In my program Inside the Middle East: Intelligence Perspectives now going into its 5th year under the auspices of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College, I emphasize to my students the importance of Critical Thinking, Media Literacy, and an Interrogative Approach. Today I came across a perfect example to illustrate the importance of both of those skills in an article…

Immediate Intelligence Bulletin   July 16th, 2017 Terror attack at the Temple Mount Compound: Regional Reactions (** This is an immediate Bulletin. I will publish a more detailed Intelligence Report over the next few days **) Information: On Friday July 14, 2017, three Israeli-Arabs opened fire on Israeli Border Patrol Police securing the Temple Mount Compound in Jerusalem, called Al-Haram…

June 17th, 2017 Tasting the Bitter Pill of Reality: Hamas’ New Political Pact Information In August 2014 I published an article entitled “Operation Protective Edge: Exiting to a New Space” in which  I analyzed the ramifications of the summer of 2014 war between Hamas and Israel. In that piece I wrote ”…As a result, Hamas enters a long process where…

May 5, 2017   In case you missed it….   Avi Melamed discusses Trump visit and what US Administration should be focusing on…   Click on Screenshot below to see the show

Inside the Middle East – Intelligence Perspectives Intelligence Bulletin     March 14, 2017   A Prediction Materialized: Iranian Proxy Vows to “Fight to liberate the Golan Heights”   Information: In my January 2017 article “A Growing Whirlpool of Violence: The Middle East Legacy of Barack Obama “ I made the following prediction regarding the growing direct and indirect Iranian…

I am REPOSTING THIS POST IN LIGHT OF A MISTAKE IN THE PREVIOUS TITLE July 20, 2016 by Avi Melamed A military coup in Turkey (July 15-16, 2016) was oppressed and failed. Though crushed, the attempted coup, which was apparently led by some factors within the Turkish army, indicates the deep and dangerous crisis which Turkey is experiencing that stems from…

PLEASE NOTE I EDITED THIS POST DUE TO AN ERROR IN THE TITLE July 20, 2016 by Avi Melamed A military coup in Turkey (July 15-16, 2016) was oppressed and failed. Though crushed, the attempted coup, which was apparently led by some factors within the Turkish army, indicates the deep and dangerous crisis which Turkey is experiencing that stems from serious…

July 1st, 2016 by Avi Melamed General Background: The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Harakat al-Jihād al-Islāmi fi Filastīn, most widely known as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a Sunni Islamic group, established in the late 1970’s. The PIJ is a Palestinian organization inspired by Jihadi Islamist Militant ideology. The goal of Jihadi Islamist Militant ideology is to create,…

Here is an article I had published in Forbes…. A generation has passed since the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. The Oslo Accords were guided by the concept that the two-state solution would finally resolve the conflict—but two decades later, Israelis and Palestinians remain caught in a sad, frustrating and vicious cycle that must be…

July 23rd, 2015 Vienna, Aden, Damascus By Avi Melamed The signing of the Vienna agreement on July 14, 2015 between Iran and the “Five Plus One” states, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom United States, plus Germany regarding the Iranian nuclear program was not surprising. The Mullah regime desperately needed an agreement and the United States President, Barrack Obama wanted – critics of the agreement add that he desperately wanted – an agreement. Some argue it is a bad deal, others argue it is a good deal; some see both positive as well as negative aspects of the agreement. There should have, and could have, been a much better agreement. The West had a much stronger hand than the Iranians.…

January 25. 2015 Saudi Arabia: New King, Old Dance by Avi Melamed King Abdullah Bin Abd-Alaziz, the sixth king of Saudi Arabia, died on January 23, 2015 at age of 91. King Abdullah Bin Abd-Alaziz, ruled Saudi Arabia for ten years from 2005 to 2015. He was the twelfth son, out of 36 sons and an unknown number of daughters, of the founder of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (1932-1953). Following King Abdullah’s death, Crown Prince Salman was announced the new King of Saudi Arabia. King Salman is 79 years old. He was appointed the Crown Prince following the death of two of his brothers – Prince Sultan who died in 2011 and Prince Nayef who died in…

January 19, 2015 A Significant Message by Avi Melamed   The Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah announced that six of its militants were killed on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights on January 18th. In addition, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced that an Iranian General was killed in the attack. Reportedly, the Iranian general was second-in-command of the Al-Quds Force,…

This is the English version of the Hebrew article I posted yesterday. To read the Hebrew article please click here   August 28, 2014 Operation Protective Edge: Exiting to a new Space by Avi Melamed   In my article Operation Protective Edge – Light at the End of Tunnel that I published on July 22, 2014 during the very early stages of Operation Protective Edge, I made the following observations (click here to read the article which expands on the below points), This round offers both Israelis and Palestinians a chance for strategic positive shift Hamas’ strategy has reached a dead end Hamas’ modus operandi is substantially challenged Hamas will announce victory no matter what the reality is and the…

Over my last two weeks in the US on a Speaking Tour sponsored by the Friends of the IDF many people, asked me about my thoughts regarding BDS. So I have decided to respond by writing an article that I have wanted to write for a long time.   August 17, 201 Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – Wrong for Everyone BDS supporters justify the use of sanctions against Israel as a legitimate tool. The underlying concept is that ending any kind of Israeli presence (and on top of it Israeli settlements) in the Palestinian territories is the key for a peaceful solution. Thus, according to that line of thinking- Israeli settlements are the obstacle on that path. Many people argue that BDS is in…