Middle East Forum Podcast

How do Emiratis view the treaty with Israel? What has the UAE gained and what dangers does this step involve? How does this treaty differ from those of Jordan and Egypt with Israel?

Congressman Doug Lamborn joins MEF’s Cliff Smith to discuss his work advocating for Israel and combating anti-Semitism. Mr. Lamborn is a member of the Congressional Israel Victory Caucus; he seeks to go beyond the Taylor Force Act by imposing sanctions on the PA. He also spearheaded efforts to ensure that universities are not misusing federal funds to promote BDS. How will these issues fare in the...

Can Likud and Blue & White find a compromise or are both in campaign mode? The week ahead may indicate if Israel is on its way to the fourth election in two years.

Another round of fire from Hamas into Israel, and the IDF completes a surprise drill on war in Gaza. Could the southern border be heating up?

Emmanuel Navon’s new book, The Star and the Scepter: A Diplomatic History of Israel, surveys Jewish diplomacy from antiquity as background to the foreign policy of modern Israel. How has Jewish religion and history, mostly in the absence of a state, shaped Israel’s current external relations? Are there lessons for Israel from its Jewish past?

On Oct. 2, President Emmanuel Macron of France called Islam a religion in crisis and pledged to combat Islamism. In quick succession, jihadis attacked and murdered non-Muslim French citizens, to widespread alarm. Is France finally willing to combat Islamism? Will Macron succeed where other leaders failed? Can France provide leadership for the West?

Has Prime Minister Netanyahu opted for another round of elections? If so, what does that mean for Israel's domestic and foreign policies?

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) oppresses the Uyghurs, a Muslim group primarily living in the Xinjiang province in northwest China, with re-education camps, forced sterilization, religious persecution, and much more. Why are Muslim-majority governments nearly silent?

British-Israeli journalist Jonathan Spyer’s U.S. visa was canceled for association with a “terrorist organization.” As a reporter, he has been in contact with various terrorist groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS. But the U.S. government deemed unacceptable only his contact with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Although Spyer eventually got his visa, this incident raises many questions.

After nine years of civil war, Libya remains divided with no end in sight, and Turkey plays an increasingly central role, siding with the GNA vs. the LNA supported by Egypt and the UAE. What does Erdoğan hope to achieve with its involvement in Libya, and is he succeeding?

With one of the most polarizing presidential elections just having taken place in the United States, what do the results imply for Israel and the Arab countries? We will look at popular opinion and the political echelon, then consider the implication's of each candidate's victory.

Since overthrowing Saddam Hussain, the U.S. government has mishandled its relations in Iraq, leaving Iraqis with little reason to trust it. Three examples: backing Nouri al-Maliki as premier, supporting a pro-Iranian militia in the war on ISIS, then permitting it to infiltrate the Iraqi government, where it operates with impunity, posing a threat to Iraqis, Israelis, and all Middle Easterners. Wil...

After much discussion, Israel’s government agreed not to oppose the United Arab Emirates’ purchase of advanced F-35 war planes in return for unspecified upgrades to Israel’s arsenal. This controversy brings new attention to the issue of Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) guaranteed by American law. Will further peace treaties bring about an arms race, with countries recognizing Israel access...

Three normalization agreements with predominantly Muslim, Arab governments in six weeks creates a new paradigm for Israel in the region. How will that paradigm and Israel more broadly be affected by the forthcoming U.S. elections?

Fatou Bensouda, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) lead prosecutor, initiated a formal investigation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in late 2019. Despite Israel’s objections, she moved forward on the basis of Palestinian consent. This investigation raises concerns that the ICC is ignoring clear international law to pursue a politically expedient investigation. Has the OTP gone rogue? Wh...

What should we make of Saudi hints about recognizing Israel? And what about the many ultra-Orthodox leaders vowing to defy the government and reopen their institutions, leading to a possible confrontation between PM Netanyahu and his most loyal coalition partners; what might this mean for his political survival?

Armenia and Azerbaijan went recently to war over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-governed territory within Azerbaijan’s borders. The two sides’ wide alliances imbue this conflict with regional implications. What are its roots, what explains Israel and Turkey both supporting Shia Azerbaijan, and what is the suitable U.S. role?

Since the expulsion of nearly all Jews from of Muslim-majority countries over the past 75 years, most Jewish sites (schools, cemeteries, synagogues, shrines, and other structures) were abandoned, left without caretakers, and decayed. In “a race against time,” the Diarna Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life has documented cataloged, often covertly, some 2,800 remains through d...

Domestically, the government coalition is again on the verge of collapse; what are its prospects to survive? Can Netanyahu revive his popularity vis-à-vis Bennett? What effect will events in the region and beyond, like the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, have on Israel and its international standing?

After a high-profile ministerial resignation and Alternate PM Gantz issuing another ultimatum, the unity government again hangs by a thread. Is it an empty threat or is Israel this time on its way to a fourth round of elections?

Have sanctions hit Iran so hard that low-intensity conflict (aka “terrorism”) remains its only offensive option? What does Tehran hope ultimately to achieve with its current method of armed conflict from the civil wars in Syria and Yemen to the sectarian strife in Iraq and Lebanon to the proxies deployed against Israel and the United States?

Prime Minister Netanyahu showed in his speech to the UN that Iran remains the number-one threat to Israel. How much does this issue dominate Israel's diplomatic policies?

The Jewish High Holidays finds Israel in the midst of a second lockdown. Anger at the government is building on all sides to the point that polls show that Naftali Bennett's Yamina party could be within striking distance of the ruling Likud party. Can Bibi "the magician" turn the tide?

Omar al-Bashir dominated the Sudan from 1989 until April 2019, imposing Islamism on Sudan’s diverse population. The past 1½ years have seen Bashir’s dramatic overthrow and a transitional government attempt to establish a secular state and a pro-Western outlook, including even talk of diplomatic relations with Israel. How is this radical shift going? What has become of the country’s several ethnic...

As Netanyahu heads to the White House to sign a peace agreement with the UAE, Israel faces another lockdown. Will the prime minister's diplomatic achievements prevent a free fall in his popularity?