Organizational Profile

Mitvim - The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies is an independent think tank that envisions a fresh start for Israel among the nations. It aims to reshape Israels relations in the Middle East, Europe and the Mediterranean, by promoting new paradigms for Israels foreign policies, enhancing Israels regional belonging, and advancing Israeli-Arab peace. Mitvim was established in May 2011.

Why Mitvim?
In Hebrew, the word mitveh means a sketch or a blueprint. It is often used in relation to parameters and proposals geared to promote Israeli-Arab peace. We are using the plural form of the word, mitvim, in order to underscore the Institutes commitment to explore, formulate and advocate multiple policy paths that advance a progressive, inclusive and integrative approach to Israels regional foreign policies.

Rationale and Need

The ongoing Israeli-Arab conflict holds Israel's foreign policies hostage. It causes Israel to be regionally isolated and under frequent international criticism. In the wake of the continued failure of the peace process, Israel's image and standing in the world have been deteriorating and its relations with several strategic partners have been damaged. Israels over-militarized foreign policy has been focusing on eliminating potential threats, rather than on building relations and seeking opportunities for peace and regional belonging. At the same time, Israel is becoming increasingly hawkish, conservative and nationalistic, with more and more Israelis being short on hope and impatient with minority and alternative voices. There is a need for a new discourse that will center on big ideas, broad regional horizons and visions for a peaceful future, and for new policies that will improve Israels global standing. The Israeli pro-peace and progressive camp is currently not well-positioned to lead this process of change. Politically, the camp has its lowest-ever representation in the current Knesset. And despite some success in promoting the concept of a two-state solution, it is losing the war of ideas. Indeed, frustrated at its failure to articulate political agendas that will appeal to broader publics, it often adopts hawkish terminology. Clearly, the re-building of this camp requires supportive policy institutions that can develop and promote new ideas and policy paths. Such institutions are currently almost non-existent, especially on foreign policy issues. While the political right enjoys the support of some heavily-funded think tanks, most Israeli think tanks cherish neutrality and refrain from taking sides on potentially divisive political issues.

Objectives and Goals

A. To promote a paradigm shift in Israels foreign policy 1. Introduce a coherent peace-oriented and multilateral foreign policy paradigm 2. Make foreign policy considerations more prominent in Israeli decision-making 3. Transform Israel's inward-looking culture B. To promote regional-belonging for Israel 1. Enhance knowledge and understanding of regional issues 2. Define Israels desired relations with its adjacent regions 3. Advance regional-belonging possibilities

C. To promote Israeli-Arab peace 1. Engage in policy dialogue with Arab and Muslim think-tanks 2. Identify, create and maximize opportunities for peace 3. Provide process-expertise to support peace-making efforts

Strategy of Action
Mitvim works at the political, diplomatic and public levels. It is comprised of Israeli experts, strategists, scholars, and journalists, who bring fresh and innovative thinking. Mitvims main target audiences are the Israeli policy-elite and general public. Mitvim also targets regional and international policy, diplomatic and media circles that are influential to Israels regional foreign policies. Special effort is invested in bringing the Mitvim voice to the Arab media. Mitvim engages in the various phases of the policymaking-cycle and promotes the actual crafting of the regional realities it aspires for. Mitvim generates knowledge, articulates ideas, plans policies, advocates recommendations, and facilitates implementation. It does so by: A. Creating analytical frameworks, through Monitoring domestic, regional and international developments; Analyzing their policy implications and effects; and Researching theoretical, comparative and long-term issues. B. Experimenting with policies, through Anticipating future developments using scenariobuilding; Testing new ideas and their impact using simulations; and Devising proposals for policies, processes and mechanisms. C. Bringing people together, through Engaging domestic and international actors in participatory processes; Convening workshops, conferences, dialogues and task groups; and Debating desired realities, policy-options, structures and models. D. Getting the messages across, through Publishing policy papers, research findings and a policy journal; Briefing stakeholders in the political, diplomatic, public and private sectors; and Promoting ideas and policies using networks, campaigns and the media.

Mitvims 2011-12 Focus:

Opportunities in Change - A Fresh Israeli Approach to the Changing Middle East
Winds of change are blowing across the Middle East. For the first time in decades, Arab citizens in different countries are going to the streets and demanding freedom and basic human rights. In much of Europe and North America, these developments have been by and large greeted with enthusiasm and hope for a better Middle East. Israel, however, is viewing things differently. It is examining the new regional situation with considerable concern, and even fear. The Israeli consensus is that we are witnessing the start of a long era of instability, with increased threats of regional radicalization and Islamism. Mitvim believes that these potential threats form only part of a larger and more complex picture, and that recent developments across the Arab world also hold important opportunities for Israels regional foreign policies and for its standing in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Mitvim The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies Lazrom House, 11 Tuval St., Ramat Gan 52522, Israel +972-52-4733613, info@mitvim.org.il, www.mitvim.org.il

For this reason, Mitvim has partnered with the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation on a program that sets out to identify these opportunities and to start putting them into use. The program kicked off in May 2011 with a workshop on the world of think tanks and foreign policy making, led by Prof. Donald Abelson from Canada. Since then, a multi-disciplinary Mitvim task-team has been monitoring and analyzing the various Opportunities in Change, and has begun working towards their implementation.

Leadership and Partners

Board of Directors Dr. Nimrod Goren Prof. Elie Podeh Mr. Yair Rotlevi Dr. Ilai Saltzman Mr. Yonatan Touval Steering Committee Mr. Gadi Baltiansky Prof. Daniel Bar-Tal Dr. Ehud Eiran Mr. Akiva Eldar Ms. Michal Eskenazi Mr. Kamal Hassan Dr. Anat Lapidot-Firilla Dr. Alon Liel Prof. Moshe Maoz Mr. Giora Rosen Ms. Ksenia Svetlova Audit Committee Mr. Gideon Erhard Dr. Doron Shultziner Industrialist, Chairman of Yehuda Steel Ltd. Lecturer in Political Science, Hebrew University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev General Director, H. L. Education for Peace - The Geneva Initiative Professor of Political Psychology, Tel Aviv University Former Research Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Chief Political Columnist and Editorial Writer, Haaretz Board Member, Young Israeli Forum for Cooperation Lecturer on the Arab Society in Israel, Open University of Israel Director of the Mediterranean Neighbours Unit and Senior Research Fellow, Jerusalem Van Leer Institute Former Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Hebrew University Director, the Israeli Civic Leadership Association and Ombudsman Israel Second Television and Radio Authority Arab Affairs Correspondent, Channel 9 Founder, Mitvim; Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies, Hebrew University Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Hebrew University Industrialist, Chairman and CEO of Lodzia Rotex Investments Ltd and Chairman of Argaman Industries Ltd. Lecturer in International Relations, Hebrew University Foreign Policy Analyst, H. L. Education for Peace - The Geneva Initiative

The Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University provides Mitvim with an academic advisory committee, consisting of: Prof. Miriam Elman, Prof. Catherine Gerard, Prof. Margaret Hermann, Prof. Louis Kriesberg, Mr. Steven Lux, Prof. Robert Rubinstein, and Col. F. William Smullen. Dr. Eyal Bressler & Co. provides Mitvim with legal services and office space; Shatil, the New Israel Fund's empowerment and training center, provides Mitvim with consulting services.

Support Mitvim: Tax-exempt contributions to Mitvim, from the USA and the UK, can be made through the New Israel Fund. Checks should be made payable to the New Israel Fund and marked as donoradvised to Mitvim - organization number 50061. Contact us for further information.
Mitvim The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies Lazrom House, 11 Tuval St., Ramat Gan 52522, Israel +972-52-4733613, info@mitvim.org.il, www.mitvim.org.il