All posts by Nir Boms

25May/23

מרפסת למזרח התיכון | פרק 4 עם ד״ר ניר בומס

  שמחתי להתארח בהסכת של ארגון ישראליס, ארגון שאני מכיר היטב במסגרת העבודה הנפלאה שלהם במפרץ.

דיברנו קצת על יצירת קשרים בין ישראל לעולם הערבי, על חוויות ומפגשים ואתם מוזמנים לשמוע!  

07Mar/23

Regional Crisis and Regional Cooperation: Israeli Response to the Earthquake in Syria and Turkey

Regional Crisis and Regional Cooperation: Israeli Response to the Earthquake in Syria and Turkey | The Washington Institute

Israeli aid efforts to Turkey and Syria have been multifaceted after the earthquake, despite the difficult political circumstances.

On February 6th, the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria prompted an outpouring of international aid to the affected areas. Although the crisis coincided with a complex political situation in Israel—including ongoing domestic protests, escalating tensions with the Palestinians, and a newly formed government working to establish its position—Israeli aid organizations became one of the first foreign aid responders on the ground. As is sometimes the case in the Middle East, crises become a moment for countries to demonstrate a different side and even perhaps a show of unity. 

While Israel has long been active in emergency disaster relief missions in various countries around the world, four aspects of these current efforts are especially noteworthy. First, they involve both official teams from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a range of relevant Israeli NGOs working in parallel. Second, some of those NGOs are actively partnering with NGOs from other regional countries, both Turkish and Arab. Third, several of these NGOs have committed to ongoing aid efforts past the immediate rescue and relief period to facilitate long-term reconstruction. And fourth, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public announcement that part of Israel’s humanitarian aid would be delivered inside Syria marked a new development in its relationship with its northern neighbor—although the Assad regime refused such aid, and it is consequently being provided without publicity.

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21Feb/23

The R20 Forum in Bali: Signs of an Intriguing Partnership

by Giora ElirazNir BomsFikra Forum, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

The Religion 20 (R20) Forum that took place in Bali last November deserves attention, if only for the fact that it was initiated and hosted by two significant Islamic actors, commonly perceived until recently as bitter ideological rivals.

Co-hosting the R20 event were the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)—Indonesia’s largest religious movement and a key civil society partner of the current Indonesian government—and the Muslim World League (MWL)—a Mecca-based Islamic organization considered until few years ago to be Saudi’s main engagement vehicle to globally promote an exclusive Wahhabi/Salafi agenda. Perhaps this new partnership is more than symbolic, and further cooperation could represent an important step in the formation of a new theological and ideological path for the Islamic world.

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