The raw numbers in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack — 1,200 killed and more than 240 abducted — can sanitize the personal trauma and horror of the brutality, including sex-based violence. Women often are stereotyped as victims or peacemakers, but CIE’s 27th weekly webinar on the Israel-Hamas war, set for April 17, examines the reality of women’s responses and roles in Israeli society and the reactions to how they have fought, volunteered, advocated and led for more than six months. Joining moderator Dr. Ken Stein, CIE’s president and an Emory University emeritus professor of Middle East history, political science and Israel studies, are Col. (res.) Pnina Sharvit Baruch of the Institute for National Security Studies; Dr. Julia Elad-Strenger, a political psychologist at Bar-Ilan University; and Yocheved Kim Ruttenberg, co-founder of Sword of Iron Israel Volunteer Opportunities.
Latest articles from CIE
President George W. Bush Hails “Unbreakable” U.S.-Israel Alliance in Knesset Address, 2008
May 15, 2008 Source: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080515-1.html When George W. Bush became the third U.S. president to address the Knesset on May 15, 2008, he was not trying to finalize a peace treaty, as Jimmy Carter was…
#152 Contemporary Readings October 2025
November 3, 2025 Compiled by Maya Rezak and Ken Stein David Adesnik, Mariam Wahba, Ahmad Sharawi, David Daoud, Natalie Ecanow, Hussain Abdul-Hussain and Bridget Toomey, “Patient Extremism: The Many Faces of the Muslim Brotherhood,” Foundation…
Annotated Hamas Bibliography: In-Depth Assessments, Analyses, Objectives, and Regional and International Implications
Among Palestinians, Hamas popularity soars, two state solution at lowest ebb, Rise in European Anti-semitism, and Michael Mihlstein’s insightful analysis an essential read.
President Trump Addresses Knesset on Gaza Ceasefire, Middle East Peace, October 2025
Donald Trump takes a victory lap and lays out short- and long-term visions for Gaza, Israel and the Middle East while becoming the fourth U.S. president to address the Knesset.
Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff: U.S. “Can’t Afford to Fail” in Gaza, October 2025
U.S. Middle East envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff express confidence in a “60 Minutes” interview that the Trump peace plan will succeed in Gaza after two years of the Hamas-Israel war.
CIE Seeks Your Feedback
Please take two minutes to answer five multiple-choice questions about our website. The results are strictly for internal CIE use.
Explainer: Three Jewish States or Commonwealths, 1030 B.C.E.-Present
The First Commonwealth: Kingdom of Israel/the United Monarchy (circa 1030-930 B.C.E.) under Kings Saul, David and Solomon. The monarchy split into two kingdoms in 930 B.C.E. The northern Kingdom of Israel endured until 722 B.C.E., when…
Yair Lapid to Knesset, “We Are Not Going Anywhere,” October 2025
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, addressing the Knesset, praises Donald Trump for brokering the Gaza peace plan, calls on his fellow Israelis to renew their values-based democracy, and warns Israel’s enemies in the Middle East and beyond that the Jewish state is here to stay.
Bibliography — BDS and Antisemitism
Articles and books on the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and on antisemitism on U.S. campuses, with suggested sources to read on the history and politics of Zionism and modern Israel.
