Middle East Forum Podcast

Surprisingly, Prime Minister Lapid called for a two-state solution at the U.N. How will moving the Palestinian issue to the front burner likely affect Israeli's election on Nov. 1?

Almost four months after President Biden met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the U.S.-Saudi relationship is deeply adrift over such issues as Riyadh’s oil production, human rights record, ties with China, and possible normalization with Israel. Returned from a week in the kingdom, Jonathan Schanzer reports on these issues and considers the most likely future course.

The parties and lists have been submitted to the Knesset. What surprises can be found and what significance do they have for the likelihood of a government following elections?

Brigitte Gabriel grew up in Lebanon, struggling to survive as a Maronite Christian during the country’s civil war, hiding from jihadists demanding compliance with Shari’a law. Drawing on that experience, she reflects on the current state of Islamism and asks if Islamism remains a priority in an age of great-power threats from Russia and China.

In January 2020, Iranian-led Islamists kidnapped Alexandre Goodarzy and three other humanitarian volunteers in Baghdad, as they aided vulnerable Middle East minorities. Goodarzy recounts his experience, then draws conclusions from it about the Iranian presence in Iraq, local attitudes toward it, and its likely trajectory.

Sept. 13 is the last day for Israel's political parties to unite, split, etc. Which parties joined together, who was left out, and what does this augur for the next Knesset?

Ireland has a deserved reputation as the European Union’s member most hostile to Israel. For example, a report of social media accounts concludes that "anti-Jewish racism in Ireland spreads within the corridors of power and, unlike in the UK or US, appears to be as much driven from the top down as the reverse." Why is this the case? Is Ireland an outlier or the start of a trend?

Mainstream media in the UK treats the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) - its equivalent of CAIR - as the representative voice of Muslims, despite MCB's lack of popular support and its ties to extremism and terror. The media thereby elevates this dangerous organization, while sidelining genuine moderates. Why does it do so? Which organizations should it turn to?

With summer over, Israel's election campaign begins in earnest. What are the main issues - and which should be but are not?

The Kremlin and the mullahs of Tehran, despite their disparate backgrounds and political agendas, have formed a working alliance against the West. Iranian media even trumpeted a "new world order" when Putin visited Tehran last month. What are their current areas of tension and cooperation? What does their cooperation mean for the United States and its allies? How can it best be countered?

How do the electoral map and the issues look in advance of Israeli elections on Nov. 1, as party lists take shape in the Knesset and as party unions form and dissolve?

Hamtramck, surrounded by Detroit, is perhaps the only U.S. town with a Muslim majority population, as well as the first one governed entirely by Muslims. It's newly-minted mayor, Amer Ghalib, has endorsed comments calling African Americans "animal[s]," Jews "monkeys," and been accused of corruption and voter fraud. Yet the media insists on ignoring the Ghalib story. Why so? What does this augur fo...

What is it like to be a Coptic Christian in Egypt; a Chaldean Catholic in Iraq; an atheist in Saudi Arabia; a Jew in Turkey; a Maronite in Lebanon; or a Sunni Muslim in Iran? What is the current state of religious liberty in the Middle East? What direction is it going? Why does it matter, beyond humanitarian concerns?

With a renewed nuclear deal with Iran looming, how are Israeli officials reacting? What are Israel's options?

Assorted governments, leftists, do-gooders and internationals NGOS have, for decades, encouraged the Palestinians to defy the reality of their situation and persist in an obsessive anti-Zionism, even when this goes against their own interests. How successful is this effort in harming Israel? Is the trend increasing or decreasing? What are Israel's options in response?

No matter how justified Israel's position in wartime, or how carefully the IDF avoids harming civilians, critics demonize the Jewish state, hating what it is, rather than what it does. What does it mean that Muslim-majority governments at peace with Israel still join in its demonization? What lessons can be drawn?

With primaries behind us and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot joining the Gantz-Sa’ar party, the elections are taking shape; is there a realistic chance that Israel’s Nov. 1 elections will lead to a stable outcome?

Yasmine Mohammed, born of privileged Egyptian immigrant parents, grew up in a suffocating Islamist household isolated from the surrounding Canada and had to marry an Al Qaeda operative. She recounts her escape from this environment, her leaving Islam, and her success in developing a new life, then draws lessons for others in her situation.

What caused the current war between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad? Will Hamas join in? What are the likely political consequences during this electoral season?

Non-governmental organizations distribute, with little oversight, tens of billions of dollars in international aid in areas dominated by Islamist terror organizations. Predictably, lack of due diligence has led to funds falling into the wrong hands. In Gaza, a local World Vision aid worker was just criminally convicted of funneling $50 million of Australian aid to Hamas. Is this just the tip of th...

In his new book, In The Path of Abraham: How Donald Trump Made Peace in the Middle East – and How to Stop Joe Biden from Unmaking It (Wicked Son), Jason Greenblatt argues that President Trump brought a new and successful policy to the Middle East that enabled it to achieve multiple historic peace agreements between Israel and some Arab states. What was the key difference from prior U.S. policies?...

Which of Israel's two main political camps is more prepared for the Nov. 1 elections? How do opinion surveys affect the actions of politicians?

Winning favorable press coverage has been a key component of Hezbollah’s rise to power in Lebanon over the past forty years. Reporters and editors consistently fall for its campaigns, including the creation of nonprofits that offer false reports and mask Hezbollah’s use of human shields, as well as Hezbollah’s manipulation of casualty statistics and its collusion with the Lebanese state. Why does...

Islamism threatens U.K. national security but British officials, from police to policymakers, tend to appease Islamists, shudderingly fearful of being called "Islamophobes." How have Islamists achieved this position of power? What can be done to reverse their success?

What campaign issues will Israel's political parties focus on ahead of the Nov. 1 election? How prominent will the Palestinian conflict be?