Middle East

“You can’t have victory until you eliminate Hamas,” Netanyahu said, adding that likely expanded operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah are “weeks, not months” away from completion. The draft deal includes the release of up to 40 women and older hostages held in Gaza in return …

Former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker on why Arab states won’t accept Palestinians fleeing war. Israel is poised to launch a ground operation in the city of Rafah on Gaza’s border with Egypt, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees have fled in the four months since Israel began …

Greg Priddy President Biden’s taboo against imposing consequences for Israeli actions—unlike past presidents—could encourage Netanyahu to disregard both the law of armed conflict and U.S. interests. With a potential Israeli offensive against the Gaza border town of Rafah looming over the fate of 1.3 million Palestinian refugees, President …

Charlie Mahtesian and Steven Shepard The political and procedural steps for how to pick a new presidential nominee. So far, Democrats have vigorously avoided any discussion of a Plan B for their presidential nominee. But special counsel Robert Hur’s report may have forced their hand. Fairly or not, …

The hawkish former national security adviser on Trump’s real plans. So you don’t think Trump would stop threatening allies if they just met the NATO goal of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense? For many of these allies — take Germany in particular — it’s not …

Dr. Shehab Al Makahleh On February 12, 2024, King Abdullah II of Jordan met with President Joe Biden at the White House, marking his fourth official visit to Washington, D.C., and the first for an Arab leader since the breakout of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7 2023. …

Eng. Saleem Al Batayneh The political landscape in Jordan has undergone a seismic shift, with significant indicators pointing to a new era. It is no exaggeration to say that the absence of transparency and public discourse has played a crucial role in marginalizing the legislative process in the …

Adnan Naser  With the country calling for a withdrawal and the region heating up, might the U.S. military presence in Iraq finally come to an end? So much has been reported on what the United States aims to do in the recent collision of interests between itself and …

Initially, the Houthis used Israel’s response to Hamas and sympathy for Palestinians as a welcomed excuse for attacks on civilian vessels transiting the Red Sea, which hosts over 12 percent of global trade and 30 percent of container traffic. The ongoing assaults against vessels, many of which have …