A fresh wave of deadly terrorist attacks have washed over Israel this month, in the most serious outbreak of terrorism in more than a decade. Several of the perpetrators have been Arab citizens of Israel, in what should be seen as a worrisome sign of their dissatisfaction with their lot in Israeli society. The other […]
A budding strategic alignment aimed at countering and containing Iran and its allies is emerging in the Middle East. At the historic two-day Negev summit in Israel, which ended on March 28 after 18 hours of deliberations, the U.S. secretary of state and the foreign ministers of four Sunni Arab countries discussed the formation of […]
A former Israeli cabinet minister and a Palestinian from a prominent Palestinian family are promoting a two-state solution in the form of a confederation between Israel and a future Palestinian state. Yossi Beilin and Hiba Husseini discussed their plan in a Zoom talk on March 21 sponsored by Americans for Peace Now. As Israel’s deputy […]
The Israeli media claims that Israel bombed Iran’s fleet of drones, or unmanned airplanes, in a major air strike in Iran last month. The news was first reported three days ago by Al Mayadeen, a television station in Lebanon linked to Hezbollah. Dailies in Israel, ranging from Haaretz to The Jerusalem Post, picked up the story. […]
Israel has inserted itself as a mediator in Russia’s three-week war with Ukraine. With the blessing of Ukraine and the United States, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Russia recently to discuss the hostilities with Russian President Vladimir Putin and gauge whether Israel can bring the two warring sides to the negotiating table. Since then, Bennett has […]
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spent a day in Turkey on March 9 hoping to reboot bilateral relations with Turkey after years of rollercoaster acrimony. His host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, struck an upbeat note, saying he believed that Herzog’s whirlwind visit would be “a turning point” in Turkey’s often contentious ties with Israel. “Strengthening […]
With very few exceptions, Middle Eastern Muslim states have generally reacted cautiously to the current war in Ukraine. Until yesterday, the vast majority of Arab countries, plus Turkey, refrained from either condemning Russia’s invasion or siding with Ukraine, an ally of the United States and the West. Today, several Arab countries — Egypt, United Arab […]
Turkey, in a remarkable volte-face, is trying to rehabilitate its battered bilateral relations with Israel. Only nine months ago, during the fourth cross-border war in and around the Gaza Strip, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vigorously blasted Israel. An Islamist and a vocal champion of the Palestinian cause, he condemned Israel as a “terrorist state” […]
China, once a minor player in the Middle East, is expanding its influence throughout the region, both in the Muslim world and Israel. Until quite recently, the Middle East was virtually the preserve of two major powers, the United States and Russia. But in recent years, China has begun catching up. There is no better […]
Israel has signed security agreements with two pro-Western Arab states in the past few months, signalling the emergence of a new and potentially important strategic alliance in the Middle East. On November 24, Israel and Morocco signed a memorandum of understanding in Rabat, the first of its kind between Israel and an Arab state. On February 4, […]