The chief policy officer of Israel Policy Forum, who’s been with the organization for nearly a decade, originally intended to study Turkey and Turkish politics.
It took much persuasion for Michael Koplow to change his mind, particularly from Lisa Eisen of the Schusterman Family Foundation.
“After politely declining, she was very persistent, and at some point, I realized that as much time as I had spent on studying Turkey and living in Turkey and trying to learn pretty bad Turkish, I was never going to understand Turkey as well as I innately understood Israel,” Koplow said.
The now 45-year-old Potomac resident grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home in New York in what he calls an “immersive Jewish and Zionist environment.” He attended Orthodox day schools for 13 years, then spent a gap year in Israel before pursuing college: “I’ve always been very Jewishly involved.”
“I also realized that there was going to be something far more rewarding about working on Israel, which, of course, is deeply meaningful to me personally, and working on Turkey, which was a place that is incredibly interesting, but didn’t have the same emotional resonance,” Koplow said.
One of the best parts of his role with IPF, for Koplow, is his interest in the work. His primary responsibility involves thinking through various areas of focus and policy positions that IPF should release.
“What we’re really trying to do is set out pragmatic policies that will help U.S. foreign policy get to a viable resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict,” Koplow said. “So [my job is] thinking through what those types of policies are and making suggestions for how the U.S. can be helpful in getting to a viable resolution.”
As part of his role, Koplow spends about 10 to 15 percent of his time in Israel, to update Israeli leaders on what’s happening in Washington, D.C., and so he and his IPF colleagues have a good idea of the latest developments in Israel. He often explains these developments in meetings with policymakers and American Jewish leaders.
“I spend a lot of my time [looking for basic analysis], and I do that either through writing or speaking in small briefings or speaking to larger Jewish community events, trying to get people to have a better understanding of what’s taking place on the ground,” Koplow said.
His weekly Koplow Column aims to provide “nuanced commentary on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, U.S.-Israel relations, Israeli politics, the future of the two-state outcome and the American Jewish community.” Koplow’s work regularly appears in many publications. He also edits Israel Policy Exchange, IPF’s outlet for commentary and analysis.
“Anytime I’m writing or speaking, I’m trying to bring a greater knowledge and understanding to the issue,” Koplow said, adding that IPF is a nonpartisan organization. “I’m always out there trying to explain the situation to people and get people to think about how policy could be better.”
Rather than being confrontational, Koplow tries to facilitate calm, rational conversation, a skill he practices when he’s at the table with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
“It’s always a two-way dialogue,” he said. “Of course, there are disagreements all the time, but it’s rare that it gets heated.”
Koplow said IPF has a role in various policy decisions that affect many Israelis and Palestinians. A couple of years ago, the U.S. governmental position of U.S. security coordinator, who coordinates security between the IDF and Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem, was almost downgraded from a three-star general to a colonel.
That change would alter the IDF and PA’s coordination with one another regarding security, as Koplow said the U.S. security coordinator’s role is “really critical” for the West Bank’s Israeli security and Palestinian lives.
“We jumped into action and did everything we could to prevent that position from being downgraded,” he said of the IPF, adding that this effort was a success.
IPF has grown considerably since Koplow’s arrival in 2015. What was once a three-person organization with a budget of less than $1 million now has more than 25 staff members with a budget five times as large.
“There’s a greater demand for our work now,” Koplow said.
He sees the impact firsthand, notably at a 2019 speaking engagement with a Jewish organization in Boston.
“Before I gave the talk, someone came up to me and told me that they read me every week and they don’t agree with anything that I say,” Koplow said. “I said, ‘OK, great. How about you come back after I’m done speaking and you can tell me if you still feel that way.’”
Koplow spoke about the dangers of Israel annexing the West Bank, and the same attendee told him afterwards, “I actually agreed with everything you laid out. You convinced me in person.”
That moment illustrated to him the value of IPF’s work, specifically of approaching a disagreement with a rational and logical, evidence-based argument.
“It was an important confirmation of the fact that this work can change minds, but also an important confirmation that we really can’t give up on trying to get to a better policy space in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Koplow said. “That moment sticks out to me.”
