A Policy-Oriented Think Tank Addressing Foreign Policy and National Security Issues for a Safe Israel

Colonel (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman

Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security

Dr. Lerman was deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. He held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for over 20 years. He also served for eight years as director of the Israel and Middle East office of the American Jewish Committee. He teaches in the Middle East studies program at Shalem College in Jerusalem, and in post-graduate programs at Tel Aviv University and the National Defense College. He is an expert on Israel’s foreign relations, and on the Middle East. A third-generation Sabra, he holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and a mid-career MPA from Harvard University.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece met with his Israeli counterpart Handshake of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Eli Cohen

Israel’s Priorities in the Eastern Mediterranean:The Tango with Turkey Has Limits

The first foreign minister to visit Greece after the swearing-in of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ new government was Israel’s Eli Cohen – a sign that both countries see the importance of their relationship and the new alignment of forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. While new avenues of dialogue are opening between Jerusalem and Ankara – including a planned visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, officially confirmed by Erdogan – Israel’s priorities should remain firm. Pressure to agree to a gas pipeline to Turkey should be resisted. Regarding national security, the partnership with Greece and Cyprus is a game changer, giving Israel vital strategic depth during a conflict. Hence the importance of cooperation with both and support for Cyprus’s freedom to make its own foreign policy decisions.

Palestinian violence

As tensions escalate, Israel is right to insist on reviving the regional framework

Under the impact of terrorist attacks on Israelis and lawless vigilante raids on Arab villages, it is difficult to envision a return to conflict management of the Palestinian issue. Moreover, reactions in the West seem to feed Palestinian expectations of a backlash against Israel hence a reluctance to return to the Aqaba process. However, as the Palestinian security forces know all too well, there are no good alternatives to resuming dialogue within the regional framework. Israel is right to insist on a rapid return to the table with US, Jordanian and Egyptian involvement. The meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh should focus on common security challenges while setting aside the broader issues of the future. It can also allay growing concerns in Washington about Israel’s direction. At the right time, Israel can and should use the process to air lingering concerns about the virulent public domain in Jordan (and Egypt) and the need for the PA to act more resolutely against terrorist groups.

Missiles from Gaza towards Israeli jets

After Shield and Arrow, and facing Iran: Can Israel return to conflict management with the Palestinians?

With Operation Shield and Arrow in Gaza over, Israel must again focus on the challenge of Iran as a top priority. Given the urgency, now conveyed even by the US administration, the government must accelerate efforts to derail Tehran’s nuclear project. It is not the time to seek a defeat of Hamas or the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, but rather a continuation of conflict management. Israel should restore (albeit not fully trust) security cooperation with Ramallah, in the context of the process launched in Aqaba in late February; and in Gaza, to drive further the decoupling of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Iranian proxy, from the Hamas de facto government.

Manufacture Of Umbrellas And Chairs In Egypt

The Egyptian Financial Crisis: Implications for the region, and for Israel too

Egypt continues to play an active role in regional affairs, including the Aqaba emergency meeting on the Palestinian situation (February 26) and the ongoing effort to prevent escalation in Gaza. At the same time, Cairo is in the middle of a significant financial crisis. The effects of the war in Ukraine – specifically, grain shortages – brought the Egyptian pound to more than 30 to the dollar, up from 20 in November and 15 in early 2022, facilitated by deliberate government action in response to demands by the IMF. Inflation still soars, and so does youth unemployment. All this could destabilize a nation of 105 million on our border, with dire consequences.

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