Author: Ganor, Boaz (Prof.)

Israel’s decision makers must internalize the fact that the ongoing battle against terrorism is a complicated and sensitive one, intimately tied to Israel’s political, diplomatic, legal and PR conduct. Paper prepared for the 2014 Herzliya Conference and published in the Jerusalem Post

Israel is not free from mistakes. Just as in previous wars and military operations, the IDF and Israel will investigate their actions after the current battle in Gaza comes to an end. Israel will draw operational conclusions, including those with moral implications. However, you my

Operation “Protective Edge” began on July 8, 2014 in light of the serious escalation in rocket fire directed at Israel from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian terrorist organizations, led by Hamas. Hamas, which had refrained for many months from using the large rocket infrastructure that

In light of the agreement reached between the world powers and Iran on the subject of nuclear development on Iranian soil, and prior to the signing of the final agreement, it is important to clarify several key insights with respect to a change in the

One of the quandaries facing academic researchers, military and security professionals and politicians is the question of “defining terrorism.” The prevailing opinion is that there is no international agreement on the phenomenon of terrorism, nor can there ever be such agreement. Indeed, the number of

Whether or not a terror attack will take place is a function of two factors: the motivation of a terrorist organization to perpetrate attacks, and its operational capability of doing so at a given time. Since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, Yasser

The modern terrorist differs from the common criminal in that he is motivated by a political agenda. The actions of the terrorist—murder, sabotage, blackmail—may be identical to those of the common criminal. However, for the terrorist, these are all means to achieve wider goals, whether

Since September 2001, the world has awakened to a new danger; terrorism after the September attacks is a totally different phenomenon from that which existed before the attacks in the United States. This is not merely due to the scale of the atrocities, but also

One of the goals of this campaign for the U.S. was to prove its determination to fight terrorist organizations and the states which sponsor them. Now, after the battles are over, the question is how the campaign in Iraq will affect international terrorism?

As the campaign against Iraq gets underway, security and military experts around the world are busy attempting to second guess Saddam Hussein and discover his strategy, in particular, what measures he intends to use against the U.S. and its allies.

The recent explosion of an Iraqi car bomb north of Najaf apparently signals the next stage of the campaign in Iraq – the stage of the use of suicide attacks.

In the context of the Palestinian Authority’s acceptance of the road map, it is important to understand the strategic goals of the moderate Palestinian leadership.

Suicide attacks have clearly become the most dangerous modus operandi of modern terrorism. In a sense, the suicide attack is the terrorists’ “smart bomb”. The suicide attacker is no more then a platform that carries the explosive charge to its target. However, this platform can

Dr. Boaz Ganor’s Address at ICT’s 13th International Conference: World Summit on Counter-Terrorism on the need to achieve an internationally accepted definition of terrorism.

Here in the Middle East, we have long since become accustomed to the status quo being the good news – even the best news – and to any change in it bearing the seeds of imminent catastrophe. The tectonic changes of the Arab Spring revolutions

Those who are now tasked with investing the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon must determine just what sort of attack it was. Was it an instance of organized terrorism, carried out by a local group or cell sent on a mission by an

It is in the best interest for anyone interested in peace that released prisoners be productive citizens rather than destructive combatants. First published  in The Jerusalem Post. By Dr. Boaz Ganor and Ophir Falk

The Libyan authorities earmarked vast economic and military resources for the realization of their “revolutionary goal: Libya established extensive ties with dozens of terrorist organizations around the world, providing these groups with varied assistance. Numerous terrorist attacks have been carried out on Libya’s behalf or

For many years, terrorism was perceived as a contest between two sides: on the one hand, a group of people or an organization, and on the other, a sovereign state. However, during the course of the second half of the twentieth century, various countries began

We should not be misled by the official Israeli and Palestinian spokesmen – Nobody involved in the renewed direct negotiations is really interested in holding them.

Just like 30 years ago in Iran, the Americans believe they are promoting the values of democracy in Egypt by turning their backs on their allies. First published in NRG-Maariv on January 31,2011 – click here to see the commentary on the NRG website.

Norway massacre is likely to prompt global change in bid to curb independent terrorists. The commentary was first published in Ynetnews.

A decade after the most severe terrorist attack in human history, that has at once moved the world’s largest democracy from a state of peace free of security concerns to a state of on-going war, is an appropriate period of time for a comparative analysis

What can we learn from the series of attempted and completed terrorist attacks against Israeli diplomats of the past two days? Even at this early stage of investigation of the three incidents – in Thailand, New Delhi and Georgia – it is possible to highlight

The terrorist attack against a busload of Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria, poses a number of questions, and necessarily shakes up the security establishment. Although the attack in Burgas is still being investigated, the details published to date indicate that it was perpetrated by a

The current situation in Lebanon isn’t the result of Israeli actions. Israel was dragged into taking military action in the wake of a Hizbullah attack and the kidnapping of its soldiers last week.

Until about a year ago, IDF Intelligence estimated that “Israel was not being targeted by al-Qaeda”. Since these estimates were made public, reality has hit Israeli intelligence in the face. The global arena vis-à-vis Israel turned out to be rife with activity and al-Qaeda recently

Would Hamas show greater flexibility on its demands if it knows there is massive public pressure on our PM to accept its demands, or rather, if it finds out that our PM enjoys public support in respect to the negotiations? The protests merely raise the

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which have been dubbed India’s 9/11, illustrate the severity of the jihad terrorist threat, the cruelty of terrorists who believe they are fulfilling a divine commandment, and the determination of the jihadists to fight to the bitter end against those

The Islamic Jihad is one of the most complex and dangerous of the Arab terrorist organizations, with cells in many Middle Eastern countries and, apparently, in Europe as well. These groups generally act on their own initiative without coordination, sometimes even within the same country.

Canada has long resisted the notion that it could be vulnerable to global jihadists. It can do so no longer.