Daniel Levy briefing statement to UN Security CouncilDaniel Levy | July 21^st 2020

I would like to thank the Council and the German Presidency for giving me this opportunity to brief you today. As of today, there has been no further Israeli annexation on the West Bank. That does not translate into this being a moment for self-congratulation; keep the champagne on ice. Refraining from de jure annexation must of course carry no reward; avoidance of criminality is normative not prize-worthy. De jure annexation would exacerbate and accelerate existing negative trends, but whether it happens or not, it is a symptom of a deeper crisis – the permanent denial of freedom,...

BRIEFING MEMO - Israeli Annexation in the West Bank: the state of play, dynamics and responsesDaniel Levy | May 22^nd 2020

This note will address the local and global, political and diplomatic developments around a potential further extension of Israeli sovereignty in parts of the occupied West Bank, or annexation. This would be a first  act of Israel extending its sovereignty into occupied areas since East Jerusalem was annexed in July 1980 and parts of the Golan Heights in December 1981, and would formalize an ongoing process of extending Israeli control, the application of Israeli laws, and diminution of the possibility of sovereign Palestinian statehood. 

BRIEFING MEMO - Israel’s New Governing Coalition: what happened and what to expect?Daniel Levy | May 22^nd 2020

On Sunday May 17^th, a new Israeli government took office after 508 days of caretaker rule since parliament formally disbanded the government leading to elections in December 2018. There followed three rounds of inconclusive elections, the most recent being on March 2^nd, 2020. The path to a new government and coalition being formed was paved by a split within Blue and White, led by Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi, to join with Netanyahu. The Gantz faction (rump Blue and White party) reached an agreement with Netanyahu to form what is termed a parity government, ...

Daniel Levy Remarks at 9th Valdai Discussion Club’s Middle East ConferenceDaniel Levy | February 18^th 2020

First of all, thank you for bringing me back to Valdai. I’ll start with a very simple premise, which is that wars have terrible consequences, conflicts are devastating, the human cost primarily, then economic and opportunity costs, entire generations are denied their future. And it’s the people on the ground who incomparably pay the greatest price. Not external powers, not the U.S. So, the goal, avoid conflict. And the premise of the session, as I understand it, is that it seemed we were moving on a trajectory towards perhaps even more dramatic conflict than we have already s...