This page links only to Crisis Group publications on Syria, Lebanon and Israel/Palestine, as researched and written by our Middle East and North Africa Program. For publications about Eastern Mediterranean energy, maritime boundaries, Turkey-Greece tensions and the Cyprus problem, please see our Eastern Mediterranean Rivalries page.
Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank are on the rise, with a spike since Israel’s present government took office and another since October 2023. Western countries should use their leverage with Israel – military aid and economic ties – to help curb this growing danger.
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There’s an incentive, not just for Israel, but also for the region in general, to calm down regional tensions and to restore stability.
In terms of Hamas’ popularity, yes they are the de facto leaders of Palestinians, whether we like it or not.
Since October 7, the [Israeli] government is more emboldened to carry out attacks in the West Bank, and they are engaged in collective punishment.
It’s very unlikely Israel will allow any fully fledged civil entity to take over [in Gaza.] At best we’re looking at dysfunctional governance run by aid organizations.
Nobody in the Israeli political establishment is willing to say ‘stop the war’.
There is an Israeli narrative in the [Gaza] war, and an international narrative, and they don’t really meet.
In this X space, Crisis Group's experts Ali Vaez and Stephen Pomper talk with Eran Etzion, Dana Stroul, and Danny Citrinowicz about the risks of all-out war between Iran and Israel and how this outcome can still be prevented.
Genuine pressure on Israel and Hamas to enact a Gaza cease-fire could dial down tensions across the region.
Originally published in Foreign Policy.
The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has brought the Middle East to its moment of greatest peril in years. All concerned must do their utmost to avoid regional war. The most important step, besides mutual restraint, is a Gaza ceasefire.
In this video Brian Finucane talks about how the Biden administration has worked around legal guardrails to engage in fighting without approval from the U.S. Congress.
This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Mairav Zonszein, Michael Hanna and Rami Dajani about where things stand in Gaza, prospects for a ceasefire and what happens if the two sides cannot reach a deal.
Israel’s threatened termination of a banking waiver would paralyse financial activity in the West Bank, causing an economic meltdown and risking the Palestinian Authority’s collapse – with dire consequences for West Bank Palestinians – and maybe for Israel, too. The U.S. should press Israel to change course.
In this online event, Crisis Group experts from our MENA and U.S. Programs discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, what’s new regarding the ceasefire talks, and what should happen next.
The United Arab Emirates signed the 2020 Abraham Accords with Israel in pursuit of strategic benefits. During the Gaza war, costs are becoming clear. Abu Dhabi shows no sign of rethinking normalisation, but it might consider smaller steps to register discontent with the Israeli campaign.
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