Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs

Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs Formerly the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA). The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (prev.

The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), an Israeli research institute founded in 1976, specializing in foreign policy research, public diplomacy, and strategic communications. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) is an independent non-profit institute for public diplomacy, policy research and education about Israel and Middle East security.

02/09/2026

Why are so many Hollywood stars calling for Marwan Barghouti’s release?

Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett and others have joined a campaign presenting Barghouti as a political leader who should be freed.

But there is an important part of the story that is often left out.

Barghouti was convicted by an Israeli court of five murders and attempted murder, including involvement in deadly attacks during the Second Intifada.

Research by Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs examines the evidence, the convictions, and the gap between Barghouti’s international image and his documented record.

Before turning him into a symbol, it is worth knowing what he was actually convicted of.

Campus antisemitism does not begin with a protest, a slogan, or a single professor. It is shaped much earlier: through t...
31/08/2026

Campus antisemitism does not begin with a protest, a slogan, or a single professor. It is shaped much earlier: through the ideas students encounter, the frameworks they are taught to use, and the academic culture that decides which views are treated as legitimate.

In her latest analysis, Tirza Shorr traces how ideological approaches that took hold in universities decades ago have moved through academic departments, teacher training, and school curricula.

Her conclusion is clear: meaningful change requires looking closely at the educational pipeline itself – the curricula, funding, hiring, transparency, and intellectual balance that shape what students are taught from school through university.

Link to the full analysis in comments 👇

30/08/2026

English ▫️ فارسی

What happens when an Iranian tries Israeli snacks for the first time?

For Amir (Arvand), trying Bamba came with an unexpected connection to home: the smell of peanuts reminded him of the bowls of nuts served during Nowruz in Iran.

In this episode of Spill the Chai with Sogand Fakheri, Amir tries some of Israel’s most iconic snacks during his first-ever visit to the country — and discovers that even Bamba can bring back memories of Iran.

وقتی یک ایرانی برای اولین بار خوراکی‌های اسرائیلی رو امتحان می‌کنه، چه اتفاقی می‌افته؟

برای امیر (اروند)، امتحان کردن بامبا با یک حس آشنا همراه شد: بوی بادام‌زمینی او را یاد ظرف‌های آجیل نوروز در ایران انداخت.

در این قسمت از Spill the Chai با سوگند فاخری، امیر در اولین سفرش به اسرائیل چند تا از معروف‌ترین خوراکی‌های اسرائیلی را امتحان می‌کند — و می‌فهمد که حتی بامبا هم می‌تواند خاطرات ایران را زنده کند.

قسمت کامل را در Spill the Chai ببینید / Watch the full episode of Spill the Chai.

Iran’s exit from Syria could create a new threat.Damascus is increasingly disrupting Iranian weapons routes to Hizbullah...
25/08/2026

Iran’s exit from Syria could create a new threat.

Damascus is increasingly disrupting Iranian weapons routes to Hizbullah and distancing itself from Tehran, a development that could significantly weaken one of Iran’s most important regional supply lines.

But for Israel, the strategic picture is more complicated.

As Iranian influence declines, Turkey is rapidly expanding its military role in Syria, training the new Syrian army, shaping its security structures, and potentially positioning military assets much closer to Israel’s borders.

In a new JCFA analysis, Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah and Oded Ailam argue that Israel should welcome Syria’s break with Iran, without assuming that today’s shared interests will become a lasting strategic alignment.

Their bottom line: Every Israeli concession should be matched by a concrete, verifiable Syrian commitment.

Read the full analysis in comments 👇

23/08/2026

«اگه یهودی هستی، چرا برای مردم ایران می‌جنگی؟» غزل میزراحی در این قسمت از Spill the Chai از موسیقی فارسی، هویت ایرانی-یهودی و پیامش به مردم ایران می‌گوید: شما تنها نیستید. ما متوقف نمی‌شویم تا وقتی که به آزادی‌تان برسید.

“If you’re Jewish, why do you fight for the people of Iran?” In this episode of Spill the Chai, Ghazal Mizrahi talks about Persian music, her Iranian-Jewish identity, and her message to the people of Iran: You are not alone. We won’t stop until you get your freedom.

Links below

19/08/2026

“Thank you for this beautiful life.”

Five months before 11-year-old Alma was killed in the Majdal Shams rocket attack, she sent those words to her mother.

In a deeply moving conversation on East to West, Alma’s mother, Naela, shares who her daughter truly was, the dreams she carried, the unbearable moment she realized she was gone, and her decision to transform grief into love, hope, and action. “I want the world to remember the way she lived.”

Watch the full episode of East to West with Sarah Martinez. Links in the first comment.

16/08/2026

What happens when you leave a country, but that country never really leaves you?

In a new episode of Spill the Chai, Sogand Fakheri tells Negar Mojtahedi about the dreams she has had since she was 15, dreams of being back in Iran without her veil, running from the Basij.

Negar shares a similar story from her documentary, My Dream Goes All the Way to Iran, about an Iranian former ambassador forced to flee the country. Years later in Canada, he still dreamed in Farsi, and his dreams were still set in Iran.

Different stories, but the same connection to a country that stays with you, even in your dreams.

در قسمت جدید Spill the Chai، سوگند فخری با نگار مجتهدی از خواب‌هایی می‌گوید که از ۱۵ سالگی درباره ایران می‌بیند: بازگشت به ایران بدون حجاب و فرار از بسیج.

نگار نیز داستان مردی را از مستند My Dream Goes All the Way to Iran تعریف می‌کند که مجبور به فرار از ایران شد. سال‌ها بعد، در کانادا، او هنوز به فارسی خواب می‌دید و ایران همچنان در رویاهایش حضور داشت.

دو داستان متفاوت، اما یک پیوند مشترک با کشوری که حتی در رویاها هم با تو می‌ماند.

13/08/2026

English▫️ العربية

“The West failed, and failed miserably.”

A striking claim from Saudi researcher and journalist Abdulaziz Alkhamees in a new episode of In the Middle with Tamir Morad.

Speaking candidly, Alkhamees argues that Western policy has consistently misunderstood the region: “There is a widening gap between Western perceptions and Middle Eastern realities,” he says.

He also reflects on Saudi Arabia’s evolving regional posture, the aftermath of October 7, and the strategic weight of the Strait of Hormuz in today’s geopolitical balance.

“The region is being reshaped in real time,” he notes, pointing to shifting alliances and emerging fault lines across the Middle East.

"الغرب فشل، وفشل فشلاً ذريعاً."

تصريح لافت من الباحث والإعلامي السعودي عبدالعزيز الخميس في حلقة جديدة من In the Middle في المنتصف مع تمير مراد، تم تسجيلها في القدس.

يقول الخميس إن السياسات الغربية أخفقت في فهم المنطقة: "هناك فجوة متسعة بين التصورات الغربية وواقع الشرق الأوسط."

كما يتحدث عن التحول في الموقف السعودي الإقليمي، وما بعد أحداث 7 أكتوبر، والأهمية الاستراتيجية لمضيق هرمز في موازين القوى الحالية.

ويضيف: "المنطقة تُعاد صياغتها أمام أعيننا."

Watch the full conversation / شاهدوا الحوار كاملاً 👇

13/08/2026

Before Hezbollah recruits fighters, it recruits minds.

A new analysis by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs examines how Hezbollah has spent decades building a parallel educational network designed to indoctrinate children and cultivate loyalty to its terrorist organization.

Read the full analysis via the link in our bio.

11/08/2026

She survived Yemen, but nothing prepared her for what awaited her in Tehran.

The moment Catherine Perez-Shakdam landed in Iran, two men approached her, took her passport, and disappeared. Surrounded by regime security and confronted with massive propaganda billboards, one question raced through her mind: “Do they know? Am I going to die today?”

In the latest episode of East to West, Catherine recounts her extraordinary journey into the ideological world of the Islamic Republic and the path that eventually brought her face-to-face with Ali Khamenei.

Watch or listen to the full episode.
🔗 Links in the comments.

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