Peace Process

Policy Analysis on Peace Process

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

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

A poster depicts former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh alongside the Iranian flag in Tehran following Haniyeh's killing in Iran - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Will Two Attacks Kill the Gaza Talks and Iran-Hezbollah Deterrence?

Four Washington Institute experts assess Israel’s calculus behind launching such high-profile attacks at this juncture, the likely effects on the Gaza hostage talks, Iran’s possible need for a face-saving military response, and more.

Aug 1, 2024

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Dennis Ross
David Makovsky
Neomi Neumann
Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Martin Indyk, Tireless U.S. Envoy Who Saw the ‘Promised Land’ Ending the Israel-Palestinian Conflict

After spending decades working for a breakthrough, he was never naive about the rejectionists on both sides, but he still had faith in a two-state solution.

Jul 28, 2024

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Dennis Ross

Swearing-in ceremony for PA cabinet, March 31, 2024. Mahmoud Abbas is third from right; the new PM, Muhammad Mustafa, is to his left.

In-Depth Reports

Reforming the Palestinian Authority:

A Roadmap for Change

The beleaguered governing body requires an overhaul in order to support West Bank stability, postwar governance of Gaza, and a revived political process with Israel.

Jul 22, 2024

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Neomi Neumann
Ghaith al-Omari

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

Articles & Testimony

Biden’s Legacy and Netanyahu’s Missed Moment?

The coming months still hold hope for the president’s dream of Israeli-Saudi normalization, but only if Netanyahu stands up to his far-right coalition partners.

Jul 22, 2024

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David Makovsky

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

Brief Analysis

Disagreements on Hostages Loom Over Netanyahu’s Washington Trip

Given the tense U.S. election cycle, Biden and Netanyahu will likely keep their policy disagreements within careful bounds, but the visit is unlikely to see immediate progress on the hostage deal or other key issues.

Jul 19, 2024

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David Makovsky

Judges of the International Court of Justice in the ICJ's primary courtroom in The Hague, Netherlands - source: United Nations photo

Brief Analysis

Israel and the ICJ: Comparing International Court Cases During the Gaza War

The current cycle of legal actions involving Israel is unprecedented in scope and politicization, but governments are still better off engaging with the process and lodging their objections there than dismissing it outright.

Jul 18, 2024

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Alexander Loengarov

Articles & Testimony

Europe Can Still Make a Difference in the Middle East

The challenge is to find a common line that accounts for different national positions on regional issues while still promoting a coherent foreign policy.

Jul 2, 2024

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Ehud Yaari

UNRWA workers at Nuseirat camp, Gaza, after Israeli strike (left); French diplomat Catherine Colonna (right)

In-Depth Reports

Evaluating UNRWA After the Colonna Report

The obvious nature of multiple recommendations points to scandalous mismanagement at the UN aid agency over decades.

Jun 27, 2024

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James G. Lindsay

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

Articles & Testimony

Israel and the United States Must Agree on How to End the War in Gaza

If Netanyahu’s definition of victory is too broad, Biden’s is too narrow—Gaza must be measurably and permanently demilitarized.

Jun 19, 2024

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Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

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

Articles & Testimony

Facing Off—China and Taiwan in the Contexts of the Swords of Iron War

Three Israeli experts analyze the strategic quandaries raised by Beijing’s vocal support for Hamas during the war.

Jun 16, 2024

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Assaf Orion
Roy Ben Tzur
Ofir Dayan

Hamas commander Yahya al-Sinwar speaks at a 2023 event in Gaza.

Brief Analysis

How Hamas Is Trying to Shape the “Day After” in Gaza

A detailed look at what the group has been telling other Palestinians as it maneuvers to retake a role in the wider national movement and rebuild its forces.

Jun 13, 2024

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Ehud Yaari

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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