Vietnam looms large in Gaza
By James M. Dorsey Hamas has Israel where it wants it. The group’s insistence that ending the war be part of any ceasefire deal and refusal to disarm strengthens its…
Turkey emerges as a bellwether of US-Israeli relations
By James M. Dorsey US President Donald J. Trump had a stinging message for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu when he heaped praise on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week…
The Qatar conundrum
On April 2, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Qatar as “a complex country”. The epithet seems a trifle inadequate. Qatar is close to mirroring Winston Churchill’s famous description of Russia – “a riddle wrapped…
Whither Trump’s Gaza resettlement plan?
By James M. Dorsey As he embarked on a Middle East tour, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto this week offered to accept an estimated 1,000 wounded Gazan Palestinians and “traumatised, orphaned…
Israel’s Gaza strategy is doomed to fail
By James M. Dorsey Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s multi-pronged strategy to crush the Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation by destroying Hamas is doomed to failure with or without the…
Mr. Netanyahu goes to Washington
By James M. Dorsey This week, US President Donald J. Trump put Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on a pedal stool for the second time since he returned to the…
Netanyahu’s Gaza war hangs in the balance with Trump’s planned visit to the Gulf
By James M. Dorsey Logic suggests it may only be a matter of weeks before Donald J. Trump pressures Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to end the Gaza war. The…
The Israeli-Palestinian battle of the narratives
By James M. Dorsey Israeli journalist Zvi Yehezkeli pinpointed the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as he reflected on a post-interview conversation with Yasser Arafat, the late chairman of the…
A brighter future for Syria’s Kurds?
It is now common practice to refer to Ahmad al-Sharaa as Syria’s interim president. Following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad, Sharaa was appointed on January 29, 2025 by the…
Gaza’s anti-Hamas protests mean different things to different players
By James M. Dorsey The United Arab Emirates is betting that recent anti-Hamas protests in Gazan towns, supported by influential tribes and clans, will strengthen Abu Dhabi-based Mohammed Dahlan’s chances…