The Record of Palestinian Unity Governments

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on left, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on right. Photo credits: West Asia News Agency via REUTERS; REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool.

On December 28, five Palestinian factions announced an agreement to form a unity government. The five included two Islamist organizations (Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad) and three small Marxist pan-Arab member groups of the PLO (led by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine). All five are committed to military resistance against Israel. This announcement, […]

Growing Asian Ties to the Gulf and Potential for Strategic Cooperation

India’s PM Modi, Japan’s PM Kishida, China’s President Xi and Korea’s President Yoon each visited the Gulf recently. Photos credit: Hamad Al Kaabi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERS, Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS, Mohamed Al Hammadi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERS

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indian Prime Minister Modi each made a trip recently to Arab countries of the Gulf. In July, Kishida visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar while Modi was in the UAE. Yoon visited the UAE in January. These three trips received far […]

Four Decades of Talks with Arab Diplomats

Jeremy Issacharoff. Photo credit: DPA / Picture Alliance via Reuters Connect / Michael Kappeler

Three months after I came to live in Jerusalem, in November 1977, I joined my fellow Israelis standing on the side of the road to welcome President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. I had decided to immigrate to Israel from Britain in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Four years later, watching the […]

An Israeli Perspective on Qatar’s World Cup

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, puts on Argentina's Lionel Messi a "bisht", a traditional Arab garment, in front of Fifa President Gianni Infantino before handing over the World Cup trophy. Photo credit: Robert Michael/dpa

Few events in history have been watched live by more people around the world than the final match of the World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar on December 18, 2022. After a riveting game, it was the legendary leader of the Argentinian team—Lionel Messi—who lifted the golden trophy. Right then, as hundreds of millions were […]