Emmanuel Navon

Emmanuel Navon was born in Paris, France, as Emmanuel Mréjen. As a child, he attended the international bilingual school (French/English). He graduated from Sciences-Po, majoring in Public Administration. During his studies at Sciences-Po, he interned at the French Foreign Ministry and at the French Ministry of Finance. In 1993, he immigrated to Israel and subsequently hebraized his last name to Navon. In Israel, Navon enrolled in the Israel Defense Forces and pursued his graduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, earning a master's degree and a Ph.D. in international relations. During his studies at the Hebrew University, he consulted to the Israeli Foreign Ministry on the reform of the United Nations and joined the Shalem Center as a doctoral fellow.{{cite web|title=Interview with Emmanuel Navon in TLV Faces|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TLVFaces.pdf|language=en-US}}

Navon began his career as consultant for Arttic (a consultancy specialized in R&D funding), helping Israeli companies obtain funding from the European Commission and join European consortia. Between 2003 and 2005, he was CEO of BNIC, an NGO that trained Israel's business leaders in public diplomacy.[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Boardroom-Diplomacy.pdf Sandy Cash, "Boardroom Diplomacy" The Jerusalem Report, 2 May 2005] Between 2005 and 2010, he was a partner with the Navon-Levy Group, a consultancy that promoted Israeli agricultural projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Between 2011 and 2016, he was head of the Political Science and Communication Department at the Jerusalem Haredi College (affiliated with Bar-Ilan University).{{Cite web|title=Interview with Emmanuel Navon in TLV Faces|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TLVFaces.pdf|language=en-US}} Between January 2023 and April 2025 he served as CEO of ELNET's Israel office.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-08 |title=Dr. Emmanuel Navon announced as New CEO of ELNET-Israel - ELNET |url=https://elnetwork.eu/country/israel/dr-emmanuel-navon-announced-as-new-ceo-of-elnet-israel/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=31 March 2025 |title=Dr. Emmanuel Navon Steps Down as CEO of ELNET-Israel to Establish New Institute with ELNET-France. |url=https://elnetwork.eu/country/israel/dr-emmanuel-navon-steps-down-as-ceo-of-elnet-israel-to-establish-a-new-think-tank/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=ELNET-Israel}}

Navon has been lecturing at Tel-Aviv University's School of Political Science, Government and International Relations and at the Abba Eban Graduate Program for Diplomacy Studies since 2002.{{Cite web|url=https://english.tau.ac.il/profile/navone|title=Dr. Emmanuel Navon {{!}} Tel Aviv University|website=english.tau.ac.il|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-29}}

Between 2013 and 2023 he was a senior fellow at the Kohelet Policy Forum and in 2017 he joined the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) as a research fellow.[https://jiss.org.il/en/author/nenavon/ Dr. Emmanuel Navon's page on the website of JISS] In his 2006 policy paper for the Herzliya Conference, Navon described Israel's public diplomacy as "soft powerlessness" and warned about international de-legitimization campaigns.[http://www.pij.org/details.php?blog=1&id=393 Elise Hannaford, "Cautioning Israeli Policy Makers: The Consequences of Failed Negotiations" Palestine-Israel Journal, February 2014] In his January 2017 policy paper for the Kohelet Policy Forum (co-authored with Avraham Diskin), Navon recommended the adoption of open lists and political alliances in Israel's voting system.{{Cite news|last=Lieberman|first=Kobi|title=Options to Reform the Electoral System [Hebrew], Ynet, 11 November 2019|newspaper=Ynet|date=11 November 2019|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5618729,00.html}}

File:Emmanuel Navon addresses the CIISS.jpg

Emmanuel Navon is engaged since 2012 by i24News as a senior analyst for international affairs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/emmanuelnavon|title=Emmanuel Navon|website=YouTube|language=en|access-date=2017-01-29}}

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,{{Cite web|title=The Wall Street Journal |date=16 March 2020|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Israel%E2%80%99s-President-Asks-Benny-Gantz-to-Form-New-Government-WSJ.pdf}} the Washington Post,{{Cite web|title=The Washington Post, 24 November 2019|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Cracks-appear-in-Netanyahus-ruling-party-The-Washington-Post.pdf}} Bloomberg,{{Cite web|title=Bloomberg, 10 April 2019|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Magician-Netanyahu-Headed-for-Fifth-Term-as-Israels-Leader-Bloomberg.pdf}} Sky News,{{Cite web|title=Sky News, 10 April 2019|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Mpe9LqFZr9c&feature=emb_logo}} The Financial Times,{{Cite web|title=The Financial Times, 10 April 2019|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Netanyahu%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98fear-and-strength%E2%80%99-election-message-grips-Israelis-_-Financial-Times.pdf}} and The Fiscal Times.[http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/05/05/Clinton-or-Trump-Which-Candidate-Would-Israel-Choose Riyadh Mohammed, "Clinton or Trump: Which Candidate Would Israel Choose?" The Fiscal Times 5 May 2016]

He has been interviewed or debated Israeli foreign policy with other figures in English media broadcasts such as on the Voice of America,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNOJd68TgU4 VOA, 27 October 2015] and Al-Jazeera.{{Cite web|title=Al-Jazeera, 19 July 2018|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxZ2gXPj2OU&feature=emb_logo}}

French language media outlets similarly turn to Navon for his position on Israeli issues. He has been cited by France 24,{{Cite web|title=France 24, 10 July 2019|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMlVkDPpcGw&feature=emb_logo}} Le Figaro,{{Cite web|title=Le Figaro, 31 mai 2019|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bibii-tr%C3%A9buche.pdf}} Libération,[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Liberation-26-February-2008.pdf "Le casse-tête d'Olmert face au Hamas" Libération 26 February 2008] Le Point,{{Cite web|title=Le Point, 26 April 2018|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Le-Point-Avril-2018.pdf}} France Culture,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brgmllA_Bxw France Culture, 15 November 2012] Les Echos,{{Cite web|title=Les Echos, 8 avril 2019|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/L%C3%A9gislatives-difficiles-pour-le-Premier-ministre-isra%C3%A9lien-_-Les-Echos.pdf}} RFI,{{Cite web|date=2019-09-16|title=Netanyahu fights for survival as voters head to polls|url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20190916-israel-netanyahu-fights-future-election-likud-west-bank-benny-gantz-lieberman|access-date=2020-09-03|website=RFI|language=en}} L'Obs,{{Cite web|title=L'Obs, 2 juillet 2017|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NouvelObsJuly2017.pdf}} Radio Canada,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM2jzmhvT7c Radio Canada, 19 May 2015] La Libre Belgique,[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/La-Libre-Belgique-25-novembre-2014.pdf La Libre Belgique, 25 November 2014] and Le Monde.[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LeMonde4August2015.pdf Le Monde, 4 August 2015] 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,{{Cite web|title=Knesset Channel, 1 July 2020|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnxT44va0JE&feature=emb_logo}} the Army Radio,{{Cite web|title=Army Radio, 8 December 2019|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYSVpZrfwO8&t=32s}} Ynet,{{Cite web|title=Ynet, 29 April 2018|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIBDFc8eH0Q&feature=emb_logo}} the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation,{{Cite web|title=IBC, 5 March 2018|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=rQSdlqifm54&feature=emb_logo}} and The Jerusalem Post.[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Jerusalem-Post-16-November-2015.pdf The Jerusalem Post, 15 November 2015] Navon has also appeared on Chinese media China Central Television{{Cite web|title=CCTV, 18 September 2019|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HobQNWlDDFM&t=4s}} and Xinhua.{{Cite web|title=Xinhua News, 15 May 2020|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/News-Analysis_-Israels-new-govt-to-be-sworn-in-facing-pressing-challenges-Xinhua-_-English.news_.cn_.pdf}}

Navon's op-eds have appeared in Newsweek,[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Newsweek2015.pdf "The Academics Boycotting Israel are Misguided" Newsweek 28 October 2015] Le Monde,[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LeMondeSept2011.pdf "La vraie signification du vote onusien" Le Monde 20 septembre 2011] Le Figaro,[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LEurope-a-t-elle-peur-de-la-democratie.pdf "L'Europe a-t-elle peur de la démocratie?" Le Figaro 7 août 2002] The Jerusalem Post,[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/The-EU-is-an-obstacle-to-peace-in-the-ME_3.pdf "The EU Is an Obstacle to Peace in the Middle East" The Jerusalem Post 1 February 2012] Globes,{{Cite web|title=Globes, 4 November 2019|url=http://heb.navon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/11/%D7%94%D7%93%D7%A4%D7%A1-%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%94-%D7%A8%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%AA_-%D7%9E%D7%9E%D7%A9-%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%98%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%9B%D7%9F.pdf}} The Marker,{{Cite web|title=The Marker, 5 March 2019|url=http://heb.navon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/%D7%93%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%A8-5-%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%A5-2019.pdf}} Israel Hayom,{{Cite web|title=Israel Hayom, 2 October 2019|url=http://heb.navon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/IsraelHayom2Oct2019.pdf}} Makor Rishon,{{Cite web|title=Makor Rishon, 30 November 2018|url=http://heb.navon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/%D7%9E%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8-%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9F-30-%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%A8-2018.pdf}} Yediot Aharonot,{{Cite web|title=Yediot Aharonot, 11 March 2018|url=http://heb.navon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/Yediot11March2018.pdf}} and Maariv.{{Cite web|title=Maariv, 12 December 2017|url=http://heb.navon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/12/%D7%94%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A8-%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%93%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%92%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%AA_-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C_%D7%92-%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%9C%D7%A7%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A2-%D7%9E%D7%94%D7%99-%D7%90%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%94-1.pdf}}

He regularly publishes on Israeli politics for The Times of Israel (in English){{cite web|url=http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/emmanuel-navon/|title=Emmanuel Navon {{!}} The Blogs |website=The Times of Israel|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-29}} and is a former contributor to Mida, an Israeli current affairs and opinion web magazine.{{cite web |url=http://mida.org.il/author/emanuelnavon/|title=Archived articles for Emmanuel Navon|website=Mida|language=he-IL|access-date=2017-01-29}}

Navon is a frequent guest speaker in North America and Europe on behalf of organizations such as the Jewish Federations of North America, Hillel International,[http://jhvonline.com/houston-hillel-hosts-scholar-in-residence-p20618-280.htm "Houston Hillel hosts scholar in residence" 18 February 2016] and ELNET.{{Cite web|url=https://elnetwork.eu/2eipc/|title=ELNET International Policy Conference 2019|date=15 August 2019 }}

In March 2011, a lecture Navon delivered at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) was disrupted by pro-Palestinian students, and Navon had to be escorted by security guards.{{cite web|last=Ouellette|first=David|date=2011-03-31|title=Intimidation à l'UQAM|url=https://davidouellette.net/2011/03/31/intimidation-a-luqam-2/|access-date=2017-01-29|website=Le blogue de David Ouellette|archive-date=2020-05-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516145313/https://davidouellette.net/2011/03/31/intimidation-a-luqam-2/|url-status=dead}} In November 2012, RTBF journalist Eddy Caekelberghs cut short a live interview after Navon accused him of contributing to Hamas' propaganda.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K62XMPvpFM RTBF, 15 November 2015] 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.{{Cite web|last=Arfa|first=Orit|date=2019-04-25|title=Communal pressure helps put pro-Israeli speakers on teacher-training program in Switzerland|url=https://www.jns.org/communal-pressure-helps-put-pro-israeli-speakers-on-teacher-training-program-in-switzerland/|access-date=2020-09-02|website=JNS.org|language=en-US}} In July 2020, Navon clashed on Turkish TV channel ANews with a journalist who had claimed that the West Bank was stolen by Israel. "That land was not stolen, as opposed to the land your country stole from Cyprus and from Syria" Navon replied.{{Cite web|title=ANews Turkey, 8 July 2020|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=25&v=nayNpINJ0nA&feature=emb_logo}}

Navon is critical of international relations theory and describes the "great debates" as a sham.[https://books.google.com/books?id=HJ8cBQAAQBAJ&q=Navon&pg=PA63 Chris Brown and Kirsten Ainley (eds.)., Understanding International Relations (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), p. 63] His dismissive attitude toward IR theory has been rebuked by international relations scholars Duncan Bell and Brian C. Schmidt.{{cite journal|last=Bell|first=Duncan S. A.|date=2003-01-01|title=Political Theory and the Functions of Intellectual History: A Response to Emmanuel Navon|jstor=20097840|journal=Review of International Studies|volume=29|issue=1|pages=151–160|doi=10.1017/s026021050300010x|s2cid=145148376}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-Jy-l0xo8MC&q=Navon&pg=PA150|title=International Relations and the First Great Debate |last=Schmidt|first=Brian|date=2013-08-15|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-31911-2|language=en}} Duncan Bell's rebuke of Navon's critical approach to IR theory is often quoted in academic literature.Alex Prichard, Justice, Order and Anarchy: The International Political Theory of Joseph-Pierre Proudhon (Routledge, 2013).[https://books.google.com/books?id=RNAMhICgRx0C&dq=%22Emmanuel+Navon%22&pg=PA7 Oliver Jütersonke, Morgenthau, Law and Realism (Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 7][https://books.google.com/books?id=M_NcCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Emmanuel+Navon%22&pg=PT41 Walter Carlsnaes, Thomas Risse, Beth A. Simmons (eds.), Handbook of International Relations (Sage, 2012)][https://books.google.com/books?id=tLvMCgAAQBAJ&q=Navon&pg=PA148 Chris Clarke, Ethics and Economic Governance: Using Adam Smith to Understand the Global Financial Crisis (Routledge, 2016), p. 148][https://books.google.com/books?id=ByxY4hyckJsC&q=Navon&pg=PA248 Knud Erik Jorgensen, Tonny Brems Knudsen (eds.), International Relations in Europe: Traditions, Perspectives, and Destinations (Routledge, 2006), p. 248][https://books.google.com/books?id=2w2aCgAAQBAJ&q=Navon&pg=PA316 John Buke, Realpolitik: A History (Oxford University Press, 2016), p. 316]

Navon is a defender of free-markets and of globalization.[http://akadem.org/sommaire/colloques/un-monde-en-trans-tensions-et-defis-ethiques-dans-le-monde-contemporains/democratie-et-mondialisation-en-crise-09-10-2012-46860_4450.php "Globalisation: Mythes et Réalités" Akadem, May 2012] He advocates the use of Israel's technological edge to contribute to energy independence,[http://akadem.org/sommaire/cours/douze-clefs-pour-le-21e-siecle/israel-et-la-geopolitique-du-petrole-26-05-2011-26622_4223.php "Israël et la géopolitique du pétrole" Akadem, March 2011] a position for which he was criticized by Prof. Yehezkel Dror.{{cite web|date=2010-11-18|title=Strategists: Primum Non Nocere|url=http://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/strategists-primum-non-nocere/|access-date=2017-01-29|publisher=Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies|language=en-US}} A supporter of the preservation of NATO and of the EU, Navon is suspicious of Russia and had opposed Brexit.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8T31VazAWw I24News Interview, 23 June 2016] Navon approves of Israel's "divide and rule" policy towards the European Union (i.e. developing special ties with the Visegrád Group so as to block unanimous votes by the Council of the European Union 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."{{Cite web|last=Navon|first=Emmanuel|title="Israel's European Dilemma" Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 2018, Vol. 12, No. 3, 325-333.|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Israels-European-Dilemma-1.pdf}}

Navon describes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as "Catch 22" situation.{{Cite web|last=Bernstein|first=Ezra|title=Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|url=https://wheredowestand.org/emmanuelnavon/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Where Do We Stand?|date=July 2017|language=en-US}} 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) as too risky.{{Cite web|last=Bernstein|first=Ezra|date=2017-07-01|title=Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|url=https://wheredowestand.org/emmanuelnavon/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Where Do We Stand?|language=en-US}} Navon claims that the two-state solution "keeps working in theory and failing in practice."{{Cite web|last=Bernstein|first=Ezra|date=2017-07-01|title=Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|url=https://wheredowestand.org/emmanuelnavon/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Where Do We Stand?|language=en-US}} Navon is of the opinion that Israeli settlements 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 in Jerusalem.{{Cite web|last=Bernstein|first=Ezra|date=2017-07-01|title=Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|url=https://wheredowestand.org/emmanuelnavon/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Where Do We Stand?|language=en-US}}

In November 2005, Navon rebuked Israel's "New Historians."[http://akadem.org/sommaire/colloques/l-identite-d-israel-en-question/reecrire-l-histoire-19-12-2005-6576_4181.php "Les nouveaux historiens israéliens" Akadem, November 2005] In April 2010, he criticized the JCall initiative for overlooking the responsibility of the Palestinian leadership in the deadlock of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/EUobserver_3May2010.pdf Andrew Rettman, "Jewish luminaries petition EU parliament over settlements" EU Observer 3 May 2010] In October 2016, Navon responded to Hagai El-Ad's call for Security Council action against Israel's presence in the West Bank.{{Cite web|title=A reply to Hagai El-Ad|url=http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-reply-to-hagai-el-ad/|access-date=2020-09-06|website=blogs.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US}} In 2020, Navon expressed his support for the Trump peace plan 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" are incompatible with international law and with a two-state solution.{{Cite web|title=France 24, 1 July 2020.|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlYBkmonOTc&feature=emb_logo}}

Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Navon declared that "Israel must, and will, teach its enemies a lesson which they, and the world, will never forget."{{Cite web |last=Navon |first=Emmanuel |title=Conférence d'Emmanuel Navon au Collège universitaire de Nétanya, 17 décembre 2023. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VBvIk8z2LI}} During a debate on the Gaza war with Diana Buttu and Daniel Levy, moderated by Mehdi Hasan for Al-Jazeera's "Head-to-Head" program, Navon declared that "Israel is the only place in the Middle East where Arabs are free," that "Zionism is a national liberation movement that freed its land from Arab-Muslim colonialism," and that "Palestine is a British colonial invention."{{Cite web |last=Al-Jazeera Channel |date=2 August 2024 |title=History, genocide and Israel’s war on Gaza: Mehdi Hasan and Benny Morris. |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/head-to-head/2024/8/2/history-genocide-and-israels-war-on-gaza-mehdi-hasan-and-benny-morris}}

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.[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/La-Libre-Belgique-25-novembre-2014.pdf La Libre Belgique, 25 November 2014] He writes that Zionism is a national liberation movement and the legitimacy of the Jewish nation-state equals that of all nation-states.{{Cite journal |last=Spyer|first=Jonathan|title=Theories of Nationalism: The Israeli Experience as a Test Case|journal=Israel Studies Forum |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=46–68 |date=Winter 2005 |jstor=41805142}} 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.{{Cite web|title=RFI, 20 July 2018|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZd0wKFmXs4&feature=emb_logo}}{{Cite web|title=France Culture, 9 aout 2018|date=9 August 2018 |url=https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/du-grain-a-moudre-dete/israel-le-retour-du-religieux}}

Navon is critical of post-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews such as Peter Beinart, Mike Marqusee and Eitan Bronstein Aparicio. He has rebuffed their arguments in several book reviews.{{Cite web|title="You Shall Hate Your Neighbor as Yourself" The Public Domain, 2009|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/If-I-am-not-for-Myself_41.pdf}}{{Cite web|title="It's 1948, Stupid" The Tel Aviv Review of Books, October 2019|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Duel-Review_-The-Conflict-over-the-Right-of-Return-Tel-Aviv-Review-of-Books.pdf}}{{Cite news |last=Navon|first=Emmanuel|title=Why Peter Beinart's Judaism is Doomed|url=https://www.jns.org/opinion/why-peter-beinarts-judaism-is-doomed/ |work=Jewish News Syndicate |date=7 June 2021 }}

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 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.{{Cite book|last=Navon|first=Emmanuel|title=The Victory of Zionism: Reclaiming the Narrative about Israel's Domestic, Regional, and International Challenges (CreateSpace, 2014), pp. xix-xxvi.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2TMXogEACAAJ|year=2014|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1-5023-2794-9}}

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 in Israel has been shaped in a radical and unilateral manner and must be redrawn via a Basic Law supported by a large majority.{{Cite web|last=Navon|first=Emmanuel|title="The Counter Constitutional Revolution" [Hebrew] Globes, 26 May 2019|url=http://heb.navon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/%D7%94%D7%93%D7%A4%D7%A1-%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%94-%D7%96%D7%A2%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%96%D7%A7-%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%96%D7%9C-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%9B%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%AA.pdf}} Navon has criticized the 2023 Israeli judicial reform promoted by Yariv Levin, arguing that the suggested set of reforms "go too far, and they would replace one imbalance with another instead of fixing the imbalance produced by the Court over the years."{{Cite web |last=Navon |first=Emmanuel |date=12 February 2023 |title=Israel's Judicial System Needs an Evolution, Not a Revolution. |url=https://navon.com/2023/02/13/israels-judicial-system-needs-an-evolution-not-a-revolution-i24news-12-february-2023/ |website=Blog of Emmanuel Navon (www.navon.com)}}

Navon also suggests implementing two reforms in Israel's electoral system to increase accountability and predictability: 1. Open lists; 2. Political alliances. According to Navon, open lists produce more accountability than first-past-the-post (FPTP) elections; he also claims that FPTP is not suited to Israel's heterogenous society and would not gather enough support in the Knesset 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.{{Cite web|last=Navon|first=Emmanuel|title="Strengthening Democracy Without Changing the System" [Hebrew] Hashiloah 5 (July 2017), pp. 41-67.|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/%D7%97%D7%99%D7%96%D7%95%D7%A7-%D7%94%D7%93%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C-%E2%80%93-%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%98%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%97.pdf}}

The Hebrew translation of Navon's book The Star and the Scepter: A Diplomatic History of Israel was published by Modan Publishing in 2023 with a foreword by Isaac Herzog. Israeli historian Tom Segev wrote a critical review of the book in Ha'aretz, which created a controversy with Navon. In his review, Segev accuses Navon of attributing more historical importance to Ze'ev Jabotinsky than to David Ben-Gurion; of misquoting Benny Morris' book Righteous Victims; and of welcoming the rise of far-right political parties in Europe.{{Cite web |last=Segev |first=Tom |date=5 September 2023 |title=This books ignores the most intriguing question in the history of Israeli diplomacy [Hebrew]. |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/literature/study/2023-09-05/ty-article-review/.premium/0000018a-5a7d-d252-abdf-5b7d5f720000?lts=1724854895962 |access-date= |website=Ha'aretz (Hebrew Edition)}} In his response, published by Ha'aretz, Navon claims that all three accusations are false and dishonest. According to Navon, the book attributes more historical importance to Ben-Gurion than to Jabotinsky; all quotes from Righteous Victims are faithful (Navon accuses Segev of cutting a quote from the book to hide Mussolini's support for Amin al-Husseini); and the book does not welcome the rise of the far-right in Europe (Navon claims he has written about the need to be wary and skeptical about the supposedly pro-Israel credentials of Europe's far-right).{{Cite web |last=Navon |first=Emmanuel |date=19 September 2023 |title=Tom Segev could easily have found out about my positions on Google [Hebrew] |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/literature/2023-09-19/ty-article/.premium/0000018a-ad0f-dd4c-a3cb-ff0f0e450000 |website=Ha'aretz (Hebrew Edition).}}

In November 2012, Navon ran for Knesset on the Likud ticket[http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Jerusalem-Post-24-August-2012.pdf Gil Hoffman, "Self-described 'Franglo' running for Likud List" The Jerusalem Post, 24 August 2012.] but he did not gather enough votes in the party's primary elections.{{Cite web|title=Interview with Emmanuel Navon in TLV Faces|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TLVFaces.pdf|language=en-US}} He endorsed François Fillon for the first round of the 2017 French presidential elections and Emmanuel Macron for the runoff.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OOS0Qs_uC0 I24News Interview, 24 November 2016] In December 2019, Navon endorsed Gideon Sa'ar for the leadership of Likud.{{Cite web|title=Mr. Prime Minister, it is time to go|url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/mr-prime-minister-it-is-time-to-go/|access-date=2020-09-02|website=blogs.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US}} In December 2020, he left the Likud party.{{Cite web|title=ILTV, 9 December 2020|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUxEIU4qRj4&ab_channel=ILTVIsraelNews}}

Navon grew up in a secular Jewish family but became Modern Orthodox in his early 20s.{{Cite web|title=Interview with Emmanuel Navon in TLVFaces|url=http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TLVFaces.pdf}} He is married to Sima Herzfeld and has four children. Navon is the brother of French author Valérie Mréjen and the brother-in-law of US rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld. Navon's maternal grandfather was an officer in the French army and a secret agent in the French resistance, whose life was saved by a German officer.{{Cite web|title=How my Grandfather Befriended a Nazi|url=http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/how-my-grandfather-befriended-a-nazi/|access-date=2020-09-06|website=blogs.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US}}

• [https://books.google.com/books?id=kzJ4zQEACAAJ The Star and the Scepter: A Diplomatic History of Israel] (The Jewish Publication Society/University of Nebraska Press, 2020)
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=2TMXogEACAAJ The Victory of Zionism: Reclaiming the Narrative About Israel's Domestic, Regional, and International Challenges], (CreateSpace, 2014)
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=qlnnygAACAAJ From Israel With Hope: Why and How Israel Will Continue to Thrive], (Balfour Books, 2010)
• [https://www.amazon.com/Plight-Among-Nations-Israels-Nationalism/dp/3639152913 A Plight Among the Nations: Israel's Foreign Policy Between Nationalism and Realism] (VDM Verlag, 2009)

• [https://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Navon2021_ReferenceWorkEntry_IsraelSNation-StateLaw.pdf "Israel's Nation-State Law"] Palgrave International Handbook on Israel (February 2022), pp. 1–3.
• [https://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/hashiloach22_navon.pdf "Conservatism with a French Touch: A Look at the Thinking of Tocqueville"] [Hebrew] Hashiloah 22 (November 2020), pp. 119–139.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/HEP_Actes_1948_art_E_Navon.pdf "Les réfugiés palestiniens: un regard géopolitique"] Haute école pédagogique de Vaud (2020), pp. 104–114.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Parde%CC%80s-63-Navon.pdf "L'étoile et le sceptre: Israël et les nations"] Pardès 63 (2019), pp. 103–108.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/European-Journal-of-Political-Research-2019.pdf "Israel: Political Development and Data for 2018" (With Abraham Diskin)], European Journal of Political Research, Vol. 58, N. 1 (December 2019), pp. 143–148.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Israels-European-Dilemma-1.pdf "Israel's European Dilemma"] Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs Vol. 12, No. 3 (2018), pp. 325–331.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Geopolitique_decembre_2018.pdf "Israël et le Liban: Liaisons dangereuses"] Diplomatie (décembre 2018), pp. 60–61.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NAVON_et_al-2018-European_Journal_of_Political_Research_Political_Data_Yearbook.pdf "Israel: Political Development and Data for 2017"] (With Abraham Diskin), European Journal of Political Research, Vol. 57, N. 1 (December 2018), pp. 148–156.
• [https://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/pages-from-hashiloach-5-5-navon-web.pdf "Strengthening Democracy Without Changing the System" [Hebrew]] Hashiloah 5 (July 2017), pp. 41–67.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Geopolitique_juin_2017.pdf "Etat des lieux sur le conflit israelo-palestinien" Diplomatie 39 (juin-juillet 2017), pp. 44-48.]
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/France-Israel-and-the-Jews_39-1.pdf "France, Israel and the Jews: The End of an Era?"] Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs 9/2 (2015), pp. 201–211
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Tensions-et-d%C3%A9fis_NAVON_v2_52.pdf "La globalisation et ses ennemis" (Globalization and its Enemies), in Tensions et Défis dans le Monde contemporain, Édition des Rosiers, 2013.]
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Managing-Energy-Risks_ESG_35.pdf "Managing Energy Risks in the 21st Century"] Revue Management & Avenir 42 (2011), pp. 41–57
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/JCall.pdf "J-Call: Un appel à la mauvaise foi"] Controverses 15 (novembre 2010), pp. 29–33.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/The-Case-for-the-Jewish-State.pdf "The Case for the Jewish State"] In Israel on Israel (London, Vallentine Mitchell, 2008), pp. 55–79.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Israel-a-t-il-un-projet-geopolitique.pdf "Israël a-t-il un projet géopolitique"] Hérodote, Revue de géographie et de géopolitique 124 (2007), pp. 69–78
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Plaidoyer-pour-lEtat-juif_30.pdf "Plaidoyer pour l'Etat juif"] Outre-Terre: Revue française de géopolitique 9 (2004), pp. 19–41.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/From-Kippur-to-Oslo.pdf "From Kippur to Oslo: Israel's Foreign Policy 1973-1993"] Israel Affairs 10/3 (2004), pp. 1–40
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Zionism-and-Its-Critiques.pdf "Zionism and its Critiques"] Jewish Political Studies Review 15/1-2 (2003), pp. 45–59
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Illusions-perdues.pdf "La France vue d'Israël: Illusions perdues"] Outre-Terre: Revue française de géopolitique 3 (2002), pp. 253–268
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Arafat-2000-BenLaden-2001.pdf "Septembre 2000-Septembre 2001: Quel enseignement tirer?"] Outre-Terre: Revue française de géopolitique 2 (mai 2002), pp. 247–261.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/The-Third-Debate-Revisited_47.pdf "The Third Debate Revisited"] Review of International Studies 27 (2001), pp. 611–625
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Y-a-t-il-une-vie-apres-Oslo.pdf "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.
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Israel-and-the-reform-of-the-United-Nations.pdf "Israel and the Reform of the UN" Israel Affairs, Volume 5, Number 1 (1998), pp. 63-86]

• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/The-New-Emerging-Energy-Hub-in-the-Eastern-Mediterranean-JISS.pdf The New Emerging Energy Hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, JISS, 2019 (6 pages).]
• [http://en.kohelet.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/KPF063_e-IAoIP_271216-elections.pdf Reforming Israel's Voting System for Knesset (with Avraham Diskin), Kohelet Policy Forum, 2016 (58 pages).]
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Navon-EnergyPaperHartogSchool-September-20-2010_16.pdf Fueling Conflicts: Oil and Geopolitical Tensions, Yuval Ne'eman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security, Tel-Aviv University, 2010 (44 pages).]
• [http://navon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Soft-Powerlessness.pdf Soft Powerlessness: Arab Propaganda and the Erosion of Israel's International Stance, The Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya, 2005 (96 pages).]

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.navon.com/ Official website]
• [https://elnetwork.eu/branch/israel/ Team page on ELNET-Israel's website]
• [https://english.tau.ac.il/profile/navone Faculty Page at Tel-Aviv University]
• [https://jiss.org.il/en/author/nenavon/ Staff page at JISS]
• [https://www.youtube.com/user/emmanuelnavon Emmanuel Navon's i24news channel on YouTube]

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