement

Mural depicting journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Bethlehem. Photo credit: REUTERS

Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist for Al Jazeera, was killed on May 11 during a firefight between Israeli soldiers and armed Palestinians in the streets of the West Bank city of Jenin. This led to a firestorm of claims: pro-Palestinian accusations of a premeditated murder and pro-Israeli arguments of a killing by Palestinian fire. […]

The Palestinian Authority: On a Journey to Nowhere

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, March 2022. Photo credit: Reuters

Nearly three decades after its establishment, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has failed to fulfill its historic national goal as a platform for the full implementation of Palestinian independence and the establishment