Category Archives: Middle East

16Jan/25

From Riad to Rafah, an Israeli and a Palestinian Perspective about the War in Gaza and Lebanon

Middle East, Palestinian Authority,

Nir Boms, Sarah Awaidah

15 months since October 7th, Israel finds itself during the longest war in its history. What began in Gaza has quickly turned into a regional conflagration with emerging fronts in the Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and the West Bank. Amidst a political and societal divide, Israel is still trying to find its own day after as well as to find the way to a broader “day after” in the region at large. Our guests, Dr. Nir Boms who runs the Program for Regional Cooperation at Tel Aviv University and Sarah Awaidah, co-founder of MENA Aid and member of the MENA 2050 executive committee, will share with us their perspectives on one of the most difficult years in Israeli history and on the path between Riad and Rafah – between the chances of peace and stability and the reality of a bleeding conflict that threatens to engulf the entire region.

18Sep/24

A view from Jordan

Jordan, Middle East,

Earlier this week, Jordan’s King Abdullah II appointed his Chief of Staff Jafar Hassan to form a new government, following last week’s Parliamentary elections. The Hashemite Monarch has commendably been trying to modernize the Kingdom’s political system, so as to better reflect the views and aspirations of a restless new generation.

The problem, however, is that the most adamant element in the Jordanian public, a distinct minority, is Islamic and bitterly anti-Israeli. The border with Israel, which used to be quite secure, is now porous, which enabled a terrorist to sneak through and kill three Israelis. This is also a testament to Iranian efforts to use Jordan as a corridor through which weapons and explosives are being smuggled to West Bank terror cells. Is the Hashemite Regime strong enough to withstand these pressures? Joining us for the analysis:

I was happy to join my colleagues Jonathan Hessen, Amir Oren, Col. (Ret.) Joel Rayburn to discuss of this.