Center for Israel Studies (Jordan)

The Center for Israel Studies is an Amman-based, independent nonprofit think tank established in late 2014.[2] Contemporary reporting described it as one of the first initiatives of its kind in the Arab world, while noting that small Israel-studies circles existed within Egyptian academia.[2]

The center's stated aim is to counter misinformation about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by presenting an alternative, neutrality-driven account of Israel in Arabic.[2] Its intended audience spans Jordanian decision-makers, journalists, and the general public.[2] It has also been characterized as an independent, non-profit Arab think tank dedicated to studying all aspects of Israeli politics and society.[3]

The center was founded by Dr. Abdullah Sawalha, who had previously worked in the office of the Jordanian government spokesperson.[1] Sawalha is identified as the center's founder and director.[4][3] In 2018, he appeared as a panelist in a session on antisemitism in Arabic-language mass media and was listed as director of the Center for Israel Studies, Kingdom of Jordan.[5]

In 2015, the center reportedly employed ten translators who reviewed Hebrew-language news media, Israeli television and newspapers, and government policy reports.[2] The translated material was published in Arabic as press releases and analyses covering Israeli domestic affairs, military matters, statistics, politics, and government policies.[2]

Beyond translation work, the center hosted lectures, programs, conferences, and debates.[2] An adjacent viewing room contained plasma screens showing Israeli breakfast television, news, and Hebrew-language films within earshot of the Arabic call to prayer.[2]

Sawalha worked with several Israeli universities and research institutes to send delegations of Jordanian students to Israel.[1] He also pursued permanent exchange programs aimed at giving more Jordanians opportunities to meet Israelis face to face, with the hope that such encounters might bring incremental shifts in Jordanian public perceptions of Israel.[1]

The center was conceived not only as a research and translation project but also as a source of strategic recommendations for the Jordanian government.[2] Sawalha sought to inform Jordanian foreign policy toward Israel and widen Jordan's involvement in rapprochement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.[2] He also expressed interest in expanding the initiative beyond Jordan.[2]

The center initially faced suspicion in some quarters because of the word "Israel" in its name, but it eventually received approval and support from the Jordanian government.[2] Sawalha said the center was funded through private-sector donations and indicated that he was open to grants from Israeli organizations.[2]

The center's work engages politically contested questions surrounding normalization, Palestinian statehood, and Israel's governance of Palestinians. Sawalha linked regional acceptance and normalization of Israel to Palestinian rights and an agreement establishing an independent Palestinian state.[2] He described the center's approach as presenting Israel as an imperfect democracy and a model of tolerance while also addressing inequalities between Arab and Jewish citizens and Israel's control over Palestinians in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria.[2]

Sources also vary in Sawalha's title and surname. Some profiles call him founder and director, while a 2017 roundup calls him founder and chairman; spellings include "Sawalha" and "Swalha."[4][6] These variations are bibliographic discrepancies, and the available sources do not explain whether the title difference reflects a role change or inconsistent reporting.