Efraim Inbar

The author is president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies (JISS), Israel’s new conservative security think tank. He is professor emeritus at Bar-Ilan University and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.

 THE COLORS of the US flag are projected on the Tel Aviv Municipality building this week. President Donald Trump decided to capitalize on the Israeli successes, showing that America is great again, says the writer.

Why Israel's war with Iran has international significance - opinion

 Reza Najafi, Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN, attends an exceptional meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors to discuss Israel’s strike on Iran that have hit nuclear targets including the Natanz nuclear complex, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 16, 2025.

Operation Rising Lion's true goal: Ending Iran's nuclear ambitions, not regime - opinion

 Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the European Political Community Summit at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania, May 16, 2025.

Turkish might, Qatari wealth spearhead a new radical Sunni axis in the Middle East - opinion


The case for chaos: Why Israel must avoid another Gaza containment policy - opinion

Israel needs to get used to the idea that, in the absence of an entity willing to take Gaza under its wing, chaos will prevail there.

PA HEAD Mahmoud Abbas holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah last week. One possibility for ‘the day after’ is to bring the PA into Gaza; it is not the ideal solution, but such solutions are not always available, the writer maintains.

It’s time to revise Israel's military doctrine - opinion

Today, Israel is paying a staggering price for its delay in mounting a strong military response to previous provocations, which would have instilled fear in its enemies. 

 IDF SOLDIERS operate in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, in November.

Has Israeli society’s resilience weakened after months of war? – opinion

Has public opinion in Israel shifted focus from war victory to hostage return?

 Israelis watch the release of hostages from Hamas captivity as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, at Hostage square in Tel Aviv, February 22, 2025.

President Trump's Gaza proposal shifts the diplomatic landscape - opinion

Israeli diplomacy should take advantage of Trump's plan and its underlying assumptions to undermine entrenched views around the world regarding the nature of the conflict in our region.

 PEOPLE WALK amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, last month. Much of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to ruins; the American plan provides a response, the writers argue.

The fall of Assad does not mean Syria, the Middle East is a safer place - opinion

It’s not a safer place: Syria and the Mideast after Assad’s fall from power.

 SYRIAN CARETAKER prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir attends a meeting with the transitional cabinet in Damascus yesterday. The demise of the Assad regime will not turn Syria, nor the Middle East as a whole, into a better place, the writer maintains.

A new Middle East is still far off – opinion

Israel will have to live by its sword for many long years ahead.

Saddam Hussein is filmed in footage released after his capture in 2003. Even the decisive American victory over the Iraqi leader did little to alter the domestic or international politics of the Middle East, the writer notes.

Israel must stand firm on the battlefield and also the hostage negotiation table - opinion

History proves that more victims of release agreements with terrorist organizations are a certainty. Therefore, the emerging hostage deal is problematic from a moral standpoint. 

 PROTESTERS WEAR blindfolds, calling for the release of the hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza, earlier this week in Jerusalem. The sign behind them reads: ‘A deal would save them.’

Escalation vs. restraint: The strategic dilemma in Gaza and Hezbollah’s attrition war - opinion

As global leaders express concerns over escalating violence in Gaza and Hezbollah’s ongoing war against Israel, the Israeli debate between escalation and restraint intensifies.

IRANIAN PRESIDENT Masoud Pezeshkian (right) meets with Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, in Tehran, last week. In the Mideast, a reluctance to use force is seen by most people as a weakness, the writer maintains.

Trump's nomination and Israeli preferences: Navigating the perils of political alignment - opinion

Trump's renomination boosts his appeal in Israel, but Israel must carefully navigate US politics to maintain bipartisan support and avoid the appearance of election interference.

 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL nominee and former US president Donald Trump addresses a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last Saturday. In Israel, Trump has been the preferred candidate from the beginning of the election campaign, says the writer.

A government that allows for the haredi draft evasion must go - opinion

The ongoing draft dodging by the ultra-Orthodox harms not only the country’s economy and prosperity but its very security.

 POLICE CONFRONT haredi demonstrators blocking a road in Jerusalem, protesting against efforts to draft haredim into the military, earlier this month.