Assaf Orion
Retired Israeli brigadier general and INSS fellow who led the institute's counter-BDS work in 2016
| Assaf Orion
| |
|---|---|
| Image |  Washington Institute photograph |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupation | Retired IDF brigadier general; senior research fellow, Institute for National Security Studies; fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy |
| Known for | Head of the Strategic Division, IDF Planning Directorate; INSS counter-BDS work (2016) |
| Education | Tel Aviv University (BA); Harvard Kennedy School (MPA) |
Assaf Orion is a retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) brigadier general. He is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, where he directs the Diane and Guilford Glazer Center for Israel-China Policy. He is also the Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.[1]
In 2016, according to leaked emails published by Distributed Denial of Secrets, Orion was INSS's main contact for "12 Tribes", the anti-BDS initiative of Benny Gantz. He also took part in talks with the Ministry of Strategic Affairs that led to the government-funded company Kela Shlomo.[2][3] The emails were released by the hacking group Handala, which DDoSecrets says is "believed to have ties to Iranian intelligence". They have not been independently verified.
Military career
According to the Washington Institute, Orion was "responsible for strategic planning, policy, international cooperation, and military diplomacy" in the IDF and served as a liaison to neighbouring militaries and peacekeeping forces. His last post was head of the Strategic Division in the Planning Directorate of the IDF General Staff. In that role he led the IDF team at the tripartite talks in Lebanon, took part in the US–Israel security dialogue and represented the IDF in talks with the Palestinian Authority. He retired in 2016 and joined INSS.[1]
INSS and the counter-BDS programme
Jack Poulson reported in September 2025 that Orion's INSS profile said he "directed the BDS and de-legitimization program" at the institute. Poulson also reported that the leaked Gantz emails "repeatedly documented" him as the INSS point person for the "12 Tribes" counter-BDS campaign. Orion did not respond to Poulson's request for comment.[2]
According to leaked emails of Benny Gantz published by Distributed Denial of Secrets:[3]
- On 9 May 2016 Orion wrote to Gantz and Amos Yadlin that "a representative of Sima's was embedded in our work", meaning a representative of the ministry's director-general Sima Vaknin-Gil. He also wrote that "the government PBC is planned as a small staff (10 people) that will drive projects" (translated from Hebrew).[4]
- Orion's minutes of a 14 June 2016 meeting with Minister Gilad Erdan, Yadlin and Vaknin-Gil were circulated on 15 June. They record Orion proposing "a large intelligence enterprise, about two-thirds the size of Hatzav [the IDF's open-source intelligence unit] (100–200 people), which should not sit inside the government itself". They also record that Erdan wanted INSS involved "because of its political fit ('centre-left')" (translated from Hebrew).[5]
- An INSS presentation attached to the minutes, dated 13 June 2016, proposed a 24/7 situation room and a "Synergy Centre for the Blue Network". One of its strategy lines read: "controlled profile – 'war is deception'" (translated from Hebrew).[5]
The ministry's company, Kela Shlomo, was registered at the end of 2016 and contracted by the government in 2018; see Kela Shlomo.
Later work
At INSS Orion has focused on Israel–China relations and on Israel's regional military strategy, including Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz.[1]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Assaf Orion washingtoninstitute.org, accessed 21 October 2026. Washington Institute-side.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jack Poulson, Leak indicates billionaire funders of Israeli cyber campaign targeting anti-apartheid activists All-Source Intelligence (Substack), 17 September 2025. Critical.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Distributed Denial of Secrets, Benny Gantz emails ddosecrets.org, 27 August 2025, accessed 21 October 2026. DDoSecrets says the emails "were released by Handala, a hacking group that is believed to have ties to Iranian intelligence", and applies its "Cyberwar" disclaimer.
- ↑ Benny Gantz emails (released by Handala, published by Distributed Denial of Secrets), email from Assaf Orion (INSS), 9 May 2016 (Hebrew), archive path
beny/Inbox!5/0000003601, dataset page ddosecrets.org, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked email; authenticity not independently verified. - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Benny Gantz emails (released by Handala, published by Distributed Denial of Secrets), email from Assaf Orion (INSS) with minutes of the 14 June 2016 meeting with Minister Gilad Erdan, 15 June 2016, with attached INSS presentation of 13 June 2016 (Hebrew), archive path
beny/Inbox!5/0000003261, dataset page ddosecrets.org, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked email; authenticity not independently verified.