At a conference in Israel earlier this month, the White House's Middle East coordinator, Philip Gordon, spoke the magic word: sovereignty. Unfortunately, for the White House, it's just a word. From Israel to Ukraine, today's crises show what happens when the world forgets what sovereignty requires. Speaking in Tel Aviv, Gordon urged Israel to "end the occupations and…
The eruption of the third Gaza war since 2008 is yet another manifestation of the growing threat posed by Islamist militants within an increasingly unstable Middle East. In recent years, Al-Qaeda and other Islamist revolutionary groups have made major gains in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Bahrain and Yemen. They have exploited the chaos of the…
Despite objections and warnings from the Obama administration, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) granted full membership to the Palestinian Authority in 2011. That decision ran afoul of two U.S. laws, passed in the early 1990s, that prohibit U.S. funding for any U.N. organization that grants membership to the Palestine Liberation…
Earlier this month the Obama administration announced it was cutting military aid to Egypt by hundreds of millions of dollars. The move had nothing to do with the budget battle in D.C. Rather, it was a belated reaction to last July’s military coup against President Mohamed Morsi’s increasingly autocratic Islamist government. Unfortunately, the administration has taken…
War is a great leap into the dark. It is a chancy affair to predict when a particular act will end with the troops going over the top. Still, one can't help but worry that President Obama's plan to negotiate with Tehran one more time might bring Israel one step closer to a direct military confrontation with Iran. Here is why. It doesn't take a crystal ball to…
Egypt’s July 3 coup and the crackdown on President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood have sparked renewed calls from Congress for a cutoff of U.S. foreign aid to the new Egyptian government. While there are strong arguments in favor of continuing aid, the Obama Administration cannot continue to deny that what happened in Egypt was indeed a coup, which legally requires a…
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 President…
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…
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…
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…
Tensions are rising in the eastern Mediterranean between Israel and Lebanon, this time over roughly 430 square miles of contested waters that contain considerable underwater gas reserves. Iran, Hezbollah and Syria are all interested in a war with Israel, each for their own reasons. Tehran and Damascus want to save the embattled regime of Bashar Assad, while Hezbollah…
The president’s recent statement that he has Israel’s back was well received at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Conference. But it comes pretty late in the game. Moreover, actions speak louder than words. At a time when Iran is defying IAEA inspectors and is closer than ever to a nuclear weapons capability, robust investment in Israeli missile…
Small wars can spiral into big ones. And President Obama is giving the world a lesson in how to start - inadvertently - a small war. The Nobel committee should be thinking about a process for recalling prizes. The prospective small conflict involves Iran and Israel. The former is blustering, but right now, neither nation can be much interested in going toe-to-toe. …
Anwar Sadat had a plan. He would "challenge the Israeli Security Theory by carrying out military action ... aimed at inflicting the heaviest losses on the enemy ...." On October 6, 1973, a coalition of Arab armies led by Egypt and Syria attacked. The Israelis defeated the invasion ... decisively. But the 1973 war left the region unsettled, a dangerous hot spot. Henry…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
As part of the ongoing military campaign in Gaza, the Israeli military says it is now focused on destroying underground...…
Considering its participation in the new Palestinian unity government, Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israel should lead the...…
President Obama's Middle East policy continues to unravel with dangerous consequences for American national interests...…
He walked Independence Square in Kiev, the site of months of turmoil, and spoke with leaders of the protest movement,...…
Secretary of State John Kerry has recanted his statements about the possibility of Israel becoming “an apartheid...…
Secretary of State John Kerry undiplomatically declared that Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state” if it fails to...…
Heritage’s Nile Gardiner called Secretary of State John Kerry’s warning last week—that Israel was in danger of...…
The reconciliation agreement announced between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas on April 23 is a severe...…
According to The Washington Post, the Obama administration is considering releasing convicted spy Jonathan Pollard...…
On Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” Foundry Contributor Israel Ortega talked about the importance of presenting conservative...…
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs