Video Interview with Fania Oz-Salzberger

Fania Oz-Salzberger

JST columnist Ksenia Svetlova interviews Israeli writer and historian Fania Oz-Salzberger about the position of the center-left in Israel today. Oz-Salzberger co-authored the book, Jews and Words, with her late father, the novelist Amos Oz.  Read the full transcript below. Note: This transcript is lightly edited. Ksenia Svetlova: I follow you on Twitter and read your […]

Gaza-lighting: <br>How Israel’s Weakest Foe Became its Worst Enemy

Photo credit: REUTERS/Nir Elias.

Israel’s version of the Pentagon is a twin-towered office complex in HaKirya, the Compound, bordering what used to be the eastern outskirts of Tel Aviv, until 1948 when the city started expanding and flourishing. On the 14th floor of the complex is a corridor connecting the office suites of the two highest ranking officials. These […]

How the War in Gaza Plays Out in Chile’s Domestic Politics

Chile's President Gabriel Boric greets members of the Palestinian community in Chile at a ceremony called 'From Belen (Bethlehem) to Chile' during the Christmas season, December 20, 2023. Photo credit: REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado.

Several left-leaning Latin American governments have criticized Israel for its response to the October 7 attack, including Mexico, Colombia, and Brazi. But Chile’s young president, Gabriel Boric, stands out for consistent harshness, which extends to his view of Chile’s Jewish community. Ethnic Politics in Chile Chile hosts Latin America’s largest Palestinian community, an estimated 400,000 […]

The Day After Tomorrow: <br>Dark Clouds Loom over the Middle East

Israeli Air Force F-15 Eagle following interception mission of Iran attack, April 14, 2024. Photo credit: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS.

In one of his last interviews on German television, before passing at the age of 100, Henry Kissinger opined that the slaughter of Israelis by Hamas on October 7 could end up bringing the rest of the Arab world into the fighting. Based on recent events, his remarks were prophetic. Unless cooler heads prevail, we […]

Israel’s Next Steps: Build on Victory

Iranian ballistic missile parts that the IDF retrieved from the Dead Sea, April 16, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen.

In the face of the dramatic large-scale Iranian assault on Israel April 14, Israel has a fateful choice, usually presented as whether or not to conduct a retaliatory attack on Iran. But the real choice is how Israel, as a state with its existence at stake, can exploit the current military and diplomatic situation to […]

Video Interview with Elyakim Rubinstein

Elyakim Rubinstein

Interview with Elyakim Rubinstein – Former Israeli Peace Negotiator and Supreme Court Justice. Interviewer: Ksenia Svetlova. Read the full transcript below.  Ksenia Svetlova: Do you believe that Israel can achieve security in the West Bank and also in the south near Gaza, without the fundamental question of solving the Palestinian issue. You negotiated Camp David […]

How Israel Wins the Postwar

Gazans gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, March 29, 2024. Photo credit: REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot.

Israel must finish the job of crushing Hamas in Gaza both as a military force and as a government. That’s the legitimate response to the surprise attack of October 7. This war aim also includes return of the hostages and minimizing Gazan civilian casualties to the extent possible. The Israel Defense Forces are in the […]

Rafah: Is a Common Israeli-American Approach Possible?

Palestinians during Ramadan in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, March 2024. Photo credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem.

The final major combat phase of the Gaza war, an Israeli attack on remaining organized Hamas forces in Rafah, is approaching. It was delayed due to the humanitarian crisis impacting the Gaza population and negotiations over a limited pause in fighting for release of Israeli hostages. But the “how” of the Israeli operation has produced […]

America-Israel Disagreement over Gaza at a Critical Junction

US President Joe Biden meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, October 2023. Photo credit: Miriam Alster/Pool via REUTERS.

Rarely in the American special relationship with Israel has there been such a dramatic display of discord between leaders. What began as a remarkable show of American support and solidarity with Israel, in the wake of Hamas’s assault in October, came by February and March to be increasingly marred by acrimony. The White House statement […]

Security Planning for Postwar Gaza

Israeli soldier in Gaza. Photo credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun.

“No one starts a war–or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so–without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it.” While The famous Prussian military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz penned that strategic wisdom in the 19th century, those words […]