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Middle East

Trump Disappointed Netanyahu

Compared to his upbeat meeting with Donald Trump in Washington in February, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s  most recent encounter with the U.S. president was generally disappointing. Netanyahu arrived at the White House on March 7, fresh from a successful visit to Hungary, whose illiberal president, Viktor Orban, is aligned with Israel and the United States […]

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Middle East

Hamas Faces Protests In Gaza

Rumblings of discontent rolled through the Gaza Strip this week, raising speculation that Hamas’ popularity, such as it is, could well be on the wane. In the past few days, hundreds of Palestinians have taken to the streets of Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah to vent their frustration and anger over a […]

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Middle East

Israel Is Expanding West Bank Settlements

Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, is methodically expanding the network of Israeli settlements in the West Bank at a blistering pace, deliberately foreclosing the increasingly remote possibility of a two-state solution with the Palestinians. This comes as no surprise. Netanyahu, a champion of settlements, has said that Jews have an […]

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Middle East

The Houthis Remain Defiant Despite U.S. Attacks

The United States has escalated its military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, but they remain defiant, prompting speculation whether they can be defeated any time soon. Last week, President Donald Trump ordered a massive wave of air strikes on their command centers, weapons depots and training sites. The bombings, the heaviest ever targeting […]

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Middle East

Back To War In The Gaza Strip

A few days ago, Israel’s incoming chief of staff, General Eyal Zamir, predicted that 2025 would be “a year of war.” His prediction has proven to be correct. On March 18, Israel’s tenuous two-month ceasefire with Hamas broke down as Israel ferociously resumed the war in the Gaza Strip. “Israel will, from now on, act […]

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Middle East

Israel Expands Its Footprint In Syria

Israel’s “temporary” occupation of territory in southern Syria is turning into something more permanent. With the the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December, Israel went into high gear in an attempt to weaken Syria, one of its arch enemies. Israel bombed Syrian military assets, most of which are Russian in origin, and unilaterally […]

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Middle East

Israel’s October 7 Failures

Seventeen months after the October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still stubbornly refuses to create an independent commission to review the events that culminated in the deadliest single day in Israel’s history. On that morning, some 3,000 Hamas terrorists attacked a string of kibbutzim, towns, army bases and a […]

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Middle East

What Will Become of Gaza?

The fate of the Gaza Strip hangs in the balance. Gaza, invaded by the Israeli army after Hamas’ massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has descended into a twilight zone since January 19, the day the ceasefire negotiated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt kicked in. While the Israel-Hamas war has stopped, […]

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Middle East

The Gaza Ceasefire Hangs By A Thread

Israel’s three-part ceasefire agreement with Hamas, brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt in January, is crumbling, raising the distinct possibility that Israel may well resume the war in the Gaza Strip. Negotiations on the second phase were supposed to begin a month ago, before the first phase ended on March 1. But the […]

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Middle East

Israel Creates A Buffer Zone In Southern Lebanon

Israeli troops remain on the ground in southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire agreement that required Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territory following its recent war with Hezbollah. Israel pulled out of Lebanese towns and villages on February 18, two weeks after it was supposed to do so under a two-month truce that began on […]