Dr. Joyce Starr is the author of the groundbreaking book, Kissing Through Glass: The Invisible Shield Between Americans and Israelis (1991). In this book, Starr tackled the emotional roller coaster between Israelis and Americans through first-hand interviews and high-level vignettes. Her recent work, Israel’s Impossible Era: The Human Element in U.S.-Israel Relations (2015), captures “impossible” survival feats by Israelis during the “Do you love us?” era, along with seventy historic American-Israeli photographs. 

As a former White House official, Starr directed the Near East Studies Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. for more than a decade. She organized and led the first Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”) delegation to Israel, which helped forge U.S. support for Israel’s missile defense system. She also spearheaded efforts to ensure Israel’s water security, as recounted in her books, Covenant over Middle Eastern Waters (1995), and Israel Water Wars (Kindle, 2012). Dr. Starr has authored numerous special reports about Israel and the peace process.