Brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement - for recent American presidents, it’s been the holy grail of foreign policy. Unfortunately for President Obama, a comprehensive accord is just not in the cards for his second term. It won’t be for lack of trying. But the inconvenient truth is that peace is impossible as long as Hamas retains its stranglehold over Gaza.…
Middle East tensions are rising as President Obama prepares to visit Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. Clearly, Iran will be at the top of the agenda. On Thursday, Mr. Obama announced that Tehran was only about a year away from producing a nuclear bomb. “Obviously, we don’t want to cut it too close,” he noted. Another issue requiring urgent attention: forging a common…
President Obama’s upcoming trip to Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan comes at a tense time in an increasingly turbulent region. High on his agenda will be halting Iran’s nuclear weapons efforts, forging a common policy on containing the destabilizing spillover effects of Syria’s meltdown, and reviving the long-stalled Israeli–Palestinian peace negotiations. The…
As expected, the United Nations General Assembly voted (138–9, with 41 abstentions) to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority from an observer entity to a non-member state observer this afternoon. Because individual governments are not required to comply with General Assembly resolutions, this vote is largely symbolic in terms of how governments regard…
At some point, Hamas and Israel will have had so many armed confrontations that they’ll have to stop naming the operations and just give them numbers. But don’t think these future conflicts will be indistinguishable from what’s happened so far. At some point, these flare-ups could get worse—a lot worse. Serious Standoff So far the duels between the…
Director James Carafano discusses the logistics of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire and where Hamas has obtained their missiles on Fox 5 News.…
Although the current Gaza crisis is in many ways reminiscent of the last flare-up in December 2008–January 2009, there are important differences this time around. Hamas’s terrorist reach now includes Israel’s heartland cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv due to long-range Iranian rockets. However, Israel’s new Iron Dome missile defense system has mitigated this threat. The…
Senior Fellow Peter Brookes discusses the latest on the Israel-Hamas conflict on Hannity.…
The Palestinians have announced their intent to use the United Nations once again to bolster their claims of statehood. Last year, the Obama Administration blocked their bid for full U.N. membership by threatening to use its Security Council veto. Now the Palestinians are seeking “non-member state” permanent observer status, which does not require Security Council…
Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia September 20, 2012 My name is James Phillips. I am the Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own, and should not be construed as representing any official…
Abstract: Russia is pursuing a Middle Eastern policy that is designed to reduce U.S. and Western influence in the Middle East, even at the risk of Islamist terrorism, which is a growing problem in Russia. It views the recent upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa as an American conspiracy to undermine Russia and friendly regimes in the region. Russia’s Soviet…
Passed after 9/11 to encourage innovation in the development of security technology, the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act provides a safe harbor for manufacturers of new “Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technologies.” The U.S. could vastly expand markets for these technologies and exploit technologies and services being developed elsewhere…
Abstract: Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions are ominous in light of its hostile foreign policy and longstanding support for terrorism. But Iran's repeated threats to annihilate the state of Israel while it develops the world's most dangerous weapons have created an even more explosive situation. If diplomatic efforts to defuse the situation fail, Israel may see no other…
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Barack Obama at the White House on May 18, two major issues will dominate their agenda: How to revive stagnant Arab-Israeli peace negotiations; and How to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons. On both issues, the hawkish Netanyahu and the liberal Obama are likely to have major…
The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has turned Gaza into a hellish battlefield as part of its long-term strategy to destroy Israel. The militant Islamist group has essentially taken Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants hostage by putting a higher priority on killing Israelis than on protecting Palestinians. Hamas thugs continue to hide among Palestinian civilians while…
My name is James Phillips, and I am the Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own and should not be construed as representing any official position of The Heritage Foundation. Since the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accords, the U.S. has showered over $4 billion in bilateral aid…
In Israel a few weeks ago, Vice President Joe Biden was embarrassed when his hosts announced plans for new housing in a disputed area of Jerusalem. It’s certainly a breach of diplomatic protocol to announce a controversial project while an ally is visiting. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu realized this, and immediately apologized. But cooler heads didn’t prevail in…
Egypt is preparing a military offensive against Islamist militants in the Sinai who have launched a series of terrorist attacks against Egyptian border guards in an effort to weaken the central government and provoke a war with Israel. This campaign is expected to include armored forces and air strikes in the first major Egyptian military action in the demilitarized Sinai…
On July 27, President Obama signed into law the United States–Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, which is designed to strengthen the qualitative edge of Israeli military forces over its current and future enemies. While the law serves to strengthen this edge in a variety of areas, it pays special attention to improving Israel’s capabilities for defending its…
In an effort to bring international pressure on Israel, the Palestinian Authority declared in 2009 that it would submit to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes committed in its territory. Three years later, the ICC prosecutor concluded that he does not have the authority under the Rome Statute to initiate an investigation because…
When President Obama meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on March 5, the Iranian nuclear issue will dominate their agenda. The two leaders have starkly different perceptions of Iran’s evolving nuclear threat and how best to confront it. Both governments have publicly aired their differences in the run-up to the meeting, with the Obama…
Israel has signaled once again that it is weighing an attack, if all else fails, to halt Iran’s advancing nuclear weapons program as an act of anticipatory self-defense. This time, more officials in Washington and other capitals are listening. Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that Tehran will retaliate against the U.S. in the event that Israel launches a strike.…
Since Israel deployed its new Iron Dome artillery and rocket interceptor system in April, it successfully used it to shoot down Hamas Grad rockets. The Israeli experience with Iron Dome shows that the criterion of cost effectiveness for missile defenses has been defined too narrowly in the United States. More to the Story The missile defense…
Over the weekend, the IRS scandal got even more bizarre. Various news organizations got a look at a still-unreleased...…
Even as the U.S. withdraws from Iraq and Afghanistan, the world has certainly not become a safer place. North Korea...…
Outraged Members of Congress are circulating a letter demanding that the Obama Administration take action against U.N....…
Israel announced on Thursday that it had shot down a drone approaching its coast about five miles west of the northern...…
The Pentagon has recently requested more than $220 million in fiscal year (FY) 2014 to support Israel’s air defense...…
The leader of al-Qaeda’s Iraq branch, the Islamic State of Iraq, announced on Tuesday the formal merger of his...…
We are excited to announce that Heritage’s new president, Jim DeMint, will join us at today’s Bloggers Briefing. Even...…
Doubters falsely accuse the Israeli defense system as a failure when in reality that is not the case. As the threat of...…
Although the Obama Administration has proclaimed its intention to “pivot” toward Asia, Secretary of State John Kerry...…
This week, the parliament of Bahrain voted unanimously to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization. “It is time we...…
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs