Opinions

Amir Rapaport

עמיר רפפורט's picture

Mr. Amir Rapaport is the founder and Editor in Chief of IsraelDefense Magazine - an international magazine on Israeli military and defense affairs. He is a former military correspondent and commentator, an author and research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA) of Bar-Ilan University.

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi (Photo: IDF)

The First Chief of the Fourth Era

Aviv Kochavi plans several revolutions for the IDF, which he has been cooking over the last few years. Amir Rapaport's weekly column provides a sneak peek into his plans

Amir Rapaport | 11/01/2019 Contact author

IDF warfighters in training (Photo: IDF)

Ready or Not?

Tempers continued to flare this week in connection with the military's preparedness for war after the IDF committee appointed to look into this matter rejected the conclusions of the Military Ombudsman. Amir Rapaport's weekly column attempts to put some order into the readiness state of the IDF

Amir Rapaport | 28/12/2018 Contact author

IDF activity along the Israel-Lebanon border (Photo: AP)

Operation Northern Shield: Q&A

The IDF has launched an operation to uncover and neutralize Hezbollah terror tunnels in the north. Amir Rapaport's weekly column attempts to answer questions arising from the operation: Why now? Is this operation really necessary? And who actually deters the other side more effectively – Israel or Hezbollah?

Amir Rapaport | 7/12/2018 Contact author

Smoke rises from a mortar attack by Gaza militants on Israel (Photo: AP)

It’s Not Just the Sentry's Fault

How has an operational entanglement led to the resignation of the Minister of Defense and to a resounding Hamas victory, and what really deters Israel? Amir Rapaport's weekly column tackles the burning questions that arise after the dust of war has settled

Amir Rapaport | 16/11/2018 Contact author

Photo: IDF

The Next War

The events and developments of the last few days indicate that the next war in Gaza will not necessarily be similar to the last rounds of fighting against Hamas. Amir Rapaport's column discusses the possible characteristics of the next confrontation in the south

Amir Rapaport | 19/10/2018 Contact author

Israel currently ranks 3rd strongest AI ecosystem in the world. Image from the Cybertech startup pavilion (Credit: Gilad Kavalerchik)

A.I. Superpower in the Making

Eight years after the launching of the cybernetic project that established the State of Israel as a global cyber superpower, a new national plan is currently under development. Its objective is to position Israel within the world's top five artificial intelligence leaders. The path to achieving this goal, at least for now, looks promising

Amir Rapaport | 6/10/2018 Contact author

Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen (PR photo: Tamir Bargig)

IsraelDefense’s Best of the Year: The Mossad

As the Jewish year comes to a close, the IsraelDefense staff picks the most influential or noteworthy people or entities in the defense realm this year. Amir Rapaport chose the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. Special project

Amir Rapaport | 9/09/2018 Contact author

Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman with IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot (Photo: AP)

The Race is On: Who will be the Next IDF Chief?

The race for the IDF Chief of Staff's position seems to be progressing "by the book": The Minister of Defense has already interviewed the four candidates, and the Prime Minister will interview them very soon. But contrary to prevailing impressions, the race is not really wide open. Amir Rapaport’s weekly column

Amir Rapaport | 17/08/2018 Contact author

The riots along the Gaza border fence opposite the celebrations of the Syrian army reentering Quneitra (Photo: AP)

On the Other Side of the Fence

Between the tension opposite Hamas in the south and the situation along the border with Syria, Amir Rapaport attempts to examine Israel's policy through the perspective of Hamas in Gaza and Iran in Syria

Amir Rapaport | 3/08/2018 Contact author