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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a placard showing maps tracing the reduction of Palestinian territory from its historical borders, left, to then-U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for a Palestinian state under his new peace plan, far right, as he speaks in Ramallah.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a placard showing maps tracing the reduction of Palestinian territory from its historical borders, left, to then-U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for a Palestinian state under his new peace plan, far right, as he speaks in Ramallah.

The Geopolitics of Palestine, Explained

Gaza wasn’t always the hot spot it is today.

Explainer
Allison Meakem
A grid of images shows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a boy carrying a Palestine and a Fatah flag, a Hamas militant holding a gun with his face covered, members of Hezbollah wearing berets, fatigues, and holding flags, PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants.
A grid of images shows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a boy carrying a Palestine and a Fatah flag, a Hamas militant holding a gun with his face covered, members of Hezbollah wearing berets, fatigues, and holding flags, PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants.

A Guide to Palestinian and Other Anti-Israel Factions

Hamas is not the only group vying to lead the Palestinians—or the fight against Israel.

Explainer
Alexandra Sharp, Rishi Iyengar
U.S. President Bill Clinton, in a dark suit and tie, smiles as he stands between Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, in a uniform and checked headscarf, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzahk Rabin, in a dark suit, as they shake hands in front of the White House. Clinton's arms are outstretched as he gestures around the other two men.
U.S. President Bill Clinton, in a dark suit and tie, smiles as he stands between Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, in a uniform and checked headscarf, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzahk Rabin, in a dark suit, as they shake hands in front of the White House. Clinton's arms are outstretched as he gestures around the other two men.

‘Negotiation Is the Only Solution’

Why Aaron David Miller still believes in a Middle East peace process.

Q&A
Ravi Agrawal
Members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, take part in a gathering in Gaza on Jan. 31, 2016.
Members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, take part in a gathering in Gaza on Jan. 31, 2016.

Can Hamas Be Destroyed?

Israel’s goals in its current war may be too expansive to achieve.

Analysis
Anchal Vohra
A woman wearing a headscarf and dress carries a small child as she and others walk across rubble following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City. Dust, smoke, and destroyed buildings fill the landscape.
A woman wearing a headscarf and dress carries a small child as she and others walk across rubble following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City. Dust, smoke, and destroyed buildings fill the landscape.

Laying Siege to Gaza Is No Solution

U.S. support for Israel’s incursion could enable mass atrocities.

Argument
Yousef Munayyer
Smoke rises from damaged buildings as Palestinians search for survivors in the Gaza Strip.
Smoke rises from damaged buildings as Palestinians search for survivors in the Gaza Strip.

Israel Orders Gaza Siege in War Against Hamas

World leaders have denounced the violence on both sides and urged restraint.

World Brief
Alexandra Sharp
Demonstrators carry a large banner featuring the words "We will free Palestine within our lifetime."
Demonstrators carry a large banner featuring the words "We will free Palestine within our lifetime."

The Hamas Attack Has Changed Everything

The starting point for the new Middle East will be an Israeli reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, not an Israeli Embassy in Riyadh.

Argument
Steven A. Cook
Lebanese soldiers stand on a hill overlooking the Israeli town of Metula as a man waves the Palestinian and Hezbollah flags at the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Kafr Kila, Lebanon.
Lebanese soldiers stand on a hill overlooking the Israeli town of Metula as a man waves the Palestinian and Hezbollah flags at the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Kafr Kila, Lebanon.

Will Hezbollah Join the War Against Israel?

If the Lebanese group does more than fire a few missiles in solidarity, it would dramatically escalate the current conflict.

Analysis
Daniel Byman
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a dark overcoat over a shirt and tie, is seen from the shoulders up as he stands against bare branches and a wintry sky.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a dark overcoat over a shirt and tie, is seen from the shoulders up as he stands against bare branches and a wintry sky.

Netanyahu’s Road to War

The Israeli leader sought to sideline the Palestinians while wooing the Arab states. Now he faces a bloody backlash.

Analysis
Michael Hirsh
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a suit and tie sits in front of a microphone and table decorated with flowers. The Russian and Iranian flags are seen behind him.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a suit and tie sits in front of a microphone and table decorated with flowers. The Russian and Iranian flags are seen behind him.

What Will Russia Do With Gaza Chaos?

A possible two-front war in the Middle East will have knock-on effects for Europe.

Report
Jack Detsch
A seized South Korean-flagged oil tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats in through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
A seized South Korean-flagged oil tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats in through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

How the Israel-Hamas War Could Spike Oil Prices

A broader conflict involving Iran could lead to attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz—disrupting the global energy market.

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
A protester waves U.S. and Israeli national flags during a demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.
A protester waves U.S. and Israeli national flags during a demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

There’s No American Ambassador in Israel

Dozens of top U.S. national security posts sit empty amid crisis.

Analysis
Robbie Gramer
A Ukrainian soldier wearing a camouflage military uniform is seen from behind as they walk down a cracked paved road surrounded by grassy fields and open sky. The soldier is holding a rifle and casts a long shadow.
A Ukrainian soldier wearing a camouflage military uniform is seen from behind as they walk down a cracked paved road surrounded by grassy fields and open sky. The soldier is holding a rifle and casts a long shadow.

Negotiating With Russia Is Still a Bad Idea

The rationale for forcing Ukraine to stop fighting keeps changing with the facts on the ground. This article has an audio recording

Argument
Raphael S. Cohen, Gian Gentile
An Israeli soldier rests his head on an artillery gun barrel of an armored vehicle as Israeli soldiers stand on piles of dirt as they take positions near the border with Gaza in southern Israel.
An Israeli soldier rests his head on an artillery gun barrel of an armored vehicle as Israeli soldiers stand on piles of dirt as they take positions near the border with Gaza in southern Israel.

Israel Could Win This Gaza Battle and Lose the War

An all-out effort is again underway to maintain an unsustainable regional status quo.

Argument
Stephen M. Walt
Iranians drive past an anti-Israel billboard that shows a checkered keffiyeh covering the Star of David along with the words “Al Aqsa Storm” in English and Farsi.
Iranians drive past an anti-Israel billboard that shows a checkered keffiyeh covering the Star of David along with the words “Al Aqsa Storm” in English and Farsi.

What Is Iran’s Role in the Hamas Attack on Israel?

Tehran has been encouraging an escalation like this for months.

Argument
Danielle Pletka
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