The Disrupting Stabilizer
How Russia’s military, diplomatic, and economic roles in the Mediterranean have developed in recent years
Tag: Israel-Palestine conflict
Annexation Makes No Policy Sense
The fors and againsts of the West Bank’s annexation.
Missed Opportunities in Middle Eastern Diplomacy
Former Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy discusses with renowned scholars the lessons learned from past crises as outlined in his new book to chart a more engaged and multilateral future.
Thunderbolt Hitting the Land
An uncertain future looms as Palestine and Israel attempt to mitigate the onslaught of COVID-19.
Mobilizing Against Trump’s “Vision”
Former Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Alkidwa explains the ways Palestinians are contesting the Trump plan for peace and how the Trump deal caters only to extremists on the Israeli and American right
Israel in the Age of Netanyahu
He crafted the post-Oslo consensus, overhauled the economy, and mastered the Knesset. Now the kingdom he built wants its keys back
The “Deal” of the Century?
The Trump plan imposes Israeli security and economic control over a self-autonomous Palestinian entity.
The Middle East Reacts to Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’
Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, the reactions of key regional figures ranged from hopeful to enraged.
The End for Netanyahu?
After a murky election Netanyahu might be out and Gantz might be in, but it is Lieberman who is set to be kingmaker.
Kushner’s New Plan for Palestine
The “Deal of the Century” is quickly shaping up to be the “Deception of the Century” and here’s why.
Rethinking Gaza’s Reconstruction
With living conditions in the Palestinian enclave fast approaching breaking point, anything short of a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding and reconstruction will not work
Opportunity of the Century?
Jared Kushner’s economic stimulus initiative to solve the Palestinian issue was introduced in the 80s and ended in failure.
The Juggernaut’s Achilles Heel
The US may have recognized Israel’s 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, but the Golan Druze, like East Jerusalem Palestinians, continue to reject Israeli citizenship and civic participation. If Israel is now empowered to annex parts of the West Bank, will Palestinians there break the pattern and embrace citizenship if offered?
A Regional Order Contested
Extreme instability has prompted a fundamental reconfiguration of the contemporary Middle East; as the old order crumbles, a new one has yet to emerge
Can Israel Survive Netanyahu?
Following Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection Israel is a land of contradictions, democratic and wealthy yet with dangerous demographic divisions
Rethinking the Two States
For scholar and diplomat Daniel Levy, this much is clear: until Israel loses its sense of impunity, the peace process goes nowhere
When the Shake-up Comes
Activist and former advisor to the PLO negotiating team Diana Buttu discusses what she calls the death of Oslo and her hopes for a radical new future
No-Peace Solution
Peace did not prevail because certain ambiguous provisions contained in the Camp David Accords enabled Israel to deliberately evade its obligations and frustrate the entire peace process
The Players of Camp David
An insider Israeli view on the personalities and ideas that drove the history-making Camp David Accords
Reflections on Camp David at 40
How the Camp David Accords became a limited Egyptian–Israeli peace effort that ultimately transformed Arab–Israeli relations across the Middle East
Half Right and Still Waiting
Parsing the successes of the Israeli–Egyptian peace treaty against the failure of Camp David’s other framework agreement sheds light on the pillars of a successful security relationship, and the unique sticking points of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict
Asymmetry, the Spoiler
For twenty-five years since the Oslo Agreement, Palestinian–Israeli negotiations have been characterized by a starkly uneven power dynamic. To reach a final solution, today’s negotiators must commit to leveling the playing field
The Oslo Accords: A Closer Look
Former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Alkidwa takes a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of the Oslo Accords, the lessons learned, and the way forward
Oslo and Camp David: One and the Same?
What we have learned from the Oslo Accords needs to influence a future agreement so that a lasting Camp David-like peace can be reached between Israelis and Palestinians
Developing the Concept of Palestinian Autonomy
How the Camp David Accords, as well as a little-known series of negotiations called the “Autonomy Talks,” came to serve as the basis for Palestinian self-rule during the Oslo negotiations
The Case for the One-State Solution
With the two-state solution on life support, it’s time to revisit solutions once discarded as radical—namely, the one-state option
Oslo’s Mangled Legacy
After the PLO suffered a legitimacy crisis in the early 1990s, the organization was forced to survive by entering the Oslo talks. Despite initial success, it has since endured failures
Mirroring the Other
Fauda, Netflix’s hit TV series on Israeli undercover operatives in Palestine, presents Palestinian and Israeli characters that have nuanced emotions and desires; yet the show still otherizes Arabs and justifies Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza.
Civil Society for the Displaced
To meet the challenges of massive human displacement in the Middle East and North Africa, civil society actors need a common platform where they can advocate. The MENA Civil Society Network for Displacement or CSND sets out to be that.
Faith That Peace Will One Day Come
Former United States president and architect of the Camp David Accords Jimmy Carter discusses the 1978 conference that changed the Middle East and the prospects for peace today.
A Long View of the Middle East
Middle East historian James Gelvin speaks to Cairo Review editors Sean David Hobbs and Leslie Cohen about Middle Eastern current affairs, including where Syria is headed, and whether America’s moment in the Middle East has passed.
Delusions of a Deal
Donald Trump claims he is the master of deal-making, but will his much-touted “Deal of the Century” be favorable to the Arabs and Palestinians?
Jordan at the Crossroads
Jordan’s economic, demographic and geographic characteristics have left the country vulnerable to mass protests and external pressure that can only be overcome by a comprehensive reform program.
What’s Next for Gaza
The crisis in Gaza and possible Israeli policies which could create real change on the ground.
Trump’s Jerusalem Move Reignites Arab Youth
A look at the state of Arab Youth protest at the American University in Cairo, Egypt and the greater Middle East.
Lord Balfour’s Burden
A century ago, the Balfour Declaration paved the way for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The President of the State of Palestine asks the United Kingdom’s government to apologize for a document that set off a century of suffering and dispossession for the Palestinian people.
A European Call for Palestinian Independence
Europe’s role in the Middle East has evolved from colonial overlord into a partner for peace between Jews and Arabs. European leaders should no longer delay in showing equal respect to Palestinian and Israeli national aspirations: they should recognize Palestinian statehood now.
Global Palestine
The Arab World should accept responsibility for its leading role in achieving peace in Palestine, but global leaders should remember that the “Palestinian question” remains central to both regional and international relations.
Waiting for Uncle Sam
For decades, the United States has billed itself as an “honest broker” in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. Ten principles for renewing confidence in U.S. leadership, and the Arab-Israeli peace process.
Trump’s Toughest Deal
President Donald Trump has boasted “We will get this done” on peace in the Middle East. Negotiations between wary Israeli and Palestinian leaders might need a provocative jolt in order to stop the slide toward a “one-state reality.”
A Century’s Legacy of Conflict
Understanding the lessons of a conflict deeply steeped in history is essential to resolving it. The strength of facts on the ground, the futility of “might makes right,” and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict’s persistent role in the region’s instability are all part of a legacy that must be acknowledged to achieve peace.
Beyond “Land for Peace”
Peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis in the last quarter-century were never designed to support the establishment of a two-state solution. Brokers of the conflict should look beyond the “land for peace” formula and return to some of the finer details of UN General Assembly Resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine.
Political Space for Israel’s Palestinians?
As the Israeli state ramps up exclusionary policies against its Palestinian citizens, the Palestinian community is increasingly resorting to protests and grassroots activism to produce results.
Made in Palestine
Expansion of Israeli settlements, restriction on access to water, and land confiscation are displacing Palestinians from agricultural livelihoods they have known for centuries. But olive tree growers and backyard gardeners are refusing to surrender their heritage. This is a story of farmers under occupation.
1967 War’s Real Legacy in Egypt
The defeat in the 1967 war with Israel deeply altered Egypt’s position in the Arab World.
Five Ghosts That Haunt the Arab World
To understand the messy state of the Middle East today, look toward its past.
Ripples of the 1967 War
By crushing the Arab armies, Israel paradoxically resurrected the Palestinian national movement. But fifty years after Israeli forces captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the bitter struggle over Palestine continues, and continues . . .
Myths of the Six-Day War
Were Arab leaders determined to launch an attack on Israel? Were Israeli leaders willing to seek peace after their stunning military victory? New scholarship easily challenges the falsehoods long prevalent in Western circles.
Hanan Ashrawi: “We Are Seriously Worried”
The Trump administration has suggested dropping the two-state solution and moving its embassy to Jerusalem. Influential Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi speaks out.
Trump’s Threat to Arab-Israeli Peace
U.S. policy threatens to undo not only the two-state solution, but stable relations with Israel’s Arab neighbors.