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Zohar Palti

  • Viterbi International Fellow
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Zohar Palti
Download High-Resolution Portrait

Zohar Palti, the Andrew Viterbi Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, retired from government service in 2022 after four decades in some of the most sensitive positions in Israel’s national security establishment. Among his positions, he served as director of the Policy and Political-Military Bureau at Israel's Ministry of Defense, where his responsibilities included conducting Israel’s defense ties with strategic partners around the world and directing defense and security relationships with foreign countries. 

Prior to that, he led the Mossad Intelligence Directorate (at the rank equivalent to major general) and was the counterterrorism chief of the organization. Before joining the Mossad, Palti served for twenty-five years in the IDF Intelligence Corps. In addition to his roles in Israeli military and intelligence, he held several research positions, including senior research fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center (2016-7) and as a visiting military fellow with The Washington Institute in 2004.

In a rare honor for a foreign official, upon his retirement Palti was awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, in recognition of “his major contribution to bolstering U.S.-Israel strategic defense relations.”

In addition to his Institute fellowship, Palti is member of the Advisory Board of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). He is also a consultant for private U.S. companies.

Palti holds a BA and an Executive MA in Middle Eastern studies from Tel Aviv University, with distinction. He is a graduate of the U.S. National Defense University's advanced management program.

Zohar Palti
Download High-Resolution Portrait

Recent Policy Analysis by Zohar Palti

Sunbathers gather on Al-Baida beach in Lebanon - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Trump Should Aim for a “Riviera” in Lebanon
Mar 3, 2025
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Zohar Palti
Brief Analysis
Syria Is the First Major Aftershock of October 7—With More to Come?
Dec 11, 2024
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  • Zohar Palti
An Iranian man holds a newspaper depicting the April 14 attack on Israel.
Brief Analysis
The Middle East's Perilous Moment: Policy Implications and Escalation Risks
Apr 18, 2024
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  • Dana Stroul
  • Zohar Palti
  • Farzin Nadimi
Photo of an Israeli soldier in the ruins of a kibbutz following the October 2023 Hamas attack.
Brief Analysis
The Hamas-Israel War: One Month On
Nov 9, 2023
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  • Zohar Palti
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Ghaith al-Omari
  • Dennis Ross
Articles & Testimony
The Mission Ahead for Israel
Oct 21, 2023
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  • Zohar Palti
  • Neomi Neumann
Secretary of State Antony Blinken places a tile that reads "Light in the darkness" on a wall at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, October 14, 2023.
Brief Analysis
The Israel-Hamas War and U.S. Policy: An Update
Oct 20, 2023
◆
  • Zohar Palti
  • David Makovsky
  • Grant Rumley
  • Ghaith al-Omari
  • Neomi Neumann
All Policy Analysis by Zohar Palti
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