Palestinians

Policy Analysis on Palestinians

Photo of an Israeli soldier in the ruins of a kibbutz following the October 2023 Hamas attack.

Four experts and former officials discuss the evolving military operation against Hamas, the status of the Lebanon front, the political plight of Arab governments, and the steps Israel must consider to balance its goals with growing international pressure.

Nov 9, 2023

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Zohar Palti
Hanin Ghaddar
Ghaith al-Omari
Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

ICCT Interview on Hamas

A conversation on the group’s strategic pivot, internal debates, hostage calculations, postwar prospects, and more.

Nov 8, 2023

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Devorah Margolin

Articles & Testimony

What Is Hamas’ Hostage Endgame?

The group seems intent on using its many remaining captives to increase international pressure on Israel and compel mass prisoner exchanges, though it may hesitate to take steps that would further harm its public image.

Nov 7, 2023

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Devorah Margolin

Brief Analysis

Escalating Hamas Activity in the West Bank

Hamas began laying the groundwork for a West Bank uprising before October 7 and has steadily increased its activities there, demonstrating the risk it poses beyond Gaza.

Nov 7, 2023

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Camille Jablonski

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Kataib Hezbollah and the Gaza Crisis (Part 2): Israel's Incursion, Khamenei-Nasrallah Speeches, and Blinken's Visit

Hossein Moanes and Abu Fadak have carefully calibrated their threats, showing a multifaceted yet tightly controlled Kataib Hezbollah response.

Nov 7, 2023

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Michael Knights
Amir al-Kaabi

◆ Militia Spotlight

Abu Hussein, head of KH Special Operations

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Kataib Hezbollah and the Gaza Crisis (Part 1): Special Ops in the Lead

The group's earliest reactions to the war were led by its Special Operations wing under Abu Hussein and two spokesmen from his camp.

Nov 7, 2023

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Amir al-Kaabi
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Photo illustration depicting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Russian president Vladimir Putin - Washington Institute illustration, original images from Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Russia’s Relationship with Hamas and Putin’s Global Calculations

There is no evidence Moscow knew about the October 7 attack, but it has provided support to Hamas and is taking advantage of the resultant blows to U.S. interests.

Nov 6, 2023

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Protesters hold Syrian and Hezbollah flags

Brief Analysis

Assessing the Reported Pantsir Delivery to Hezbollah

The antiaircraft system poses a manageable risk to Israeli operations along its northern border, but Washington must show Moscow and its associates that any benefits to such escalation are not worth the costs.

Nov 3, 2023

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Andrew J. Tabler
Anna Borshchevskaya

Photo of Israeli forces massing for ground operations in Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attack.

Fikra Forum

A Meaningful Endgame in Gaza Will Separate Transformation from Revenge

Without clearly stated goals and a well-defined exit strategy, Israel risks its counteroffensive becoming a punitive effort that costs immense civilian deaths while failing to establish lasting stability and peace in its southern sector.

Nov 3, 2023

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Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib

IDF solders operating inside Gaza in October 2023 - source: Government of Israel

Articles & Testimony

The End of Israel’s Gaza Illusions

The country must come to terms with the fact that this war is deeply different from those it has fought in recent decades, and commit unwaveringly to transforming its security approach.

Nov 3, 2023

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Assaf Orion

Chinese and Israeli flags on a table at a diplomatic conference - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Tracking Chinese Statements on the Hamas-Israel Conflict

A regularly updated compendium of Beijing’s reactions to the Gaza war, including analysis of shifts in its traditional approach of trying to please all sides.

Nov 3, 2023

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Grant Rumley
Rebecca Redlich
Claudia Groeling

◆ Tracking International Reactions to the Hamas-Israel War

Articles & Testimony

How Israel Can Win the Other Gaza Battlefield: Public Opinion

Changing the minds of anti-Semites is a lost cause, but Israel can win over other critics by committing more effort and ingenuity to the task of saving innocent Palestinian lives.

Nov 2, 2023

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Robert Satloff
Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Israel’s Campaign Against Hamas in Gaza: War Aims and Operational Challenges

The goal of destroying Hamas will require a prolonged military effort, but the longer the fighting drags on, the less likely Israel will be to retain the freedom of action needed to achieve its war aims.

Oct 31, 2023

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Michael Eisenstadt

A memorial in Tel Aviv to the victims of the OCtober 7 Hamas terror attacks - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Hamas vs. Israel: The Limits of Analogy

What Hamas unleashed on October 7 was so jarring that it is only natural to seek the comfort of historical examples to put Israel’s response in some digestible context.

Oct 30, 2023

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

After Gaza, Recalibrated Prospects for a Geopolitical Europe

Much optimism attended the continental response to Russia’s Ukraine invasion, but the October 7 Hamas attacks and their aftermath could dampen aspirations for European unity on the international stage.

Oct 30, 2023

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Selin Uysal

◆ Tracking International Reactions to the Hamas-Israel War

Brief Analysis

Arab Critique and Condemnation of Hamas Before October 7, 2023

For years, Hamas was lambasted by leading Arab voices as a terrorist group that worked against Palestinian interests. And then October 7 happened.

Oct 30, 2023

◆ Tracking International Reactions to the Hamas-Israel War

Articles & Testimony

Danger on Israel’s Northern Border

A former Lebanese journalist shares her experience growing up in Lebanon, her insights on Hezbollah, and her views on how associated threats might evolve amid the Gaza war.

Oct 27, 2023

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Hanin Ghaddar

Articles & Testimony

I Might Have Once Favored a Cease-Fire with Hamas, but Not Now

A perceived victory by the group will validate its ideology of rejection, give momentum to Iran and its collaborators, and foreclose the possibility of peace with Israel.

Oct 27, 2023

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Dennis Ross

Palestinians view an unexploded Israeli shell in Gaza

Articles & Testimony

The Collapse of Israel’s Hamas “Conceptzia”

The belief that Hamas would abandon ideology for economic gain led to disastrous consequences.

Oct 27, 2023

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David Makovsky

A man carries Iranian and Palestinian flags at a pro-Hamas rally in Tehran in October 2023 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Beyond Gaza, the Confrontation with Iran

By supporting Hamas’s operation, the Islamic Republic managed to subvert a broad emerging Arab-Israel partnership—but Israeli success in destroying the group’s military capabilities could turn the tables.

Oct 26, 2023

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Ehud Yaari

Supported by the

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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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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Palestinians

Policy Analysis on Palestinians

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

Featured experts

Regions & Countries

Issues

Palestinians

Policy Analysis on Palestinians

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

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