Ilan Berman

Ilan Berman is vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC.
Pro israel demonstration

Israel must ditch its ineffective public diplomacy for new messaging methods - opinion

Instead of hasbara, Israel would do well to embrace a new approach to strategic communications built around speed, engagement, and influence. 

APRIL 24, 2024
THEN-FOREIGN minister Yair Lapid shakes hands with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, at the Negev Summit, last year.

How Jerusalem views Western Sahara is a test on partnership - opinion

The disposition of Western Sahara isn't a governmental project but an issue that sits at the very heart of Morocco's national identity.

JANUARY 16, 2023
CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER Wang Yi attends a Lanting Forum with the theme ‘China and the UN: Cooperation in 50 Years and Beyond,’ in Beijing last month.

Why has China turned on Israel? - opinion

By supporting the plight of the Palestinians, China is cynically stoking the most emotional issue in Middle Eastern politics in order to distract Muslim nations from its own campaign against Uyghurs.

JULY 5, 2021

A formal US-Israeli defense pact is still a bad idea

At a time when the relationship between Israel and American Jewry is already under significant strain, this would be an added stressor, and perhaps a significant one.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
Former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenjot in Tel Aviv 2017

'Shadow Strike' - Insights into Israel's decision to strike Syria

Yaakov Katz’s latest work provides insight into Israel’s 2007 decision to strike Syria’s nuclear reactor.

MAY 9, 2019
“Shadow Strike: Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power,” by Yaakov Katz, published by St. Martin’s Press, is now available. .

Why are Chinese investments in Israeli hi-tech making Washington nervous?

In fact, China’s stake in Israeli hi-tech has become so significant that it now runs the risk of impacting the longstanding special relationship between Jerusalem and Washington.

NOVEMBER 8, 2018
A logo of Alibaba Group is pictured at its headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, October 14, 2015.

Beware Russians bearing gifts

Netanyahu has been quick to stress that America, and not Russia, remains Israel’s main international partner.

JUNE 27, 2016
MiG-29 jet fighters of the Russian aerobatic team Strizhi (The Swifts) perform during the MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon in Zhukovsky outside Moscow, Russia, August 30, 2015