עברית | عربى | Français | Deutsch | English-UK
Home | About the Center | Researchers | Support the Center | Useful Links | Site Map | Contact Us | Daily Alert
Search
Daily Alert Headlines: Israeli Commandos Storm Arms Ship from Iran    Iran's Khamenei Rejects U.S. Outreach    U.S. Hope Dims for High-Level Israeli-Palestinian Talks Over State    Germany's Merkel Tells Congress Iran Must Not Acquire Nuclear Bomb    Clinton: Negotiations Are in the Palestinians' Interest    U.S. House Condemns Goldstone Gaza Report by 344-36    Israel Wants Arab "Marshall Plan" to Help Palestinians    Israel, U.S. Reach "Silent Understanding" on Goldstone Veto    Hamas Has Dozens of Missiles Capable of Striking Tel Aviv    Israel Preparing for a New War in Gaza    Israel Seeks German Funding for New Missile Cruisers    PA TV: Jews Have No History in Land of Israel    Obama Is Learning from the IDF    Islamic Conference Initiated Goldstone Inquiry    Why Does the U.S. Play Iran's Game?    Rep. Berman's Response to Goldstone on House Gaza War-Crimes Resolution    To view the complete version of the Daily Alert, visit www.dailyalert.org    
 

Newest Studies

Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Wechsler Family Foundation

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s Two-Year Path to Palestinian Statehood: Implications for the Palestinian Authority and Israel

- Dan Diker and Pinhas Inbari

Abbas-FayyadThe one-sided establishment of a Palestinian state would contravene a key provision of the Oslo Interim Agreement, according to which: "Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status agreement."
    Hizbullah’s 4,000 rocket attacks from the north in 2006 and Hamas’ 10,000 rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, culminating in the 2009 Gaza war, both underscore the potential rocket threat against Israel’s cities that could emerge from a Palestinian state in the West Bank if Israel were to withdraw to the pre-1967 lines. 

 

Swedish Reactions to the Anti-Israel Blood Libel Report

- Mikael Tossavainen

 The Swedish daily Aftonbladet (AB) published an article suggesting that the Israeli army and medical establishment had colluded to harvest organs from Palestinians and sell them overseas. AB may have won the battle over what it is allowed to print, but it has most certainly lost the war over what should be written. The publication was followed by a plethora of criticism against AB in the Swedish media.
    This mini-crisis in Swedish-Israeli relations has impaired the EU's ability to engage effectively in restarting the peace process in the Middle East. The Palestinian cause has also been damaged since reporters might be more hesitant to convey the unsubstantiated stories that Palestinians spread to the foreign press.


Kazakhstan: Israel’s Partner in Eurasia

- Ariel Cohen

kazakhstan Israel and post-communist, resource-rich states have similar geopolitical priorities in opposing terrorism and radical Islam. By developing closer ties with Kazakhstan – and with Eurasian countries in general – Israel can expand its ties to the secular Muslim Turkic states and its role in the new “great game” of Eurasia: economic development fueled by exports of the region’s massive natural resources.

 

Blocking the Truth of the Gaza War: How the Goldstone Commission Understated the Hamas Threat to Palestinian Civilians

- Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi

On June 28 and 29, 2009, the Goldstone Commission recorded Palestinian statements at the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City. This study is an analysis of the four main statements, the way the commission interpreted them, and reports from other Palestinian sources which contradict the testimony presented to the commission. Reports issued by the Palestinian terrorist organizations themselves detailed the fighting in a way that often contradicted the Palestinian witnesses. In addition, the witnesses hid vital information from the commission regarding the presence of armed terrorists or exchanges of fire in their vicinity.

 

What Happened to the U.S. Deadline on Iran?

- Dore Gold

 In 2003-2005, Tehran engaged with the EU-3 for two years, exploiting the talks to race ahead with construction of key uranium enrichment facilities, while fending off punitive measures by the UN Security Council for three entire years. Iran today is far more advanced than it was then and the time for diplomatic experimentation is extremely limited.

 

Palestinian "Policemen" Killed in Gaza Operation Were Trained Terrorists

- Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi

fayyad palestinian authorityThe human rights organizations which reported on Palestinian casualties in Gaza failed to mention the affiliation of hundreds of Palestinian security personnel who were members of terrorist organizations and who were trained fighters, thus artificially inflating the list of "civilians" killed by the IDF. Among the 343 members of the Palestinian security forces who were killed, 286 have been identified as terror organization members (83 percent). Another 27 fighters belonging to units undergoing infantry training raises this total to 313 (91 percent).

 

New Developments in Iran's Missile Capabilities: Implications Beyond the Middle East

- Dr. Uzi Rubin

 Iran is vigorously pursuing several missile and space programs at an almost feverish pace with impressive achievements. The solid-propellant Sejil missile signifies a breakthrough. Iran will face no significant hurdle in upscaling the Sejil to put most of the EU under threat.

   Download the powerpoint presentation that accompanied the briefing.

 

Syria and Hizbullah After the Lebanese Elections

- David Schenker

 The desire in Washington and Riyadh to repair damaged relations with Damascus is admirable, but should not come at the expense of Lebanon and the larger U.S. strategic goal of weakening Iranian influence in the Levant. While a diplomatic rapprochement with Syria might result in some marginal improvements in its behavior, this would likely have little impact on Syria's thirty-year strategic relationship with Tehran.

 

U.S. Policy on Israeli Settlements

- Dore Gold

israeli settlementIn seeking to constrain Israeli settlement activity, the U.S. is essentially trying to obtain additional Israeli concessions that were not formally required according to Israel's legal obligations under the Oslo Accords. The U.S. and Israel have already negotiated specific guidelines for settlement activity so that it will not diminish the territory of a future Palestinian entity. Given the fact that the amount of territory taken up by the built-up areas of all the settlements in the West Bank is 1.7% of the territory, the marginal increase in territory that might be affected by natural growth is infinitesimal. It might be that the present tension in U.S.-Israeli relations is not over settlements, but rather over the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank that the Obama administration envisions. 

 

Al Jazeera and Qatar: The Muslim Brothers’ Dark Empire?

- Zvi Mazel

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera, the most viewed satellite channel in the Arab world, has become a weapon in the hands of the ambitious Emir of Qatar who may be driven by the Muslim Brothers and who is threatening the stability of the Middle East. With the Muslim Brothers increasingly aligned in recent years with Iran, by repeatedly attacking the Sunni Arab regimes and inciting against them, Al Jazeera is serving as an important instrument for Tehran and its effort to undermine their internal stability. 

 

Jerusalem: The Dangers of Division

An Alternative to Separation from the Arab Neighborhoods

 western wall jerusalem israel kotel - Nadav Shragai 
A principal argument of those who support the division of Israel's capital is the need to improve the city's demographic balance between Jews and Arabs in favor of Jews. However, a higher Arab birthrate is not the primary cause for the decrease in the Jewish majority in Jerusalem. Rather, the main reason is that large numbers of Jews are leaving the city due to housing and employment difficulties. To reverse Jewish emigration from Jerusalem, the city must be declared an area of national priority of the highest order. 

 

A New Strategy for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

- Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon

 palestinian authority logo symbol The central conflict of the Middle East is not territorial but ideological; not about borders but about Islamic Jihadism and Western liberty. No ideology, least of all radical Islam, can be defeated by concessions, which encourage, energize, and inspire Jihadists. Those who wish for peace must face and assimilate this fact, and realize that territorial concessions, or any concessions in any realm in the struggle against militant Islam, have been consistently counterproductive.
    From Oslo to Annapolis, we have engaged in a top-down strategy. We aimed to reach a political horizon or a final settlement agreement with the Palestinian leadership, hoping that political reform among Palestinians would follow. I propose we replace this approach with a bottom-up strategy in which the PA first proves its willingness and ability to govern.

 

Winning Counterinsurgency War: The Israeli Experience

- Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror

israel counterterrorism Contrary to popular belief, conventional armies can indeed defeat terrorist insurgencies. This study details the six basic conditions which, if met, enable an army to fight and win the war against terrorism, among which are control of the ground where the insurgency is being waged, acquiring relevant intelligence for operations against the terrorists themselves, and isolating the insurgency from cross-border reinforcement with manpower or material.     
     It also examines the factors that can help drive a wedge between the local population and the insurgent forces seeking its support. The principles of war are also analyzed in terms of their applicability to asymmetric warfare to show how they still serve as a vital guide for armies in vanquishing terror.
    Finally, the study warns that if the U.S., Israel, or their Western allies incorrectly conclude that they have no real military option against terrorist insurgencies - out of a fear that these conflicts inevitably result in an unwinnable quagmire - then the war on terrorism will be lost even before it is fully waged.

Download Full Report (pdf)
To view more reports from the Strategic Perspectives series click here.

 

Hamas Is Not the IRA: The Myths, Misconceptions and Misapplication of the Northern Ireland Peace Process

- John Bew and Martyn Frampton

 British Irish flags

It has become fashionable to look to the lessons of the peace process in Northern Ireland as holding insights for other areas of conflict in the world. However, the core realities unique to the region do not necessarily translate elsewhere. For the British government, formal negotiations with the IRA could only occur in a context in which republican violence had been brought to an end. With the IRA in a position of declining military and political fortunes, it sought to extricate itself via the peace process.

 

Daily Alert

newspaperThe highly acclaimed Daily Alert Internet newsletter, produced for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations by the Jerusalem Center, offers 100 hyperlinked excerpts of Israel-related news stories each week from mainstream English and Hebrew media sources.
 

 

 

Special Studies and Events

Long-Term Jerusalem Center Projects

The Challenge of the UN Gaza Report

dore gold richard goldstone
Amb. Dore Gold and Judge Richard Goldstone will discuss the UN Report on war crimes in Gaza 
Brandeis University, Thurs., Nov. 5
at 5 p.m., EST

 

 

Israel's Right to Secure Boundaries:

Four Decades Since UN Security Resolution 242

un security council- Amb. Dore Gold, Amb. Meir Rosenne, Prof. Ruth Lapidoth, Amb. Yehuda Blum, Amb. Richard Holbrooke
     UN Security Council Resolution 242 of November 1967 is the most important UN resolution for peacemaking in the Arab-Israel conflict. The resolution never established the extent of Israel’s required withdrawal from territories captured during the Six-Day War in exchange for peace with its Arab neighbors. The borders of any Israeli withdrawal were meant to reflect its right to live within “secure and recognized” boundaries.
    
Download the full report
    
Download by chapters 

 

Why Is Israel’s Presence in the Territories Still Called "Occupation"?

- Avinoam Sharon

scales of justiceThe term "occupation" is often employed politically, without regard for its general or legal meaning. Iraq was occupied by the Coalition forces from the spring of 2003 until June 28, 2004, at which time authority was handed over to the Iraqi Interim Government. At that point, Coalition forces remained in Iraq, but Iraq was no longer deemed occupied. If handing over authority to a Coalition-appointed interim government ended the occupation of Iraq, would the same not hold true for the establishment of the Palestinian Authority and Israel?

 

Conference: Hamas, the Gaza War, and Accountability Under International Law

hamas conference



 

 

 

Defensible Borders on the Golan Heights

- Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland

golan heightsIsraeli-Syrian negotiations in 1999-2000 discussed security arrangements to compensate Israel for the loss of the Golan Heights. The idea was to guarantee that in case of war, IDF forces could quickly return to the place where they are currently stationed. This analysis demonstrates that Israel does not possess a plausible solution to its security needs without the Golan Heights. Not only was the "solution" proposed in the year 2000 implausible at the time, but changing circumstances have rendered Israel's forfeiture of the Golan today an even more reckless act.

 

The Arab Peace Initiative: A Primer and Future Prospects

- Joshua Teitelbaum

arab peace initiativeIn the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., Saudi Arabia was under intense scrutiny since 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis. In Feb. 2002, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia proposed to Israel "full withdrawal" from the territories in return for "full normalization." In a flash, Abdullah transformed the discourse from Saudi involvement in terrorism to Saudi peacemaking. However, by the time the Abdullah trial balloon reached the Arab summit in Beirut in March 2002, the initiative had been modified and its terms hardened. It watered down "full normalization," rewarded Syria with a presence on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and enshrined a Palestinian "right of return" to Israel.

 

The Abuse of Universal Jurisdiction

London, November 26, 2008 
To View Maj.-Gen (res.) Almog's Presentation Click Here  
doron almog gaza IDF Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog addressed a conference in London on Nov. 26, sponsored by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Global Law Forum and the Henry Jackson Society, through a video link, since according to British law he could be arrested in Britain for allegations made by Palestinian activists with regard to his past efforts to fight terrorist organizations in Gaza.
    The idea of universal jurisdiction was conceived to stop officials who have engaged in war crimes, like genocide, and who have escaped the law. It should be directed at countries like Iran, where those who incite for mass murder are considered heroes, and not against the U.S., the UK and Israel, who are leading the war on terrorism and have functioning legal systems that prosecute those who really violate the laws of war.

    Panel Discussion: Ambassador Dore Gold; Prof. Gregory Gordon - Former Legal Officer, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, first Post-Nuremberg Prosecutions for Incitement to Genocide; Adv. Irit Kohn - former Director of the International Department of the Israeli Ministry of Justice; Prof. Avi Bell - Global Law Forum, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and Bar-Ilan University; Prof. Eugene Kontorovich - Northwestern University School of Law. To View Panel Discussion Click Here

 

The Jerusalem Center and Ahmadinejad's Violation of the Genocide Convention

ahmadinejad   Beginning in 2006, a legal team at the Jerusalem Center determined in a legal analysis that the calls of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "to wipe Israel off the map" constitute a violation of the anit-incitement clause of the 1948 Genocide Convention.  The Jerusalem Center took its findings abroad, advocating that UN member states take legal measures against the Iranian leadership. The Jerusalem Center held a conference jointly with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations at the New York County Bar Association on December 14, 2006. Speakers included former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, Prof. Alan Deshowitz of Harvard Law School, and U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton. Senator Hillary Clinton sent a letter of support to the conference.
   The Jerusalem Center sent an Israeli delegation to a second conference at the British House of Commons on January 25, 2007, which was chaired by Lord David Trimble and supported by members of the British Labor Party and the Conservative Party. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also participated. As a result of this effort over 60 members of the House of Commons called for the indictment of Ahmadinejad. By April, the Canadian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Human Rights adopted a motion by Irwin Cotler to refer Ahmadinejad's genocidal incitement to the Security Council, in order that the International Court of Justice investigate and actually prosecute the Iranian president. In June 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution (in a 411-2 vote) stating that Ahmadinejad had indeed violated the anti-incitement clauses of the Genocide Convention.
   A third Jerusalem Center event organized with the International Association of Genocide Scholars was held on September 23, 2008, in Washington D.C. with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, as well as with Salih Mahmoud Osman, a member of the Sudanese Parliament and advocate for human rights in Darfur.

Referral of Iranian President Ahmadinejad on the Charge of Incitement to Commit Genocide

- Justus Reid Weiner, Esq., with Amb. Meir Rosenne, Prof. Elie Wiesel, Amb. Dore Gold, Irit Kohn, Adv., Amb. Eytan Bentsur, and MK Dan Naveh

    Download Full Report (1M pdf file)

What Iranian Leaders Really Say about Doing Away with Israel: A Refutation of the Campaign to Excuse Ahmadinejad’s Incitement to Genocide

- Joshua Teitelbaum

     Download Full Report

Conference - "State-Sanctioned Incitement to Genocide: What Can Be Done?"

Washington, September 23, 2008 
To View Conference Click Here

 

International Law and the Fighting in Gaza

- Justus Reid Weiner and Avi Bell

gaza mapIn every flare-up of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the air is thick with accusations of violations of international law. Yet criticism of Israeli behavior lacks any basis in international law. By contrast, criticism ought to be voiced about illegal Palestinian behavior for launching rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli civilians.

 

Iran's Race for Regional Supremacy: Strategic Implications for the Middle East

- Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon, Dr. Dore Gold, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Aharon Farkash, Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira, Daniel Diker, Uzi Rubin, Dr. Martin Kramer, Lt.-Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi

iranian president ahmadinejadIran has accelerated its quest for regional supremacy through its mobilization of both Shiite and Sunni terror surrogates, including Hizbullah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq and in the Gulf, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades in the Palestinian territories. This pivotal Iranian role has unfortunately not been fully appreciated, and even downplayed in certain quarters.
  
Download Full Report

 

Defensible Borders for a Lasting Peace

(Revised and Updated - 2008)

 Defensible Borders israel palestinian authorityWhen Prime Minister Ariel Sharon first proposed his Gaza Disengagement Plan he did not seek a quid pro quo from the Palestinian side. Instead, he obtained one from the United States in the form of a letter from President George W. Bush, dated April 14, 2004, in which the U.S. assured Israel that with respect to the disputed West Bank, Israel was entitled to defensible borders. How the idea of defensible borders works into the post-Iraq War Middle East is fully examined as well as the territorial, legal, and policy implications of this critical U.S. guarantee.

 


Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism

From Durban I to Durban II: Preventing Poisonous Anti-Semitism

- Alfred H. Moses

There can be no repeat of the anti-Semitism displayed at Durban. It has no place anywhere, but most certainly not at a follow-up conference to combat racism and intolerance. This message has to be delivered forcefully, not only to Europe and elsewhere but also to the conference's chief sponsors in Africa who have the greatest stake in the outcome of the Durban process. The same message needs to be conveyed to the Muslim world. Similarly there can be no linking of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with racism.

 

Antisemitism Embedded in British Culture

- Interview with Robert S. Wistrich

Antisemitism has been present in Great Britain for almost a thousand years of recorded history. English literature and culture are drenched in antisemitic stereotypes. Major British authors throughout the centuries transmitted culturally embedded antisemitism to future generations. Although they did not do so deliberately, it was absorbed and has had a long-term, major impact on British society. The anti-Zionist narrative probably has greater legitimacy than in any other Western society. Antisemitism of the "anti-Zionist" variety has achieved such resonance, particularly in elite opinion, that various British media are leaders in this field. 
For a complete list of Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism articles, click here.

 

Major Anti-Semitic Motifs in Arab Cartoons

- Interview with Joël Kotek

 anti-semitic cartoonsThe main recurrent motif in Arab cartoons concerning Israel is "the devilish Jew." This image conveys the idea that Jews behave like Nazis, kill children and love blood. The similarity with themes promulgated by the Nazis is evident. Many Arab cartoons praise suicide bombing or call for murder. The collective image of the Jews thus projected lays the groundwork for a possible genocide.

 

The Jerusalem Center was founded by the late Prof. Daniel J. Elazar. It is currently headed by Israel’s former UN ambassador Dr. Dore Gold.

Established in 1976, the Jerusalem Center focuses on the main issues affecting Israel's security and international standing in order to wage the war of ideas in global opinion.

International Law

What do you know about International Law?

TEST YOURSELF:
How do we apply International Humanitarian Law during wartime?
Rise of Nuclear Iran

New Book by Dore Gold

Video

Dore Gold discusses Iranian nuclear capabilities on Fox Business

Dore Gold on MSNBC
Strategic Threats

Missile Ranges

Connect with the Jerusalem Center on:

Follow on:

Watch Jerusalem Center Videos on:

Our Fellows' Books

Publications List

New Book

Sarkozy, Le monde juif et Israël

- Freddy Eytan-
New and Updated Video Archive

Watch video clips from Jerusalem Center conferences, briefings, and news reports on current events concerning the Middle East and Israel.
Click to send this page to a colleagueSend to a friend
Click to print this pagePrint page

|  Privacy Policy |  Site Map  |  Home  |
JCPA, Beit Milken, 13 Tel Hai St., Jerusalem 92107, Israel, Tel: 972-2-5619281 Fax: 972-2-5619112, jcpa@netvision.net.il
Copyright © 2009 JCPA. All Rights Reserved. Created by Minicy Catom Ltd.