New Article: Zohar, Arming of Non-State Actors in the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula

Zohar, Eran. “The Arming of Non-State Actors in the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula.” Australian Journal of International Affairs 69.4 (2015): 438-61.

 
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10357718.2014.988206

 

Abstract
Rebellious non-state actors of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula have been arming themselves through smuggling networks operating in north-east Africa and the Middle East. They feature complex, dynamic, open systems which include many components of various organisational and national identities, and which are driven by various motives, united in order to accomplish the goal of arms smuggling. Previously, this system was dominated by the supply of Iranian large and high-quality weapon systems, mainly rockets, to the Palestinian Hamas, enabling them to build up military force that has sustained long-standing conflict against the stronger Israel. The Arab turmoil initiated dramatic changes in the arming system: Iran stopped, at least temporarily, the channelling of weapons to the Hamas due to its support of the Syrian opposition against the Assad regime. Egypt blocked many of Hamas’s smuggling tunnels, intensifying Hamas’s strategic isolation. Following the removal of Gaddafi and lack of government, Libya became a major arms source, serving mainly regional radical Islamic groups. Salafist jihadist groups in Sinai revolted against the Egyptian government, using huge local stockpiles of weapons and operational cooperation with Palestinian Islamists. This article argues that to survive, rebellious non-state actors must exploit arming opportunities in the physical, social and political environment, whereas securing shared borders is vital for defeating rebellious non-state actors. The arming of non-state actors should be analysed broadly, considering the needs of the civilian population among whom the militants are operating.

 

 

ToC: Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs 9,1 (2015)

Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, in its first publication with Routledge, is pleased to announce a new issue:

 

From the Editor

Dr. Laurence Weinbaum, Chief Editor

pages 1-2

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1019215

Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” in Europe: From Controversial Theory to Grim Reality

Oded Eran

pages 3-6

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1015093

 

Israel  Affairs

Israel’s National Security: Challenges and Assets

Dan Schueftan

pages 7-28

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1015300

The Delegitimization of Israel: Diplomatic Warfare, Sanctions, and Lawfare

Matthew S. Cohen & Charles D. Freilich

pages 29-48

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1015095

Middle Eastern Currents

Cracks in the Crescent: The Looming Sectarian Clash between Khilafah and Imamah

Dimitar Mihaylov

pages 49-61

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1003455

Iran and the Arab Gulf States: Change amidst Continuity

Yoel Guzansky

pages 63-74

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1006432

Bilateral Relations

Israel and Cuba: A New Beginning?

Margalit Bejarano

pages 75-85

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1005450

Reflections on Czech–Israeli Relations in Light of EU Policies

Lubomír Zaorálek

pages 87-89

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1015094

Jewish Affairs

Holocaust Restitution: The End Game II?

Aharon Mor

pages 91-97

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1004610

Reviews

The Journey to the Arab Spring: The Ideological Roots of the Middle East Upheaval in Arab Liberal Thought, by David Govrin

Nir Boms, Research Fellow

pages 99-102

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1008958

Egyptian Foreign Policy from Mubarak to Morsi: Against the National Interest, by Nael M. Shama

Terry Newman

pages 103-106

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1002062

The Next War between Israel and Egypt: Examining a High-intensity War between two of the Strongest Militaries in the Middle East, by Ehud Eilam

David Rodman

pages 107-108

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.994327

Iranian Foreign Policy during Ahmadinejad: Ideology and Actions, by Maaike Warnaar & Iranian Foreign Policy since 2001: Alone in the World, edited by Thomas Juneau and Sam Razavi

Aryeh Levin

pages 109-115

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1004795

The Hague Odyssey: Israel’s Struggle for Security on the Front Lines of Terrorism and Her Battle for Justice at the United Nations, by Richard D. Heiderman

Howard M. Weisband

pages 117-121

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2014.996968

Uncivil War: The Israel Conflict in the Jewish Community, by Keith Kahn-Harris

Robbie Sabel

pages 123-126

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.998004

Britain’s Moment in Palestine: Retrospect and Perspectives, 1917–48, by Michael J. Cohen

Aharon Klieman

pages 127-131

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.996840

Nazis, Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Barry Rubin and Wolfgang G. Schwanitz

Matthias Küntzel

pages 133-137

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1003360

Diary of a Foreign Minister, by Bob Carr

Jeremy Jones

pages 139-142

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1000563

Jews and the Military: A History, by Derek J. Penslar

Stephen G. Fritz

pages 143-145

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.994330

Armed Political Organizations: From Conflict to Integration, by Benedetta Berti

Rashmi Singh, Lecturer

pages 147-150

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.995891

Dynamics of Asymmetric Territorial Conflict: The Evolution of Patience, by Uri Resnick

Melanie Carina Schmoll

pages 151-153

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.999426

Letters

Letters by Daphna Sharfman, Simon Geissbühler, and Yisrael Medad

pages 155-160

DOI: 10.1080/23739770.2015.1016655

ToC: Israel Affairs 21.1 (2015)

Israel Affairs, Volume 21, Issue 1, January 2015

 

This new issue contains the following articles:

Articles
Ethnic Income Disparities in Israel
Pnina O. Plaut & Steven E. Plaut
Pages: 1-26
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.984418

‘Mayhew’s outcasts’: anti-Zionism and the Arab lobby in Harold Wilson’s Labour Party
James R. Vaughan
Pages: 27-47
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.984420

Israel Negev Bedouin during the 1948 War: Departure and Return
Havatzelet Yahel & Ruth Kark
Pages: 48-97
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.984421

Good news: the Carmel Newsreels and their place in the emerging Israeli language media
Oren Soffer & Tamar Liebes
Pages: 98-111
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.984422

From ‘Rambo’ to ‘sitting ducks’ and back again: the Israeli soldier in the media
Elisheva Rosman & Zipi Israeli
Pages: 112-130
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.984423

Israel and the Arab Gulf states: from tacit cooperation to reconciliation?
Yoel Guzansky
Pages: 131-147
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.984424

Building partnerships between Israeli and Palestinian youth: an integrative approach
Debbie Nathan, David Trimble & Shai Fuxman
Pages: 148-164
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.984436

Book Reviews
Flexigidity: the secret of Jewish adaptability
David Rodman
Pages: 165-166
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937913

Russia and Israel in the changing Middle East
David Rodman
Pages: 166-167
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937914

Social mobilization in the Arab–Israeli war of 1948: on the Israeli home front
David Rodman
Pages: 167-169
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937915

These are my brothers: a dramatic story of heroism during the Yom Kippur War
David Rodman
Pages: 169-171
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937916

Jews and the military: a history
David Rodman
Pages: 171-173
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937917

The Jewish revolt: ad 66–74
David Rodman
Pages: 173-173
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937918

The city besieged: siege and its manifestations in the ancient Near East
David Rodman
Pages: 173-175
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937919

The forgotten kingdom: the archaeology and history of northern Israel
David Rodman
Pages: 175-176
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937920

Conference program: MESA, Washington, DC (22-25 Nov, 2014)

Israel Studies events at the annual conference of MESA, Washington, DC, November 22-25. For full program click here (PDF).

 

AIS–Association for Israel Studies Reception

Saturday, 11/22

Reception, 8:30-10:30pm, McKinley (M)

 

(3681) Settler-Colonialism and the Study of Zionism: Erasure, Transfer and Assimilation

Sunday, November 23, 11am-1pm

Organized by Arnon Degani

Sponsored by Palestinian American Research Center (PARC)

Chair: Gabriel Piterberg, UCLA

 

Discussant: Lorenzo Veracini, Swinburne Inst for Social Research

Susan Slyomovics, UCLA–“The Object of Memory” and Settler Colonialism Studies 16 Years Later

Honaida Ghanim, Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies–Judaization and De-Indigenization: Settler-Colonialism in East Jerusalem

Areej Sabbagh-Khoury, Mada Al-Carmel–The Zionist Left and Settler-Colonialism in Marj Ibn ‘Amer: Land, Population and Property

Arnon Degani, UCLA–Non-Statist and Bi-Nationalist Zionism as Settler-Colonial Agendas

 

(3756) Rule of Experts?: Revolutions, Doctrines, and Interventions in the Middle East

Sunday, November 23, 2m-4pm

Organized by Osamah Khalil

 

Seth Anziska, Columbia University–Israel, the United States and the 1982 War in Lebanon

 

(3925) World War One and Its Aftermath

Sunday, November 23, 2m-4pm

Chair: Weston F Cook, Jr, UNC Pembroke

 

Roberto Mazza, Western Illinois U–Cemal Pasha, Zionism and the Alleged Expulsion of the Jews from Jaffa in April 1917

 

(3792) Israel Studies in the Arab World

Sunday, November 23, 4:30m-6:30pm

Organized by Johannes Becke

Discussant: Elie Podeh, Hebrew U of Jersusalem

 

Hassan A. Barari, U Jordan–Israelism: Arab Scholarship on Israel, a Critical Assessment

Mostafa Hussein, Brandeis U–Israel Studies in the Arab World Between Two Dictums: ‘Whosoever Learns People’s Language Avoids Their Plot’ and ‘Know Your Enemy’

Johannes Becke, U Oxford–Hebrew in Beirut: Studying Israel in the Last Arab Frontline State

Hebatalla Taha, U Oxford–The Politics of ‘Normalisation’: The Israeli Academic Centre in Cairo

Amr Yossef, American U Cairo–Egyptian Israelists: The View from Israel

 

(3886) Social Media, the Digital Archive, and Scholarly Futures

Sunday, November 23, 4:30m-6:30pm

Organized by Ted Swedenburg

Chair/Discussant: Elliott Colla, Georgetown U

 

Rebecca L. Stein, Duke U–The Perpetrator’s Archive: Israel’s Occupation on YouTube

 

 

(4006) Special Session

Abandoned Yet Central: Gaza and the Resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Sunday, November 23, 4:30m-6:30pm

Organized by Sara Roy

Chair: Sara Roy, Harvard University

 

Chris Gunness, UNRWA, Office of the Commissioner General, Jerusalem

Paul Aaron, Political Analyst and Consultant, Gaza Community Mental Health Program

Bill Corcoran, American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA)

Ilana Feldman, George Washington University

Brian Barber, University of Tennessee

Susan Akram, Boston University School of Law

 

This session will present an overview of the past summer’s violent clashes between Israeli and Hamas forces and the ensuing destruction in Gaza. Representatives from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) will provide an “on-the-ground” analysis of the destruction and human toll of the 50-day war. Scholars will further place the recent violence in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and examine the prerequisites for a sustainable resolution of the conflict.

 

 

 

(3737) Religious Inclusivity and Civilizational Identity: Expanding Iranian Identities Along Religious, Ethnic, and Gender Lines

Monday, November 24, 8:30am-10:30am

Organized by Lior Sternfeld

Chair/Discussant: Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, U Toronto

 

Lior Sternfeld, U Texas Austin–Iran is My Homeland, Jerusalem is My Qiblah: Iranian Jews Between Zionist and Iranian Identities

 

(3643) Israel, the United States and a Changing Middle East

Monday, November 24, 11am-1pm

Organized by Robert O. Freedman

Sponsored by Association for Israel Studies

Chair/Discussant: Robert O. Freedman, Johns Hopkins U

 

Eyal Zisser, Tel Aviv U–Israel and the Arab World – Who’s First – Syria, Egypt or Lebanon?

Ilan Peleg, Lafayette Col–Israel, Netanyahu & the Palestinians: Is the Third Term the Charm?!

Rami Ginat, Bar Ilan U–The Israeli-Egyptian-American Strategic Triangle: A Reassessment in Light of the Arab Uprising

Joshua Teitelbaum, Bar-Ilan U–Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council: New Opportunities for Cooperation?

Uzi Rabi, Tel Aviv U–Iran and Israel: Post 2013 Elections

 

 

(3697) Bridging the Rupture of 1948: The “Decolonization” and Erasure of Mandate Palestine

Monday, November 24, 2:30pm-4:30pm

Organized by Jeffrey D. Reger and Leena Dallasheh

Sponsored by Palestinian American Research Center (PARC)

Chair: Zachary Lockman, New York U

Discussant: Shira Robinson, George Washington U

 

Jeffrey D. Reger, Georgetown U–Uprooting Palestine: Olive Groves, Mass Dispossession, and Peasant Resistance, 1945-1955

Hilary Falb Kalisman, UC Berkeley–Learning Exile: Palestinian Students and Educators Abroad, 1940-1958

Leena Dallasheh, Rice U–Defying the Rupture, Affirming Presence: Palestinians in Nazareth Surviving 1948

Rephael Stern, Princeton U–Israel’s Postcolonial Predicament and Its Contradicting Jurisdictional Claims in 1948

 

 

(3917) Perilous Peacemaking: Israeli-Palestinian Relations Since Oslo

Monday, November 24, 5pm-7pm

Chair: Timothy Schorn, U South Dakota

 

Elie Podeh, Hebrew U Jerusalem–Missed Opportunities in the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Case of the Arab Peace Initiative (2002-2014)

Maia Carter Hallward, Kennesaw State U–Choosing to Negotiate Under Sub-Optimal Conditions: The 2013 Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

Gabriele Mombelli, U Florence–The Palestinian National Authority Security Sector: An Operational Overview

Karam Dana, U Washington–Twenty Years after Oslo: What Do Palestinians Think?

Andrew Barwig, Department of State–“New Blood” in Israel’s Knesset: Elite Circulation and Parliamentary Resilience

 

 

 

(3867) Urbanism and the Politics of the Mandate Period, Local versus Imperial Interests

Tuesday, November 25, 11am-1pm

Organized by Harrison Guthorn

Chair: Elizabeth F. Thompson, U Virginia

 

Noah Hysler Rubin, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design–Planning Palestine: British and Zionist Plans for Tiberius and Nathanya

 

(3893) Public Opinion in the Middle East

Tuesday, November 25, 11am-1pm

Organized by Yael Zeira

 

Devorah Manekin, Arizona State U–Carrots and Sticks: Policy Instruments and Public Opinion in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 

(3919) Palestinian Resistance: Spaces and Standpoints

Tuesday, November 25, 11am-1pm

Chair: Timothy Schorn, U South Dakota

 

Timothy Seidel, American U–Narrating Nonviolence: Postcolonial Interrogations of Resistance in Palestine

Maya Rosenfeld, Hebrew U Jerusalem–The Movement of Palestinian Political Prisoners and the Struggle Against the Israeli Occupation: A Historical Perspective

Sharri Plonski, SOAS U London–Transcending Bounded Space: The Struggle for Land and Space by the Palestinian Citizens of Israel

Julie Norman, McGill U–Prisoners Dilemma?: Prison-Based Resistance and the Diffusion of Activism in Palestine

Maryam Griffin, UC Santa Barbara–Movement as/and Non-Movement in Palestine

 

(3949) Transnational Cultural Production

Tuesday, November 25, 1:30pm-3:30pm

Chair: Zeynep Seviner, U Washington

 

Isra Ali, Rutgers, State U of New Jersey–Adaptation: Cultural Alliances and Television Production in Israel and the United States

Robert Lang, U Hartford–Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir: Whose Trauma?

New Article: Jaspal, Delegitimizing Jews and Israel in Iran’s International Holocaust Cartoon Contest

Jaspal, Rusi. “Delegitimizing Jews and Israel in Iran’s International Holocaust Cartoon Contest.” Journal of Modern Jewish Studies 13.2 (2014): 167-89.

 

URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14725886.2014.919804

 

 

Abstract

 

In 2006, the Iranian government-aligned newspaper Hamshahri sponsored The International Holocaust Cartoon Contest. The stated aim of the contest was to denounce “Western hypocrisy on freedom of speech,” and to challenge “Western hegemony” in relation to Holocaust knowledge. This government-backed initiative was a clear attempt to export the Iranian regime’s anti-Zionist agenda. Using qualitative thematic analysis and Social Representations Theory, this article provides an in-depth qualitative analysis of the cartoons submitted to the contest in order to identify emerging social representations of Jews and Israel. Three superordinate themes are outlined: (i) “Constructing the ‘Evil Jew’ and ‘Brutal Israel’ as a Universal Threat;” (ii) “Denying the Holocaust and Affirming Palestinian Suffering;” (iii) “Constructing International Subservience to ‘Nazi-Zionist’ Ideology.” Although the organizers of the International Holocaust Cartoon Contest claimed that their aims were anti-Zionist, this article elucidates the overtly anti-Semitic character of the contest and its cartoons. It is argued that the cartoons exhibit a distorted, one-sided version of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and of Jewish history, and may therefore shape viewers’ beliefs concerning Jews and Israel in fundamentally negative ways, with negative outcomes for intergroup relations and social harmony.

New Article: Jaspal, Mass Communication of Anti-Zionism in the English-Language Iranian Press

Jaspal, Rusi. “Representing the ‘Zionist Regime’: Mass Communication of Anti-Zionism in the English-Language Iranian Press.” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 41.3 (2014): 287-305.

 

URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13530194.2014.888261

 

Abstract

Anti-Zionism constitutes an important ideological building block of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article provides insight into the mass communication of anti-Zionism in the English-language Iranian press in order to examine how this ideology is ‘exported’ to an international readership. The article presents the results of an empirical study of two leading English-language Iranian newspapers, The Tehran Times and Press TV. The study uses critical discourse analysis and draws upon tenets of Social Representations Theory from social psychology. The following themes are discussed: (i) resisting social representations of Israeli statehood; (ii) constructing threat: the Zionist regime as a terrorist entity; and (iii) responding to threat: anti-Zionism as a religious duty for the Muslim Ummah. As a ‘mouthpiece’ of Iran, these outlets adopt and encourage a fervently anti-Zionist stance by refusing to recognise the statehood and civilian population of Israel and by constructing the ‘Zionist regime’ as a terrorist threat which should be mitigated collectively by the Islamic Ummah. Implications are discussed.

ToC: Israel Affairs 20.3 (2014)

Israel Affairs, Volume 20, Issue 3, July 2014 is now available online on Taylor & Francis Online.

This new issue contains the following articles:

Articles
The ‘Arab Spring’: implications for US–Israeli relations
Banu Eligür
Pages: 281-301
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922802

The effects of the ‘Arab Spring’ on Israel’s geostrategic and security environment: the escalating jihadist terror in the Sinai Peninsula
Yehudit Ronen
Pages: 302-317
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922807

Consolidated monarchies in the post-‘Arab Spring’ era: the case of Jordan
Nur Köprülü
Pages: 318-327
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922803

Turkish foreign policy after the ‘Arab Spring’: from agenda-setter state to agenda-entrepreneur state
Burak Bilgehan Özpek & Yelda Demirağ
Pages: 328-346
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922806

Myth and reality, denial and concealment: American Zionist leadership and the Jewish vote in the 1940s
Zohar Segev
Pages: 347-369
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922808

Middle Eastern intellectual correspondence: Jacob Talmon and Arnold Toynbee revisited
Amikam Nachmani
Pages: 370-398
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922804

Fiscal allocation to Arab local authorities in Israel, 2004–12
Tal Shahor
Pages: 399-409
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922809

‘Spring of Youth’ in Beirut: the effects of the Israeli military operation on Lebanon
Dan Naor
Pages: 410-425
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.922805

Book Reviews
Bohaterowie, hochsztaplerzy, opisywacze: wokół Żydowskiego Związku Wojskowego [Heroes, hucksters, storytellers: the Jewish Military Organization
Yehuda Bauer
Pages: 426-429
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897470

Israel: a history
David Rodman
Pages: 430-431
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897025

Holy war in Judaism: the fall and rise of a controversial idea
David Rodman
Pages: 431-432
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897027

Saturday people, Sunday people: Israel through the eyes of a Christian sojourner
David Rodman
Pages: 433-434
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897028

The Arab Spring, democracy and security: domestic and international ramifications
David Rodman
Pages: 434-436
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897029

Operation Damocles: Israel’s secret war against Hitler’s scientists, 1951–1967
David Rodman
Pages: 436-437
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897030

A Jew’s best friend? The image of the dog throughout Jewish history
David Rodman
Pages: 437-438
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897031

2048
David Rodman
Pages: 438-440
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897032

Tested by Zion: the Bush administration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
David Rodman
Pages: 440-441
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897033

Routledge handbook of modern Israel
David Rodman
Pages: 441-442
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897034

Israel’s clandestine diplomacies
David Rodman
Pages: 442-444
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.897026

Erratum
Erratum

Pages: 1-1
DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2014.937589

ToC: Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 8.1

Click here for PDF: http://israelcfr.com/documents/8-1/8-1-0-Contents.pdf

–

At Issue: Iran

–

Iran Thirty-Five Years After the Islamic Revolution: A Conversation

David Menashri

–

“Like Two Scorpions in a Bottle”: Could Israel and a Nuclear Iran Coexist in the Middle East?

Louis René Beres

–

“No Permanent Allies, No Permanent Enemies, Only Permanent Interests”: Israeli–Iranian Relations

Avi Primor

–

Middle East Currents

–

Breakdown and Possible Restart: Turkish–Israeli Relations under the AKP

Matthew S. Cohen and Charles D. Freilich

–

Egypt’s Quest for Normalcy

David Sultan

–

Internationalizing the Arab–Israeli Conflict

Yehuda Bauer

–

European Currents and Retrospectives

—

Israel and the EU: Beyond the Horizon

Frans Timmermans

—

Combating Antisemitism in Europe

Michael Whine

–

Two Vignettes on Israeli–European Economic Community Relations in the Late 1950s

Sharon Pardo

–

Linking the Vistula and the Jordan: The Genesis of Relations between Poland and the State of Israel

Szymon Rudnicki

–

Counterpoints

–

Absolving the Allies? Another Look at the Anglo–American Response to the Holocaust

Alexander J. Groth

–

Holocaust Rescue Revisited: An Unexplored Angle

Wojtek Rappak

–

Reviews

–

Israel Has Moved by Diana Pinto

Reviewed by Colette Avital

–

Israel in Africa 1956–1976 by Zach Levey

Reviewed by Joel Peters

–

The Wisdom of Syria’s Waiting Game: Foreign Policy Under the Assads by Bente Scheller

Reviewed by Dimitar Mihaylov

–

Shiism and Politics in the Middle East by Laurence Louër

Reviewed by Harold Rhode

–

Beyond War: Reimagining American Influence in a New Middle East by David Rohde

Reviewed by Juliana Geran Pilon

–

The Nixon Administration and the Middle East Peace Process, 1969–1973: From the Rogers Plan to the Outbreak of the Yom Kippur War by Boaz Vanetik and Zaki Shalom

1973: The Road to War by Yigal Kipnis

Reviewed by David Rodman

–

Race and US Foreign Policy: The African-American Foreign Affairs Network by Mark Ledwidge

Reviewed by Fred A. Lazin

–

Useful Enemies: John Demjanjuk and America’s Open-Door Policy for Nazi War Criminals by Richard Rashke

Reviewed by Efraim Zuroff

–

The Influence of Airpower upon History: Statesmanship, Diplomacy, and Foreign Policy since 1903 edited by Robin Higham and Mark Parillo

Reviewed by Danny Shalom

–

Governments-in-Exile and the Jews during the Second World War edited by Jan Lánič ek and James Jordan

Reviewed by Alexander J. Groth

–

Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II, 1937–1945 by Rana Mitter

Reviewed by Yitzhak Shichor

–

Letters

Bertram Marc Katz, Rafael Medoff, Konrad Baumeister

–

New Article: Guzansky, Israel’s Periphery Doctrine 2.0

Guzansky, Yoel. “Israel’s Periphery Doctrine 2.0: The Mediterranean Plus.” Mediterranean Politics 19.1 (2014): 99-116.

URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13629395.2013.870365

DOI: 10.1080/13629395.2013.870365

Abstract

This article discusses the bilateral ties that have been forming between Israel and its periphery – that is, Greece, Cyprus, Azerbaijan and South Sudan – and draws a comparison to Israel’s previous relations with Iran, Turkey and Ethiopia. It considers the contribution of those partnerships at the security-intelligence and economic level and suggests its potential impact in the political arena. This research concludes that, despite the dividends that can be gained from security, economic and energy cooperation, its value compared to that of its predecessor is lower based on their instability, domestic issues and lower levels of regional or international influence.

Cite: Eiran and Malin, Israel’s Perception of a Nuclear-Armed Iran

Eiran, Ehud and Martin B. Malin. “The Sum of all Fears: Israel’s Perception of a Nuclear-Armed Iran.” Washington Quarterly 36.3 (2013): 77-89.

 

URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0163660X.2013.825551

 

Extract

Four do’s and four don’t’s for policymakers in the United States and beyond flow from this analysis:

First, don’t bet on Israel’s next move. The fears expressed in Israel’s domestic debate are real and rooted, but so are divisions over how to respond. It is anyone’s guess who will prevail in the struggle over how to respond to Iran.

Second, don’t believe everything you hear. Politicians make statements for many reasons. Not every comparison of Iran and Nazi Germany needs to be heeded. Although Israeli fears may be genuine, the Holocaust analogies are deeply flawed and not a sound guide to policy. Although Prime Minister Netanyahu does draw on Jewish history as a compass, he has also used the framing of threats (terrorism, Iran) as a tool to garner political support.

Third, don’t walk away. If Israel feels a growing sense of abandonment, it could cause an escalation of fears and precisely the kinds of responses that could be most destructive for Israel, U.S. policy, and the region.

Israel’s elected officials may favor an attack, but its military leadership shuns one.

Finally, don’t feed fear. Talk is not cheap. U.S. officials, particularly members of Congress, should stop echoing the worst Israeli hyperbole about Iranian capabilities and intentions. At the same time, it would help if Iranian officials stopped making ridiculous statements denying the Holocaust and declaring their desire to see the Zionist entity wiped from the pages of history. Israeli leaders should avoid boxing themselves into making unnecessary choices by giving voice to their deepest fears.

If policymakers avoid these pitfalls, what positive steps should they take to help rein in fears in Israel and across the region? First, the United States should quietly help Israel and its neighbors realize their common interests vis-à-vis Iran and build upon them—not so much to deepen Iran’s isolation but to enable coordinated action in resolving the stalemate with Iran. The United States could facilitate, for example, a quiet exchange between security officials from Israel and other regional players to clarify their respective approaches to the emerging security environment and to discuss the kinds of transparency and oversight measures that might ultimately provide reassurance about Iran’s nuclear intentions.

Second, the United States should continue to coordinate its policies toward Iran with Israel. Despite the reported tensions between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu during the former’s first term in office, relations between the professional policymaking establishments of the two countries have never been closer; this coordination will continue to reassure Israel and to encourage Jerusalem to act with restraint.

Don’t bet on Israel’s next move; it is anyone’s guess.

Third, the United States should support cooperative frameworks which would allow the states of the Middle East to begin to discuss, face to face, principles of regional security. The proposal to convene a conference on a WMD-free zone in the Middle East may be a vehicle for initiating such discussions. The architecture for regional coordination and management of security in the Middle East does not exist today, and is difficult to imagine, but it will remain elusive unless the United States pushes like-minded states into discussions of the shared challenges they face. These discussions will eventually need to address the challenge of banning all weapons of mass destruction in the region.

Finally, and most urgently, the best way to address Israeli fears of Iran is for Washington to break the logjam in its bilateral relations with Tehran, enable Iran to clarify its past nuclear activities, accept negotiated limits on its nuclear activities, and move beyond the years of confrontation which have both undermined regional security and defined Israeli–Iranian relations.

 

Cite: Kuntsman and Raji. “Love, Hate, and Transnational Politics from the ‘Israel Loves Iran’ and ‘Iran Loves Israel’ Facebook Campaigns

Kuntsman, Adi and Sanaz Raji. “‘Israelis and Iranians, Get A Room!’: Love, Hate, and Transnational Politics from the ‘Israel Loves Iran’ and ‘Iran Loves Israel’ Facebook Campaigns.” Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies 8.3 (2012): 143-154.

 

URL: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_middle_east_womens_studies/v008/8.3.kuntsman.html

 

Abstract

So is there a room for Israelis and Iranians to inhabit, in cyberspace and beyond? Can they get a (“fucking”) room, and what would happen, if they do? The message of love sent by both sides seems to be strikingly powerful, when politicians—as well as ordinary citizens—speak the language of war. Yet, as our brief description of the Israel Loves Iran and Iran Loves Israel campaign suggests, “get a room” signals proximity that is not possible if political violence—inside each of the countries and elsewhere in the region—is not addressed.

Cite: Morton & Shortt, The Arab Spring: Implications for Israeli Security

Morton, Jeffrey S. and Nicole Shortt. “The Arab Spring: Implications for Israeli Security.” Mediterranean Quarterly 23.3 (2012): 34-51.

 

URL: http://mq.dukejournals.org/content/23/3/34.short

 

Abstract

The popular uprising that started in Tunisia in December 2010 quickly spread across the Arab world, culminating in a historic regional realignment with far-reaching implications. This essay details the implications of the Arab Spring for Israeli security. After highlighting the history of Israel’s defense strategy and reviewing the Arab Spring revolts, the authors find that the recent uprisings exacerbate several issues faced by Israel, including geopolitical relations with other countries in the region, energy issues, and growing threats presented by nonstate actors.

ToC: Israel Affairs 18,3 (2012)

The online platform   for Taylor & Francis Online content

Israel       Affairs, Vol. 18, No. 3, 01 Jul 2012 is now available on Taylor & Francis Online. This new issue contains the following articles: Original       Articles The       war against the Jews Efraim Karsh Pages: 319-343 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689514 The       international assault against Israel Michael Curtis Pages: 344-362 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689515 Attacking       Israel with genocidal intentions Nidra Poller Pages: 363-371 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689517 From       Durban to the Goldstone Report: the centrality of human rights NGOs in       the political dimension of the Arab–Israeli conflict Gerald M. Steinberg Pages: 372-388 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689518 De-legitimization       currents in Europe Manfred Gerstenfeld Pages: 389-402 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689519 A       bias thicker than faith: Christians who punt for their persecutors Steve Apfel Pages: 403-411 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689520 The       BDS message of anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism, and incitement to       discrimination Joel S. Fishman Pages: 412-425 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689521 Jews       at sea: reflections on Israel’s Jewish detractors and defamers Alvin H. Rosenfeld Pages: 426-437 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689522 Jewish       defamation of Israel: roots and branches Kenneth Levin Pages: 438-454 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689523 De-legitimization       of Israel in Palestinian Authority schoolbooks Arnon Groiss Pages: 455-484 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689524 Fighting       on the front lines: anti-Semitism at the University of California and       efforts to combat it Tammi Rossman-Benjamin Pages: 485-501 DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2012.689525

Cite: Hunter, U.S.-European Relations in the Mideast

Hunter, Robert E. “U.S.-European Relations in the “Greater“ Middle East.” American Foreign Policy Interests 34.3 (2012): 125-133.

 

URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/uafp/2012/00000034/00000003/art00002

 

Abstract

Despite the U.S. “pivot to Asia,“ it will remain deeply engaged in both Europe and the Middle East. But it must begin treating the latter region as a whole, not as a series of disparate parts; revisit its policies to Israel-Palestine negotiations and Iran; and lead in creating a viable security structure for the Persian Gulf. For their part, to ensure that U.S. Asian and Middle East interests do not lead America to radically decrease its security “footprint“ in Europe—especially in “managing“ Russia’s future, its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies must accept the terms of a new “transatlantic bargain“: accepting added responsibilities in North Africa and the Middle East, at times beyond judgments of their national interests. They must also join the United States in developing a new Atlantic Compact, a new Persian Gulf security structure, and a much more cooperative relationship between NATO and the European Union.

Reviews: Kinzer, Reset Middle East

 

Kinzer, Stephen. Reset Middle East: Old Friends and New Alliances : Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Iran. London and New York: IB Tauris, 2010.

 

 

Reviews

• “Choose the Right Pals, For a Change. Turkey and Iran Should be America’s Partners.” The Economist. July 15, 2010.
• Naughten, Barry. “Review.” Middle East Journal 66.1 (2012): 194-196.

Cite: Siperco, Israeli National Missile Defense

Ian Siperco, "Shield of David: The Promise of Israeli National Missile Defense." Middle East Policy 17.2 (2010): 127-41.

 

URL: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123508063/abstract

Keywords: Israel: Security and Defense, Military, IDF, Peace: Two-State Solution, Iran, Hezbollah, Strategy

 

New Publication: Pedahzur, Israeli Secret Services

Ami Pedahzur. The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.

URL: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14042-3/the-israeli-secret-services-and-the-struggle-against-terrorism

Keywords: Israel: Security and Defense, Israel: Secret Services, Mossad, Shabak, Terrorism, Hostages, Lebanon, West Bank, Gaza, Iran, Hezbollah, 2006 War, Second Lebanon War, עמי פדהצור

New Publication: Haggai Ram, Iranophobia

 

Ram, Haggai.  Iranophobia. The Logic of an Israeli Obsession.

Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2009.

 

Keywords: Iran, Israeli-Arab conflict, politics, חגי רם, Haggai Ram, Israel, Nuclear Weapons, Strategy, Iran, Israeli-Arab Conflict, Holocaust, Israel: Foreign Policy, Israel and its neighbours, Israel: Europe relations, Israel: US relations, Israel: World Jewry relations, Iran: Jewry, Iran: Nuclear Weapons

URL: http://www.sup.org/rss/book_rss.cgi?id=15925