Jewish Policy Center

The first round of revenge killings in Syria appears to be over. Don't mistake that for calm. Ankara and Damascus are negotiating a “peace treaty” that would allow Turkish troops to operate inside the country, and Turkey has begun efforts to take control of an airbase known as T-4, including the deployment of air defenses. […]

President Trump’s plan for Gaza was, not unexpectedly, shocking. UAE Ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, called it “difficult,” but said, “We're all in the solution-seeking business, we just don't know where it's going to land yet. I don't see an alternative to what's being proposed. I really don't.” After a burst of negative reaction from […]

Since the rise of American industry after the Civil War, the titans of American business have wrestled with the very difficult question of how to deal with an increasingly powerful federal government. In his superb new book, The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry, presidential historian […]

On October 7, 2023, the world witnessed events that significantly reshaped the security landscape in Israel and beyond. This webinar will delve into how Israelis perceive global dynamics and navigate the complex security challenges that have emerged in the aftermath. Join us as Dan Diker, President of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs […]

Hamas started the war against Israel long before 10/7. But Israel's response since that date has delivered extraordinary blows to Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and the Iranian government. Iran's proxy Bashar Assad has fallen to Turkish-supported, ISIS-aligned HTS. Russia has been removing military assets from Syria, while the US have been striking ISIS bases and Israel […]

There was a moment of relief that the murderous war criminal Bashar Assad was ousted. It was followed by awe at the IDF’s ability to deny the rebels Assad’s stocks of chemical weapons, Russian and Iranian military equipment, and air defense capabilities. But then, the next round of worry started. Who does the “interim government” […]

The “ceasefire” agreement between the US and Israel, and between the US and Lebanon, along with a “designated” interlocutor for Hezbollah, is complicated to say the least. And questions arise. Start with: What did Israel gain? Will the agreement last? Who will enforce it? What happens if one party tries to enforce provisions and another […]

Last month, an identifiably Jewish Chicago man was shot while walking to synagogue on the Sabbath. While attacks against American Jews have generally been prosecuted as “assaults” or “hate crimes,” this time the assailant was charged with “terrorism.” A native of Mauritania, he had been “encountered by US Border Patrol at the California border in […]

Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and, of course, Iran are interlocking parts of Israel’s security picture. Iraq and Syria have to be accounted for as well. Alongside those are Egypt, Jordan, and the Abraham Accords countries – and the United States. How to manage the disparate elements while fighting a hot war for the shape of […]

Approaching the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the unimaginable horrors of October 7, Israelis are dealing with tragic losses, the continuing plight of hostages in Gaza, a horrific barrage of rockets launched by Iran, and the ensuing wars to protect and defend Israel from Iran and its proxies. Israeli society has been stressed almost beyond measure. […]

Since October 7, Hezbollah has fired more than 8,000 rockets into Israel, and IDF intelligence has uncovered plans for a ground operation by Hezbollah into the Galilee with the intention of repeating the horrors of October 7. Israel pre-empted. The battle is moving fast – but there is an almost unmentioned element of this war: […]

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine after a series of demands and counter demands among Moscow, Kiev, Washington, and several European countries. The US provided Ukraine with weapons, more than $100 billion in aid, and political support including an invitation for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to appear before Congress. The military and political battles were front […]

Parts of our media and political leadership have been working hard to distract the public on the issue of the Supreme Court, asking, “Do we need a Supreme Court? Maybe the world is different now and the old job of the Court is no longer relevant.”  “If we have to have it, can it be […]

What’s going on in Gaza? You know what the media says – and don’t believe most of it. Where are you supposed to get serious, on the ground information about what the IDF is doing and how it is doing it? With the JPC. Join us for a conversation with Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (ret.). […]

For good reason, when thinking about nukes, we give most of our attention to weaponization and Iran – the consequences of rogue powers having nuclear weapons are terrifying. But there is another side of the nuclear equation: Nuclear power is low-carbon, renewable, clean, and domestic. Like all energy sources, it has drawbacks, including a poor […]

The French government’s decision to ban Israeli companies and nationals from participating in the Eurosatory 2024 defense conference went mostly unnoticed in U.S. media. French courts reversed the ban – too late to be useful – but the controversial decision sent ripples through the global defense community. Israel’s defense tech is respected and admired around […]

The war in the Red Sea appears to have receded. Don't be fooled. The Houthis are active pawns of China, which has a base in Djibouti, as well as of Iran. They attack shipping they claim is going to Israel as well as US naval vessels. In the first two months of 2024, traffic into […]

Cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank—in which the PA governs the territory but Israel exercises overriding security control—is the best solution for Gaza after the IDF withdraws, veteran Israeli security expert Efraim Inbar said Thursday. Israel wants a “modest thing: freedom of military action after we leave Gaza,” Inbar told […]

Since the October 7 mass terror attack by Hamas, the Israeli military has been faced with one of the most difficult challenges in its history: to destroy the ability of this group to carry out terrorist attacks from Gaza, while keeping civilian casualties to a minimum, notwithstanding the fact that Hamas uses places including schools, […]

First Amendment to justify violence, intimidation, and thuggery in support of Hamas, according to Heritage Foundation scholar Hans von Spakovsky. The people Americans have witnessed screaming anti-Semitic epithets, assaulting students and faculty and destroying property are nothing more than “hooligans”, von Spakovsky told a Jewish Policy Center webinar May 9. He noted that government has […]

Americans often say, “Let bygones be bygones,” “That’s history,” means something is no longer of importance. But the American view of compromise and conciliation is not universal, and may be preventing the US from taking necessary steps to secure American and allied interests in the Middle East. Join us for a conversation about how allies […]

Israel should insist its war against terrorists in the Gaza Strip “will end if Hamas [Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement] surrenders and releases the hostages,” says Barry Shaw, senior associate for public policy at the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies. But “the shoe was put on the other foot,” he told participants in the Jewish Policy […]

After more than four months of war, the IDF has taken control of the northern Gaza Strip, and its forces continue eliminating the Hamas infrastructure – above and below ground. Progress has also been made in Khan Yunis. As the IDF moves south, the US and others have raised objections to the nature of a […]

President Joe Biden and Sen. Chuck Schumer are losing patience with Israel’s defensive war in Gaza. While pressing Israel for “regime change” they are also threatening greater American pressure to achieve an outcome that suits the administration’s political priorities. But the Government of Israel has priorities as well, chiefly to ensure the security of the […]

Since October 7, American Jews have been faced with a wave of antisemitic incidents. Most of the news focus has been on demonstrations on college campuses and in large cities But younger American Jews face rising challenges as well – not always seen, not always confronted. Join us for a conversation with Rebecca Schgallis, Senior Education […]

The Biden Administration's timid approach toward Iran and its Houthi proxies has placed American servicemembers and crucial global trade routes at grave risk. An estimated 12 percent of international trade, amounting to over $1 trillion in goods annually normally navigates through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Since the Houthi attacks began, freight rates […]

The United States and a dozen other countries have suspended funding of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees) after Israel revealed that at least 12 UNRWA employees participated in Hamas' October 7 massacres. Israel has estimated that 10 percent of UNRWA's workforce has direct or indirect ties to terrorists in […]

Targeting of U.S. troops on bases in Iraq and Syria by local militia, attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah strikes against Israel from Lebanon, “none of this happens without Iran,” Michael Pregent told participants in a Jewish Policy Center webinar on January 25. Pregent, a Hudson Institute […]

Every Israeli-Palestinian peace deal since the 1993 Oslo process began required Palestinian authorities to dismantle terrorists' infrastructure in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and the Gaza Strip, and prohibited a large-scale arms buildup, David Weinberg reminded participants in the Jewish Policy Center's January 11 webinar. Palestinian demilitarization, a myth from early in the “peace process,” […]

Hezbollah in Lebanon has held off launching a major attack against Israel not because it is unconcerned about what Israeli forces are doing to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but because Hezbollah's main purpose is to protect Iran and its nuclear weapons program. If Iran or Hezbollah changes its view of the fighting in Gaza, […]

The Hamas war against Israel produced a military and political shock wave in Israel. Is it Israel’s 9/11? Israel’s Yom Kippur War? Is it the biggest storm ever? What will be the October 7 attack’s impact on how the Israeli people view themselves, their leaders, and their place in the region? How will the political […]

Reaction to the Hamas attacks on Israel and Israel’s response have varied across the Arab world, from refusals to take Palestinian refugees or provide aid, to encouraging massive anti-Israel demonstrations in the streets, to an odd silence. Join us for a conversation with Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. His […]

The overwhelming flood of information emanating from Israel and world media continues unabated. Some of it is really good and some is simply a reflection of warped/political/ignorant thinking. We’re sticking to the former. So join our valued friend and guest, David M. Weinberg for a discussion of what is happening on the ground in Israel and how […]

The shock of the monstrous Hamas attack on Israel continues to reverberate. The death toll, as a percentage of population, has well-surpassed America’s losses on 9/11. And, as with 9/11, there appears to be a major realignment in Israel’s understanding of the threats it faces and the requirement for Israeli government action. Gabriel Noronha, a […]

October 23 marks the 40th anniversary of the bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks at Beirut International Airport and a French military installation nearby. A total of 307 people died, including 241 U.S. forces and 58 French. It is critical for U.S. security—and that of Israel and other American allies—that we remember who the […]

Stephen Bryen believes Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia's Wagner group mercenary army, died in the wreckage of one of his private planes on August 23. Some early news reports noted speculation Prighozin might not have been aboard. Bryen also strongly suspects that the plane was shot down, not felled by a bomb smuggled on board […]

Suppose Chinese leader Xi Jinping finds himself in a box of his own making and, to break out, decides to do the unexpected? Connecting the dots of recent developments analyst Guermantes Lailari for one would not be stunned by a Chinese surprise that happens as early as this month. A former U.S. Air Force foreign […]

Recep Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey's presidential runoff election May 28 with just 52 percent of the vote. That showed at least two things, Mark Meirowitz told participants in a Jewish Policy Center webinar on June 1. One, that after 20 years in power—during which he has closed a number of critical news media and jailed […]

As Iran moves closer to nuclear weapons capability and enriches uranium to just under the threshold for a bomb, the region faces increased threats and greater instability. The United States and Israel have held exercises in CENTCOM with regional partners to help ensure that Iran will not get “the bomb.” But what will it take […]

While we were gone, China brokered rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, countries separated by religious belief, national ideology, and plans for their respective futures. While the Iranians claimed the Houthis in Yemen would stop attacking Saudi Arabia, the Saudis advocated for the return to the Arab League of Bashar Assad's Syria, a move opposed […]

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is in the 18th year of a four-year term, 87 years old, and a heavy smoker. A recent Palestinian public opinion poll indicates that Abbas and the PA are unpopular with the West Bank Arabs they administer and continue to lose influence to groups like Hamas, the Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance […]

The two powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, and their dozens of aftershocks—which killed more than 40,000 people and left at least two million homeless, mostly in the former—should cause Americans “to rethink everything we thought about Turkey,” says Mark Meirowitz. A professor of foreign policy, U.S.-Turkish relations, American history, and […]

The “prevailing ideas and culture both within the military and politically” in the United States hold that the country is “not in a pre-war period but an interwar period,” Seth Cropsey told participants in a Jewish Policy Center webinar February 7. “I disagree.” In fact, said Cropsey, president of the Yorktown Institute and former Defense […]

Russia's war against Ukraine makes sense if one recognizes that Vladimir Putin sees himself as a modern czar, obligated to restore the Russian empire. So Cliff May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington, D.C. think tank, told participants in a Jewish Policy Center webinar January 26. Putin in 2005 lamented […]

An “alarming” deterioration in Israeli-Jordanian relations sparked Jonathan Schanzer's trip to Amman in September. Meetings with senior officials and other Jordanian stakeholders in domestic and regional matters confirmed that “things are not well.” Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies think tank in Washington, D.C., said “I don't […]

The Saudi Arabia of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) is not the Saudi Arabia of his father. The relationship with the United States has changed, as have the roles of the religious establishment and women in society, and relations between the Kingdom and Russia, China and the State of Israel. Join us for a conversation with […]

There is an emerging consensus about the military and technological threats presented by Communist China to the United States and its regional allies. That is the good news. The less-good news is that American efforts to address those threats appear to be lacking. What can the incoming Congress do to rebalance the scales? Dakota Wood […]

Russia used Iranian-built drones to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv. But Iran was under UN sanction that covered drones and drone technology – imports and exports. How did Iran build a drone capability under sanction? Who helped? Can the illicit program be stopped? By whom and how? Join Dr. Stephen D. Bryen, senior […]

“The sky is not falling” as a result of Israel's most recent election—the fifth in less than four years—says Israeli political analyst David Weinberg. Disappointing the Israeli left, “and some diaspora Jews, as a matter of fact,” the vote appears to give former prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud the opportunity to form a […]

Less than meets the eye, and not likely to last. David Wurmser gave that assessment of the Israeli-Lebanese maritime agreement the same day it was being signed. Wurmser, senior analyst and director of the Project on Global Antisemitism and the U.S.-Israel Relationship at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Security Policy and former Middle East advisor […]

Join the JPC as investigative journalist Kenneth Timmerman, author of And the Rest is History, brings us the latest information from the Iranian uprising. Where it is, who has joined the rebellion, what the leadership is saying – and most important – where it appears to be headed.