Research & Publications: Israel

Israel's latest announcement of its settlement plans in the West Bank prompted much international hand-wringing, led by anodyne counsel from Washington. No attention has been paid, however, to the far more significant unveiling of a $1.4 billion plan to build a major road in the heart of the occupied West Bank.

In this week's Monday Briefing, contributors Randa Slim, Alex Vatanka, Paul Salem, and Antoun Issa provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the next round of Syria talks in Geneva, Iranian war games directed at President Trump, the appointment of a new U.S. National Security Advisor to replace Michael Flynn, and Israeli PM Netanyahu's trip to Australia.

With the flurry of daily tweets coming out of the White House, an important piece of news was under-reported last week. On Feb. 10, the Trump administration blocked the appointment of Dr. Salam Fayyad, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, to become the United Nations special representative for Libya.

In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Eran Etzion, Alex Vatanka, Gerald Feierstein, Randa Slim, W. Robert Pearson, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the impact of the Trump administration on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, the potential consequences of listing the Iranian Republican Guard as a terrorist organization, the issues hampering the implementation of the Trump administration's Middle East policy, the ongoing Syrian peace talks, the complex issues surrounding the US-Turkish relationship, and the potential consequences of a tougher US stance towards Pakistan.

In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Paul Scham, Randa Slim, W. Robert Pearson, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the Trump administration's apparent lack of a coherent strategy in the implementation of executive orders, the possibility of an improved relationship between Israel and the UK in the wake of Brexit, the Astana meeting to discuss the Syrian cease-fire deal, bilateral efforts to improve Turkish-Israel relations, and the uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Pakistani relations under the Trump administration.

There are six key policy areas to consider in evaluating U.S-Israeli relations under Trump including analyzing Trump's priorities, energy policies, ISIS strategy, Syrian strategy, the future of the Iran nuclear agreement, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In this week's briefing, MEI experts Gerald Feierstein, Robert S. Ford, Yousef Munayyer, Eran Etzion, and Ruba Husari provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the ongoing confirmation hearings for key members of the incoming administration's foreign policy team, the upcoming Syria talks, the recently convened Paris talks on Israel and Palestine, and OPEC's assessment of its agreement to cap oil output.

New to the Oman Library’s shelves is a distinct collection, donated by Sallie Lewis on behalf of her late husband, Ambassador Samuel Lewis. This new addition brings a unique set of stories to the library, with many works containing signatures and personal notes from well known figures who worked closely with the ambassador during his career in the foreign service.