Arab-Israeli Relations

Policy Analysis on Arab-Israeli Relations

Putting the UAE-Israel Agreement in Its Proper Perspective

Like all good policy decisions, the deal emerged from the enlightened self-interest of the key parties, but the stakes are not as high as with Israel’s previous two Arab peace treaties.

Aug 18, 2020

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Lessons of the UAE Breakthrough: How We Got Here, and Why the U.S. Role Remains Central

Statements and actions by Israel and the UAE show how much regional decisionmaking is still shaped by U.S. assurances that enable parties to calibrate their cost-benefit analyses—an approach that could serve as a template for potential future Israel-Gulf ties.

Aug 17, 2020

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

The Slow but Steady Progress to Israel’s Peace with the UAE

Years of burgeoning trade and quiet U.S. diplomacy helped lay the groundwork for a move that is only partly focused on improving the bilateral relationship.

Aug 14, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The Israel-UAE Agreement Is a Key Step for Peace and Sends a Crucial Message to Palestinians

Emirati leaders apparently understood that this move would preserve the two-state option and preempt Iran from exploiting the annexation issue—while also opening access to previously off-limits U.S. weaponry.

Aug 13, 2020

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

Israel-UAE Deal Achieves a Middle East Rarity: It’s Win-Win-Win, Palestinians Included

Arab countries that have official relations with Israel are more effective at advancing Palestinian interests, and now Abu Dhabi has joined their ranks.

Aug 13, 2020

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Ghaith al-Omari

Video

Brief Analysis

Palestinians and the Two-State Solution: Hard Data on the Hardest Questions

Three experts on Palestinian and Israeli public opinion discuss recent poll results, sociopolitical trends, and potential avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation on smaller ‘non-narrative’ issues.

Jul 28, 2020

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David Pollock
Tamar Hermann
Ghaith al-Omari

Brief Analysis

UNIFIL’s Yearly Mandate Renewal: Maintain Ends, Change Ways and Means

Most parties would be happy maintaining the status quo, but staying course on the current security trends is unsustainable and may lead to escalation unless the Security Council revises its peacekeeping mission and procedures.

Jul 22, 2020

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Assaf Orion

Articles & Testimony

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States Under Stress

As Riyadh aims to revamp the kingdom’s place in the international community, its near-term approach to Iran and Israel will have much to say about the Gulf neighborhood’s future trajectory.

Jul 15, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Don’t Give Up on the Two-State Solution

Unilateral Israeli annexation would be a mistake, but a one-state solution or an unconditional declaration of Palestinian statehood would just compound the error.

Jul 14, 2020

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Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

Video

Brief Analysis

How the Contest to Succeed Abbas Is Shaping Palestinian Options

Israeli and Palestinian experts and former negotiators explore the lack of clarity surrounding the next PA leader, including the potential effects succession might have on internal politics, annexation responses, U.S. policy, and more.

Jul 6, 2020

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Ghaith al-Omari
Ehud Yaari
Michael Herzog

Articles & Testimony

Israelis and Palestinians Must Realize That Each Needs to Give, Not Just Take

Netanyahu is treating the Trump plan like a buffet where he can choose only the parts he likes.

Jul 6, 2020

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David Makovsky
Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

The Blue Line: The Israel-Sudan Border? The Challenge of Infiltrators from Lebanon

Although Sudanese workers crossing the border are hardly a terrorist threat, they do pose problems that need to be addressed by Israeli, Lebanese, and international authorities.

Jul 1, 2020

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Assaf Orion

Articles & Testimony

I’m an Ardent Zionist. But Israel’s Annexation Makes No Sense.

If Netanyahu decides to throw prudence aside and proceed with the move, it would impose impossibly high costs and deliver few benefits.

Jun 25, 2020

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Robert Satloff

Articles & Testimony

The Ghost of Annexation Past

King Abdullah's 1950 annexation of “Arab Palestine” shows that a bold leader can play his advantages well, redraw the map, gain some recognition, and still leave only regrets.

Jun 25, 2020

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Martin Kramer

Video

Brief Analysis

Israeli Annexation in the West Bank? Scenarios and Implications

What factors will shape Israel's decisionmaking, and how would unilateral annexation affect its relations with the Palestinians, Arab neighbors, Europe, and U.S. legislators?

Jun 23, 2020

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David Makovsky
Ghaith al-Omari
Dana Stroul
Dennis Ross

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

A Nation Divided: Palestinian Views on War and Peace with Israel

Polling shows that Palestinian public opinion is moving away from prior support for a compromise peace deal with Israel.

Jun 22, 2020

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David Pollock

Brief Analysis

Why the ICC Prosecutor Is Wrong on Oslo

By making what appears to be a politically motivated case, the prosecutor’s office runs the risk of undermining both the main Israeli-Palestinian legal framework and the ICC’s role as an unbiased agent of international law.

Jun 16, 2020

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Mapping West Bank Annexation: Territorial and Political Uncertainties

New maps explore the scope of Israel’s potential moves next month, though domestic politics, unprecedented Gulf warnings, and other factors are raising questions about whether annexation will actually proceed.

Jun 15, 2020

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

Israel Has a Lot to Lose by Annexing West Bank Territory

Even if Netanyahu steps away from the precipice this month, the problem will not dissipate until the White House stops incentivizing annexation with offers of American recognition.

Jun 12, 2020

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Robert Satloff

In-Depth Reports

Wrestling with Annexation:

The Elusive Search for a Policy Rationale

A potential Israeli push to annex parts of the West Bank threatens to upend a reasonably tolerable and surprisingly stable status quo to achieve dubious benefits at significant cost.

Jun 11, 2020

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Robert Satloff

Supported by the

Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations

Through moments of hope and challenge in the Middle East diplomacy, The Washington Institute's Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations is committed to providing America's policymakers with timely analysis on issues of critical concern to Israel and its Arab neighbors.

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Featured experts

Ghaith al-Omari

Ghaith al-Omari is the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow in The Washington Institute's Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship.

David Makovsky

David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations.

Dennis Ross

Dennis Ross, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Ehud Yaari

Ehud Yaari is the Lafer International Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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Policy Analysis on Arab-Israeli Relations

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