Is this the real Gaza ceasefire?

by Mitchell Plitnick Israel and Hamas have agreed to another ceasefire, and there seems to be some sense that this one will last. The terms of the agreement leave many issues up in the air, which tends to work strongly in Israel’s… Continue Reading →

Negotiating Gaza: Lessons from 1977

by Thomas W. Lippman To understand why Israel and Hamas keep fighting, and why Secretary of State John Kerry was unable to forge a permanent peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, it helps to do some homework. Read Volume… Continue Reading →

Egypt’s Gaza Truce Proposal: What Does it Mean?

by Mitchell Plitnick According to reports, Egypt has given both Israel and Hamas a take-it-or-leave-it plan for ending the current round of violence. It bears examination, not only for its intrinsic worth, but also for the implications it holds. As… Continue Reading →

Islamic State in Iraq: Confronting the Threat

by Emile Nakhleh The Islamic State’s territorial expansion and barbaric executions in Iraq and Syria are a gathering threat and must be confronted. American air bombardment, however, is the wrong course of action, and will not necessarily weaken ISIS or… Continue Reading →

Ceasefire in Gaza: Where Things Stand

by Mitchell Plitnick With a 72-hour truce apparently holding in Gaza and Israel having ended its ground operation, now seems like a fair time to assess where things stand. Has anyone emerged from this war in a better position? Is there anything… Continue Reading →