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Oded Ailam

Oded Ailam is a former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad and is currently a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA).

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei casts the first ballot in elections for Parliament and the Assembly of Experts in Tehran on Feb. 26, 2016. Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images.

Khamenei fears a collapse of the Islamic Revolution

If the West wants to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power, it must target the real objective: regime change.

Oded Ailam

June 14, 2025

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives to talk with journalists at the Iranian Ambassador's residence in Lisbon, Portugal on Nov. 27, 2024. Photo by Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images.

Iran’s negotiation method: Between ideology and economic reality

Will the West fall once more into the trap of Persian patience?

Oded Ailam

April 22, 2025

IAF F-35 stealth fighter aircraft fly in Israeli airspace. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit.

Why Israel should embrace its role as a regional power

Israel can, and should, begin to act not merely as a state defending its survival, but as a proactive regional power shaping the future of the Middle East.

Oded Ailam

April 15, 2025

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he delivers a speech during the AKP's parliamentary group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in Ankara, on April 24, 2018. Photo by Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images.

Turkey’s internal crisis and strategic expansion

The coming weeks are critical in determining the trajectory of Turkish politics. While the current crisis exposes Erdogan’s vulnerability, if he weathers it—as he has others—he is likely to emerge emboldened, with even fewer internal constraints on his foreign policy ambitions.

Oded Ailam

April 1, 2025

Palestinian terrorists who were released in a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are welcomed in Beitunia, near Ramallah, on Jan. 20, 2025. Credit: Flash90.

Israel must neutralize terrorists, not exile them abroad

Israel must abandon the revolving door policy of arrest-release-rearrest and transition from a preventative approach to a preemptive elimination strategy.

Oded Ailam

March 27, 2025

IDF tanks seen on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, on March 18, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

Breaking the paradigm in Gaza

Israel has decided to break the paradigm by resuming military action. While this step does carry risks for the hostages, the alternative—giving Hamas more time to prepare and solidify its control—is far worse.

Oded Ailam

March 19, 2025