Iran & the West, diplomacy and war- Jerusalem Studio 431
Over the past several weeks, the emphasis - in what can be regarded as the Iran crisis – has shifted from belligerent rhetoric to indirect diplomacy, as well as an apparent beginning of confidence building measures. Do the latest developments indicate a mutual effort at de-escalation or are merely a pause in an inevitable military confrontation?
Panel:
- Jonathan Hessen, host.
- Amir Oren, analyst.
- Dr. Raz Zimmt, Iran expert – INSS.
- Dr. Menahem Merhavy, research fellow, Truman Institute, Hebrew University.
The program offers the viewer deeper understanding about current events in Israel. The topics vary from domestic and foreign policy to social changes, archaelogy and religion.
The program is hosted by TV7 Israel News anchor Jonathan Hessen.
Iraq: domestic challenges amid foreign influences – Jerusalem Studio 585
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the end of the first Iraq War. A coalition headed by the United States and including Saudi, Syrian and Egyptian forces defeated Saddam Hussein and imposed limits on his power. Following the eruption of war again 12 years, Saddam was this time captured and executed, Iraq was occupied…
US-Iran renegotiating JCPOA: Overview – Jerusalem Studio 584
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, emerged from his talks in Tehran over the weekend proclaiming a success in getting a stop-gap measure in the standoff regarding the fate of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, all members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and the EU. Grossi…
Yemen: Conflict, terror & humanitarian concerns – Jerusalem Studio 583
In one of its very first policy moves in the Middle East, the Biden Administration focused on war-torn Yemen from two directions. It announced the suspension of arms sales to the United Arab Emirates; as well as to Saudi Arabia for its offensive campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, enabling only self-defense by Riyadh against…
Is the Mideast heading toward a nuclear arms race? Jerusalem Studio 582
Next month will mark the 51st anniversary of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) coming into force. Only 5 world nations are not members of this voluntary regime, which involves obligations and benefits. Despite having signed and ratified the treaty, interests and ambitions of governments and individuals keep driving some countries to…
Great power competition: Mideast implications – Jerusalem Studio 581
A few years ago, when Joe Biden was Barack Obama’s understudy in preparation for his own Presidency, their administration announced a “pivot” from the Middle East to the Far East - especially with a view to China as the main global competitor with the United States. There has been some delay, as Daesh (the Islamic…
Turkey-Israel relations; Friend or Foe? Jerusalem Studio 579
If one safely goes back to a cliche always relevant in the Middle East, about ‘my enemy’s enemy being my friend,’ Turkey is certainly not yet Israel’s friend again, even though it is less vehement a foe than it used to be until recently. It is more like ‘my enemy’s friend’ - the enemy being…
Israel’s northern front: challenges & opportunities – Jerusalem Studio 580
When Israeli political and military leaders talk about the security problems they are facing, the Gaza Strip is always explosive but containable as long as Hamas prefers it, and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority is quiet yet amenable to violent changes. The only constant is the clear and present danger in the north,…
Iran's nuclear ambitions - between war & diplomacy – Jerusalem Studio 578
In about two weeks’ time an ultimatum will be tested in the tense American-Iranian relationship. Unusually, it was issued in Tehran and directed at Washington, rather than the other way around. The Iranian Parliament has threatened by legislation that if by the 21st sanctions re-imposed on Iran by the Trump administration are not lifted, limits…
Libya’s future and strategic significance – Jerusalem Studio 577
The civil conflict in Libya reached a hopeful milestone mid-January with a United Nations-sponsored agreement on a mechanism to hold elections 11 months from now in late December. This is a complicated arrangement for an executive council, a presidential trio and a prime minister; as lists of candidates will be submitted by regions controlled by…
US-Israel relations amid regional challenges – Jerusalem Studio 576
When the new US Defense Secretary Gen. (res.) Lloyd J. Austin III reached his office at the Pentagon two days after the inauguration of President Joe Biden, he immediately had two intelligence briefings: first on China and then on the Middle East. Secy. Austin then called his counterparts at NATO, the United Kingdom, Japanese and…
One election down and two or three to go - that is the score as US President Joe Biden gets used to sleeping above his new Oval Office, the political campaign in Israel heats up, Iran prepares its own presidential contest and Palestinian Authority head Mahmud Abbas also declares his decision to put his own…
Syria’s state of affairs amid regional tensions – Jerusalem Studio 574
This must be one of the most frustrating and even heartbreaking anniversaries in memory. 10 years ago, the so-called Arab Spring erupted in Tunisia and soon spread eastward, challenging entrenched regimes and bringing new or naive hopes to suppressed populations. But nowhere have these hopes been dashed more cruelly than in Syria: with millions killed,…
Israel-Greece relations and common challenges – Jerusalem Studio 573
Athens and Jerusalem have had a complicated relationship, and not only in antiquity. Except for Cuba, Greece was the only non-Arab, non-Moslem member of the United Nations to vote against the establishment of the State of Israel in a partition of British Mandate’s Palestine. Later, the Greek-Israeli connection was overshadowed by the Ben Gurion Doctrine…
Iran’s nuclear ambitions amid global changes – Jerusalem Studio 572
These are tense days in Iran’s relationship with the rest of the world, or at least those countries and organizations that are suspicious of the Islamic Republic and its nuclear aspirations. As the Trump administration is in transition mode to the incoming Biden administration, whose principal officials have already signaled their intention to refresh the…
Jerusalem’s political instability amid challenges – Jerusalem Studio 571
The State of Israel is evidently struggling to attain much needed stability. Following a relatively short hiatus of attempts by those poised to grip Jerusalem’s power reins – at least declaratively so - for the purpose of dealing with the nations numerous challenges; on March 23rd, the country will once again head to the polls.…
Israel: Overall projections for 2021 – Jerusalem Studio 570
As Israel enters 2021, there are several variables which will have a major impact on the road ahead for the new year. First and foremost, the prolonged ramifications of the so-called Coronavirus crisis in Israel, the crucial necessity to realize a somewhat obscure balance between health and economy. Attempting to realize this necessary balance may…
2020 Recap: Lessons & Projections – Jerusalem Studio 569
It took us a full year, but we finally managed to push 2020 into the history books and make way for what we all hope is going to be a much better year. Before we turn the page, let’s try to analyze what 2020 meant for this region and this nation, the Middle East, and…
The EastMed dispute & its implications for Israel, Part II – Jerusalem Studio 568
A few days ago, we held the first part of a conversation about the state of play in the Eastern Mediterranean - one of the cradles of human civilization, which of course includes not only spiritual and technological progress but also friction and conflict. We tried to lay out the various interests and policies of…
The EastMed dispute & its implications for Israel, Part I – Jerusalem Studio 567
The eastern half of the Mediterranean did not change its political geography over the last several decades. The same countries are there, inhabiting mainlands and islands, including two entities whose status is unsettled - the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus and the Gaza Strip. Yet what was a quiet sea, seasonal storms notwithstanding, turned into troubled…
Iran's Nuclear Ambitions amid latest developments - Jerusalem Studio 566
With US President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration a little over a month away, the Islamic Republic of Iran is anxiously awaiting the formulation of Biden’s cabinet and policy, as well as the correlation of forces in Washington, which could depend on the results of the two Georgia Senate contests. But even if the Republicans keep their…
Israel heading to parliamentary elections – Jerusalem Studio 565
For the last two years Israel has been engulfed in a political crisis, with three election circles ending in a deadlock temporarily broken by the decision by the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join his government as a nominal equal partner. The price paid by Benny Gantz was a split down the…
Are Earthquakes threatening Israel’s Home Front? – Jerusalem Studio 564
The scenario is frightening: some 7,000 killed, many more wounded, 170,000 left homeless as buildings collapse and infrastructure essentials such as power and water supply are damaged. The good news is that we keep hearing these warnings about earthquakes threatening Israel and are relieved to see that so far nothing of the kind has happened.…
Israel’s preparedness for a wide-scale conflict – Jerusalem Studio 563
With the Middle East, just like the rest of the world, pre-occupied with the year-long COVID-19 crisis, Israel’s enemies are in no rush or indeed position to initiate large-scale hostilities against the Jewish State. If there is any movement at all, it is in the opposite direction - with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and…
Two invisible elements have evidently shaped life in the Middle East and indeed globally over this year, which is approaching its end. One is of course the coronavirus pandemic which only now begins to show some promise of being contained by vaccines next year. There is also more than meets the eye in cyber sphere…
Israel's expected strategy to thwart Iran's nuclear activities – Jerusalem Studio 561
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his pledge to ‘never allow Iran to get nuclear weapons,’ although global events are seemingly taking hold that may impact Jerusalem’s political capacity to act. In recent weeks, therefore both covert and overt moves and counter-moves have apparently been enacted by all relevant actors trying to secure their…
The Eastern Mediterranean - Latest Developments – Jerusalem Studio 560
The Eastern Mediterranean, which was relatively tranquil over the last several decades, has recently become a bone of contention and a hotbed of activity. Three major centers of attention are Syria and its neighbors, Turkey to its north and Lebanon to its south and west. Turkey has adopted a militant position vis-a-vis the exploration and…
U.S. Elections Special; implications for the Mideast – Jerusalem Studio 559
With two months to go before the inauguration of presumed President-Elect Joe Biden, the transition process is slowly taxing on the runway in order to take off. Biden is considering his top cabinet, White House and agency appointments, while the Trump administration is less than helpful in sharing essential information, facilities and services, in light…
Turkey-Israel: From strategic partners to regional rivals – Jerusalem Studio 558
In the 1950s and again in the 1990s, Israel and Turkey have been regional partners, almost best friends. They both faced the hostility from the common neighbor that separated them - Syria. They were officially or practically in the Western orbit. And they had no conflict over the body of water they share, the Mediterranean…
Europe's battle against Islamist terror – Jerusalem Studio 557
France has become a major battleground in the fight between governments of Europe -whose populations are mostly Christian, and Islamist terrorists - who are out to impose their ideology by all means possible. The recent brutal attacks in France and Austria have reignited dialogue among European leaders to combat (what they term) political Islam. Is…
Israel-Armenia relations amid challenges and interests - Jerusalem Studio 556
The renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed district of Nagorno-Karabakh put Israel in an uneasy position between the two. Israel has long had an emotional attachment to the Armenian people, whose plight under Ottoman rule during the First World War preceded the Jewish people’s Holocaust in Europe during the Second World War.…
Turkey’s global standing, interests and challenges - Jerusalem Studio 555
Under President Recep Tayep Erdogan, Turkey has changed its global positioning system in two important and to some extent overlapping ways. A long-time member of NATO, an alliance created to contain Soviet ambitions, Ankara has recently moved away from Washington and Brussels and towards Moscow; and as a regional power, Turkey has assumed a pro-active…
The results of the US elections are still contested, as we speak, and may well be for the next several days or even weeks. So what we aim to do now is similar to the vote count, a temporary accounting, a freeze-frame if you will; with an effort to probe the possible meaning of what…
Iran's regional policies & global standing - Jerusalem Studio 554
The Khamenei regime in Tehran is surely taking stock these days, as much like everyone else around the globe it anxiously awaits the outcome of the Presidential and Congressional elections in the United States. On the positive side of the ledger, from its point of view, it did not concede defeat even under the most…
East-Mediterranean tensions; geopolitical overview - Jerusalem Studio 553
The ancient Romans called it Mare Nostrum, “our sea,” but since their empire fell the Mediterranean has been either in contention between maritime powers or peaceful. As of late, its waters are not still. A storm is brewing out of its northeastern corner, threatening to escalate from crisis to hostilities. Turkey, which under Recep Tayep…
Israel's diplomatic standing and challenges – Jerusalem Studio 552
Because it was born in battle and has always feared for its survival, Israel in its 73rd year is still putting defense over diplomacy. A foreign policy conducted by professionals is nice to have, but protecting the homeland from invasion and devastation is a must. Generals are therefore more important than ambassadors. And in an…
East Mediterranean tensions, prospects of de-escalation – Jerusalem Studio 551
The Eastern half of the Mediterranean has of course been known as one of the cradles of civilization, endowing mankind with Hellenic, Roman, Egyptian and Judeo-Christian legacies, among others. Yet with culture there also comes conflict, with ancient hostilities dormant only until they rise again, due to competition or ideology. This seems to be the…
Lebanon-Israel negotiations - Jerusalem Studio 550
After years of intensive and mostly futile efforts, Lebanon and Israel have launched overt negotiations in order to demarcate their maritime border, between the port cities of Beirut and Haifa; and west towards the presumably offshore energy treasure that lays beneath the Mediterranean, in the direction of Cyprus. Delegations will be meeting under United Nations…
The Nagorno-Karabach conflict; Israeli perspectives - Jerusalem Studio 549
It is a story common to many regions of the world. Two neighbors and an enclave between them, with one country holding the edge in geography and the other in demography, leading to persistent conflict. This is the case in the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the province of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized…
Iraq: a strategic overview between East and West – Jerusalem Studio 548
The death of Kuwait’s 91-year-old Emir Sabah al Ahmad al Jaber al Sabah in late September served as a reminder to the origins of the United States’ enhanced military involvement in the Arabian Gulf region, which go back to the Iran-Iraq war, including the “tanker war” and the reflagging of local vessels, and then to…
Turkey-EU relations amid EastMed dispute – Jerusalem Studio 547
Long before Turkish President Recep Tayep Erdogan came to power, Ankara tried to join the European Union in its various iterations, but was blocked by the Christian nations of Europe concerned by the political power to be given to a Moslem country according to its population - which is the rough equal of EU leaders…
Iran’s aspirations amid global quarrels – Jerusalem Studio 546
The Islamic Republic of Iran is in an extremely bad shape with setbacks in almost every issue set - health, economy, military ambitions and foreign policy. Yet for Tehran all is not lost, as it awaits the turn of events in the American political season. Iran has yet to fulfil its threat to avenge the…
The Eastern Mediterranean dispute: a strategic overview – Jerusalem Studio 545
During the Cold War, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea was considered a potential front involving American and Soviet Naval task forces. The Israeli Navy also clashed with those of Egypt and Syria. But now the picture is much more complicated: the main problem being Turkish policy under President Recep Tayip Erdogan, who has alienated Israel, Greece,…
Israel's vision for regional peace, security and prosperity - Jerusalem Studio 544
When U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the representatives of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House for a ceremony hailing the normalization of relations between the two Gulf countries and the Jewish State, American as well as Israeli officials saw it as a new paradigm in the Middle East. No longer,…
Israel's battle against the Coronavirus – Jerusalem Studio 543
This is the annual time of Jewish High Holy Days when many Israelis are taking time off from work to celebrate with their families. But this year the situation is far from normal. The second wave of the COVID-19 crisis has hit Israel quite hard, with numbers of patients in need of hospital care steadily…
France’s growing Mideast presence - Jerusalem Studio 542
When European powers ruled the post-Ottoman Middle East, France was Britain’s junior partner and rival, concentrating on the northern part of the Levant - Syria and Lebanon. Following Lebanon’s independence in the 1940’s, France became more of a cultural than a political force – labeling the city of Beirut – Paris of the Mediterranean. While…
The Palestinian "cause" between diplomacy and conflict - Jerusalem Studio 541
The relationship between the two separate Palestinian entities, which border Israel but not each other, has made no real progress over the last 13 years since the Islamist Hamas organization seized Gaza by force and was in return was left out of power in the Palestinian Authority rule of the West Bank. Palestinian Authority President…
The Syria conflict: Latest developments - Jerusalem Studio 540
Before it began, 2020 was assessed to be the last year of the Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011. This turned out to be either wishful thinking or an overly optimistic assumption which fell victim to the Coronavirus. As the year approaches its end, the conflict is still there, with most of the same…
East Mediterranean disputes; Israeli concerns and interests - JS 539
The eastern Mediterranean Sea is located between Italy in Europe, Libya in Africa and the shores of Asia. While considered as the ‘cradle of human civilization,’ these areas have often served as a fighting arena from time immemorial. Conflict and cooperation in the modern era of nation states following the decline of ancient empires has…
