Peace Process

Policy Analysis on Peace Process

How Blinken Can Seize Opportunity After the Deaths of Sinwar and Nasrallah

The United States has a short window to advance crucial goals in Gaza and Lebanon, including efforts to draw in Gulf support, establish a legitimate post-Hamas entity, and urge Beirut to start reasserting its sovereignty.

Oct 22, 2024

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David Makovsky

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking with President Joe Biden

Articles & Testimony

Book Review: “War” by Bob Woodward

The veteran journalist dishes on the Jordanian king’s “man cave,” Biden’s pique at both Netanyahu and Abbas, and Harris’s public versus private diplomatic style.

Oct 21, 2024

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Simon Henderson

Then Vice President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in 2010 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Is Diplomacy Doomed?

Once the election year subsides, newly elected governments will need to show political courage and creativity to revive diplomacy’s role in global governance.

Oct 21, 2024

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Eric Alter
Nickolay Mladenov

U.S. President Joe Biden greets French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in December, 2022 - source: White House

Brief Analysis

Assessing U.S.-French Cooperation a Year After October 7

Fighting on several Middle East fronts has revealed gaps between the allies, but they have ample room to collaborate in areas that range from ensuring Lebanese sovereignty to delivering humanitarian aid.

Oct 18, 2024

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Souhire Medini

Protesters in New York City demand the release of U.S. citizens held hostage by Hamas in Gaza - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar’s Death Can Bring the Middle East Closer to Peace

The long-elusive terrorist was known for brutality to Israelis and Gazans alike, and his passing opens the door to diplomatic, economic, and political progress.

Oct 17, 2024

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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld
Dennis Ross
Steven Tian

A banner in Gaza depicts the new Hamas leader, Yahya al-Sinwar - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

How Sinwar’s Death Could Change the War

The demise of the Hamas leader and October 7 plotter could create significant diplomatic opportunities for Israel and the United States.

Oct 17, 2024

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Ghaith al-Omari
Neomi Neumann

Articles & Testimony

How Israel Can Leverage Its Successes (Yes, Successes)

Despite massive failures leading up to the Gaza war and numerous controversies since then, Israel has made important achievements—now it must connect them to a clearly stated set of realistic strategic goals.

Oct 8, 2024

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David Makovsky

(left to right) al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem; an Israeli tank in Ramallah; Hamas (top) and Fatah (bottom) protests in Hebron

In-Depth Reports

Understanding Geographic Distinctions in West Bank Public Opinion

Respondents to an extensive new poll shared remarkably independent views on issues ranging from Hamas’s success in the Gaza war to the likelihood of Israel’s collapse.

Oct 8, 2024

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Catherine Cleveland

Flowers and a portrait of Hassan Nasrallah at a memorial to the slain Hezbollah leader in Beirut - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

How the Death of Hezbollah’s Nasrallah Brings a Renewed Opportunity for Mideast Peace

Netanyahu must translate Israel’s military achievements in Lebanon into political outcomes while also preventing far-right nationalists in his coalition from defining what is possible with the Palestinians.

Sep 29, 2024

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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld
Dennis Ross
Steven Tian

Men watch as smoke rises after an Israeli bombing of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in September 2024 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Israel Dead Set on Beating Hezbollah Back

With prospects low for a near-term diplomatic breakthrough, the Lebanese group can decide how far this conflict escalates.

Sep 27, 2024

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Improving Egypt-Israel Relations in the Shadow of Gaza

In addition to addressing each country’s concerns about border sovereignty, smuggling, and other irritants, Washington should emphasize the longer-term need to return to the peace treaty’s military limitations after the Gaza war.

Sep 24, 2024

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David Schenker
Assaf Orion

Israelis protest demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Reminder: The Hostages (or: Why an ‘All for All’ Deal Doesn’t Help Them)

The impasse in negotiations boils down to a choice between getting the hostages out or staying in Gaza—and Netanyahu has seemingly picked the latter.

Sep 24, 2024

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David Makovsky

H.E. Yahya Cholil Staquf (“Pak Yahya”) speaks at The Washington Institute in September 2024

Brief Analysis

A New Religious Strategy for Effective Peacebuilding in the Middle East

A leading Muslim thinker explains how religious figures can play a truly effective role in regional peacebuilding by questioning the embedded norms that fuel intercommunal violence, including in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sep 23, 2024

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Yahya Cholil Staquf

A masked Hamas fighter brandishes a rifle in Gaza - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Hamas Is Weakened, But a Prolonged Guerrilla Conflict Looms

The group maintains significant control over Gaza’s population despite its considerable losses, and removing it from power will necessitate a long campaign that no actor seems willing to undertake.

Sep 12, 2024

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Ido Levy

Israeli soldiers on patrol in the West Bank community of Nablus - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Prioritizing the West Bank Amid Escalation and Deterioration

Israel’s most significant military operation in the territory since the second intifada highlights the growing danger of a new front opening alongside the Gaza war.

Aug 30, 2024

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Neomi Neumann

Infographic on Hamas diplomatic meetings during the Gaza war.

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Hamas Diplomacy: From Haniyeh to Sinwar

The group has sought to build legitimacy and prepare for a postwar role in Gaza by engaging with various countries since October, but the death of Ismail Haniyeh will complicate those efforts.

Aug 28, 2024

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Chinese and U.S. flags flutter at a trade meeting in Shanghai

Articles & Testimony

What to Make of China’s Moves in the Middle East

Beijing doesn’t care that its “Palestinian unity” agreement is a nonstarter or that a Hamas victory would undermine Chinese interests in stabilizing the Middle East—it just wants the United States to lose.

Aug 19, 2024

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Michael Singh

An unexploded missile fired by an Israeli aircraft lies among the rubble, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the northern Gaza Strip - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Explosive Remnants: Gaza’s Literal Ticking Bomb

Reconstruction can’t happen until thousands of dud bombs and other explosives are cleared from the urban rubble—a task that faces formidable shortfalls in funding, manpower, and other resources.

Aug 12, 2024

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Andrew G. Clemmensen

Brief Analysis

Israel-Turkey Relations Nearing a Rupture

Even with U.S. intercession, the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran could harden Ankara’s stance against Israel and spur a fatal cycle of diplomatic and economic retaliation.

Aug 9, 2024

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Soner Cagaptay

President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia in July 2022

Articles & Testimony

Biden’s Middle East Moonshot

Reaching a Gaza ceasefire and Israeli-Saudi normalization deal will require intense, well-coordinated diplomatic efforts in a condensed timeline, but the administration can do it with help from the “Arab Quint.”

Aug 7, 2024

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Dennis Ross

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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Peace Process

Policy Analysis on Peace Process

Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations

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Policy Analysis on Peace Process

Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations

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