Strait of Hormuz: A Struggle to Determine Iran’s Strength Tomorrow
Iran’s move to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz has short- and long-term implications for the Islamic regime and the world economy.
Objectives and Conclusions: U.S.-Israel-Iran WarCIE+
While too much is unknown after a week of fighting to make definitive statements about the war, certain possible outcomes can be explored.
Explainer: Turkey-Israel RelationsCIE+
Turkish-Israeli relations have swung between friendship and hostility since Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel in 1949.
Stein: The Causes and Consequences of the 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel War (transcript)CIE+
CIE President Ken Stein addresses what is and what is not known about why Hamas attacked October 7, 2023, why Israel was caught off guard, and what happens after the war across the region.
New Year’s 2026 Unrest in Iran and Its Context for Israel and the Middle EastCIE+
January 2, 2026 A week of unrest in Iran does not guarantee a revolution even if 85-plus million Iranians are angry at the country’s autocratic, theological rulers. Iran is a security-clerical oligarchy where kleptocracy, cronyism…
U.S. Defense Law Focuses on Postwar Middle East, Israel, December 2025CIE+
The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act shifts U.S. military cooperation with Israel to a postwar focus, including support for neighbors facing Iranian proxies and a response to military embargoes of Israel.
Timeline: Hamas-Israel Relations With Events, Statements and Clashes, 1988-PresentCIE+
Hamas’ genocide against Israelis unleashed the long-blistering hatred that Hamas possesses for Israel and Jews. Entries include severe Arab criticism of Hamas, its detriment to Palestinian nationalism, statements by its leaders, and the war’s unfolding.
Explainer: UN General Assembly Resolution 181 — Partition Plan to Create Arab and Jewish States With an Economic Union and Special Regime for JerusalemCIE+
November 29, 1947 Official Records of the General Assembly, Second Session Supplement No. 11,Volumes l-lV. Deteriorating Relationship Between Britain and Palestine The British intention (Peel Report in 1937) to partition Palestine into Arab and…
Explainer: Oslo II Agreement Between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, September 1995CIE+
September 28, 1995 After signing the Declaration of Principles (DOP) on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, commonly known as the Oslo Accords, on September 13, 1993, Israel and the PLO reached three additional interim agreements before Oslo…
U.S. Generational Divide Solidifies on Views Toward Israel, HamasCIE+
August 2025 polling data about American attitudes toward Israel and Hamas and about American political party partisanship toward Israel over the past decade.
U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel Since the October 7 AttackCIE+
May 28, 2025 “U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel: Overview and Developments since October 7, 2023,” by Jeremy M. Sharp, specialist in Middle East affairs, Congressional Research Service Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S….
Asher Susser, Jordan and the Islamic State ChallengeCIE+
December 27, 2015 Asher Susser, “Jordan and the Islamic State Challenge,” Institute for National Security Studies, December 2015. Jordan faces internal challenges and economic hardships that are feeding off each other. Many young people are…
June 2025 Pew Research Center Surveys on IsraelCIE+
Divided at home and condemned abroad, public opinion of Israel sinks in response to war and domestic politics.
US-Israeli RelationshipCIE+
The US-Israeli relationship is complicated, dynamic, multidimensional, and enduring. From initial American governmental opposition to the present, Washington has become Israel’s most trusted ally. Rooted in common bonds, entrenched military sharing, and valued strategic interests, the association has also greatly influenced the shaping and sustenance of American Jewish identity.
Explainer: Israel-Lebanon-Syria TriangleCIE+
Before Israel’s establishment, Zionists in Palestine had contacts with Lebanese and Syrian officials, seeking information about anti-Zionist attitudes and understanding of these Arab states’ military capabilities against Israel’s establishment and survival. Since 1949 and the…
Explainer: Israel’s Foreign RelationsCIE+
A major objective of Zionism and Israel remains the “normalization” of the Jewish people in a secure territory of their own. As a worldwide minority through the ages, Jews have lobbied and negotiated with stronger…
Iran, the Jewish People and IsraelCIE+
May 18, 2025 Contradiction has been a theme in Iran’s relationship with the Jewish people, for nowhere else in the Muslim world have Jews both suffered so grievously and flourished so thoroughly. Nor is the…
Explainer: The United Nations and IsraelCIE+
The U.N. partition resolution in 1947 cleared the way for Israel to declare independence six months later, but since then the United Nations has largely been antagonistic and condemnatory toward Israel and a tool for the Palestinians and Israel’s enemies.
Kenneth W. Stein, “Evolving a Diplomatic Legacy From the October War: The US, Egyptian, and Israeli Triangle”CIE+
Kenneth W. Stein, “Evolving a Diplomatic Legacy From the October War: The US, Egyptian, and Israeli Triangle,” in Asaf Siniver (ed.), The October 1973 War Politics, Diplomacy, and Legacy, London: Hurst and Company, 2013. This…
Explainer: Europe and IsraelCIE+
Historical Background Unlike any other region of the world, Europe has had the most intimate, impactful and longest-lasting relationship with contemporary Israel and its origins. As the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity and with the…
Netanyahu’s Persistent Advocacy for Strong Israeli-U.S. Relationship: What Is Next for Both Countries With Changing Middle East Landscapes?CIE+
Since coming to office the first time in 1996, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has met with four presidents (Clinton, Obama, Trump and Biden) on 11 occasions. Four times he has addressed Congress, each…
Second Trump Administration’s Views on Israel, Middle EastCIE+
By Aidan New and Michael Jacobs (updated April 9) President Donald Trump’s second administration had an impact in the Middle East even before his inauguration Jan. 20, 2025: Special Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff was…
Explainer: Arabs of Palestine/IsraelCIE+
Some ancestors of modern Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, like those of Israeli Jews, lived in the Land of Israel millennia ago, but most came to the area when Muhammad’s successors took Jerusalem and settled there…
Hamas-Israel January 2025 Ceasefire — Commentary and ImplicationsCIE+
The details of the three-stage Hamas-Israel cease-fire that went into effect January 19, 2025, along with unanswered questions, insightful analyses and the relevant U.N. resolution from June 2024.
