This dissertation explores the United Nations' comprehensive approach to managing the Israel-Arab Conflict from 1967 to 1982, presenting a shift from examining peace operations as isolated efforts... Show moreThis dissertation explores the United Nations' comprehensive approach to managing the Israel-Arab Conflict from 1967 to 1982, presenting a shift from examining peace operations as isolated efforts to viewing them as interconnected elements of a broader peace architecture. It introduces a critical analysis of the roles played by the Office of Special Political Affairs and the Office of Chief Coordinator of Peacekeeping in the Middle East, arguing that these entities were pivotal in forming a cohesive strategy despite the static mandates of individual peace missions. The research spans six chapters, starting with a historical overview of the UN’s peacekeeping framework since 1948, setting the groundwork for understanding the conflict and the evolution of peacekeeping entities. It then delves into Inter-Operation Collaboration (IOC) and the Secretariat’s political maneuvering, highlighting the impact of significant events like the Camp David Accords and the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. These events marked a shift in focus from state-centric to Israeli-Palestinian issues, challenging the UN’s influence. The conclusion assesses the UN’s role in shaping the diplomatic and security landscape of the region, underlining the organization's contributions and limitations in fostering peace and stability amidst a complex geopolitical scenario. This research offers valuable insights into the dynamics of UN peacekeeping operations in regional conflicts. Show less
In the last two decades, Israel established itself as a leading actor in the global arena of cyber security governance, strategy, and industry. Transferring knowledge from the military to the... Show moreIn the last two decades, Israel established itself as a leading actor in the global arena of cyber security governance, strategy, and industry. Transferring knowledge from the military to the civilian sphere, the country can today be considered as a normative power for its cyber security policies, research, and innovative market ventures. Thanks to their notorious – yet contentious – operations, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are internationally recognized as pioneers in the field of offensive cyber defense. Different elements contribute to Israel’s national success in cyber security, and this chapter maps them through a critical perspective on the country’s conflation of military strategies with cyber security governance and market initiatives. This problematic merging of different domains creates in fact the conditions for a distinctive – and growlingly exported abroad – profitable approach to the securitization and militarization of cyberspace. Show less
This study builds on the work of Juffermans who has shown that religion takes on three ‘different meanings’ in Spinoza’s works, namely 1.superstition; 2. faith; and 3. philosophical religion. In... Show moreThis study builds on the work of Juffermans who has shown that religion takes on three ‘different meanings’ in Spinoza’s works, namely 1.superstition; 2. faith; and 3. philosophical religion. In this way Spinoza has provided us with a nuanced normative theory that can help us to evaluate religions. Different from the Straussian view which considers this theory to be rife with contradictions, this study researches how the three perspectives on religion could exist side by side.Spinoza’s theory of religion, so it is argued, following Fraenkel, belongs to a tradition of philosophical religions. In this tradition the Divine is understood as the perfect exemplar of reasonableness, and historical religions are understood as pedagogical-didactical tools to lead the common people to a life of reason.Spinoza was not only a critic of religion and the Bible, he also endorsed them for individuals as well as for societies. Spinoza’s religious ideas were understood by Spinoza’s circle of friends as an example of ‘reasonable Christianity’. Spinoza was not in favor of the separation of Church and State. He was a proponent of a state-guided ‘public church’, guarding over the faith of the general population and fighting the superstitious beliefs that can divide society. Show less
This article puts forth the argument that Israel’s desire to repair its deteriorating relations with Turkey between 1980 and 1985 drove Israeli diplomats to leverage Armenian terrorism as an issue... Show moreThis article puts forth the argument that Israel’s desire to repair its deteriorating relations with Turkey between 1980 and 1985 drove Israeli diplomats to leverage Armenian terrorism as an issue of shared concern with Turkey. Specifically, the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (hereafter, ASALA), apparent affiliation with a similar brand of Palestinian terrorism, which was supported by the Soviet Union, was used to court Turkey. This overlooked factor also provides a template with which to understand Israel’s policy on the contested memories of the Armenian Genocide during the 1980s. In the context of a late Cold War superpower rivalry, this article demonstrates how Israeli diplomats assigned the US to mediate between Ankara and Jerusalem. This context highlights the degree to which Cold War dynamics were two-sided: how regional powers such as Israel attempted to influence the policies of the superpower US in the later Cold War years through leveraging global terrorism for diplomatic gains with Turkey Show less
Israeli, M.; Oudshoorn, M.; Haasnoot, G.W.; Klein, T.; Zisser, B.; Bach, G.; Claas, F.H.J. 2014
The aim of this study was to deliver the first ever monographic study on the family of royal converts from Adiabene in the broader perspective of the material and political environment of... Show moreThe aim of this study was to deliver the first ever monographic study on the family of royal converts from Adiabene in the broader perspective of the material and political environment of Hellenistic and Parthian Adiabene. To achieve this goal, it was necessary to collect, arrange and discuss all available sources on the topic. Our discussion of sources has been arranged into three parts. The aim of part 1 (chapters 1-5) was to read Ant. 20:17-96, the most comprehensive account on the Adiabene royalty in ancient literature, as a consciously planned literary product. The aim of part 2 (chapters 6-7) was to analyse the sources that convey the picture of the Adiabene dynasty as good royalty for the Jewish people. The aim of part 3 (chapters 8-13) was to gain insight into the material and political environment of Adiabene from the 3rd c. BCE to the 3rd c. CE, and this has been achieved through collecting, arranging and discussing a number of available sources: geographical and ethnographical texts, archaeological data, numismatic, epigraphic, and onomastic evidence. Show less
Media coverage of the current Israeli-Palestinian confrontation has tended to emphasize its most violent and spectacular aspects. While these are hardly to be discounted and have devastated... Show moreMedia coverage of the current Israeli-Palestinian confrontation has tended to emphasize its most violent and spectacular aspects. While these are hardly to be discounted and have devastated numerous lives, it is noteworthy that during almost two years of conflict the cumulative death toll on both sides stands at approximately 2,000, a figure which compares rather favourably with the horrific statistics produced in Beirut or more recently the Balkans. Show less
In this article a comparative study is presented of the Indian and the Ethiopian Jews in Israel, immigrant communities that went through similar experiences of integration and accommodation in... Show moreIn this article a comparative study is presented of the Indian and the Ethiopian Jews in Israel, immigrant communities that went through similar experiences of integration and accommodation in Israel, despite the time lag in their arrival. Elements of their history and sociocultural background in the countries of origin are discussed in order to explain the emergence and status of ethnic identity in a complex new society with a shared background ideology of integration (Zionism). An assessment is made of the (perceived) initial religious and social marginality of the two groups as it may have interacted with their social "careers" and group status. The socioeconomic structure of Israeli society has contributed to "reproducing ethnicity". The analysis suggests that the "Indian" and "Ethiopian" Jewish subidentities are now well-established in Israel, illustrating that the cultural content of "Jewishness" or Jewish identity is quite diverse Show less
La rivalité des deux éminences grises, le Libanais Jamil Said Mohammed et l'Israélien Shabta Kalmanovitch au Sierra Leone, est une illustration incontestable de la politique "dans les coulisses".... Show moreLa rivalité des deux éminences grises, le Libanais Jamil Said Mohammed et l'Israélien Shabta Kalmanovitch au Sierra Leone, est une illustration incontestable de la politique "dans les coulisses". On dit que, tout au long de son séjour au Sierra Leone, Kalmanovitch travailla en liaison avec les services secrets israéliens qui commençaient à s'inquiéter de l'influence libanaise sur le Sierra Leone, et de son utilisation comme base arrière diplomatique et financière. Cette histoire montre que l'Afrique noire est devenue, par transposition, l'un des théâtres des affrontements politiques et idéologiques du Moyen-Orient, en même temps qu'il souligne l'implication de non-Africains dans l'élaboration des politiques intérieure et extérieure des Etats subsahariens. Show less
