Peace Process

Policy Analysis on Peace Process

David Makovsky

On Israel-Palestine, Biden Is Not Just Another Version of Obama

A veteran Israeli official explains how the next administration will differ from its predecessors and why immediate consultations between Biden and Netanyahu’s teams are crucial.

Nov 9, 2020

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Michael Herzog

Multimedia

Brief Analysis

America Votes, the Middle East Reacts: Views on U.S. Elections from Across the Region

Experts from the Gulf, Egypt, Turkey, and Israel respond to the initial voting results and discuss factors that may help or hinder the next administration.

Nov 9, 2020

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Abdulrahman al-Rashed
Mohamed Anwar E. al-Sadat
Asli Aydintasbas
David Horovitz

Brief Analysis

Israel Expands West Bank Settler Units: Where Demography Meets Geography

Given how attuned Netanyahu’s government is to political vicissitudes in Washington, the U.S. election results will likely determine whether Israel continues its trend of approving more construction outside the security barrier.

Oct 30, 2020

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David Makovsky
Basia Rosenbaum
David Patkin

Articles & Testimony

Yitzhak Rabin Was Always a Realist. How Would He Have Handled the 2020 Mideast?

For starters, he would have used the new ties with Gulf states as a bridge to the Palestinians, not a bypass road.

Oct 28, 2020

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Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

Brief Analysis

The Sudan Agreement: Implications of Another Arab-Israel Milestone

The latest deal shows how firm U.S. pressure, quiet contacts with Israel, and domestic political breakthroughs can help Arab governments advance normalization even in the face of popular opposition and past military conflict.

Oct 26, 2020

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Ehud Yaari

Articles & Testimony

Bandar Speaks Out: The Changing Landscape in the Mideast

Palestinian leaders previously never had to acknowledge their mistakes or account for missed opportunities, preventing them from learning critical lessons and adjusting their behavior.

Oct 19, 2020

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Risks of the Palestinian Authority’s Outreach to Qatar and Turkey

Recent gestures, which have included reconciliation talks with Hamas, could strengthen the PA’s Gaza-based rival, further strain relations with its traditional Arab allies, and spur elections with destabilizing results.

Oct 13, 2020

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Ghaith al-Omari

Video

Brief Analysis

Arabs Taking Risks for Peace: Stories from the Frontlines of People-to-People Contact with Israelis

Courageous Arab civic actors discuss the enormous hurdles they have faced in engaging with Israelis and supporting broader social and legislative normalization.

Oct 8, 2020

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Ismail Sayyid Ahmad
Sukina Meshekhis
Ahdeya Ahmed Al-Sayed
Mohamed Al-Hammadi
Joseph Braude

Articles & Testimony

UAE-Israel Peace Is Revealing the Middle East’s Faultlines

Much of the commentary surrounding the deal has focused on what it portends for the Palestinian issue and other Israeli relationships, but it may say just as much about the four rival factions that have crystallized in the region since 2011.

Sep 26, 2020

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Sarah Feuer

Brief Analysis

How to Balance Competing Priorities with an F-35 Sale to the UAE

The sale offers strategic opportunities at a time of pivoting U.S. policy, and the concerns raised in Washington and abroad can be addressed through deliberate technical limitations, financing restrictions, offsetting benefits for Israel, and other measures.

Sep 23, 2020

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Christine McVann

Articles & Testimony

Diplomacy Built Israeli-Arab Peace. The Private Sector Will Sustain It.

Bahrain, Israel, and the UAE must now focus on the practical steps required to scale up their relations, including efforts related to civil aviation, banking, tourist sites, and more.

Sep 23, 2020

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Dana Stroul

Brief Analysis

How the Abraham Accords Look Forward, Not Back

Close reading of Israel’s agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain shows how their strictly bilateral focus could affect the chances for people-to-people engagement and regional security cooperation, depending on each government's political will.

Sep 16, 2020

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

Why Moscow Is Quiet on the Israel-UAE Peace Deal

The fact that American rather than Russian mediation helped broker a major Middle East peace agreement is a blow to Putin’s ongoing quest for restored great-power status.

Sep 15, 2020

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Video

Brief Analysis

The UAE-Israel Breakthrough: Bilateral and Regional Implications and U.S. Policy

Former diplomats and experts discuss what steps each party should take after the historic White House signing ceremony, and how to bring the Palestinians and other actors into the fold.

Sep 14, 2020

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Ebtesam al-Ketbi
Dore Gold
Barbara A. Leaf
David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

The Middle East Is Changing. Will Palestinians Be Left Behind?

The Palestinian issue has become far less of a priority for most Arab states, who now tend to see Israel as a bulwark against regional threats and a partner on urgent health, water, and food-security needs.

Sep 13, 2020

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Bahrain Move Toward Israel Risks Domestic Reaction

The announcement of a peace deal between Israel and Bahrain suggests that the Gulf island kingdom has reassessed the danger of opposition from both its majority Shia population and its Sunni community.

Sep 11, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Qatar Strategic Dialogue Offers Opening to End Gulf Rift

The Washington meeting between the United States and Qatar, overlapping with the Israel-UAE signing ceremony on normalization, creates a unique opportunity to resolve the dispute between U.S. allies.

Sep 11, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

The Road Beyond UAE-Israel Normalization

Netanyahu’s strategy of bypassing the intractable Palestinian issue has paid substantial dividends worldwide, but a peace treaty ‘domino effect’ is unlikely in the near term given various calculations in Riyadh and other Arab capitals.

Sep 10, 2020

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Ehud Yaari

Articles & Testimony

Here’s How Palestinians Could Benefit from the Diplomatic Deal Between Israel and the United Arab Emirates

Skillful U.S. and Arab diplomacy could use normalization and the accompanying annexation freeze as a base for renewed momentum toward an eventual two-state solution.

Sep 10, 2020

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David Makovsky
Daniel Shapiro

Supported by the

Koret Program on Arab-Israel Relations

Through moments of hope and challenge in the Middle East diplomacy, The Washington Institute's Koret Program on Arab-Israel Relations is committed to providing America's policymakers with timely analysis on issues of critical concern to Israel and its Arab neighbors.

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Featured experts

Ghaith al-Omari

Ghaith al-Omari is a senior fellow in The Washington Institute's Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship.

David Makovsky

David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations.

Dennis Ross

Dennis Ross, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Ehud Yaari

Ehud Yaari is a Lafer International Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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Peace Process

Policy Analysis on Peace Process

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Policy Analysis on Peace Process

Koret Program on Arab-Israel Relations

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