158 Photos and videos
David A. Halperin retweeted
These months before the election in Israel will be the most dangerous for Palestinians as Smotrich tries to lock in as much as possible and force any future government into a binational state
14h
Israel cancels Hebron Accords, takes powers from Palestinian municipality
The move shifts planning authority in Jewish Hebron and key holy sites to Israeli bodies, ending decades-old arrangements tied to the 1997 protocol and Oslo ...
ynetnews.com/article/byyuncc…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Beyond Netanyahu's domestic political gains from opposing Obama vs. Trump, the Israeli–U.S. dispute over the JCPOA offers a strategic warning: if Israel is *seen* as a spoiler, it can be sidelined again, reducing its influence during the 60‑day (and likely longer) negotiation window.
That risk was real in 2015 and is greater now given the compressed timeframe, technical scrutiny, and asymmetry in teams, with the Iranian side having far more experience in nuclear and sanctions diplomacy.
Iran is ahead and emboldened. We should not give them another victory by creating a wedge between Washington and Jerusalem.
Quoted in @washingtonpost:
Daniel B. Shapiro, who was appointed U.S. ambassador to Israel by President Barack Obama, said Netanyahu may seek to negotiate a way to continue strikes in southern Lebanon, but he cannot afford to further antagonize Trump.
“It was beneficial to be seen as arguing with Obama or Biden, especially over Iran, because he could portray them as not sufficiently attentive to Israel’s security,” said Shapiro, now a fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. “With Trump, who is so popular in Israel and probably way more popular than Netanyahu, he doesn’t have that option. He sold himself as not only the best steward of Israel’s security, but as Donald Trump’s best friend, partner and running mate in reshaping the Middle East.”
@gerryshih
washingtonpost.com/world/202…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Jun 10
Two of the most prominent voices on Israel just left the argument from opposite ends.
Harris won't make his case to anyone who disagrees with him, only to the people already convinced. Beinart will talk for 18 minutes, but about everything except the question Harris actually asked, and his real endpoint is a country with no Jewish state.
New piece on why I'm staying in the argument both of them walked out of.
Link in first reply.
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David A. Halperin retweeted
This is extremely positive news.
Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program are far more complex than questions of enrichment levels or temporary freezes.
Any agreement with Iran must be designed to prevent not only the development of a nuclear weapon today, but also the future capability to move toward one. That should be the core objective of the negotiations.
In this context, drawing on outside expertise is not merely something that can be done but it is something that must be done.
This is an exceptionally complex issue, particularly when negotiating with Iranian counterparts who have spent decades developing deep technical and negotiating expertise on the nuclear file.
It is also worth noting that one of the factors that contributed to the current crisis was the limited familiarity of some officials involved in previous negotiations with the full complexity of the Iranian nuclear challenge. For that reason, bringing experienced experts into the process is a critically important step.
At the same time, this should not be viewed as a one-time consultation. A dedicated team of nuclear, regional, intelligence, and sanctions experts should be established to support the negotiations throughout the process, ensuring that policymakers have continuous access to the technical knowledge required for informed decision-making on such a sensitive and consequential issue.
#iran
Jun 5
🇺🇸🇮🇷☢️Scoop: President Trump's envoys Witkoff & Kushner traveled to the national lab in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on Thursday for consultations with a new team of experts ahead of potential nuclear negotiations with Iran. @demarest_colin & I write for @axios
axios.com/2026/06/05/iran-oa…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Jun 5
🚨Great Scoop by @talshalev1 on @CNN: Israel sent troops to Azerbaijan during Iran war as part of secret network across region
cnn.com/2026/06/05/middleeas…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Happy 50th anniversary to the most insane 19 seconds in the history of the NBA Finals:
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David A. Halperin retweeted
"The events that took place last night at the home of the Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Justice Noam Sohlberg, were not an isolated incident. They are the result of a prolonged and dangerous process of delegitimization directed at the judiciary, its judges, and the officials entrusted with enforcing the law."
Read the full statement by IDI President @yplesner and VP of Research @suzienavot: bit.ly/43MXtzp
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Starting in one hour: Israel Policy Briefing on the next era of U.S.-Israel security cooperation
Featuring @RCBrandenburg and @mkoplow, and moderated by @dhalperin
Register now: israelpolicyforum.zoom.us/we…
Partnership Recalibrated: The Next Era of U.S.-Israel Security Cooperation
Webinar | Thursday, June 4, at 2pm ET
Featuring @RCBrandenburg and @mkoplow
Moderated by @dhalperin
Register here: israelpolicyforum.zoom.us/we…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Jun 4
Israel's supporters often look at U.S. security assistance as the core of the strategic relationship. Israel's detractors often look at it as effective leverage. Neither is right, which is why everyone should start moving beyond the question of aid israelpolicyforum.org/2026/0…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Voting 106-0, the Knesset has passed the first reading of a bill to dissolve itself and head to elections. @xlederman unpacks the waning weeks of the 25th Knesset in this Inside Israeli Politics. israelpolicyforum.org/2026/0…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Jun 4
PSA: Contrary to some impressions out there, Netanyahu *is not* leading in most of the credible polls and faces an uphill battle to get anywhere near a majority in the next election.
Jun 4
🎧Latest #IsraelPolicyPod w/ @dahliasc on:
—Upcoming Israeli election campaign
—What the polls are saying (& not saying)
—Bennett-Lapid, Eisenkot, Arab parties
—Likud maintaining support, Smotrich's fate
—Possible wild cards more.
Listen subscribe: israelpolicyforum.org/2026/0…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Jun 4
🎧Latest #IsraelPolicyPod w/ @dahliasc on:
—Upcoming Israeli election campaign
—What the polls are saying (& not saying)
—Bennett-Lapid, Eisenkot, Arab parties
—Likud maintaining support, Smotrich's fate
—Possible wild cards more.
Listen subscribe: israelpolicyforum.org/2026/0…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Shira Efron has written (and not for the first time) an important piece highlighting a challenge that has long shaped Israeli strategic thinking, especially after October 7th: the belief that military force alone can deliver lasting security, including on the Lebanese front.
Military power is an essential component of deterrence and national defense. However, force by itself rarely produces sustainable stability. Without a complementary diplomatic track, including, for example, progress toward arrangements along the Israel-Lebanon border as a foundation for broader political understandings, security gains are likely to remain temporary.
An approach that relies predominantly on military measures risks strengthening those voices in Lebanon that portray Israel as an aggressor, particularly when some in Israel advocate more expansive territorial ambitions, such as pushing the border northward to the Litani River.
Lasting security requires both hard power and political strategy. Deterrence can create opportunities, but only diplomacy can translate those opportunities into durable stability.
Jun 3
Appreciate @ForeignAffairs publishing my analysis Hezbollah’s Trap for Israel on Israel’s approach to Lebanon as Israeli and Lebanese teams are in DC for a 4th round of talks. The piece describes the military challenge (including the faulty logic of turning the post-Nov 2024 “luxury” cease-fire, which allowed the IDF to maintain freedom of operation and five points in Lebanon, while Hezbollah refrained from acting, into the current mess), the shortcomings of the diplomatic track, and outlines a way forward.
Israel’s idea of holding both ends of the stick isn’t likely to work. Appreciate Israeli Amb. to DC's commitment and leadership but his idea of "reaching a peace treaty as if there’s no Hezbollah and fighting Hezbollah as if there’s no peace treaty" could derail the prospect of achieving either objective.
Israel’s approach to Lebanon must be understood in the context of the post–October 7 shift in the country’s mindset, moving away from prioritizing deterrence to an always‑on security doctrine that seizes "buffer zones" in neighboring countries. Not accepting a threat building on the border is understandable but if the current escalatory dynamic continues, that will squander a rare opening for Israel and Lebanon to achieve a shared strategic objective - Hezbollah disarmed. Disarmament is not only a kinetic effort but it requires patient, sequenced statecraft, which only Lebanon can do. Israel can’t substitute firepower for legitimacy. It can, however, help shape the conditions that enable Beirut to reclaim its sovereignty.
Israel faces a stark choice. It can accept a demanding bargain: pair calibrated deterrence and temporary military measures with clear initiatives to strengthen Lebanese state capacity and delegitimize Hezbollah. Or it can keep prioritizing prevention and retribution over patient diplomacy, and pay accumulating military, economic, and diplomatic costs. In both the near and long term, however, that will only play into Hezbollah’s hand.
This week’s round of negotiations should do more than extending the crumbling cease-fire and containing the conflict to growing parts of southern Lebanon. Unless the talks enable a fundamentally different approach and produce discernible benefits for both Lebanese and Israelis, renewal of full-on war could be inevitable—and the hope of permanently weakening Hezbollah and making peace will be gone.
foreignaffairs.com/israel/he… via @ForeignAffairs
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Escalation between Israel and Hezbollah risks squandering the window for genuine political change and disarmament in Lebanon. Writing in @ForeignAffairs, @ShiraEfron calls for a U.S.-led roadmap to foster Israeli-Lebanese cooperation in sidelining Iran. foreignaffairs.com/israel/he…
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David A. Halperin retweeted
Pleased to share @IsraelPolicy4m's latest report (co-authored by me, @mkoplow, @elisaewers44, & @GabrielEpsteinXabout) about the future of the U.S.-Israel security relationship and how to use the next bilateral Memorandum of Understanding to chart a next phase of the security relationship -- to transition it from the provider-recipient relationship of the past 3 decades, into a more genuine partnership. Over the next decade, wind down security assistance and expand joint efforts in defense innovation, R&D, and co-production. Identify each nation's comparative advantage and consider how best to combat emerging mutual threats.
For more, see 👇 --
The time has come to chart the next phase of the U.S.-Israel security relationship.
Our new report by @RCBrandenburg, @GabrielEpsteinX, @elisaewers44, and @mkoplow lays out a vision for the next MOU: moving from a provider-recipient framework to a greater partnership.
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Jun 1
1/ Today, @IsraelPolicy4m released a new report: Partnership Recalibrated: The Next Era of U.S.-Israel Security Cooperation. As the U.S. and Israel begin discussing a new memorandum of understanding (MOU), the authors @mkoplow @RCBrandenburg @elisaewers44 @GabrielEpsteinX argue it's time to prep the security partnership for a new era. 🧵
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Jun 1
11/ The next MOU should place the relationship on a more durable foundation—one that reflects today's realities, serves American interests, strengthens Israel's security, and preserves broad American support for the partnership in the years ahead.
Read the full report here:
israelpolicyforum.org/partne…
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Join me for a webinar discussion with the authors of the new @IsraelPolicy4m report this Thursday, June 4 at 2:00pm ET
israelpolicyforum.zoom.us/we…
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