The Maritime Policy & Strategy Research Center (HMS) aims to serve as Israel's leading academic multidisciplinary research center on maritime policy and strategy for the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
Ehud Gonen
It is hard to overstate the significance of the maritime domain to Israel with its unique geo-strategic position in the Eastern Mediterranean, on the shores of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Israel is an "Economic Island", with most of its exports and imports going via the sea. The majority of the country's population resides along its Mediterranean coast. With the discovery of natural gas reserves in Israel's economic waters, the development of its blue economy, and the increasing rate of desalinated seawater in Israel's overall water use, Israel's sea has become the engine of economic development. Furthermore, the sea remains the only available area for new infrastructure, as well as for removing hazardous infrastructure. All of these factors create both challenges and opportunities in the country's maritime sector.
A national and international think-tank, HMS is dedicated to expanding inter-disciplinary policy research in the fields of maritime strategy, regional security and foreign policy, the movement of people and goods, maritime law, maritime cyber-security, energy and the maritime environment.