Journalists and Academics Who Recently Visited Syria Expressed That They Are Impressed by the Broad Freedom of Expression. While President al-Sharaa Seems Unlikely to Repeat the Vicious Tyranny of His Predecessor, Reconciliation, Personal Security, and Justice for Minorities Still Appear to Be Distant Goals

It Appears the U.S. President Is Determined to Advance His Plan for the Gaza Strip, but the Main Moves Will Wait Until After He Meets With Netanyahu Later This Month Washington Was Pleasantly Surprised by Hamas' Adherence to Its Commitments and the Israeli Military Admits That It Has Barely Violated the Terms of the Cease-fire

United Arab List Leader Mansour Abbas' Move Is More Than a Passing Political Moment. The Question Now Looming Over It Is Whether It Is a Calculated Risk or a Dangerous Gamble: It Could Open the Party's Doors to a Wider Constituency, but It May Lose Its Ideological Base of Support

As Israel Attempts to Maintain the Status Quo of Its Support in Washington, Qatar Is Making Its Play to Become America's Most Strategic Ally in the Middle East

The 'Bromance' Alliance Between the Turkish and U.S. Presidents Aids Erdogan's Ambition to Become the Driving Force of the Gaza Peace Plan's Next Phase and Could Lead to an Arrangement in Which Hamas Lays Down Its Arms Rather Than Turning Them In

Visiting Israel, Kushner Articulated a Scenario Suggesting the West Bankification of Gaza, Just as Israel's Knesset Voted to Progress a Bill to Annex the West Bank. That 'Vision', With Netanyahu Still in Power, Would Be a Tremendous Regression, a Disaster for the Palestinians as Well as for Israel

Perhaps the More Accurate Reflection of Israel's Relations With Europe Is Captured Not by the Eurovision Boycott, but by the Billions in Defense Contracts for Israel's Arms Industry

Arab Countries, European Nations, and the United States Are All Pressing for the Implementation of the Next Phase of the Trump Plan, Which Will Almost Inevitably Restore the PA to Gaza. From There, the Two-state Solution Is Already Emerging on the Horizon

In Benjamin Netanyahu's Increasingly Authoritarian Government, Clashing With the Military Elite Is the Easiest Way to Curry Favor With the Likud Party Base. His Inconsequential Defense Minister Is Taking Full Advantage of His Position, Remaking One of the Last Independent Bastions in Israel's Embattled Public Sector

U.S. President Trump Promises Hamas Disarmament and IDF Withdrawal From Gaza Are on the Horizon – but Ultimately, the Fate of Israelis and Palestinians Is Now in the Hands of Gulf Monarchs