Ilai Z. Saltzman

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Dec 2, 2024, 10:43 AM

Can Netanyahu Rely on Trump?

Trump-Netanyahu Meet at Mar-a-Lago

With Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House, his cabinet appointments are poised to be a defining feature of his second term. So far, the names of some of the individuals he already earmarked to assume key positions...

Apr 30, 2024, 6:29 PM

Israel’s Titanic Moment

In recent years, Israel has been facing a growing challenge on American campuses as younger generations express critical views regarding its policies, a trend that intensified in light of the war in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack....

Apr 18, 2024, 10:21 PM

The Strategic Value of Restraint

The Israeli war cabinet is still debating how to respond to Iran’s massive aerial attack over the last weekend. Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly said after a meeting with the British and German foreign ministers that he appreciated their...

Nov 18, 2023, 4:32 PM

Rallying Round the Flag, Not Netanyahu

The barbaric and atrocious attack perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, resulted in more than 1,200 Israelis dead and nearly 250 people kidnapped. The unthinkable raid largely targeted civilians, Israelis as well as foreign nationals, Jews, and...

Jul 19, 2023, 8:34 PM

Clear and Present Danger

The bombshell dropped by preeminent New York Times political commentator Thomas Friedman last week is still reverberating and captivating the attention of those who closely follow US-Israel relations. In his most recent opinion piece, Friedman argued that given the...

Aug 30, 2022, 9:17 AM

On Iran, Yair Lapid is practicing domestic politics

Prime Minister Yair Lapid meets with the head of the Mossad David Barnea at the Defense Ministry, Tel Aviv, August 25, 2022. (Prime Minister's Office)

The PM is acting more like a politician concerned about his electability than a statesman who needs to make the hard decision even if it is unpopular

Mar 29, 2022, 4:17 PM

The Russia-Ukraine War’s multilane offramp

A great deal of the current discussions surrounding the Russian-Ukraine War has to do with the need to provide Russian President Vladimir Putin a way out, an offramp to withdraw his forces, and bring the conflict to an end....

Mar 21, 2022, 7:51 PM

From Nazis to 9/11: Analogies in the Russia-Ukraine war

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February and the subsequent military conflict that continued since have captured the attention of the entire world. Numerous reporters are deployed throughout Ukraine and its neighboring states and cover the events on...

Sep 23, 2021, 4:13 PM

America’s pivot to Asia raises major hurdles for Israel

Illustrative: Then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, March 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Ainmin/ via JTA)

Jerusalem will increasingly be pushed to pick sides -- and to contend with growing readiness by the US to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal

Jun 15, 2021, 7:34 PM

Netanyahu’s scorched earth anti-Biden rant

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on April 12, 2021. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

In his fiery Knesset speech, the disgruntled outgoing PM doubled down on partisanship and defied a US request to keep disagreements private

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About Me

Dr. Ilai Z. Saltzman is a Professor of Israel Studies and the Director of the Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a board member at Mitvim – the Israel Institute of Foreign Regional Policy.