Beware Trump’s Wrath Over a Failed Ceasefire Agreement in Gaza

Hamas hands over Doron Steinbrecher, a hostage who had been held in Gaza since the October 7 2023 attack, to members of the Red Cross, January 19, 2025. Photo credit: REUTERS.

This week’s release of three Israeli female hostages and 900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, primarily women and children, is the first step in what is expected to be a long process of bringing home Israel’s hostages and ending the war with Hamas. The agreement provides for three phases, the first two of which involve more […]

After the Gaza Ceasefire, Watch the West Bank

Palestinian gunman in Nablus, January 2025. Photo credit: Nasser Ishtayeh / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect.

Hamas has plans for the West Bank. Now that there is a ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas wants to use the war it launched against Israel to bring itself more power and influence in the West Bank. It seeks to gain popularity through the prisoner releases secured in exchange for Israeli hostages – between thirty and fifty Palestinian […]

Israel’s Dilemma in Lebanon

Photo credit: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa via Reuters Connect.

The 60-day ceasefire in Lebanon will end on January 26, six days after President Trump takes office. While Hizbullah suffered heavy losses during the two months of fighting from late September to late November, it has been slowly, stealthily rebuilding in the Shi’ite villages of southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s government has new leadership with friends in […]

Israel’s Actions against Hizbullah in Lebanon: Part of a Global Confrontation

IDF tanks in northern Israel, September 2024. Photo credit: REUTERS/Ayal Margolin.

Israel’s confrontation with Iran and its proxy armies, including the current operation against Hizbullah by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), should be seen as part of a broader global struggle. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 was the first sign of a new geostrategic era, and the October 2023 mass murder invasion […]

From Dahiya to Damascus: A Pivotal Moment for Iran’s Regional Strategy

Building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, October 2, 2024. Photo credit: Fadel Itani via Reuters Connect.

Just three weeks ago, thousands of Hizbullah fighters, commanders, and activists were killed or injured in Israeli “pager” attacks. Next the terrorist organization’s top leaders, including Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah, were eliminated in Israeli airstrikes. Then, after Israeli warplanes bombarded Hizbullah’s stronghold in Beirut and bases in southern Lebanon, Israel invaded with two divisions, aiming […]

Israel Strikes Hizbullah: What Comes Next for Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes over Beirut’s southern suburbs, September 28, 2024. Photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir.

Israel’s recent military actions in Lebanon and Gaza have fundamentally shifted the balance of power in the Middle East to the detriment of the Iranian-led axis and to the benefit of the American-aligned axis of Israel and Arab states, some of which have, with quiet Saudi approval, gambled on relations with the Jewish state to […]

Lebanon: A Country Held Hostage by Hizbullah, in Desperate Need of Liberation

Photo credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh.

Lebanon today stands paralyzed, held hostage by a terrorist organization that has entrenched itself into the country’s political and social fabric.  The country was not always besieged by extremism and foreign interference. In the 1970s, Beirut was hailed as the “Paris of the Middle East,” a thriving hub of culture, literature, and intellectualism, home to […]

Who Will Govern Gaza?

Photo credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen.

Large-scale Israeli military operations against Hamas in Gaza are winding down and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is focused on Hizbullah in the north. Now the Israel government and the IDF face the long-postponed question of postwar planning for Gaza. Two options are under discussion: a multinational mission or an Israeli military administration, both as […]

The Wars in Gaza and Ukraine Are the Same War

Photos: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS, Official State Department photo by Chuck Kennedy via ABACAPRESS.COM.

The deep partisan divisions in the United States affect many public issues, including the ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East. The Israeli war of self-defense in Gaza commands strong support among Republicans but elicits less enthusiasm among Democrats. By contrast, Democrats generally endorse Ukraine’s war of self-defense against Russia, following the lead of […]