Palestinians

Policy Analysis on Palestinians

Jordan Still Has a Vital Role to Play in the Gaza Crisis

Despite the canceled visit to Amman, President Biden should keep King Abdullah front and center in any efforts to ease humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

Oct 19, 2023

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Ben Fishman

Articles & Testimony

Russian Policy and Hamas’ Assault: Putin Benefits From Chaos

As Russian forces make another push for Ukraine’s heartland, Western officials need to recognize the connections between the Gaza crisis and Moscow’s wider strategic goals.

Oct 2023

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Brief Analysis

Israel’s War Aims and the Principles of a Post-Hamas Administration in Gaza

It’s not too early to think about the “day after” the war—even preliminary planning to create an interim administration will help clarify objectives for Israel’s leaders, sustain U.S. support, provide a more positive alternative future for Palestinians, and give Arab allies a rationale to play a more constructive role.

Oct 17, 2023

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Robert Satloff
Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Coded Militia Language Aims to Signal Escalation

The Iraqi "resistance" is using language that previously presaged attacks on U.S. targets, whether sincerely or as a supportive bluff amid the latest Hamas-Israel crisis.

Oct 16, 2023

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

A Major Pivot in Hamas Strategy

Given its willingness to dramatically change targets and tactics, the group likely aims to halt the recent advance of Arab-Israeli normalization and rouse other actors into joining the fight.

Oct 16, 2023

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Devorah Margolin

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

Articles & Testimony

Why 10/7 Was Worse for Israel Than 9/11 Was for America

In its scope, depravity, and national reach, the Hamas assault was a much greater shock to Israelis, and their response should be viewed through that lens.

Oct 15, 2023

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Deterring Escalation and Expansion of the Gaza War by Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”

The United States must underscore the risks that such action would incur and incentivize Tehran to rein in its proxies and partners.

Oct 13, 2023

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Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Knights

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iran-Backed Militias Applaud Hamas, Threaten Americans

Iraq's "resistance" militias all rhetorically supported the attack on Israel, but with interesting differences: Badr threatened Americans, while others seemed to downplay potential involvement.

Oct 13, 2023

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Amir al-Kaabi
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Hamas Attacks: A Turning Point for U.S. Policy

A Statement of Washington Institute Experts

The October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel represent a turning point that should bring home oft-overlooked realities about the Middle East and compel U.S. policymakers to rethink preconceptions about the region and America's role and interests in it.

Oct 13, 2023

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Robert Satloff
Dennis Ross
Michael Singh
Patrick Clawson

Brief Analysis

Gaza’s Urban Warfare Challenge: Lessons from Mosul and Raqqa

The differences and parallels between urban battlefield circumstances in Gaza, Iraq, and Syria give U.S. policymakers a sobering but clear view of what exactly they will be committing to in supporting Israel’s ground campaign.

Oct 13, 2023

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Michael Knights

Israeli Iron Dome missiles intercept rockets fired into Israel from Gaza by Hamas in October 2023 - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

The New Middle East: Hamas Attack, Israel at War, and U.S. Policy

Veteran U.S., Palestinian, and Israeli experts and policy practitioners explore the broader strategic repercussions of the unfolding war, as well as the factors that enabled Hamas to reach its current level of malign regional influence.

Oct 13, 2023

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Robert Satloff
Ehud Yaari
Matthew Levitt
Neomi Neumann
Ghaith al-Omari

Articles & Testimony

The War Hamas Always Wanted

Despite the completely surprising nature of the attack, Hamas did in fact give multiple signals that a major operation was in the works.

Oct 11, 2023

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Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

What Israel Must Do

The long-suffering residents of Gaza deserve a better future, but getting there will require the international community to demilitarize Gaza after the war and disarm whatever is left of Hamas.

Oct 11, 2023

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Dennis Ross

An Israeli flag is projected on the Eiffel Tower in Paris in response to the Hamas terror attacks on Israel in October 2023 - source: Reuters

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

International Reactions to the Hamas Attack on Israel

At least forty-four nations have condemned Hamas and decried its tactics as terrorism, but regional players such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, and Iraq have pinned responsibility on Israel.

Oct 11, 2023

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Cleary Waldo
Gabriel Epstein
Sydney Hilbush
Aaron Y. Zelin

◆ Tracking International Reactions to the Hamas-Israel War

Articles & Testimony

Israel Focused on the Wrong Iranian Threat, With Deadly Results

Although the existential nature of the nuclear threat understandably demanded attention, Hamas and other Iranian proxies have dramatically increased their capabilities in the meantime.

Oct 10, 2023

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

A Minefield of Critical Questions Remains After Hamas’s Stunning Attack on Israel

As the IDF deals with residual infiltrators in the south, it is already clear that the lessons of the surprise 1973 war need updating.

Oct 9, 2023

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Simon Henderson

In-Depth Reports

Oslo at 30: Personal Perspectives from Washington Institute Scholars

A Compendium

This remarkable compendium marks the thirtieth anniversary of the landmark Oslo I accords and includes personal perspectives from former diplomats, analysis of public opinion among Israelis and Palestinians, and policy recommendations for U.S. officials.

Sep 29, 2023

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Dennis Ross
David Makovsky
Neomi Neumann
Ghaith al-Omari
Mohammed Dajani
Nickolay Mladenov
Zohar Palti
Catherine Cleveland

◆ Oslo at 30

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu meet at the United Nations in New York in September 2023 - source: Prime Minister's Office

Brief Analysis

Saudi Dealmaking to Top Biden and Netanyahu’s New York Agenda

The long-delayed meeting should clarify the contours and possible requirements for normalization with Riyadh, though Israel’s ongoing domestic turmoil and policy toward the Palestinians may necessitate some difficult political choices.

Sep 19, 2023

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David Makovsky

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1993 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

An Inside Look at Rabin’s Oslo Expectations

A previously classified cabinet transcript reveals a mix of shrewd judgments, prophetic concerns, and miscalculations by the late prime minister.

Sep 15, 2023

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David Makovsky

◆ Oslo at 30

Bread vendor outside the Old City of Jerusalem

Fikra Forum

New Polling and the Legacy of the Oslo Accords

When examining the legacy of the Oslo Accords, one clear outcome is the way in which diplomatic breakthroughs—along with their failures—have deeply shaped public attitudes towards the conflict. Thirty years later, fresh polls emphasize the deep erosion of trust and support for the two-state solution in Palestinian (along with Israeli) society, but a lingering hunger for some kind of breakthrough.

Sep 14, 2023

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Catherine Cleveland

◆ Oslo at 30

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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

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Regions & Countries

Issues

Palestinians

Policy Analysis on Palestinians

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

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