This report considers the lack of Palestinian political agency as a driver of regional insecurity that must be resolved before wider conflicts can be settled. The author analyses the conditions that contributed to the destruction of Palestinian political capacity, including Israeli policies, Palestinian shortcomings, and exploitation by Iran, and makes recommendations for an Arab strategic initiative.
Lebanon is America’s next foreign policy win — if Washington acts now. The US has committed blood and treasure to neutralize Iran’s ability to project power and destabilize the Middle East. Lebanon is now the clearest opening to convert those investments into strategic gains and permanently dislodge the Islamic Republic from its most important regional foothold. Securing a sovereign Lebanon, achieving a lasting Israel-Lebanon peace, and dismantling Hizballah — the blueprint of Iran’s proxy model — would irreversibly weaken Tehran’s threat and consolidate a new regional order led by America’s partners before Iran has a chance to reverse its losses.
To abandon the Syria mission now would bring no meaningful benefit to the US, but it would swiftly and significantly empower America’s adversaries, like ISIS, Iran, Russia, and Assad’s regime.
How might US-Israeli relations evolve under the Trump administration?
MEI Senior Fellow for Israeli Affairs Nimrod Goren and Associate Research Professor Ilai Saltzman discuss potential shifts in US policy, the outlook for Israeli politics in 2025, and the challenges to advancing peace on the Israeli-Palestinian front. Tune in for expert insights on what lies ahead.
Reshaping the public discourse is key to restoring support for Israeli-Palestinian peace
Supporters of peace, both local civil society actors and international partners, need to make a sustained effort to promote conflict resolution by shifting the public discourse of traditional and new media outlets, especially in Israel.
The Middle East has experienced an extraordinarily tumultuous year, as the ripples from Hamas’ assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, continue to fuel hostilities in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the waters of the Gulf. Amid all of this, Syria has received very little attention, despite its central role in Iran’s regional agenda. Now the Biden administration is reportedly “hopeful” that Bashar al-Assad will soon permanently block Iran’s ability to support Hezbollah in Lebanon and is postured to reward Damascus for doing so. At best, such calculations should be described as optimistic; at worst, fanciful.
A Glimmer of Hope in a Time of War: The Beirut Museum of Art’s Mission to Heal and Regenerate Lebanon Through Art
وسط كارثة الحرب المستمرة في لبنان، يصر المشهد الثقافي في البلاد على العمل رغم الصعوبات للحفاظ على تراثه وفنه. ومن بين العديد من المشاريع التي تصر على المضي قدماً متحف بيروت للفنون (BeMA)، وهو متحف طال انتظاره وتتمثل مهمته في الحفاظ على تراث البلاد وثقافتها من خلال الفن الحديث والمعاصر.
العلاقات المتوترة بين إسرائيل والأردن تمر بمزيد من الاختبار بسبب غزة، لكن من الممكن حدوث تحول
مرت 30 عامًا منذ أن وقعت إسرائيل والأردن معاهدة سلام في 26 أكتوبر 1994. ولكن بدلاً من الاحتفالات، اتسم هذا الذكرى السنوية بخيبة أمل كبيرة وحتى باليأس. يُزعم أن العلاقات بين البلدين وصلت إلى أدنى مستوياتها على الإطلاق، وأن الآفاق المستقبلية تبدو قاتمة، مع استمرار الحرب في غزة وابتعاد السلام بين الإسرائيليين والفلسطينيين أكثر من أي وقت مضى. ومع ذلك، أثبتت العلاقات بين إسرائيل والأردن مرونتها، حتى في مواجهة الأزمة الحالية، ويواصل البلدان تعزيز مصالحهما المشتركة الحيوية.
The multiple wars that have erupted since Oct. 7, 2023, have already changed the strategic landscape in the Middle East — and more change is likely to follow.
How Donald Trump might tackle the Middle East in 2025
it is possible to extrapolate how the incoming second Trump administration may respond to the complex situation in the Middle East by examining the president-elect’s record during his first term, what he has said since, as well as public statements of his running-mate, Sen. J. D. Vance. Two main issues are likely to dominate Donald Trump’s regional agenda when he comes to power: Iran and Israeli-Palestinian affairs.
After Oct. 7, Israeli and Palestinian civil societies’ pro-peace role is more important than ever
The devastating conflict that erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, dealt a near-fatal blow to efforts by Israeli and Palestinian civil society organizations, leaving both sides feeling as though they have returned to square one. The unprecedented violence and severity of the war have profoundly altered the consciousness of both Israelis and Palestinians, reinforcing a sense of existential struggle. Efforts to engage the public must contend with a hardening of positions and sentiment.
