Reports of Ambassador Zvi Mazel
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Israel’s tightrope act between China and the U.S.
Increasing tensions between China and the United States have made it more difficult for Israel to maintain hard-won trade and economic ties with Beijing without endangering the special relationship with its most faithful ally. Israel must move cautiously, proceeding with some existing China-linked projects but carefully weighing future partnerships that could ...
In fragmented Syria, the battle for control escalates
Fighting in Syria has entered a new phase, with regional and world powers hoping to secure a long-term economic and military presence. Russia has achieved its aims but cannot reconstruct the country on its own, and China has shown a sudden willingness to play a more active role. The U.S. has set ...
Lebanon in free fall
Lebanon’s crisis is so dire that the World Bank calls it one of the top three worst since the mid-nineteenth century. Problems have been building for a long time, but the main culprit is a corrupt political system with Hezbollah at its core. Unfortunately for the Lebanese people, extricating the ...
Egypt emerges as the winner of the Hamas-Israel conflict
Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi is basking in the glow of international acclaim after having helped broker a cease-fire in the most recent Israel-Hamas conflict. The move seems to be part of a greater strategy to regain Egypt’s role as a regional power – and it may be working.
Biden and the Abraham Accords: Attempt to disengage
The united front against Iran, led by the Gulf states and Israel with a strong push from former President Donald Trump, is crumbling. His successor Joe Biden prefers to restore the nuclear deal with Iran over advancing the promising realignment process spurred in the region by the Abraham Accords. The ...
Jordan and Israel: What went wrong?
Israel-Jordan relations recently took a turn for the worse when a disagreement over the security protocol for a high-profile visit spiraled into a tit-for-tat airspace conflict. But while the 1994 peace treaty between the two countries has failed to blossom into strong economic ties, both are unlikely to turn their ...
Palestinian leaders attempt a political comeback
After years of internecine conflict, the Palestinian territories’ main actors have agreed to hold elections in 2021. They hope to signal unity and a pro-democratic agenda to the U.S. and Europe. The current leader of the Palestinian Authority could find himself dethroned by a more popular candidate.
An uneasy truce in the Gulf
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt officially ended their diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar. Riyadh’s attempt to get in the Biden administration’s good graces has led to a truce between strategic U.S. allies in the Gulf, but Qatar has made only vague promises to change policies that its ...
