On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel killing at least 1,200 people and kidnapping at least 240 men, women, and children. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders watched …
Read More »A View from the CT Foxhole: Ilkka Salmi, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator
Ilkka Salmi has served as the European Union Counter-Terrorism Coordinator since October 2021. He previously served as the Director of the Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Directorate at the European Commission between January 2020 and September 2021. Prior to that, he was Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior in …
Read More »The Beginning of a New Wave? The Hamas-Israel War and the Terror Threat in the West
Abstract: On October 7, 2023, Hamas—in coalition with a range of other groups including Palestinian Islamic Jihad—initiated the group’s largest ever terrorist attack on Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 240 hostages. The subsequent Israeli air and land offensive in Gaza has resulted in thousands of Palestinians being …
Read More »The Road to October 7: Hamas’ Long Game, Clarified
Abstract: When Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force of arms in 2007, it faced an ideological crisis. It could focus on governing Gaza and addressing the needs of the Palestinian people, or it could use the Gaza Strip as a springboard from which to attack Israel. Even then, …
Read More »Les nouveaux leaders de la Palestine
«L’accord d’Israël pour négocier des échanges de prisonniers avec le Hamas est une marque de défaite». Il est peut-être prématuré de faire une évaluation définitive des 50 premiers jours de l’assaut israélien contre la bande de Gaza, ou de prévoir ce qui se passera au lendemain de la trêve de …
Read More »Saudi Arabia, Iran and China Offer the U.S. a Lesson in Pragmatism
Last Friday, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced that they have reached an agreement to reestablish diplomatic ties and reopen their respective embassies in two months’ time. The agreement, which was mediated by China and announced at a signing ceremony in Beijing, comes after a seven-year diplomatic rift that began in …
Read More »Egypt and Iran Could Be the Next Thaw in the Middle East
Quiet mediation efforts between Egypt and Iran have been going on for months, seeking to end one of the Middle East’s longest-running but often-neglected feuds. In May, credible media reports indicated that Egyptian-Iranian talks had been taking place in Baghdad since March. Later that month, Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq …
Read More »Militant Nationalism Is Reshaping Identity in Iran and Saudi Arabia
As risks of further escalation begin to mount, frantic diplomatic efforts are currently underway to prevent the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza from spiraling into a wider regional conflict. But while global leaders and publics remain transfixed by this unfolding tragedy, other trends in the region whose long-term impact could prove …
Read More »Qatar is the go-to mediator in the Mideast war. Its unprecedented Tel Aviv trip saved a shaky truce
The deal seemed on the verge of unraveling. Hamas had accused Israel of failing to keep its side of the bargain and Israel was threatening to resume its lethal onslaught on the Gaza Strip. That was the point at which a Qatari jet landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport on …
Read More »Israel’s war is about to escalate
As I look out over Lebanon from high up on Israel’s northern border, I see undulating hills dappled with hedgerows and green brush that glows golden in the winter sun. But this is far from an idyll. Lebanese Hezbollah have been firing into Israel since October 7. And it is …
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