Compiled by Aidan New Iran’s development of a nuclear weapons program began in the late 1990s, accelerate in the early 2000s, and has remained a focal point for regional tension and international sanctions. It is a prime concern for Israel and the United States. Israel is believed to have made covert efforts to hinder Iran’s […]

Compiled by Aidan New Before Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, 2024, it targeted Israel on April 13 and 14, 2024, with a series of missiles and drones, escalating regional tensions and prompting a comprehensive response from the Israel Defense Forces, neighboring Arab states, and allies such as the United […]

Compiled by Aidan New Iran, a Shia- and Persian-majority theocracy, frequently clashes with its Sunni Arab neighbors, including Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These tensions are rooted in religious and ethnic differences and geopolitical rivalries. Under the Abraham Accords of 2020, several Sunni Arab states have aligned themselves with Israel as […]

Compiled by Aidan New Iran’s antisemitic rhetoric is deeply rooted in Shia-specific Muslim ideologies that portray Jews and the State of Israel as enemies and embrace the idea that the ritual uncleanliness of Jews dirties the entire world. Zionism is seen as the culmination of a Jewish war against Islam dating to the time of […]

Compiled by Ryder Zufi While the Israeli military and intelligence mistakenly concluded that Hamas was an organization more interested in protecting its own people than killing Israelis and risking Gaza’s destruction, Hamas observed the political rifts within Israeli society and concluded that Israel was weak and vulnerable. The mass attack October 7 was meant to […]

Compiled by Ryder Zufi Hamas spent 17 years preparing the Gaza Strip as a killing ground for Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians. By building its complex, extensive tunnel system and integrating military operations throughout civilian infrastructure, Hamas created a situation in which its own destruction could be achieved only through Gaza’s devastation and at extreme […]

Compiled by Ryder Zufi The Palestinians have had two primary political factions for at least two decades: Hamas and Fatah, the dominant group within the PLO. Fatah, led by Yasser Arafat and then Mahmoud Abbas, has controlled the Palestinian Authority and thus the West Bank since the mid-1990s. But Hamas won a plurality in the […]

Compiled by Ryder Zufi Hamas is a Sunni organization. The Iranian regime is Shia. But Iran has provided money, weapons, training, logistics and other support to Hamas because of their shared goal of destroying Israel. Hamas and Iran have had their differences, including during the slaughter of Sunnis in Syria more than a decade ago, […]

Compiled by Ryder Zufi Hamas emerged in the 1980s as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood or Brethren as part of a change in strategy: Rather than try to repair Muslim society, then target Israel, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his supporters decided they first needed to eliminate Israel and cleanse the Middle East of […]

In presenting four obstacles in the way of ending the Hamas-Israel War, Schumer omits six basic obstacles that remain in the negotiating pathway to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.