Israel

On October 1, BICOM senior visiting fellow Brig. Gen. (ret.) Michael Herzog briefed journalists on a BICOM conference call, providing his assessment of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani's diplomatic offensive and the requirements for a successful deal to set Iran back from nuclear breakout capacity. The following is a summary of

Despite its shortcomings, the Oslo process has benefited Israelis and Palestinians, and its focus on nationalist frameworks remains more relevant than unfeasible binational proposals.

Israel's lessons from numerous strikes in Syria show that Assad can be deterred, particularly if he loses significant assets in a strike marked by clear, realistic objectives, careful planning, and credible deterrent messages after the fact.

Veteran U.S. peace negotiator and Institute Counselor Dennis Ross offers suggestions for changes to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, including increased public outreach and a reordering of priorities. Watch a video FAQ in which Ambassador Ross tackles the key questions to emerge from the first round of talks.

Preliminary negotiations and changing political realities have catalyzed the opening of new talks, but even a two-state agreement would not guarantee an imminent end to the conflict.

Reaching an agreement may require deep involvement not just in the Israeli-Palestinian talks, but in the conflicts, politics, and alliances of a region from which Washington has appeared keen to disengage of late.

Watch a video FAQ as two Institute scholars who are intimately familiar with the details of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations answer the key questions about new talks set to begin Tuesday in Washington.

Netanyahu is emphasizing a rationale for peace negotiations rooted in Israeli self-interest rather than Palestinian goodwill, and Abbas should do the same.

Institute counselor Dennis Ross addressed the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Stahl Center.