The return of Israeli hostages marked an emotional turning point—and the clearest sign of Donald Trump’s renewed influence in the Middle East. His intervention pushed Israel toward a fragile peace that trades withdrawal for relief, as Hamas reasserts control in Gaza and global leaders remain hesitant to condemn it. With Netanyahu absent from the talks, Israel’s strategy and Hamas’s future hang in the balance. Has Israel traded security for symbolism? Can Hamas be disarmed through diplomacy? What comes next for Gaza and the region?

Ashley Perry is an advisor to the Middle East Forum’s Israel office. He served as adviser to Israel's minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in 2009-15, and has also worked with Israel's Ministers of Intelligence, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy, Water and Infrastructure, Defense, Tourism, Internal Security, and Immigrant Absorption and as an advisor to The Negev Forum. Originally from the U.K., he moved to Israel in 2001. He holds a B.A. from University College London and an M.A. from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).

The Houthis (Ansar Allah), entrenched in Yemen’s highlands and backed by Iran, have resisted years of military campaigns and efforts to dislodge them through diplomacy. Controlling key territory, including the Yemeni capital and a large part of the coastline, and exploiting the humanitarian crisis, they wield growing power and regional influence. The Houthi campaign against shipping on the Gulf of Aden-Red Sea route has effectively shuttered a key global maritime artery. Can local resistance, regional unity, and international resolve finally defeat them, or is Yemen fated to remain an arena for endless conflict?Summer Ahmed is a researcher and analyst of the Middle East. Yemen-born, she is the Yemeni Southern Transition Council’s Foreign Affairs Representative to the United States. She holds a BBA from Northwood University.

Dearborn, Michigan, long celebrated for multicultural harmony, now faces scrutiny for suppressing dissent under claims of fighting Islamophobia. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud’s public attack on Christian critic Ted Barham coupled with the city council’s silence on Hamas and Hezbollah, raises alarms about radical Islamism’s influence. Dexter Van Zile, on a recent visit to Dearborn, observed further evidence of Islamism and support for terror in other forms. What future awaits non-Muslim voices in Dearborn, and what does this mean for religious freedom in America?Dexter Van Zile, the Middle East Forum’s Violin Family Research Fellow, serves as managing editor of Focus on Western Islamism. Prior to his current position, Van Zile worked at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis for 16 years, where he played a major role in countering misinformation broadcast into Christian churches by Palestinian Christians and refuting antisemitic propaganda broadcast by white nationalists and their allies in the U.S. His articles have appeared in the Jerusalem Post, the Boston Globe, Jewish Political Studies Review, the Algemeiner and the Jewish News Syndicate. He has authored numerous academic studies and book chapters about Christian anti-Zionism.

The Druze of southern Syria, long known for their pragmatism, now face an uncertain future as the country’s landscape fractures. Caught between Islamist factions, Iranian-backed militias, and shifting Western interests, they are increasingly vulnerable to sectarian violence. On two occasions since the fall of the Assad regime, the community has faced attacks from forces associated with the new authorities in Damascus. Many lives have been lost. What path forward remains for this small but resilient community, and what do their choices mean for the balance of power in the Levant?Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, focusing on Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward the region. Previously, Sharawi worked at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he focused mainly on Hezbollah. He holds a B.A. in international relations from King’s College London and an M.A. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

The dramatic fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in late 2024 promised an end to decades of tyranny. The new government of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) movement, however, appears to be in the process of reshaping Syria into a Turkish satellite. The new government is sidelining the U.S.-aligned Kurds and igniting sectarian strife in the south and west of the country, under Ankara's shadow. Turkey, meanwhile, is building a military infrastructure in Syria, while maintaining control over its own client militias. What perils await the West if Turkey's grip tightens over the Levant?Efrat Aviv is an associate professor in the department of general history at Bar-Ilan University and a senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. She is an expert in Turkish religious movements, Israeli-Turkish relations, antisemitism in Turkey, and Ottoman-Turkish Jewry. She holds a B.A., an M.A., and a Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University.

The October 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel shocked the world with its brutality. While many condemned the attack, others rapidly rushed to blame Israel, framing the Jewish state as an oppressor through the lens of Marxist ideology and critical race theory. In The Battle for the Jewish State, Victoria Coates examines how Hamas’s atrocities, Iran’s role, and America’s cultural drift have imperiled Israel and the U.S. Is this conflict truly about land, or is it part of a broader civilizational struggle? What is at stake for both Israel and the United States if this battle is lost?Victoria Coates is Vice President of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation. A former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Trump, she oversaw U.S. policy on the Middle East, including the Maximum Pressure Campaign on Iran and early negotiations for the Abraham Accords. She holds a B.A. from Trinity College, an M.A. from Williams College, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, all in art history.

For years, the Department of Homeland Security has funneled millions in taxpayer funds to organizations tied to foreign terrorists and extremist ideologies, undermining America’s safety from within. In "Homeland Insecurity," Benjamin Baird and Anna Stanley expose this chilling betrayal, detailing how over $25 million has flowed to groups linked to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood. How did this funding scandal persist unchecked? What must be done to stop it?Benjamin Baird is director of MEF Action, the Forum's wing for activism and advocacy. His writing can be found at National Review, New York Post, Jerusalem Post, and other prominent media outlets. Mr. Baird is a U.S. Army infantry veteran with a B.A. from American Military University.You can read the full report by Benjamin Baird and Anna Stanley here:

https://www.meforum.org/mef-reports/homeland-insecurity-unraveling-dhs-funding-of-terror-linked-and-extremist-groups

The Israeli government has made an official decision to conquer Gaza. Is this really the goal or is it just another negotiating tactic?Ashley Perry is an advisor to the Middle East Forum’s Israel office. He served as adviser to Israel's minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in 2009-15, and has also worked with Israel's Ministers of Intelligence, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy, Water and Infrastructure, Defense, Tourism, Internal Security, and Immigrant Absorption and as an advisor to The Negev Forum. Originally from the U.K., he moved to Israel in 2001. He holds a B.A. from University College London and an M.A. from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).

For two decades, Iran’s regime pursued a clandestine nuclear agenda, aiming to unleash apocalyptic devastation on Israel. Israel’s response, the daring Operation Rising Lion, sparked the intense 12-Day War, reshaping the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. How did this high-stakes clash unfold, and what does it mean for the region’s future.Edwin Black is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of numerous books translated into 20 languages across 190 countries, with his latest being "Israel Strikes Iran: Operation Rising Lion." His work, spanning human rights, genocide, and the Middle East, has earned multiple Pulitzer Prize nominations and top editorial awards. Black hosts The Edwin Black Show, a weekly podcast exploring history and social justice, and serves as the first scholar-in-residence for the International March of the Living at Auschwitz.You can buy "Israel Strikes Iran: Operation Rising Lion" here:

https://www.amazon.com/Israel-Strikes-Iran-Operation-Backstory/dp/1957798289

Follow Edwin Black on X here:

https://x.com/EdwinBlackBook

Follow Ahnaf Kalam on X here:

https://x.com/AhnafKalam

Buoyed by diplomatic gains, Hamas has now walked away from negotiations. What are Israel’s options in the next period?

Iran has for centuries constituted a resilient multi-ethnic empire, dominated by Persian imperial ambitions. It survived the 20th-century collapse of similar realms like the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. Today, this imperial nature persists, though it is now cloaked in Islamist garb. The Tehran regime perpetuates subjugation through ethnic apartheid, proxy militias, and the expansionist Iranshahr ideology—mirroring historical quests for dominance akin to Russia's "Russian World" or Nazi Lebensraum. Yet, as religiosity fades and ethno-nationalism rises among oppressed Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Baluchis, and others—fueled by protests, economic ruin, and escalating Israeli airstrikes in 2025—demands grow for dismantling this apartheid empire, and its transformation into democratic nation states. How might supporting ethnic minorities to shatter Iran's imperial core redefine its role in the region? What opportunities and challenges could this pose for Israel's security, alliances with Arab states, and the vision of a balanced, post-imperial Middle East?Ahmad Hashemi is a freelance analyst and graduate student in strategic intelligence studies at the Institute of World Politics. His work focuses on Iran, Azerbaijan, and Middle Eastern foreign policy issues. He has written for a number of print and online publications and he is a regular commentator on Iranian politics, Azerbaijan, and regional affairs. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Tehran, an M.A. in regional studies from the School of International Relations in Iran, and an M.A. in defense and strategic studies from Missouri State University.

College campuses have become ground zero for the world’s antisemites to take advantage of democratic norms to espouse their hatred of Jews and the Jewish homeland while coupling their vitriol with physical acts of abuse and intimidation not seen in the West since the years leading up to the Shoah. After many years of both Democrat policymakers and progressive university administrations ignoring the impending explosion of Jew-hatred brewing under their leadership, the atrocities of October 7th shockingly became the impetus for the Islamists and antisemites to unveil their true goals of annihilation of Israel and the destruction of the West. These two aspirations of malign forces working together are now facing pushback from the Trump administration with America’s elite academic institutions finally in the crosshairs. Do not miss this month’s Forum Roundtable featuring three of the most important voices on the topic of antisemitism and Islamism in academia for a must watch program featuring Ruth Wisse, Asaf Romirowsky and Sam Westrop. Ruth Wisse is a distinguished senior fellow at The Tikvah Fund. Lauri Regan is the vice president and treasurer at Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. Asaf Romirowsky is the executive director of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa. Sam Westrop is the director of the Middle East Forum' Islamist Watch project.

In Jordan, King Abdullah II has steered a delicate course through a turbulent region, balancing global alliances with domestic pressures, as vividly captured in The Most American King, the first comprehensive biography of the king. Drawing on over 100 interviews with Abdullah’s classmates, former Jordanian ministers, and CIA directors, author Aaron Magid, a former Amman-based journalist, traces Abdullah’s journey from a Massachusetts prep school and British military academy to the throne. Abdullah, ruling now for over a quarter century, has survived the 2011 Arab Spring upheavals that toppled neighboring leaders, while navigating wars, refugee crises, and internal dissent. His intelligence services have thwarted Al-Qaeda plots. His ties to the US remain deep. But a $15 billion gas deal with Israel, and the decision to host US troops for the 2003 Iraq invasion sparked protests and criticism from the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and other groups. How has Abdullah maintained power in a volatile region while managing these tensions? What do his pro-Western policies mean for Jordan’s future and its role in Middle Eastern geopolitics?

Aaron Magid is the author of The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan and hosts the On Jordan podcast. A former Amman-based journalist, his articles on the Hashemite Kingdom have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Al-Monitor. He holds a B.A. in Arabic and political science from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University.

In southern Syria, the Druze community—split between pro- and anti-Damascus factions—has long navigated alliances amid local Sunni Arabs and shifting regime forces, all entangled in the remnants of Iran's "Axis of Resistance." Yet, Israel's evolving policies over the past few months, from its support for religious and ethnic minorities to tentative outreach toward Damascus's new government, have complicated efforts to dismantle Iranian influence via Hezbollah and lingering Assad loyalists. With the drug trade persisting as a survival lifeline amid economic woes, pushing for decentralization, Israel's initial strategies inadvertently bolstered former Assad regime elements with ties to Hezbollah. How has this intricate web of local actors and illicit economies shaped Syria's post-Assad landscape? What do Israel's contradictory approaches mean for curbing Iran's proxies, stabilizing the border, and resolving the region's unresolved tensions?Dr. Joel D. Parker is a researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East and North African Studies at Tel Aviv University. His work focuses on contemporary Syria, the Levant, radical politics, jihadi ideology and music, and youth movements in the 20th century. He is regularly cited across a number of print and broadcast publications and he is a regular commentator on Israeli, Syrian, Arab, and Levantine politics. He holds an M.A. in Middle East History from Tel Aviv University.

You can follow Joel Parker on X at: https://x.com/J_d_parker

Rising antisemitism, multiculturalism, and postmodern relativism currently threaten the well being and security of Israel and the Jewish people. Josh Hammer argues that the West’s survival hinges on Israel’s strength and the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. From the trauma of October 7, 2023, to global anti-Israel sentiment, the stakes are clear: a proud Jewish heritage is vital to the West’s endurance. How does Israel stand as the West’s bulwark against Islamist terrorism and secular nihilism? What does a grand alliance of Jews and Christians mean for the future of civilization?Josh Hammer is senior editor-at-large of Newsweek, and a fellow with the Edmund Burke Foundation and Palm Beach Freedom Institute. He hosts The Josh Hammer Show, a Newsweek podcast and syndicated radio program, and is a frequent pundit and essayist on political, legal, and cultural issues. He previously served as an editor at the Daily Wire, and his work has appeared in outlets including the Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Daily Mail, National Review, The Spectator, Townhall, Fortune, Fox Business, the Jerusalem Post, the Times of Israel, The Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and Jewish Journal. Josh holds a degree in economics from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

What will Happen Next in Gaza? Is the war coming to an end? Is another temporary ceasefire imminent? Might the long declared IDF military surge to conquer the Gaza Strip be about to begin?Ashley Perry is an advisor to the Middle East Forum’s Israel office. He served as adviser to Israel's minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in 2009-15, and has also worked with Israel's Ministers of Intelligence, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy, Water and Infrastructure, Defense, Tourism, Internal Security, and Immigrant Absorption and as an advisor to The Negev Forum. Originally from the U.K., he moved to Israel in 2001. He holds a B.A. from University College London and an M.A. from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).

For decades, Iran's theocratic regime has wielded unyielding control, fueling regional instability through its nuclear ambitions, proxy militias, and ideological fervor, casting a shadow over the Middle East. Yet, amid escalating internal protests, economic collapse, and external pressures from Israel's precision strikes on key military targets in 2025, whispers of regime change are growing louder. How might a post-regime Iran redefine its role in the region? What opportunities and risks would this present for Israel's security, Arab states' stability, and the broader quest for Middle Eastern equilibrium?Beni Sabti is an Iran expert at the INSS. He was born in Iran in 1972 and raised primarily under the Islamic Revolution regime before escaping to Israel in 1987, where he served in the IDF, primarily as a researcher in projects relating to Iranian culture and influence on cognition, decision making, and media, including leading the establishment of the IDF Spokesperson’s platforms in Persian. Sabti previously worked as a research fellow at JISS in Jerusalem. He gives lectures about issues related to Iran and is a commentator on Iran for media outlets in Israel and abroad. He holds an M.A. in political science and public communications from Bar Ilan University.Follow Beni Sabti on X at: https://x.com/BeniSabti

The Middle East has been transformed by the recent Israel-Iran war, with profound strategic, diplomatic, and military consequences. The war was the culmination of the contest which commenced with the Hamas massacres of October 7, 2023. How will this conflict reshape the Middle East’s power dynamics? What are the prospects for peace or for further escalation? Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh is the director of Eastern Mediterranean Policy at the Middle East Forum, and the founder of GKM Global Consulting. She previously served as a Knesset member for the Blue and White party, making history as the first Druze woman elected to Israel’s parliament. During her tenure, she chaired caucuses on Druze women and regional planning and held key roles on committees addressing women’s rights, the environment, and crime in Arab communities. In 2021, she was appointed by then-Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog as the first non-Jewish Senior Envoy to Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in medical imaging and social sciences from Bar Ilan University and an M.A. in international relations from Haifa University.

For decades, evangelical Christianity championed Israel and religious freedom. As a result, it often found itself clashing with supremacist strands of Islam. Deep concern over Christian persecution—largely in Muslim-majority countries post-Soviet collapse—fueled wariness of political Islam’s aggressive forms. Recently, things have begun to shift. Some evangelical institutions in the US have begun to embrace woke ideologies, softening their stance on Islamism.

Meanwhile, as evangelicalism wanes in the U.S. it is surging in the global south. There, Christians face radical Islam head-on, and staunchly pro-Israel positions remain in the ascendant. This shift is shaping new dynamics. In Iran, for example, evangelicals are quietly building the underground church’s strength, and hoping for the fall of the regime. How will these trends reshape evangelical engagement with Islam and global Christianity’s future?

Andrew J. “A. J.” Nolte, Ph.D., is the director of the M.A. in International Development, M.A. in Government, Ph.D. in Government, and the Israel Institute, and an associate professor. He previously served as an adjunct professor of politics at Messiah College (2013–2017) and taught at George Washington University, Catholic University of America, and National Defense University. His research focuses on political Islam and high modernism in state-formation processes, particularly in Turkey and Indonesia. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics from Catholic University of America.

As Israel’s battle with the Islamic Republic of Iran continues in its new phase of direct conflict after four decades of proxy wars, numerous questions remain. How is Israel defining victory and what means does it have to attain its goals? What role with the U.S. play militarily, diplomatically and politically? What does defeat look like for Iran and what does the future hold for its citizens? What does all of this mean for the Middle East more broadly, including new alliances and the prospects for achieving a final and lasting peace in the region?To help parse through all of these issues from the perspective of the U.S., Israel and Iran are three renowned experts with important insights to share: Victoria Coates, author of The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel - and America - Can Win and vice president of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation; John Hannah, Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy; and Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program senior director and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Lauri Regan, vice president and treasurer at Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.