The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), an independent research institute engaged in policy-oriented research in the field of foreign and security policy, announced today the appointment of Israeli intelligence and security expert Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser as its new head. He succeeds professor Efraim Inbar, who founded and led the institute since 2017.
Kuperwasser joins JISS from the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs where he served as a senior project manager, specializing in the security dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Formerly, he served as the head of the research division in the Israel Defense Forces’ Intelligence and as director general of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs.
“I am joining JISS at a critical juncture in the history and trajectory of the State of Israel and the broader region,” said Kuperwasser. “Israel’s success in the ongoing conflict has created a unique opportunity to reshape the Middle East, alongside the United States. We must focus on the two most immediate and pressing threats to Israel’s security and regional stability: defeating terrorism in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, and denying Iran the capability to produce nuclear weapons. I am honored to work alongside JISS’s research fellows, which include some of the foremost security, military, intelligence, diplomacy and legal experts, whose insights are rooted in professionalism, experience and commitment to Israel’s security.”
JISS’s experts include, among many others: Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former national security adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and chairman of the National Security Council; Col. (ret.) Eran Lerman, former deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office; and professor Eytan Gilboa, founding head of both the School of Communication and the Center for International Communication at Bar-Ilan University.
“I am very happy that Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser is assuming the leadership position at JISS,” said Inbar, the outgoing head of JISS. “From what I know of his illustrious career, I am confident that under his stewardship JISS will become a more influential force in articulating realistic positions in Israel’s debates over national security issues and more influential on policy making.”
Advocating for a realist approach in Israeli policy, emphasizing the importance of a united Jerusalem for Israel’s security and national identity, JISS is the most prominent Israeli think tank in global media and on social media, whose fellows appear more than 500 times a year on air and in the newspapers of Gulf countries, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, India, China and more, and whose posts are widely read. The institute maintains extensive international relations with parallel research institutes in the world, and with the global strategic community.
“I’d like to congratulate Yossi Kuperwasser on his appointment as president of JISS. His extensive experience will be invaluable as we tackle Israel’s most pressing security challenges,” said Danny Lamm, chairman of JISS. “I also want to thank professor Efraim Inbar for his exceptional leadership over the past seven years, which has played a vital role in the institute’s success. We look forward to continuing the important work ahead.”
JISS counsels the Israeli foreign and defense ministries, intelligence agencies, and the Israel Defense Forces; foreign ambassadors and defense attaches; and world Jewish leaders on defense and diplomatic matters. Additionally, the institute trains the next generation of national security experts and educates foreign leaders about Israel’s security policies.