Arabs

February 3, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

From Al-Qaeda Commander to Syrian President: Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s Ascent

The seismic transformation of the Syrian political landscape continues. On January 29, the country’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formally assumed the presidency, while the country’s 2012 constitution...

February 2, 2025 | Jonathan Schanzer |

Trump’s Second Shot at Peace in the Middle East

REVIEW: ‘One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ by David Friedman and ‘The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—And America—Can Win’ by Victoria Coates

January 31, 2025 | Jonathan Schanzer, Mariam Wahba

Will Egypt’s President Become Trump’s Least Favorite Dictator?

Hours after President Donald Trump revealed plans to ask Egypt to enable Palestinian refugees looking to escape the war to enter the Sinai Peninsula from Gaza, Cairo’s Foreign Ministry issued a...

January 30, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Ahmad al Sharaa’s Victory Conference: Syria’s new era and an exclusive translation of Sharaa’s speech

On January 29, Syria’s new leadership, headed by Ahmad al Sharaa—formerly known as Abu Mohammad al Jolani, the emir of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) and previously the leader of Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate,...

January 29, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Continued chaos in Syria: Iraqi militias and an Alawite insurgency

On January 25, a new Iraqi militia, Kataib Awliya’ al Haq (Guardians of Truth Brigades), announced its formation. So far, the group has issued a single statement displaying its full name, logo, and...

January 28, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Syrian Government Uses Islamic Teaching to Recruit, Train New Security Forces

Syria’s new leaders insist they are committed to religious tolerance, yet they are employing their preferred variant of Sunni Islamic beliefs to recruit and train the country’s new security forces....

January 24, 2025 | Ben Cohen |

Just how useful are the ‘useful idiots’?

Not very. Unlike the PLO, Hamas doesn’t care whether it has Jewish cheerleaders since its goal is to eradicate Jews from the face of the earth.

January 22, 2025 | |

‘Outside Overseers’: Gaza Ceasefire Crossing Points Crafted

Tentative Rafah Reopening: Pushing back against Arab media reports of a deal to hand over control of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border to the Palestinian Authority (PA),...

January 21, 2025 | |

Kurdish-Led Syrian Democratic Forces Battle Turkish Proxies Amid Calls for Their Dissolution 

Battles Near Tishreen Dam Continue: Heavy fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) around the Tishreen...

January 16, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Alawite Fears Ignite Syria’s Coastal Chaos

Violence is spreading in Syria’s Mediterranean coastal region, home to the country’s largest concentration of Alawites, the religious minority whose members include the ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad....

January 15, 2025 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Good news and bad news from Lebanon as Nawaf Salam elected premier

Israel-bashing president of the International Court of Justice hardly seems the one to bring peace with neighbor

January 14, 2025 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Israel Is Overhauling Its Defense Ideology; Will Arab States Finally Support It?

Israel is perhaps the most muscular and influential power in the Middle East today. When Israel changes its defense ideology, as per the Nagel Committee Report released last week, the region must take...

January 10, 2025 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Lebanon’s Aoun could move toward peace – if Hezbollah lets him

The Iran-backed militia is bowed but not broken – and it could still find a way to hijack Saudi funds for its own rehabilitation

January 10, 2025 | Ben Cohen |

A fake genocide meets a real one

The obsession with Jews and Israel diverts column inches and airtime away from humanitarian crises that are far more dire than Gaza and far more intractable.

January 8, 2025 | |

‘Systematic Murder’: Biden Administration Calls Out Genocide in Sudan

RSF Murders and Rapes Non-Arab Civilians: The State Department on January 7 accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its affiliated Arab militias in Sudan of committing genocide...

January 8, 2025 | David Daoud, Ahmad Sharawi

Lebanon’s Mahan Air theater was meant to cover ceasefire deal non-performance

A false narrative has emerged claiming Lebanese authorities searched an Iranian plane last week at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport over suspicion the aircraft was smuggling...

January 6, 2025 | |

‘Gazan Reality in Judea and Samaria’: Three Murdered in Roadside Ambush

Cars, Bus Shot Up: Three Israelis were killed and eight others wounded after Palestinian terrorists armed with assault rifles shot up two cars and a bus traveling between the Israeli...

January 6, 2025 | Mariam Wahba

Turning the Page on Intolerance: Egypt’s Textbook Reforms

Egypt has made significant strides in purging school textbooks of antisemitic content and other problematic material, revising over 350 state-issued books since 2018 as a part of an ambitious reform program....

January 6, 2025 | |

Israel SitRep: January 6, 2025

Today’s Issue: | IDF Troops Withdraw From Parts of Southern Lebanon | Three Killed, Eight Wounded in West Bank Terrorist Attack | Israeli Finance Ministry Offers Incentives to Northern Residents to Return...

January 3, 2025 | Natalie Ecanow |

Palestinian Authority Bans Al Jazeera, Escalating Row with Qatari-Owned Network

The Palestinian Authority (PA) rang in the new year with a crackdown on Al Jazeera, ordering the Qatari network to suspend its West Bank operations until it “resolves its legal status.” The Palestinian...