Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
Ian Lustick | E-International Relations
The elections in Israel have ensured that Benjamin Netanyahu will remain as Prime Minister of Israel and that the government he heads will pursue substantively the same policies as those of its predecessor. Settlements will be expanded. The lives of Jerusalem Arabs will be embittered and endangered by intensive Judaization campaigns in Arab areas and by pressures on Arab residents to leave the city. Every two years or so a military operation in Gaza, Lebanon, or the West Bank will “cut the grass,” (i.e. destroy enough to re-immiserate Palestinian society and set back any plans to mobilize violently against Israel in the near future). Public talk of annexing area C in the West Bank, including heavily settled areas, will continue and become even more prominent. Some key demands of settlers, including construction of Jewish housing in the E1 zone between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem will be met. And Israeli foreign policy will continue to characterize the Middle East as a polarized battleground between civilization and Islamist barbarism, to stick its fingers in the eyes of European critics and the Obama administration,while also seeking effective but under-the-table alliances with anti-democratic forces in Egypt, the Arab Gulf, and elsewhere in the region. The hysterical campaign against Iranian nuclear technology and the Orwellian refusal to discuss the future of Israel’s massive nuclear arsenal will also continue.
Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
Partner with the Council
We appreciate any support towards the Middle East Policy Council to help educate Americans on the political, economic and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East.
The Middle East Policy Council's senior leadership and board of directors can offer unique insights into the complex issues facing U.S. policy making in the Middle East.
Ian Lustick | E-International Relations
The elections in Israel have ensured that Benjamin Netanyahu will remain as Prime Minister of Israel and that the government he heads will pursue substantively the same policies as those of its predecessor. Settlements will be expanded. The lives of Jerusalem Arabs will be embittered and endangered by intensive Judaization campaigns in Arab areas and by pressures on Arab residents to leave the city. Every two years or so a military operation in Gaza, Lebanon, or the West Bank will “cut the grass,” (i.e. destroy enough to re-immiserate Palestinian society and set back any plans to mobilize violently against Israel in the near future). Public talk of annexing area C in the West Bank, including heavily settled areas, will continue and become even more prominent. Some key demands of settlers, including construction of Jewish housing in the E1 zone between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem will be met. And Israeli foreign policy will continue to characterize the Middle East as a polarized battleground between civilization and Islamist barbarism, to stick its fingers in the eyes of European critics and the Obama administration,while also seeking effective but under-the-table alliances with anti-democratic forces in Egypt, the Arab Gulf, and elsewhere in the region. The hysterical campaign against Iranian nuclear technology and the Orwellian refusal to discuss the future of Israel’s massive nuclear arsenal will also continue.