Ad Hoc Studies

The Most Recent Round of Escalation from the Perspective of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad

On February 23-24, 2020, there was another round of escalation in the Gaza Strip, the tenth since the return marches began (March 30, 2018). The latest round, like the one before it, was initiated and conducted by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) without Hamas participation. During the round the PIJ fired 113 rockets and mortar shells at the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip and the southern Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashqelon. In response the IDF attacked PIJ targets in the Gaza Strip and Syria.
Read more...

The Tenth Round of Escalation in the Gaza Strip: What Next?

On February 23 and 24, 2020, there was another significant round of escalation in the Gaza Strip, the tenth since the beginning of the return marches (March 30, 2018). It was instigated by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in retaliation for the IDF's killing of one of its operatives who was placing an IED near the border security fence and the subsequent removal of his body with an IDF bulldozer.
Read more...

A New Round of Escalation in the Gaza Strip (Updated to February 24, 2020, 14:00)

On February 23 and 24, 2020, there was another round of escalation in the Gaza Strip. It began on the morning of February 23 when IDF forces killed a terrorist operative from the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). He was one of two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives placing an IED near the security fence. The other operative was wounded. The body of the dead operative was removed by the IDF.
Read more...

Green Without Borders: a Lebanese environmental organization that collaborates with Hezbollah and supports its activity near the Israeli border

Green Without Borders is a Lebanese environmental organization dealing mostly with forestation. It operates in areas populated mainly by Hezbollah-controlled Shi'ites in south Lebanon and the Beqa'a Valley. An examination conducted by the ITIC revealed that the organization collaborates with Hezbollah's civilian institutions, especially the Jihad al-Bina (the "construction foundation") and the Hezbollah Association for Municipal Activity.
Read more...

Mahmoud Abbas’s address to the UN Security Council: Rhetoric versus reality

On February 11, 2020, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas delivered an address before the UN Security Council as part of the PA’s diplomatic campaign against the Trump plan . Mahmoud Abbas’s address was softened and aimed mainly at Western ears: he avoided threatening to harm relations with Israel or dismantle the PA (threats that he and senior officials in the PA have made on several occasions).
Read more...

The Killing of Qasem Soleimani is a Major Loss to Iran, But May Serve as an Opportunity to Reexamine Iran’s Modus Operandi in the Region

The killing of the Commander of the Qods Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Qasem Soleimani, in early 2020, dealt a serious blow to Iran’s ability to promote its strategic goals in the Middle East.
Read more...