Peace Process

Policy Analysis on Peace Process

Assistant secretary of state David Schenker speaks at the Department of State in Washington, DC, alongside secretary of state Mike Pompeo

Middle East Policy from Trump to Biden: Views from Inside the State Department’s Near East Bureau

The former assistant secretary of state in charge of the Middle East portfolio from 2019-2021 discusses his time in office and how the region’s challenges and opportunities are evolving at the start of the Biden administration.

March 10, 2021

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David Schenker
Robert Satloff

Video

Brief Analysis

Countdown to Israel's Election: A Conversation with Yair Lapid

The centrist party leader discusses key domestic and international policy issues ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, with follow-up analysis by political and polling experts.

Mar 1, 2021

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Yair Lapid
David Makovsky
Tamar Hermann

U.S.-Israel cooperation images: in agtech, medicine, military, etc.

In-Depth Reports

Asset Test 2021:

How the U.S. Can Keep Benefiting from Its Alliance with Israel

Areas for especially timely U.S.-Israel cooperation include climate resilience, agtech, and medical research, as well as longstanding work in the military and security arenas.

Feb 24, 2021

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Michael Eisenstadt
David Pollock

◆ Transition 2021

MbS, King Salman, Saudi map, fighter jet

In-Depth Reports

Defining a Mature, Balanced Relationship with Saudi Arabia

An Urgent Task for the Biden Administration

A revamped approach to the alliance should stay focused on shared goals, from ensuring a stable oil market to promoting a more tolerant version of Islam at home and abroad.

Feb 22, 2021

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Dennis Ross
Robert Satloff

◆ Transition 2021

Video

Brief Analysis

New Leadership for Israel? A Conversation with Gideon Saar

The New Hope party leader and former Likud minister discusses why he is running in Israel’s March election, how his policies differ from Netanyahu’s, and what his approach will be on key issues such as the Middle East peace process and the Iranian nuclear challenge,

Feb 10, 2021

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Gideon Saar

Brief Analysis

Israel’s Round Four: New and Old Dynamics

It is far from certain that the next election will stabilize Israeli politics, and even if it does, the forces taking shape could create challenging peace math for the Biden administration.

Feb 9, 2021

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David Makovsky

Israeli and Palestinian children join the mayor of Jerusalem to release doves.

Video

Brief Analysis

U.S. Policy Toward Arab States, Palestinians, and Israel: Ideas and Approaches for the Biden Administration

Officials, business leaders, and experts explore the economic, political, and human impact of regional normalization efforts, including their potential to reinvigorate peacemaking with the Palestinians.

Feb 3, 2021

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Yousef Al Otaiba
Samer Khoury
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum
David Makovsky

Police walk past the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah

Brief Analysis

Will the Palestinian Election Decree Produce Actual Elections?

Even if Fatah and Hamas somehow get past the same towering political obstacles that derailed past decrees, elections hold little prospect of reconciling their deeply entrenched leaders and institutions anytime soon.

Jan 27, 2021

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Ghaith al-Omari

Articles & Testimony

Are There Pieces of Trump’s Foreign Policy Worth Keeping?

Although the instinct to make dramatic changes is understandable and sometimes correct, certain elements of Trump policy provide good opportunities for furthering Arab-Israel engagement, pressuring Iran, and advancing other issues.

Jan 27, 2021

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Dennis Ross
Juan Zarate

Map of Israeli bilateral relationships with Arab states

In-Depth Reports

Building Bridges for Peace:

U.S. Policy Toward Arab States, Palestinians, and Israel

The Biden administration can succeed by strengthening and expanding Israeli normalization with Arab states and pursuing gradualism on the Palestinian issue.

Jan 26, 2021

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David Makovsky

◆ Transition 2021

Brief Analysis

What Did the Confirmation Hearings Reveal About Biden’s Middle East Policy?

Antony Blinken, Avril Haines, and Lloyd Austin responded at length to congressional questions about the Iran nuclear deal, the Yemen war, Arab-Israel normalization, and other pressing regional issues.

Jan 22, 2021

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Ilari Papa

Articles & Testimony

Biden Should Build on the Abraham Accords, Not Roll Them Back

Party leaders are providing constructive input, but the administration should stop short of any measures that risk sabotaging this moment of historic progress in Arab-Israel relations.

Jan 14, 2021

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Jay Solomon

Video

Brief Analysis

America, the Middle East, and the World: A Conversation with Tony Blair

The former Prime Minister discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the Biden administration twenty years after 9/11 and a decade after the Arab Spring.

January 11, 2021

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Tony Blair

Brief Analysis

Israel’s Political Churn Continues: Implications for Netanyahu and U.S. Policy

Internal rifts and defections have upended the prime minister’s coalition, and the dynamics of the upcoming election campaign mean that Netanyahu will need to carefully avoid tensions with the Biden administration.

Dec 23, 2020

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

Saudi-Israeli Diplomacy Progresses Amid Looming Middle East Challenges

The reported meeting between the crown prince and Netanyahu will likely shift normalization into the fast lane, but much can happen to slow, stop, or even reverse it.

Nov 24, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Multimedia

Brief Analysis

Israeli President: Biden Should Help 'Build Confidence' Between Israelis, Palestinians

Watch video or read a transcript of President Rivlin's post-election interview with the executive director of The Washington Institute, along with remarks by King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Nov 23, 2020

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Reuven Rivlin
Robert Satloff

Articles & Testimony

Saeb Erekat: The Friend, the Negotiator and the Politician

Remembering the late Palestinian official's long institutional memory and wide-ranging role in decades of peace diplomacy.

Nov 11, 2020

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

On Israel-Palestine, Biden Is Not Just Another Version of Obama

A veteran Israeli official explains how the next administration will differ from its predecessors and why immediate consultations between Biden and Netanyahu’s teams are crucial.

Nov 9, 2020

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Michael Herzog

Multimedia

Brief Analysis

America Votes, the Middle East Reacts: Views on U.S. Elections from Across the Region

Experts from the Gulf, Egypt, Turkey, and Israel respond to the initial voting results and discuss factors that may help or hinder the next administration.

Nov 9, 2020

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Abdulrahman al-Rashed
Mohamed Anwar E. al-Sadat
Asli Aydintasbas
David Horovitz

Brief Analysis

Israel Expands West Bank Settler Units: Where Demography Meets Geography

Given how attuned Netanyahu’s government is to political vicissitudes in Washington, the U.S. election results will likely determine whether Israel continues its trend of approving more construction outside the security barrier.

Oct 30, 2020

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David Makovsky
Basia Rosenbaum
David Patkin

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 a 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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Regions & Countries

Issues

Peace Process

Policy Analysis on Peace Process

Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations

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