Reut Institute

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The Reut Institute is an Israeli think tank based in Tel Aviv. It describes itself as an "an innovative policy group designed to provide real-time, long-term strategic decision-support to Israeli leaders and decision-makers."[1] It was established in 2004 by first and current president Gideon Grinstein and Noa Eliasaf-Shoham "as an answer to the weakness of Israel's political system and the complex challenges Israel faces in a volatile and constantly changing environment" and describes itself as a "non-partisan Zionist organisation that provides its work to the government of Israel pro bono".[2]

Writing in The New York Times in 2007, Thomas Friedman called the Reut Institute "Israel's premier strategy policy group".[3]

Activities

According to its founder's biography, the vision that drives the Reut Institute is '21st Century Zionism' which focuses on "enhancing Israel's security, democracy and thriving Jewish identity".[4] Reut says it addresses "only those issues which pose a strategic threat or opportunity to the security or the wellbeing of Israel or the Jewish world."[5] It works for Israeli government agencies free of charge and states that its shortest project, commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lasted 60 hours from assignment to delivery. [6]

Two key areas are national security and 'Israel 15' which calls for Israel to become one of the fifteen leading nations in terms of quality of life within fifteen years.[7]

Reut markets itself as unique due to its "very short reaction times...essential for designing and implementing policies in real time".[8] Staff work in what it calls "policy SWAT teams" and use an early warning system methodology known as Praxis developed by Zvi Lanir founder of the Praxis Institute.[9]

Part of its strategy for making "a lasting impact on the security and well-being of the State of Israel and the Jewish People, is to recruit and train Israel's future strategic thinkers".[10] It also established the Reut Policy Network to utilise the "untapped intellectual potential" of researchers around the world interested in identifying “strategic trends that jeopardize Israeli national security”.[11]

Strategies for countering 'delegitimization'

From late 2009 the Reut Institute increasingly worked on 'delegitimisation' of Israel. It defined this as the "convergence of seemingly unrelated movements and associations into a coalition that fundamentally de-legitimizes the Jewish character of the State of Israel". [12] Reut classes the "use of human rights discourse" to condemn alleged Israeli war crimes by "left wing European groups" in the same bracket as Holocaust denial and calls for the desctruction of Israel, viewing them as various trends within an overall delegitimization phenomenon.[13]

In January 2010, it published 'Eroding Israel's legitimacy', an article highlighting activities "portrayed as protesting against Israeli policies", when "in fact they are frequently manipulated in order to blur the difference between valid criticism of Israeli policies and attempts to undermine Israel's right to exist."[14]

Examples cited included the UN Goldstone Report, attempts to prosecute Israeli officials for war crimes, and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.[15]

History

Founded in Janury 2004 principally by Gideon Grinstein, in its first year Reut employed 6 staff and had a budget of $368,000. Its first client in July 2004 was Israel's National Security Council. In July 2006 Reut hosted a conference called 'From Disengagement to Convergence' at which Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni was keynote speaker.[16]

By December 2007 Reut had 23 staff and a budget of $1.4 million.[17]

Presence at Herzliya Conferences

Reut founder and president Gideon Grinstein has spoken at:

  • The Seventh Herzliya Conference (2007) on 'Initiatives for Diplomacy and Statecraft in the Arab-Israeli Context'. Reut also gave a presentation called 'Inversion towards Occupation' on "the fundamental shift in Israeli-Palestinian relations".[18]
  • The Eighth Herzliya Conference (2008) on 'The Balance of Israel's National Security – The "Herzliya Indices" in Israel's 60th year'. Reut also have a presentation on its 'ISRAEL 15 Vision' calling for Israel's economic development to "leapfrog" forwards.[19]
  • The Ninth Herzliya Conference (2009) on 'Weathering the Storm: Israel and the World Economic Crisis'.
  • The Tenth Annual Herzliya Conference (2010) on 'Winning the Battle of the Narrative: Getting the Message Out' and 'Civil Preparedness in the Israeli Home Front: the Role of the Civil Society'.
  • At the Eleventh Annual Herzliya Conference (2011) he chaired a talk entitled 'Embedding the Culture of Readiness in Homeland Defense and Civilian Crisis Management'.

Affiliations

In 2010 Reut published an economic development policy document in collaboration with the Jewish Agency project Partnership 2000 and the Joint Distribution Committee project ELKA.[20]

People

President

Gideon Grinstein co-founder and president.

Board

David Alexander | Noa Eliasaf - Shoham | Michael Orenstein | Yoav Shapira | Noam Bardin[21]

Original Steering Committee

The Reut Institute's 2004 Annual Report lists the following members:

Funding

The Reut Institute operates under the Israeli law of non-profit organisations ('Amutot') and is funded by a network of private donors. Any donation that could potentially create a conflict of interest is said to “require a formal and public discussion and decision” by the Board of Directors.[23]

Reut's Charter states that it will “make every effort to secure funding for its activities from nongovernmental benefactors” and that it will only raise funds “from individuals or funds that support its vision”.[24]

Reut states that it will not accept any contribution that exceeds 15% of its yearly budget, nor any donations from government agencies (Israeli or foreign).[25]

Before it was launched in 2004 the earliest financial contributions included the first donation from Israel in July 2003 from Jewish Agency board member [26] Avi Naor and the first from the US by Reagan Silber in September 2003.[27]

American Friends of the Reut Institute

American Friends of the Reut Institute (AFRI) is a nonprofit organisation registered in the United States (Federal ID # 20-3585888) and based in Beverly Hills, California.

Its stated mission is to "advance a vision of a prosperous and secure Israel". AFRI is the single largest supporter of the Reut Institute, and the Reut Institute is the chief recipient of AFRI's donations.[28]

Other funders

Reut's one year Strategy and Leadership Training Program is supported by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.[29]

The Samuel Bronfman Foundation lists Reut as one of the initiatives it supports.[30] According to Reut they launched a New York office at the Samuel Bronfman Foundation in February 2007.[31]

Clients

Reut says it was "established to serve Israeli government agencies and decisionmakers...from top-ranking politicians to government professionals, who hold positions of authority, leadership or influence".[32]

Publications

The Delegitimization challenge

In February 2010, the Institute produced a report entitled 'The Delegitimization Challenge: Creating a Political Firewall'.[33] This analysed "the erosion in Israel's diplomatic status over the past few years, which reached its peak with the Goldstone report" and the "frustrating outcomes of the Second Lebanon War (07/06) and Operation Cast Lead (01/09)."[34]

An executive summary of this report interpreted the situation in terms of two forces, a 'Resistance Network' composing Islamist and Arab nationalist opponents of Israel, and:

The Delegitimization Network, primarily comprising organizations and individuals in the West - mostly Arab and Islamic groups, so-called post-Zionist Jews and Israelis, and elements of the radical European political left - negates Israel's right to exist based on a variety of political and philosophical arguments.
Both groups take their inspiration from the collapse of the Soviet Union, East Germany, and apartheid South Africa.[35]

The summary argues that "Israel must embrace a network-based logic and response by: Focusing on the hubs of delegitimization such as London, Toronto, Madrid, or the Bay Area and undermining its catalysts".[36]

One activist criticised by the Reut Institute, Ali Abunimah, commented on this report:

It blames "delegitimizers" and "resisters" for frustrating the two-state solution but ignores Israel's relentless and ongoing settlement-building drive -- supported by virtually every state organ -- calculated and intended to make Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank impossible.
It never considers for a moment that the mounting criticism of Israel's actions might be justified, or that the growing ranks of people ready to commit their time and efforts to opposing Israel's actions are motivated by genuine outrage and a desire to see justice, equality and an end to bloodshed. In other words, Israel is delegitimizing itself.[37]

Contact

Address: 126 Yigal Alon St., Tel Aviv 67443, Israel
Phone: +972-(0)3-6950090
Email: office@reut-institute.org
Website: www.reut-institute.org

Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ About Reut, Reut Institute, accessed 26 February 2010.
  2. ↑ About Reut video, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Many Plans, No News, Thomas L. Freidman - The New York Times, accessed 28 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Gideon Grinstein biography, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  5. ↑ About the Reut Institute: FAQs, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  6. ↑ About Reut: Methodology, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  7. ↑ Gideon Grinstein biography, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  8. ↑ FAQ Reut Institute, accessed 29 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Studies In Intelligence VOL. 50, NO. 4, 2006 Contributors, CIA Library, accessed 29 May 2012.
  10. ↑ About Reut: Training, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Reut Policy Network, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  12. ↑ Basic De-Legitimization of Israel, Reut Institute, accessed 29 May 2012.
  13. ↑ Various Types of Basic De-Legitimization of Israel, Reut Institute, accessed 29 May 2012.
  14. ↑ Eroding Israel’s Legitimacy in the International Arena, Reut Institute, accessed 28 January 2010.
  15. ↑ Eroding Israel’s Legitimacy in the International Arena, Reut Institute, accessed 28 January 2010.
  16. ↑ Reut Timeline, Reut Institute, accessed May 29 2012
  17. ↑ Gideon Grinstein biography, Reut Institute, accessed 29 May 2012.
  18. ↑ Reut Timeline, Reut Institute, accessed May 29 2012
  19. ↑ Reut Timeline, Reut Institute, accessed May 29 2012
  20. ↑ Reut Regional Development Team,Reut Institute, accessed May 29 2012
  21. ↑ Managing Board, Reut Institute, accessed 26 February 2010.
  22. ↑ Annual Report 2004, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012
  23. ↑ About Reut: FAQsReut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012
  24. ↑ Reut Institute Charter,Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012
  25. ↑ About Reut,Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012
  26. ↑ Board of Governers - A. Naor, Jewish Agency, accessed May 28 2012
  27. ↑ Reut Timeline, Reut Institute, accessed May 28 2012
  28. ↑ About the Reut Institute: FAQs, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  29. ↑ About Reut: Training, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012.
  30. ↑ Initiatives, Samuel Bronfman Foundation, accessed 28 May 2012.
  31. ↑ Reut Timeline, Reut Institute, accessed May 28 2012
  32. ↑ About Reut, Reut Institute, accessed 28 May 2012
  33. ↑ The Delegitimization Challenge: Creating a Political Firewall, Reut Institute, accessed 14 February 2010.
  34. ↑ The Delegitimization Challenge: Creating a Political Firewall, Reut Institute, accessed 14 February 2010.
  35. ↑ The Delegitimization Challenge: Creating a Political Firewall, Reut Institute, accessed 14 February 2010.
  36. ↑ The Delegitimization Challenge: Creating a Political Firewall, Reut Institute, accessed 14 February 2010.
  37. ↑ Ali Abunimah, Israel's new strategy: "sabotage" and "attack" the global justice movement, The Electronic Intifada, accessed 16 February 2010.
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