Middle Orient

A Palestinian State Would Be Good for Israel

The Chance for a Two-State Solution Still Exists—but Won’t for Long More than a half century after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 242—which established the principle by which Israel would give up territory it gained in the war in exchange for peace and …

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Syria’s Sharaa Arrives in U.S. for UNGA in First Presidential Visit Since 1967

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday, leading a senior delegation to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The visit marks the first by a Syrian head of state to the United States since President Nur al-Din al-Atasi addressed the UN in …

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How Should State Actors Engage with Islamist Insurgencies?

Bottom Line Up Front Western capitals have been urged to reconsider their approach towards — and in some cases, consider engaging with — groups that are, or have been at one point, labeled as terrorist organizations, given how the process has unfolded in Syria, and to a lesser extent in …

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The missing piece in rebuilding Syria: Community engagement

Since the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad, Syria’s transitional government has been racing to project an image of renewal. Nearly every week brings announcements of investment deals, unveiled at high-profile press conferences and televised ceremonies. From glittering real estate ventures to energy and transport projects, these deals are meant to signal …

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After Israel targets Hamas in Qatar, could Turkey be next?

Israel’s attempted assassination of the Hamas political leadership in Doha, Qatar, has shaken the Gulf region, which hitherto believed that Qatar’s status as a US ally and official mediator in the Gaza war shielded it from such an attack. Considering this willingness to attack Hamas in Qatar, Israel could conceivably …

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The ‘Gaza Riviera’ plan: Gentrifying Israel’s genocide

The so-called “Gaza Riviera” plan is less a vision of the future than an obituary written in the language of luxury. Wrapped in glossy renderings and marketed as a leap into progress, it is in fact the culmination of years of deliberate devastation – a scheme to erase Palestinians in …

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