Institute for Contemporary Affairs

Institute for Contemporary Affairs
The Jerusalem Center's Institute for Contemporary Affairs, founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation and directed by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, provides high-level analyses and perspectives on key issues relating to Israel and the Middle East through presentations by leading government officials, military experts, and academics to the diplomatic corps and the foreign press in Israel.
Prominent ICA speakers have included:

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon - Israel's Threat Environment
Minister Natan Sharansky - A New Democratic Solution for the Palestinians
Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz - The Israeli-Lebanese Border: The Quiet Before the Storm
Ehud Yaari - After the Palestinian Elections
Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog - Lessons of the Gaza Security Fence for the West Bank
Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin - Ethical Dilemmas in Fighting Terrorism
Prof. Ruth Lapidoth - The International Court of Justice and Israel's Separation Fence
Maj. Gen. Dan Haloutz - 21st Century Threats Facing Israel
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad - Undermining the War on Terrorism: Arafat and the Syrians
Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland - Challenges Facing Israel after the Iraq War
Dr. Uzi Arad - Russia and Iran's Nuclear Program
Beyond the news reports generated from these insider briefings, these presentations are summarized in the Institute's Jerusalem Issue Briefs series and distributed via email and fax.
In addition, specially commissioned Jerusalem Issue Briefs provide insightful analysis on key topics, including:

Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror and David Keyes - Will a Gaza "Hamas-stan" Become a Future Al-Qaeda Sanctuary?
Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi - The Palestinian "Temporary Cease-Fire": Israel's Political Risks and Opportunities
Dr. Dore Gold - Wartime Witch Hunt: Blaming Israel for the Iraq War
Prof. Mordechai Abir - The Al-Qaeda Threat to Saudi Arabia's Oil Sector
Jeff Helmreich - Empirical Hubris: How "Anonymous" Disguises the Real Threat to the West and Damages the CIA
Dan Diker - The Expulsion of the Palestinian Authority from Jerusalem and the Temple Mount
The Institute for Contemporary Affairs also sponsors the NGO Monitor - surveying how powerful non-governmental organizations view Israel, anti-Semitism, and the war against terrorism. With their multi-million-dollar (and euro) budgets provided by European governments, powerful philanthropies such as the Ford Foundation, and church groups - all claiming to promote peace - NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Christian Aid, Oxfam, and dozens of smaller allied groups have helped incite terrorism with a one-sided approach that boosts the most radical Palestinians and undermines moderate voices.

Jerusalem Issue Brief Series:

Volume 6:
No. 6-12: North Korea and Iran: Will Any Lessons Be Learned?
Gerald M. Steinberg
No. 6-11: The Rising Popularity of Hizballah Leader Nasrallah: Does it Matter?
Lee Smith
No. 6-10: Hizballah's Rocket Campaign Against Northern Israel: A Preliminary Report
Uzi Rubin
No. 6-9: The Critical Importance of Israeli Public Diplomacy in the War Against the Iran-Hizballah Axis of Terror
Dr. Raanan Gissin
No. 6-8: Countdown to Conflict: Hizballah's Military Buildup and the Need for Effective Disarmament
Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Shimon Shapira
No. 6-7: Europe and the War in Lebanon
Freddy Eytan
No. 6-6: The U.S.-French Draft UN Resolution on Lebanon: Strengths and Weaknesses
Dore Gold
No. 6-5: Is a Sustainable Cease-Fire in Lebanon Realistic? If Not, What is the Alternative?
Gerald M. Steinberg
No. 6-4: An International Force in Lebanon: Advantages and Disadvantages
Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon and Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror
No. 6-3: Survey: Israeli Public Opposed Further Disengagement Even Before the War with Hizballah
Yechiel Leiter
No. 6-2: A Strategic Assessment of the Hizballah War: Defeating the Iranian-Syrian Axis in Lebanon
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror and Dan Diker
No. 6-1: The Opening Round of Iran's War Against the West
Dore Gold

Volume 5:
No. 5-27: Will There Be a Palestinian Civil War?
Pinhas Inbari
No. 5-26: The Global Range of Iran's Ballistic Missile Program
Uzi Rubin
No. 5-25: The Islamist Threat to Jordan
Nibras Kazimi
No. 5-24: The Popular Resistance Committees: Hamas' New Partners?
Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 5-23: Europe's Response to the Threat of Global Terror
Jose Maria Aznar
No. 5-22: Understanding the Direction of the New Hamas Government: Between Tactical Pragmatism and Al-Qaeda Jihadism
Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 5-21: Dilemmas of Israeli Policy After the Hamas Victory: From Disengagement to Consolidation?
Chuck Freilich
No. 5-20: The Basis of the U.S.-Israel Alliance: An Israeli Response to the Mearsheimer-Walt Assault
Dore Gold
No. 5-19: Global Oil Supply Security and Al-Qaeda's Abortive Attack on Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia
Mordechai Abir
No. 5-18: The Strategic Logic of Israel's Security Barrier
Col. (Res.) Danny Tirza
No. 5-17: After the Hamas Victory: The Increasing Importance of Israel's Strategic Barrier in the Jordan Valley
Dore Gold
No. 5-16: The Palestinian Authority and the Challenge of Palestinian Elections
Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Giora Eiland
No. 5-15: Sharon's Strategic Legacy for Israel: Competing Perspectives
Dan Diker
No. 5-14: The Continuing Struggle of Palestinian Journalists for Freedom of the Press in the Palestinian Authority
Khaled Abu Toameh
No. 5-13: Towards Palestinian Elections: The Democracy of the Rifles
Brig. Gen. (res.) Shalom Harari
No. 5-12: Zarqawi and Israel: Is There a New Jihadi Threat Destabilizing the Eastern Front?
Dore Gold and Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 5-11: Can Diplomacy Still Prevent Iran from Going Nuclear?
Gerald M. Steinberg
No. 5-10: Iran's New Revolutionary Guards Regime: Anti-Americanism, Oil, and Rising International Tension
Mordechai Abir
No. 5-9: Domestic Threats to Iranian Stability: Khuzistan and Baluchistan
Michael Rubin
No. 5-8: America's Hamas Dilemma: Spreading Democracy or Combating Terrorism?
Dore Gold
No. 5-7: The World Oil Crisis: Implications for Global Security and the Middle East
Gal Luft
No. 5-6: The Murder of Musa Arafat and the Battle for the Spoils of Gaza
Pinhas Inbari and Dan Diker
No. 5-5: What If Iran Gets the Bomb? The Iranian Challenge to the West
Ephraim Kam
No. 5-4: U.S.-Saudi Relations After Hurricane Katrina: Increased Oil Dependency and the Vulnerability of Saudi Oil Installations
Mordechai Abir
No. 5-3: Legal Acrobatics: The Palestinian Claim that Gaza is Still Occupied Even After Israel Withdraws
Dore Gold
No. 5-2: The Succession of Saudi King Abdallah, the Oil Market, and Regional Politics
Mordechai Abir
No. 5-1: Are There Signs of a Jordanian-Palestinian Reengagement?
Dan Diker and Pinchas Inbari

Volume 4:
No. 4-27: European Misreading of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Efraim Karsh
No. 4-26: The Relationship Between International and Localized Terrorism
Boaz Ganor
No. 4-25: The EU Constitutional Crisis, the Middle East, and Israel
Manfred Gerstenfeld
No. 4-24: Democracy as a Component of Security
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom
No. 4-23: The U.S. Versus Syria and Iran: Winning the War on Terror
Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely (ret.)
No. 4-22: Putin Leads Russia's Return to the Middle East and the Arab Embrace
Michael Widlanski
No. 4-21: Undermining Mahmud Abbas: The "Green Revolution" and the Hamas Strategy to Take Over the Palestinian Authority
Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 4-20: Israel's Defense Industry as a Key Component of Israel's Qualitative Military Edge
Giora Shalgi
No. 4-19: What is the True Demographic Picture in the West Bank and Gaza?
Bennett Zimmerman and Prof. Sergio DellaPergola
No. 4-18: How Egypt Molded Modern Radical Islam
Zvi Mazel
No. 4-17: Will Washington Support Democracy in Iran?
Michael Rubin
No. 4-16: The Palestinian "Temporary Cease-Fire": Israel's Political Risks and Opportunities with the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit
Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 4-15: After the Palestinian Elections
Ehud Yaari
No. 4-14: Radical Islam in The Netherlands: A Case Study of a Failed European Policy
Manfred Gerstenfeld
No. 4-13: The Al-Qaeda Threat to Saudi Arabia's Oil Sector
Mordechai Abir
No. 4-12: Lessons of the Gaza Security Fence for the West Bank
Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog
No. 4-11: How is Israel's Economy Affected by the Security Situation?
Ezra Sadan
No. 4-10: The New Iraqi Government: An Interim Appraisal
Amazia Baram
No. 4-9: Palestinian Priorities After Arafat: Palestinian Unity or Peace?
Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 4-8: Ethical Dilemmas in Fighting Terrorism
Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin
No. 4-7: Will a Gaza "Hamas-stan" Become a Future Al-Qaeda Sanctuary?
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror and David Keyes
No. 4-6: Instability in the Gulf and the Threat to Oil Stability
Antoine Halff
No. 4-5: Israel's Commitment to Domestic and International Law in Times of War
Judge Amnon Straschnov, former IDF Military Advocate General
No. 4-4: Empirical Hubris: How "Anonymous" Disguises the Real Threat to the West and Damages the CIA
Jeff Helmreich
No. 4-3: Israeli Responses to the FBI's Espionage Investigation Leak - A Compendium
No. 4-2: Syrian Foreign Policy Under Bashar al-Assad
Eyal Zisser
No. 4-1: How Europe's Drive for Independence from America Hurts Israel
Jeffrey Gedmin

Volume 3:
No. 3-32: Understanding Arafat Before His Attempted Rehabilitation
Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 3-31: The Expulsion of the Palestinian Authority from Jerusalem and the Temple Mount
Dan Diker
No. 3-30: The Palestinian Rebellion in Fatah: Foreshadowing the Politics of the Post-Arafat Era
Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 3-29: Who's Right on the War on Terrorism? The 9/11 Commission, the U.S. Senate Assessment of Prewar Intelligence, and the British Butler Committee
Dore Gold
No. 3-28: Pride and Dissent in the Israeli Military
Brig.-Gen. Gershon HaCohen
No. 3-27: The International Atomic Energy Agency and Israel: A Realistic Agenda
Gerald M. Steinberg
No. 3-26: How Successful is Al-Qaeda's Strategy of Depriving the West of Essential Oil?
Mordechai Abir
No. 3-25: Wartime Witch Hunt: Blaming Israel for the Iraq War
Dore Gold
No. 3-24: The Struggle of Palestinian Journalists for Freedom of the Press
Dan Diker
No. 3-23: Why the Likud Voted No to Sharon's Disengagement Plan
Ron Dermer
No. 3-22: The Vanunu Myths and Israeli Deterrence Policy
Gerald M. Steinberg
No. 3-21: Bush Erases the Clinton Parameters
Dore Gold
No. 3-20: What Happened to Reform of the Palestinian Authority?
Dan Diker and Khaled Abu Toameh
No. 3-19: Polling the Importance of Israel's Rights to a United Jerusalem and Defensible Borders for Likely American Voters: A Nationwide U.S. Survey
John McLaughlin
No. 3-18: Should the International Court of Justice Give an Advisory Opinion on Israel's Separation Fence?
Prof. Ruth Lapidoth
No. 3-17: Israel's Redeployment and Economic Relations with Its Arab Neighbors
Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
No. 3-16: 21st Century Threats Facing Israel
Maj. Gen. Dan Haloutz
No. 3-15: The Security Fence: An Imperative for Israel
Minister Uzi Landau
No. 3-14: Is Hamas Preparing to Inherit the Palestinian Authority?
Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 3-13: Is There an Alternative to Arafat's Leadership?
Barry Rubin
No. 3-12: After Ghadafi's Declaration: The Impact of Changes in Libyan and Iranian WMD Policies on Israel and the Region
Gerald M. Steinberg
No. 3-11: Lethal Gestures
Dan Diker
No. 3-10: The Growing Threat to Israel's Qualitative Military Edge
MK Dr. Yuval Steinitz
No. 3-9: The Geneva Accord: A Strategic Assessment
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror
No. 3-8: Balancing IDF Checkpoints and International Law: Teaching the IDF Code of Conduct
Lt. Col. Amos Guiora
No. 3-7: Undermining the War on Terrorism: The Role of Yasser Arafat and the Syrian Regime
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad
No. 3-6: What Exactly Does Israel Have on Yasser Arafat?
Eli Kazhdan
No. 3-5: The Inevitable Disintegration of the Hudna
Eli Kazhdan and David Keyes
No. 3-4: Combating Terrorist Financing: Where the War on Terror Intersects the "Roadmap"
Matthew Levitt
No. 3-3: Who is Taking Credit for Attacks on the U.S. Army in Western Iraq? Al-Jama'a al-Salafiya al-Mujahida
Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi
No. 3-2: Iran after the Iraq War
Ephraim Sneh
No. 3-1: U.S. Middle East Policy and Iran's Politico-Economic Development
Mordechai Abir

Volume 2:
No. 2-31: Prisoner Release - Veering Off the Roadmap
Eli Kazhdan
No. 2-30: Iraq - A Source of Oil or a Quagmire for the U.S.?
Mordechai Abir
No. 2-29: Towards Aqaba: Challenges Facing Israel after the Iraq War
Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland
No. 2-28: The Suicide Bombing Attacks in Saudi Arabia: A Preliminary Assessment
Dore Gold
No. 2-27: What Can We Learn from the Palestine Investment Fund Report?
Mark Sloman
No. 2-26: Russia and Iran's Nuclear Program
Uzi Arad
No. 2-25: The New Arafat-Abu Mazen Cabinet: A Roadblock to Middle East Peace
Dore Gold
No. 2-24: Israel's Strategy after the Iraq War
Maj. Gen. Ya'akov Amidror
No. 2-23: The Influence of Palestinian Organizations on Foreign News Reporting
Dan Diker
No. 2-22: Beyond Iraq: Missile Proliferation in the Middle East
Uzi Rubin
No. 2-21: The Palestinian Boycott of Jerusalem's Municipal Political Process: Consequences for the Level of Public Services and Infrastructure
Justus Reid Weiner
No. 2-20: Hizballah's Threat to Regional Security
Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman
No. 2-19: Meeting the "Depth Threat" from Iraq: The Origins of Israel's Arrow System
Uzi Rubin
No. 2-18: Mubarak Changes His Tune
Victor Nahmias
No. 2-17: Deterrence in the Era of Terrorism and Non-Conventional Weaponry
Dan Meridor
No. 2-16: Diplomatic and Legal Aspects of the Settlement Issue
Jeffrey Helmreich
No. 2-15: Turkey's Elections and Israel
Efraim Inbar
No. 2-14: The Evolution of International Law and the War on Terrorism
Alan Baker and Col. Daniel Reisner
No. 2-13: Sunni and Shiite Terrorist Networks: Competition or Collusion?
Lenny Ben-David
No. 2-12: The Assad Visit to London: Background and Implications
Mark Ami-El
No. 2-11: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the War on Terrorism
Mordechai Abir
No. 2-10: A New Palestinian Agenda After Iraq?
Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad
No. 2-9: Israel, Iraq, and the Palestinians - As the U.S. Moves Toward War
Ze'ev Schiff
No. 2-8: The Recruitment of Children in Current Palestinian Strategy
Justus Weiner
No. 2-7: Baseless Comparisons: UN Security Council Resolutions on Iraq and Israel
Dore Gold
No. 2-6: Starting Over After Oslo
Gerald M. Steinberg
No. 2-5: Durban's Troubling Legacy One Year Later: Twisting the Cause of International Human Rights Against the Jewish People
Irwin Cotler
No. 2.4: Missile Proliferation in the Middle East
Moshe Arens
No. 2.3: Iran, Syria, and Hizballah - Threatening Israel's North
Lenny Ben-David
No. 2.2: The Israeli-Palestinian Confrontation: Toward a Divorce
Ehud Ya'ari
No. 2.1: Why Arafat Went to War: The Wrong Lessons from Lebanon and Kosovo
Brig. Gen. Eival Gilady

NGO Monitor Series
NGO Monitor is a chronicle of statements from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on Israel, anti-Semitism, the war against terrorism, and other issues of importance to the Jewish community.