Reports of Ambassador Zvi Mazel
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Israel’s electoral conundrum
Likud, Israel’s long-time ruling party, has been losing ground to a new coalition led by a fierce opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This enmity, along with a small party’s unwillingness to join either side, has led to a year-long parliamentary standoff. If next March’s elections fail to break the ...
Looking for compromise on Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are struggling to strike a deal over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a $4.8 billion project in the works since 2011. Situated on the Blue Nile, the dam would triple Ethiopia’s electricity production and generate much-needed economic growth. But Egypt has ancient ties to the great river, ...
The UAE and China: New ties and strategies
While the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are still staunch allies, the former has strayed from the latter to pursue its own interests, especially its fruitful cooperation with Beijing. In the multisided Yemen conflict, Abu Dhabi has begun backing separatist movements in the hope of taking over ports that ...
Opinion: The EU dithers in the face of Iranian terror
Europe’s long-standing policy of appeasement toward Hezbollah included looking the other way and even hiding evidence from the public on acts of terror attempted by the Iran-sponsored organization on European soil. Most European governments stick to the view that Hezbollah is a legitimate political force in Lebanon, a potential partner ...
Opinion: Few prospects for an end to the war in Yemen
Iran and Saudi Arabia have taken advantage of a conflict fueled by regional and religious rivalries to fight a proxy war in Yemen. United Nations attempts to broker a cease-fire after years of bloodshed have failed, and everyday Yemenis are suffering tremendously. Yet both sides have powerful motives to keep ...
The risky quest for a new nuclear deal with Iran
With the recent downing by Iran of a U.S. drone, tensions between the two countries may be entering a new phase. The Trump administration has imposed more sanctions and made new threats, in hopes of getting Iran back to the table for another nuclear deal. The U.S. does not want ...
A rocky start for “the deal of the century”
The unveiling of the $50 billion U.S. investment plan to secure peace in the Middle East by improving conditions in the West Bank and Gaza met international skepticism, and virulent opposition from the Palestinian authorities. But for President Donald Trump, solving the conflict none of his predecessors could would gain ...
Syria’s relentless war
Though the regime of President Bashar al-Assad now governs most of the country and ISIS has lost the territory it once held, there is still no end in sight for the Syrian Civil War. Opposition groups control several provinces, where violence simmers, and the complicated web of foreign interests has ...
