Dr. Emmanuel Navon ( he, עמנואל נבון; born Emmanuel Mréjen January 21, 1971) is a French-born

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

political scientist, author and

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

expert who serves as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the Israeli office of

ELNET Ilet ( chm, Элнет, ''Elnet'', russian: Илеть, ''Ilet'', tt-Cyrl, Илләт, translit=İllät) is a river in Mari El, Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Tel-Aviv University. He is a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security ( JISS) and a senior analyst for i24news.

Biography

Early life and education

Emmanuel Navon was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, as Emmanuel Mréjen. As a child, he attended the international bilingual school (French/English). He graduated from

Sciences-Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

, majoring in

Public Administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...

. During his studies at Sciences-Po, he interned at the

French Foreign Ministry The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Qu ...

and at the

French Ministry of Finance The Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty (french: Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle et numérique, pronounced ), informally referred to as Bercy, is one of the most impor ...

. In 1993, he immigrated to Israel and subsequently hebraized his last name to Navon. In Israel, Navon enrolled in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

and pursued his graduate studies at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, earning a master's degree and a Ph.D. in

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

. During his studies at the Hebrew University, he consulted to the

Israeli Foreign Ministry The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( he, מִשְׂרַד הַחוּץ, translit. ''Misrad HaHutz''; ar, وزارة الخارجية الإسرائيلية) is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's ...

on the reform of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and joined the

Shalem Center The Shalem Center ( he, מרכז שלם, ''Merkaz Shalem'') was a Jerusalem research institute that supported academic work in the fields of philosophy, political theory, Jewish and Zionist history, Bible and Talmud, Middle East Studies, archaeolo ...

as a doctoral fellow.

Career

Navon began his career as consultant for Arttic (a consultancy specialized in R&D funding), helping Israeli companies obtain funding from the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

and join European consortia. Between 2003 and 2005, he served as CEO of BNIC, an NGO that trained Israel's business leaders in

public diplomacy In international relations, public diplomacy or people's diplomacy, broadly speaking, is any of the various government-sponsored efforts aimed at communicating directly with foreign publics to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influen ...

. Between 2005 and 2010, he was a partner with the Navon-Levy Group, a consultancy that promoted Israeli agricultural projects in

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

. Between 2011 and 2016, he served as head of the Political Science and Communication Department at the Jerusalem Haredi College (affiliated with Bar-Ilan University). Since January 2023, he serves as

ELNET Ilet ( chm, Элнет, ''Elnet'', russian: Илеть, ''Ilet'', tt-Cyrl, Илләт, translit=İllät) is a river in Mari El, Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Reichman University's Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. He teaches and has taught classes on Israel's foreign policy, on foreign policy decision-making, on the history of diplomacy, on European diplomacy, on globalization, and on the global politics of oil and energy. Between 2013 and 2023 he was a senior fellow at the

Kohelet Policy Forum The Kohelet Policy Forum (KPF) ( he, פורום קהלת) is an Israeli nonprofit think tank. Founded in January 2012 by Professor Moshe Koppel, who now serves as the Forum’s chairman, together with several Israeli academics such as Avraham Dis ...

(the libertarian, right-wing Israeli public policy think tank that has provided the ideological backing for the Israeli government’s attempt to overhaul the country’s judiciary) And in 2017 he joined the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) as a research fellow. In his 2006 policy paper for the

Herzliya Conference The Herzliya Conference is an annual summit held at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel to discuss matters of state security and policy. History The Herzliya Conference was established in December 2000 as a "closed-door annual gather ...

, Navon described Israel's public diplomacy as "soft powerlessness" and warned about international de-legitimization campaigns. In his January 2017 policy paper for the Kohelet Policy Forum (co-authored with

Avraham Diskin Abraham Diskin (born 1947) is an Israeli political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a professor at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. Diskin was the Chair of the Political Science Department of the Hebrew University ...

), Navon recommended the adoption of

open lists Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected. This is as opposed to closed list, which allows only active members, par ...

and political alliances in Israel's voting system.

Media and public speaking

Emmanuel Navon is engaged since 2012 by i24News as a senior analyst for international affairs. Navon is widely cited by international media outlets and has made appearances addressing an international audience in three different languages. In English media his opinion has been cited by ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', '' Bloomberg'', ''

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...

'', ''

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikk ...

'', and '' The Fiscal Times''. He has been interviewed or debated Israeli foreign policy with other figures in English media broadcasts such as on the

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

, and ''

Al-Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

''. French language media outlets similarly turn to Navon for his position on Israeli issues. He has been cited by

France 24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-M ...

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...

'',''

Libération ''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France's ...

'',''

Le Point ''Le Point'' () is a French weekly political and news magazine published in Paris. History and profile ''Le Point'' was founded in September 1972 by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of '' L'Express'', w ...

'','' France Culture'','' Les Echos'','' RFI'','' L'Obs'','' Radio Canada'',''

La Libre Belgique ''La Libre Belgique'' (; literally ''The Free Belgium''), currently sold under the name ''La Libre'', is a major daily newspaper in Belgium. Together with ''Le Soir'', it is one of the country's major French language newspapers and is popular in ...

'','' and

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

''.'' Hebrew language or English language Israeli media also have turned to Navon for his policy positions. His perspective has been quoted by the

Knesset Channel The Knesset Channel ( he, ערוץ כנסת; ''Arutz Knesset'', "Knesset Channel") is a public Israeli terrestrial channel that broadcasts the sessions of the Knesset as well as some other programs concerning the Israeli parliament. Prior to the e ...

'','' the Army Radio'',''

Ynet Ynet (stylized as ynet) is one of the major Israeli news and general-content websites, and is the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronot'' newspaper. However, most of Ynet's content is original work, published exclusively on the website and wri ...

'','' the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, and

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...

''.'' Navon has also appeared on Chinese media

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...

and

Xinhua Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...

.' Navon's op-eds have appeared in ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'',

Globes A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe of ...

The Marker ''TheMarker'' ( he, דה-מרקר) is a Hebrew-language daily business newspaper published by the Haaretz group in Israel. ''TheMarker'' was founded in 1999 by journalist and entrepreneur Guy Rolnik along with Haaretz group and U.S.-based invest ...

Israel Hayom ''Israel Hayom'' ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם, lit=Israel Today) is an Israeli national Hebrew-language free daily newspaper. First published in 2007, ''Israel Hayom'' is Israel's most widely distributed newspaper. Owned by the fam ...

Makor Rishon ''Makor Rishon'' ( he, מָקוֹר רִאשׁוֹן lit. "Firsthand Source") is a semi-major Israeli newspaper associated with Religious Zionism and the conservative right-wing. History ''Makor Rishon'' was founded as a weekly magazine in Jul ...

Yediot Aharonot ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...

, and Maariv. He regularly publishes on Israeli politics for

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

(in English) and is a former contributor to Mida, an Israeli current affairs and opinion web magazine. Navon is a frequent guest speaker in North America and Europe on behalf of organizations such as the

Jewish Federations of North America The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization representing 146 Jewish Federations and 300 independent Jewish communities across North America, which rais ...

Hillel International Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also known as Hillel International or Hillel, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 550 colle ...

, and

ELNET Ilet ( chm, Элнет, ''Elnet'', russian: Илеть, ''Ilet'', tt-Cyrl, Илләт, translit=İllät) is a river in Mari El, Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) was disrupted by pro-Palestinian students, and Navon had to be escorted by security guards. In November 2012,

RTBF The ''Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française'' (RTBF, ''Belgian Radio-television of the French Community'', branded as rtbf.be) is a public service broadcaster delivering radio and television services to the French-speaking Commu ...

journalist Eddy Caekelberghs cut short a live interview after Navon accused him of contributing to Hamas' propaganda. In 2019, Navon was invited by the Haute école pédagogique (HEP) du canton de Vaud to present his approach to the Palestinian refugee problem, after an outcry caused by HEP's original plan to only invite speakers identified with the Palestinian narrative. In July 2020, Navon clashed on Turkish TV channel ANews with a journalist who had claimed that the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

was stolen by Israel. "That land was not stolen, as opposed to the land your country stole from Cyprus and from Syria" Navon replied.

Ideas and controversies

International Relations

Navon is critical of

international relations theory International relations theory is the study of international relations (IR) from a theoretical perspective. It seeks to explain causal and constitutive effects in international politics. Ole Holsti describes international relations theories as a ...

and describes the "great debates" as a sham. His dismissive attitude toward IR theory has been rebuked by international relations scholars Duncan Bell and Brian C. Schmidt. Duncan Bell's rebuke of Navon's critical approach to IR theory is often quoted in academic literature. Navon is a defender of free-markets and of

globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

. He advocates the use of Israel's technological edge to contribute to energy independence, a position for which he was criticized by Prof. Yehezkel Dror. A supporter of the preservation of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and of the EU, Navon is suspicious of Russia and had opposed

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...

. Navon approves of Israel's "divide and rule" policy towards the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

(i.e. developing special ties with the Visegrád Group so as to block unanimous votes by the

Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...

on Israel and the Middle East), yet he also warns that "Israel should not overplay that card" because "for all its failings, a unified European market aligned with the U.S. is more in Israel's interest than a divided continent ruled by pro-Russian mercantilists."

Arab-Israeli Conflict

Navon describes the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israelis ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵלִים‎, translit=Yīśrāʾēlīm; ar, الإسرائيليين, translit=al-ʾIsrāʾīliyyin) are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jew ...

as "Catch 22" situation. He thinks that the preservation of Israel's Jewish and democratic character requires territorial changes but does not believe that an agreement can be reached with the Palestinians. He also dismisses unilateral territorial withdrawals (such as the 2005

Gaza disengagement The Israeli disengagement from Gaza ( he, תוכנית ההתנתקות, ') was the unilateral dismantling in 2005 of the 21 Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of Israeli settlers and army from inside the Gaza Strip. Th ...

) as too risky. Navon claims that the

two-state solution The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiation ...

"keeps working in theory and failing in practice." Navon is of the opinion that

Israeli settlement Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli se ...

s are not illegal, that the Palestinians' claim for a "right of return" to Israel is groundless in international law and incompatible with a two-state solution, and that only Israel has guaranteed religious freedoms and protected the holy sites of the three

Abrahamic religions The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran. Jewish tradition ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. In November 2005, Navon rebuked Israel's " New Historians." In April 2010, he criticized the

JCall JCall is a nonprofit advocacy group based in Europe to lobby the European parliament on foreign policy issues concerning the Middle East and Israel in particular. They say they are based along the lines of the America group J Street, founded in 2 ...

initiative for overlooking the responsibility of the Palestinian leadership in the deadlock of the

Israeli–Palestinian peace process The Israeli–Palestinian peace process refers to the intermittent discussions held by various parties and proposals put forward in an attempt to resolve the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Since the 1970s, there has been a parallel ef ...

. In October 2016, Navon responded to Hagai El-Ad's call for Security Council action against Israel's presence in the

. In 2020, Navon expressed his support for the

Trump peace plan The Trump peace plan, officially titled "Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People", was a proposal by the Trump administration to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. President Donald Trump ...

and for the extension of Israeli sovereignty to parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Navon rejects the claim that partial Israeli annexations beyond the "

green line Green Line may refer to: Places Military and political * Green Line (France), the German occupation line in France during World War II * Green Line (Israel), the 1949 armistice line established between Israel and its neighbours ** City Line ( ...

" are incompatible with international law and with a two-state solution.

Nationalism and Democracy

Navon has argued that the Jews are a religion and the Jewish people form a nation. For this reason, the Jewish people are entitled to national

self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...

. He writes that

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

is a

national liberation Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...

movement and the legitimacy of the Jewish

nation-state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...

equals that of all nation-states. Navon writes that nationalism in general, and Jewish nationalism (Zionism) in particular, are compatible with democracy and civic equality. Navon supported the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People but stated that the principle of civic equality should be explicitly enshrined in Israel's quasi-constitutional basic law. Navon is critical of

post-Zionist Post-Zionism refers to the opinions of some Israelis, diaspora Jews and others, particularly in academia, that Zionism fulfilled its ideological mission with the formation of the modern State of Israel in 1948, and that Zionist ideology should ...

and

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestine ...

Jews such as Peter Beinart,

Mike Marqusee __NOTOC__ Mike Marqusee (; 27 January 1953 – 13 January 2015) was an American writer, journalist and political activist in London. Marqusee's first published work was the essay "Turn Left at Scarsdale", written when he was a sixteen-year-old high ...

and Eitan Bronstein Aparicio. He has rebuffed their arguments in several book reviews.

Judicial Activism and Electoral Reform

Navon is critical of Israel's judicial activism and of Aharon Barak's self-proclaimed "constitutional revolution." In his book ''The Victory of Zionism: Reclaiming the Narrative about Israel's Domestic, Regional, and International Challenges'', Navon claims that Israel's constitutional order and separation of powers were overhauled in the 1990s by five dramatic changes introduced unilaterally by the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...

under Barak's leadership: 1. Proclaiming that everything is "justiciable" and therefore that no public issue is immune from the court's review; 2. Ending the " standing" (or '' locus standi'') requirement, thus allowing anyone to petition the court; 3. Declaring that the court is entitled to strike down legislation deemed inconsistent with Israel's "basic laws;" 4. Overruling government decision for being "unreasonable" in the court's opinion; 5. Turning the legal advice of the Attorney General into binding decisions by which the government must abide. Navon suggests legislating a Basic Law that would regulate, re-balance, and formalize Israel's separation of powers and the court's ability to strike down legislation and government decisions. While he does not oppose judicial review, Navon believes that its ''

modus operandi A ''modus operandi'' (often shortened to M.O.) is someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also more generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode (or manner) of op ...

'' in Israel has been shaped in a radical and unilateral manner and must be redrawn via a Basic Law supported by a large majority. Navon also suggests implementing two reforms in Israel's electoral system to increase accountability and predictability: 1. Open lists; 2.

Political alliance A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies. International terms Equivalent terms are used differ ...

s. According to Navon, open lists produce more accountability than

first-past-the-post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

(FPTP) elections; he also claims that FPTP is not suited to Israel's heterogenous society and would not gather enough support in the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

anyway. Navon also suggests formalizing political alliances via legislation to improve the correlation between the vote for a party and the choice of a prime minister.

Politics

In November 2012, Navon ran for

on the

Likud Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...

ticket but he did not gather enough votes in the party's primary elections. He endorsed François Fillon for the first round of the 2017 French presidential elections and

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

for the runoff. In December 2019, Navon endorsed Gideon Sa'ar for the leadership of Likud. In December 2020, he left the Likud party.

Personal life

Navon grew-up in a secular Jewish family but became

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosoph ...

in his early 20s. He is married to Sima Herzfeld and has four children. Navon is the brother of French author

Valérie Mréjen Valerie is generally a feminine given name, derived directly from the French ''Valérie'' (a female-only name). Valéry or Valery is a masculine given name in parts of Europe (particularly in France and Russia), as well as a common surname in Fra ...

and the brother-in-law of US rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld. Navon's maternal grandfather was an officer in the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

and a secret agent in the

French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, whose life was saved by a German officer.

Bibliography

Books

*
The Star and the Scepter: A Diplomatic History of Israel
' (The Jewish Publication Society/University of Nebraska Press, 2020) *
The Victory of Zionism: Reclaiming the Narrative About Israel's Domestic, Regional, and International Challenges
', (CreateSpace, 2014) *
From Israel With Hope: Why and How Israel Will Continue to Thrive
', (Balfour Books, 2010) *
A Plight Among the Nations: Israel's Foreign Policy Between Nationalism and Realism
' (VDM Verlag, 2009)

Academic articles

"Israel's Nation-State Law"
''Palgrave International Handbook on Israel'' (February 2022), pp. 1-3.
"Conservatism with a French Touch: A Look at the Thinking of Tocqueville"
ebrew''Hashiloah'' 22 (November 2020), pp. 119–139.
"Les réfugiés palestiniens: un regard géopolitique"
''Haute école pédagogique de Vaud'' (2020), pp. 104–114.
"L'étoile et le sceptre: Israël et les nations"
''Pardès'' 63 (2019), pp. 103–108.
"Israel: Political Development and Data for 2018" (With Abraham Diskin)
''European Journal of Political Research'', Vol. 58, N. 1 (December 2019), pp. 143–148.
"Israel's European Dilemma"
''Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs'' Vol. 12, No. 3 (2018), pp. 325–331.
"Israël et le Liban: Liaisons dangereuses"
''Diplomatie'' (décembre 2018), pp. 60–61.
"Israel: Political Development and Data for 2017"
(With Abraham Diskin), ''European Journal of Political Research'', Vol. 57, N. 1 (December 2018), pp. 148–156.
"Strengthening Democracy Without Changing the System" [Hebrew
/nowiki>">ebrew">"Strengthening Democracy Without Changing the System" [Hebrew
/nowiki>''Hashiloah'' 5 (July 2017), pp. 41–67.
"Etat des lieux sur le conflit israelo-palestinien" ''Diplomatie'' 39 (juin-juillet 2017), pp. 44-48.

"France, Israel and the Jews: The End of an Era?"
''Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs'' 9/2 (2015), pp. 201–211
"La globalisation et ses ennemis" (Globalization and its Enemies), in Tensions et Défis dans le Monde contemporain, Édition des Rosiers, 2013.

"Managing Energy Risks in the 21st Century"
''Revue Management & Avenir'' 42 (2011), pp. 41–57
"J-Call: Un appel à la mauvaise foi"
''Controverses'' 15 (novembre 2010), pp. 29–33.
"The Case for the Jewish State"
In ''Israel on Israel'' (London, Vallentine Mitchell, 2008), pp. 55–79.
"Israël a-t-il un projet géopolitique"
'' Hérodote, Revue de géographie et de géopolitique'' 124 (2007), pp. 69–78
"Plaidoyer pour l'Etat juif"
''Outre-Terre: Revue française de géopolitique'' 9 (2004), pp. 19–41.
"From Kippur to Oslo: Israel's Foreign Policy 1973-1993"
''Israel Affairs'' 10/3 (2004), pp. 1–40
"Zionism and its Critiques"
''

Jewish Political Studies Review The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) is an Israeli research institute specializing in public diplomacy and foreign policy founded in 1976. Currently, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs's research portfolio consists of five primar ...

'' 15/1-2 (2003), pp. 45–59
"La France vue d'Israël: Illusions perdues"
''Outre-Terre: Revue française de géopolitique'' 3 (2002), pp. 253–268
"Septembre 2000-Septembre 2001: Quel enseignement tirer?"
''Outre-Terre: Revue française de géopolitique'' 2 (mai 2002), pp. 247–261.
"The Third Debate Revisited"
''

Review of International Studies The ''Review of International Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal on international relations published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British International Studies Association. From 1975-1980, it was known as the ''Brit ...

'' 27 (2001), pp. 611–625
"Y-a-t-il une vie après Oslo?" [Is There Life After Oslo?
">s There Life After Oslo?">"Y-a-t-il une vie après Oslo?" [Is There Life After Oslo?
''Outre-Terre, revue française de géopolitique'' 1 (janvier/mars 2001), pp. 33–49.
"Israel and the Reform of the UN" Israel Affairs, Volume 5, Number 1 (1998), pp. 63-86

Policy papers

The New Emerging Energy Hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, JISS, 2019 (6 pages).

Reforming Israel's Voting System for Knesset (with Avraham Diskin), Kohelet Policy Forum, 2016 (58 pages).

Fueling Conflicts: Oil and Geopolitical Tensions, Yuval Ne'eman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security, Tel-Aviv University, 2010 (44 pages).

Soft Powerlessness: Arab Propaganda and the Erosion of Israel's International Stance, The Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya, 2005 (96 pages).

References

External links

Official website

Faculty Page at Tel-Aviv University

Faculty Page at IDC Herzliya

Staff Page at JISS

Staff Page at Kohelet Policy Forum

Emmanuel Navon's i24news channel on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navon, Emmanuel 1971 births French emigrants to Israel French people of Israeli descent Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Social Sciences alumni Israeli political scientists Academic staff of Reichman University Academic staff of Tel Aviv University Israeli commentators Israeli Modern Orthodox Jews Living people Baalei teshuva