Meet the Team

Goor Tsalalyachin is defence-strategy and national security expert, now serving as the Executive Director of the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy & Foreign Relations, Reichman Univesity.

Before joining the AEI, he served as Senior Researcher and Head of Strategic Wargaming in the IDF General Staff – Operations Directorate (J3). In this capacity, he was responsible for the design and facilitation of innovative experiential war-games for the Chief of Staff and the High Command, focusing on the core challenges of national security at the nexus of operations and strategy.

In previous official capacities he served as Media Adviser to the Minister of Defence, and as a spokesman (security affairs) at the Prime Minister’s Office. Before joining government, he was a radio and television journalist covering military and diplomatic affairs for leading Israeli broadcast networks. He held research fellowships on the Middle East and International Security at the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) and at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) in London.

Goor graduated from the School of Government at the IDC Herzliya, specializing in Counterterrorism & Homeland Security. He earned his MA (with Merit) in Intelligence & International Security from the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, where he pursued further academic research focusing on intelligence and strategy.

A Chevening Scholar, he has also received additional awards and recognitions.

His main areas of interest include intelligence studies, wargaming and systems thinking, contemporary defence and security issues, cyber strategy, and operational art.

Dr Daniel Cohen is Head of the Policy and Technology Program at the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy & Foreign Relations, Reichman University. He specializes in cyber threat intelligence, AI-driven security solutions, and emerging technologies policy.

Daniel is also a Research Fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University and a Senior Researcher at the Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center at Tel Aviv University. 

Daniel leads data-driven research projects in cybersecurity, counter-influence operations, and open-source intelligence. He has extensive experience working with government agencies, international organizations, and the private sector on AI-driven security solutions. He previously served as Counter-Terrorism Policy Expert for New Technologies at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, where he developed threat assessment models for identifying terrorist use of emerging technologies, and as an expert on violent extremism for the OSCE. Daniel also served as Advisory Board Member and Head of Research for technology startups developing AI-driven detection systems.

Daniel holds a Ph.D. in Technological Management from Bar-Ilan University, with a research focus on human-AI collaboration in cybersecurity.

Prof Moran Yarchi is the Head of the Public Diplomacy program and Head  of the Public Diplomacy Honors Programa. She is a faculty member at the Sammy Ofer School of Communication, a Senior fellow at the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy & Foreign Relations, and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University.

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Prof Yarchi’s main fields of research are political communication, public diplomacy, media coverage of conflicts and terrorism, and new media. Integrating theories from communication studies, political science and international relations. Her studies investigate the ability of political actors to promote their messages through the media.

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Over the course of her academic career, Professor Yarchi has received multiple awards and scholarships recognizing her work. These include Nina Wain’s Prize for Public and International Communication, the Inbar Fund Scholarship, the Hecht Prize, and top paper awards from the Mass Communication divisions of the International Communication Association (ICA) and the National Communication Association (NCA).

Prof Yossi Mann is Head of the Israel-Arab Gulf Program at the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy & Foreign Relations at Reichman University, and a lecturer and researcher at Bar-Ilan University. He previously served as Head of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar-Ilan University, and as Head of the Middle Eastern Studies track at Reichman University.

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Alongside his academic roles, he is engaged in research projects and policy-relevant work related to the Gulf region. His research focuses on the political economy of energy, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf, and regional transformation. His work has been supported by competitive grants from leading Israeli funding bodies, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Directorate of Defense R&D (MAFAT), the Israel Innovation Authority, and the National Cyber Directorate. He has also led projects combining Middle Eastern studies with advanced AI-driven methodologies, in collaboration with governmental and international partners.

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Prof Mann’s publications appear in leading peer-reviewed journals, including British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Israel Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Comparative Strategy, Management Science, and Quality & Quantity.

Dr Gedaliah Afterman is Head of the Asia Policy Program at the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy & International Relations, Reichman University.  His work focuses on Asian regional security, Chinese foreign policy, superpower competition, and the growing role of middle powers in Asia and the Middle East. He works closely with regional and international partners on advancing Asia–Middle East–Europe strategic cooperation, including in the context of the Abraham Accords.

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He previously served as an International Strategic Policy Specialist at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and as a diplomat at the Australian Embassy in Beijing, where he worked on China’s foreign policy, including its engagement in the Middle East.

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A former diplomat and foreign policy expert, he is a Visiting Fellow at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi and a Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) at the University of Bonn. He also lectures at Reichman University and Tel Aviv University.

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Dr Afterman is a frequent contributor to international media and has written for and been interviewed by leading outlets including The New York Times, Financial Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Economist, Nikkei Asia, South China Morning Post, Haaretz, and The Jerusalem Post. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne.

Oded Raanan is the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of “The Arena – Diplomacy and Foreign Relations Magazine”. His work sits at the intersection of academic inquiry, journalism, and policy-oriented publishing, with a focus on diplomacy and foreign affairs.

Before joining the Institute, he worked on the foreign news desk at leading Israeli daily newspaper "Ha’aretz”. Previously, he was Deputy Editor of the news section at the IDF's official magazine, "Bamachane." In between these roles, he studied for advanced degrees in Belgium, Israel, Hungary, and Scotland.

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He holds an M.Phil in International Relations from the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, as well as an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and B.A in Politics and Government and Middle Eastern Studies, both from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Dr Elad Gil is a Research Fellow at the Abba Eban Institute and Head of Research at the Tachlith Institute. A scholar of constitutional and public law, his work bridges academic research and policy design. Dr Gil also teaches law at Reichman University. 

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He holds an S.J.D. from Duke University, an LL.M. from American University, and joint LL.B./MBA degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.