Regional Context
Understanding broader global and regional context is valuable to further understand how Israel deals with ongoing issues of uncertainty and upheaval both at home and abroad.
Miri Eisin
Activity description:
Dialogue with Col. (Ret.) Miri Eisin, former advisor to the Prime Minister on foreign media. Or tour the borders of Israel and gain powerful insights into Israel's geopolitical and security situation.
Miri Eisin served in the IDF (Israel defense forces) in the intelligence community for over twenty years. In 2004, she retired from active duty at the rank of full Colonel. Within the IDF, Miri is part of a small group of women to achieve the rank of Colonel, which currently stands at less than 2 %. She continues to serve in reserve duty in the IDF. In 2006, during the second Lebanon war, Miri was appointed as the Israeli government spokesperson, and then was appointed to the position of the Israeli Prime Minister’s international media advisor. She served in that position until December 2007, participating in the challenging effort of the Annapolis conference. Over the last decade, Miri has become one of Israel's main voices, speaking on regional geo-politics, giving security and intelligence briefings in Israel and worldwide, and commenting on the different narratives within the Israeli-Palestinian/Arab conflict. Miri currently teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, in the government school and in the Argov Fellows Program. She lectures in Israel and worldwide on a variety of subjects including Middle Eastern geo-politics, the Israeli-Arab conflict, Israeli decision making, women in Israeli society, the Israeli intelligence community, and other related issues. Miri is married and the mother of three children. She holds a B.A. from Tel Aviv University in Middle Eastern studies and Political Science, an M.A. from Haifa University in Security studies, and is a graduate of the Israeli National Defense College. She is a fellow at the Institute for Counter Terrorism, ICT – Herzeliya, and a fellow at the Center for International Communication at Bar Ilan University.
Medium
Israel
Sarit Zehavi
Activity description:
At the top of Mount Bental or along Israel's northern border, Lt. Colonel (Res.) Zehavi will brief you on Israel’s geopolitical and security situation and analyze the multi-faceted geopolitical and security situation confronting Israel on its borders with Syria and Lebanon, including the impact of Syria’s tragic civil war and Iran’s influence in the region.
Sarit Zehavi is the CEO and founder of Alma – a nonprofit, independent research and education center specializing in Israel’s security challenges on its northern border. Zehavi has briefed hundreds of groups and forums, including US Senators, members of Congress, senior journalists, and visiting VIP groups in Israel and overseas. She has also written numerous policy papers and updates focusing on Lebanon, Syria, and Israel’s national security challenges. She served in the Israeli Defense Forces for 15 years, specializing in military intelligence, and holds an M.A. in Middle East Studies. Zehavi and her husband are raising their 5 children in the Western Galilee.
Medium
North
Eyal Dror
Activity description:
During the Syrian civil war Israel treated thousands of wounded Syrian civilians. Learn about this complex mission first-hand from Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Dror and discuss the juxtaposition between border security and humanitarian aid.
Eyal Dror served in the IDF for 24 years. In June 2016, he took command of the Golan Heights-based “Operation Good Neighbor”, after Israeli leaders decided to step up humanitarian assistance for Syrians living near the border. Under his leadership, the “Operation Good Neighbor” team led 700+ humanitarian operations on the Israeli-Syrian border, most of them providing medical treatment in Israeli hospitals to Syrians impacted by the civil war that raged across the border.
.jpg)
Dan Feferman
Activity description:
Discuss Israel's strategic security environment in this briefing with Major. (Res.) Dan Feferman and learn from his practical and academic experience of Israel in the shifting Middle East.
Dan Feferman is a co-founder of the Gulf-Israel Policy Forum and a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a leading think-tank on issues of importance to Israel and the Jewish people. He has published numerous articles and speaks regularly in Israel and around the world. He is a co-host of the Jewanced Podcast, and the Director of Communications and Global Affairs at Sharaka, an NGO that works to build people-to-people peace between Israel and the Arab world. He is a Major (Res.) in the Israel Defense Forces, having served as a foreign policy and national security analyst, strategist, and adviser to the IDF General Staff and as a commander in the Research and Analysis Division of an elite intelligence unit. He holds a BA in International Politics and Middle East Studies from the American University in Washington DC and an MA in Security Studies from Tel Aviv University. Originally from Indiana, he currently lives in Rehovot with his wife and three children and enjoys cooking, CrossFit, and martial arts.
Medium
Center / Tel Aviv
Tal Becker
Activity description:
Get a behind-the-scenes perspective of the negotiations that led to the Abraham Accords, the agreements that normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and regional actors like the UAE, and learn how these ground-breaking agreements impact the future of Israel and the entire region.
Principal Deputy Legal Adviser at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Becker has been a senior member of the Israeli peace negotiation team in successive rounds of peace negotiations, playing an instrumental role in negotiating and drafting the recent agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. In the past, he was a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, senior policy advisor to Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, a lead negotiator in both the Annapolis and Kerry peace talks, director of the International Law Department at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, counsel to Israel’s UN Mission in New York, and an international law expert for the Israel Defense Forces. He earned his doctorate from Columbia University and is the winner of the Rabin Peace Prize and the 2007 Guggenheim Prize for best international law book for his book “Terrorism and the State”.
High
Jerusalem
.png)
Alma Research & Educational Center
Activity description:
Choose between a variety of activities including:
-
An expert security briefing at observation points along Israel’s border with Syria or Lebanon
-
Become an Israeli Cabinet member for a day in the Alma Security Crisis Simulation
-
When Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze Meet: Participate in a panel discussion with representatives of the various religious communities
-
Dive deep into the challenges of the Arab minority in Israel with a variety of speakers and community leaders
-
Her-Story vs. History: Learn about the complex story of women in the Middle East through the ages
Alma is a non-profit education and research center dedicated to researching the security challenges on Israel’s northern borders and sharing insights about those challenges with opinion leaders, research centers, academia, and anyone interested in the multi-dimensional complexities in the Middle East. Alma is committed to providing an authentic, unique, and professional perspective regarding the areas on both sides of the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. The research at the center focuses on the diversity of societies living along those borders together with geography, politics, and military capabilities and how they impact the dynamic security climate in the region.
Other
North
INSS
Activity description:
Meet with a leading INSS researcher to discuss one of the key issues facing Israel today, from Israel’s relationship with Iran to cybersecurity.
The Institute for National Security Studies is a non-partisan think tank that conducts innovative research that shapes the public discourse regarding issues on Israel's national security agenda and provides policy analysis and recommendations to decision-makers, public leaders, and the strategic community in Israel and abroad. As part of its mission, it is committed to encouraging new ways of thinking and expanding the traditional contours of establishment analysis. With a deep commitment to professional integrity, intellectual rigor, and adherence to the highest standards of research and analysis, INSS researchers take on the most pressing issues of Israel's national security and contribute to national security policymaking through creative and innovative thinking.
High
Tel Aviv/Jerusalem
Mitvim
Activity description:
Engage in a dialogue with one of Mitvim's experts on topics including Israeli foreign and security policy, the international politics of the Middle East, the impact of the climate crisis on relations between Israel and its neighbors, Israel–Europe Relations, private peace entrepreneurs in conflict resolution processes, regional cooperation on sustainability issues, and more.
A foreign policy think tank established in 2011, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policy-Mitvim’s mission is to promote Israel’s regional cooperation in the Middle East, Europe, and the Mediterranean, and to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace. Mitvim is consistently ranked among the top think tanks in the Middle East and North Africa and is one of the world’s leading regional studies centers. Mitvim generates progressive new foreign policy knowledge and puts it into use by engaging with local and international political, diplomatic, and civil society actors. Its activities include policy planning, research, expert workshops, public events, regional and international policy dialogues, public opinion polls, media engagement, and briefings to Members of the Knesset, government officials, and foreign diplomats.
High
Tel Aviv / Jerusalem
EcoPeace
Activity description:
Environmental issues don’t stop at the border—join Eco Peace environmental experts for a tour of one of Israel’s endangered water sources and explore their vision for saving the Middle East through cross-border collaboration. Optional locations for diving into the environment in conflict zones include, but are not limited to, the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, the Gaza area, Emek Hefer, the Jericho area, and the Jordan EcoPark.
Founded in December 1994 at a historic meeting in Egypt, EcoPeace Middle East brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists to protect their shared environmental heritage by integrating environmental considerations into the regional development agenda. The organization, which has offices in Amman, Ramallah, and Tel Aviv, seeks to advance both sustainable regional development and create conditions necessary for lasting peace in this conflict-torn region.
High
Israel
