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Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIsrael’s Use of White Phosphorus and the Inadequacy of International Law
Aug 7, 2024Karam BurjasOn October 16, 2023, Israel indiscriminately targeted civilians in Al-Duhayra, a town in Southern Lebanon, with a chemical agent that can burn skin to the bone…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawThe ICJ Decision on Israel’s Occupation of the Palestinian Territories
Jul 26, 2024Jonathan KuttabOn Friday, July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its Advisory Opinion in the case brought before it on Israel’s occupation of the Pale…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawICC Cases Against Israel and Hamas: A Preliminary Assessment
May 24, 2024Susan Akram John QuigleyThe Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim A.A. Khan, announced on May 20 that his office had applied for arrest warrants against both Isr…
- Viewpoint
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawThe ICJ Moves to Protect International Law from Israeli Transgressions
May 24, 2024Khalil E. JahshanThe International Court of Justice (ICJ) today issued its long-awaited decision regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip and the case advanced by South Africa…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIs International Law Still Relevant after the Carnage in Gaza?
Apr 23, 2024Susan Akram John QuigleyAccording to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the death toll in Gaza by Israel’s onslaught has passed 34,000 Palestinians, …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human RightsIsraeli Non-Compliance with ICJ Provisional Orders
Mar 20, 2024Jonathan KuttabOn January 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) indicated preliminary measures in the case brought against Israel by South Africa under the Genocide C…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawThe ICJ Case on Israeli Occupation: A Report
Mar 4, 2024Jonathan KuttabOn February 19, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began public hearings on the issue referred to it by the General Assembly of the United Nations, by vi…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawThe Case for Prosecuting Israel for Genocide in Gaza
Dec 14, 2023Jonathan KuttabThe current Israeli war on Gaza has given rise to questions about whether it is possible to invoke the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIsrael, Gaza, and the Laws of War
Oct 27, 2023Jonathan KuttabAddressing his troops as they amass to attack the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant publicly announced that the new Israeli war cabinet, wh…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human RightsThe International Criminal Court’s Failure to Hold Israel Accountable
Sep 12, 2023Jonathan KuttabAlthough the International Criminal Court was created by the Rome Statute in 1994, it has never successfully been used to hold Israel to account for its abuses…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIsrael’s Practices and Its “Respect” for Jordan’s Role in Jerusalem: A Legal Study
Jun 27, 2023Anis Fawzi KassimMany observers have objected to the Abraham Accords that were signed between Israel and various Arab states, each for their own reasons. I myself staunchly opp…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonIdentity Politics and SectarianizationBeirut Port Explosion: A “Judicial Coup” to Bury the Investigation?
Feb 9, 2023Halim ShebayaThere is broad consensus in Lebanon regarding the need to reform the country’s judiciary and to work toward enhancing its independence, as stipulated by both t…
- Policy Analysis
YemenInternational LawChild Soldiers in Yemen: Cannon Fodder for an Unnecessary War
Feb 2, 2023Afrah NasserRecruitment of children as actual or auxiliary soldiers in Yemen’s ongoing war is one of the most dire developments in the conflict since its initial eruption …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human RightsBooklet #261: An Example of Israel’s Legal System in the West Bank
Jun 13, 2022Jonathan KuttabIn May 2022, the Israeli commander in the West Bank issued the latest set of regulations for the occupied territories in the form of Booklet #261. The booklet …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawJerusalem’s Status Quo Agreement: History and Challenges to Its Viability
Jun 7, 2022Mounir MarjiehIn all initiatives and negotiations for a final and peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine, Jerusalem has proved to be the toughest final-status issu…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyBiden and the Israeli Settlement Elephant in the Room
Jan 5, 2022Yousef MunayyerOne of Barack Obama’s first acts as president was to create the position of envoy for “Middle East peace.” George Mitchell, whom the president named for this p…
- Policy Analysis
Media and TechnologyBetween Conflicts, Politics, and COVID-19: Challenges for Arab Journalists
Dec 30, 2021Sahar KhamisThe number of imprisoned journalists worldwide reached a record high in 2021. As one of the more dangerous regions, the Arab world poses abundant threats for…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsRehabilitation of the Assad Regime
Dec 15, 2021Radwan ZiadehWith the approaching date of the next Arab Summit to be hosted by Algeria in March 2022, some member countries of the League of Arab States have become more vo…
- Policy Analysis
Justice, Equality, and Human RightsA “Crisis of Relevance”: UN Failures in the MENA Region
Oct 5, 2021Yara M. AsiOn September 21, 2021, in front of the same green marble tile where many of his predecessors and other prominent world leaders have spoken, US President Joe Bi…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionRebuilding Gaza, Yet Again
Jun 17, 2021Yara M. AsiIn 2012, the United Nations issued a dire warning: change the situation, now, or the Gaza Strip may no longer be a livable place by 2020. Unemployment, poverty…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIs International Criminal Justice Coming for Israel?
Feb 17, 2021Jonathan KuttabOn February 5, the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled, for purposes of its jurisdiction, that Palestine is a state. The chief prosecutor who sought this …
- Policy Analysis
JordanConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Israeli Annexation Plan and Jordan’s West Bank Moment
Jun 3, 2020Joe MacaronJoe Macaron argues that as Netanyahu makes plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, Jordan faces difficult choices in appeasing domestic critics and pre…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawAssessing Options for a Palestinian Response to Israeli Annexation
May 28, 2020Yousef MunayyerAfter 18 months of false starts and three attempts, Israeli elections have finally yielded a governing coalition that has brought together its largest parties,…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human RightsThe Nakba 72 Years On: The Current Status of the Question of Palestine
May 15, 2020Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Yousef Munayyer Marwan Bishara Diana ButtuArab Center Washington DC research fellows and associates share their opinions and perspectives on the question of Palestine as Palestinians and the world mark…
- Viewpoint
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIsrael Has Effective Control over Gaza
Mar 28, 2020Jonathan KuttabDuring the coronavirus pandemic Israel must understand and implement its obligations toward Gaza’s citizens and abide by its responsibilities under the Geneva …
- Policy Analysis
EgyptJustice, Equality, and Human RightsState Terror in Egypt: Is It Time for Accountability?
Feb 28, 2020Khalil Al-AnaniThis article by Khaill Al-Anani examines the Egyptian regime’s tools for such repression and the lack of pressure by western governments to hold it accountable…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyGlobal Reactions to the Trump Peace Plan
Feb 20, 2020Yousef MunayyerYousef Munayyer cautions that Trump’s position and weight as president of the United States influence how the international community reacts to his plan for Pa…
- From our Affiliates
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy“Deal of the Century”: What Is It and Why Now?
Feb 4, 2020Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)While the circumstances may seem favorable in the United States and Israel for the implementation of Trump’s so-called peace plan, it is unlikely to win popula…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionSyria’s Problems Worsen While UN Efforts Fail
Dec 4, 2019Radwan ZiadehSyria’s deteriorating economic conditions and the failure of UN-sponsored discussions about a constitutional document indicate that the Syrian people will cont…
- Viewpoint
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyUS Policy Reversal on Israeli Settlements
Nov 21, 2019Khalil E. JahshanKhalil E. Jahshan believes that the Trump Administration’s policy reversal about Israeli settlements is an overture to the president’s evangelical supporters a…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIsrael’s Arguments for the Legality of Settlements under International Law
Nov 21, 2019Jonathan KuttabJonathan Kuttab lists Israel’s repeated arguments about its illegal settlements on the West Bank and rebuts them by referencing the Geneva Conventions and inte…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawThe Greenblatt Fallacy
Jun 19, 2019Imad K. HarbMr. Greenblatt’s extolling the virtues of the Bahrain meeting later in the month to supposedly improve the Palestinians’ economic conditions is condescending a…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawFriedman’s West Bank Annexation Remarks: Political Implications
Jun 17, 2019Khalil E. JahshanAmbassador Friedman’s remarks about Israel’s right to annex parts of the West Bank signal that the Trump Administration may be ready to endorse another Israeli…
- Policy Analysis
IranInternational LawOn the Lebanese-Israeli Border, US and Iran Are Negotiating
Jun 5, 2019Joe MacaronA breakthrough in Beirut is helping American mediation in the land and maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, but many obstacles still prevent a q…
- Viewpoint
LevantInternational LawTrump and the Occupied Syrian Golan Heights
Mar 25, 2019Radwan ZiadehTrump’s presidential proclamation officially recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory will have serious implications for international law, US role i…
- Viewpoint
LevantInternational LawDo Not Recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Occupied Golan
Mar 15, 2019Imad K. HarbBy agreeing to Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, the Trump Administration would be dealing a serious blow to its global influence––let alone its moral …
- Viewpoint
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionIt May Be Time to Go Beyond Zionism
Mar 8, 2019Laurie KingIt is necessary to distinguish between hatred of Jews and valid and overdue criticism of Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law.
- Viewpoint
Saudi ArabiaInternational LawThe Khashoggi Affair: Saudi Denial 2.0
Feb 14, 2019Khalil E. JahshanSaudi Arabia continues to deny its leadership’s responsibility for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, despite all the evidence that has emerged since his assassin…
- Viewpoint
IraqInternational LawTrump’s Visit Violated Iraq’s Sovereignty
Jan 8, 2019Abdulwahab Al-QassabWhile many in Iraq considered Trump’s visit a violation of sovereignty, there is no plan for changing the ongoing security relationship with the United States …
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign PolicyMohammed Bin Salman and the “Deal of the Century”
Dec 17, 2018Yousef MunayyerMbS has proven that he is the wrong man for the job of marketing Trump’s deal. If Trump goes ahead with his peace plan with MbS as his salesman, expectations o…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaInternational LawMohammed bin Salman Tries to Polish His Image at the G20
Nov 29, 2018Imad K. HarbLooking at what has transpired since Khashoggi’s death, MbS’s participation in the G20 is unlikely to help him polish his image or restore his reputation.
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and GovernanceThe Global Magnitsky Act and Saudi Arabia
Oct 26, 2018Marcus MontgomeryThe Trump Administration prefers to accept a plausible story about the Khashoggi killing that allows the president to maneuver away from sanctioning Saudi indi…
- Policy Analysis
International LawJohn Bolton vs. Bureaucratic Washington: Implications for the Middle East
Oct 11, 2018Marcus MontgomeryHow effectively Bolton steers the NSC through the gauntlet of Washington’s bureaucracy will go a long way in determining US policy toward the Middle East and N…
- Policy Analysis
International LawTrump’s Unprincipled “Principled Realism” Benefits Trump, Not the World
Oct 5, 2018Daniel BrumbergTrump’s speech at the UNGA set out the basic dividing line that separates the Trump Administration from the normative, institutional, and legal consensus that …
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawArab Leaders Return from New York with Little to Show
Oct 4, 2018Joe MacaronRepresentatives of Arab governments delivered their remarks at the United Nations General Assembly last week. A review of the 16 speeches shows that they focus…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawA September to Forget: Trump, Netanyahu, and Abbas at the UNGA
Oct 3, 2018Yousef MunayyerThe major addresses by Trump, Netanyahu, and Abbas at the UN General Assembly failed to achieve any advances on the question of Palestine. The Palestinians con…
- Policy Analysis
International LawTrump’s UN Performance: Does the US Have a Strategy?
Sep 28, 2018Joe MacaronThe Trump Administration's performance at the United Nations General Assembly raises questions about whether Washington has a clear and consistent strategy to …
- Policy Analysis
International LawTrump Brings His “America First” Agenda to the United Nations
Sep 25, 2018Joe MacaronFor the second time since assuming power last year, President Donald Trump comes to the United Nations (UN) with his “America First” agenda, his Administration…
- Viewpoint
LevantInternational LawThe Trump Administration’s “Peace Plan” Threatens Global Peace and Security
Sep 12, 2018Tamara KharroubOn September 10, 2018, the United States ordered the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) office in Washington, DC. A statement by the Depa…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawIsrael Returns to Basics in Syria: “Better the devil you know”
Aug 15, 2018Joe MacaronAfter nearly seven years of unrest next door, Israel opted to coexist with the Assad regime and to return to the stability in the occupied Golan Heights that l…
- Viewpoint
LevantInternational LawIsrael Legalizes Apartheid and Ethnocentric Supremacy
Jul 20, 2018Khalil E. JahshanFor a government that has coined its own term—“Hasbara,” the Hebrew word for “explanation”—for its international propaganda efforts, Israel never fails to amaz…
- Policy Analysis
International LawIn Helsinki, Trump and Putin Will Bargain over Syria and Iran
Jul 12, 2018Charles W. DunneTo avoid policy disaster at the Helsinki summit, Trump and his team must develop a clear idea of what they want from Putin on the Middle East and be prepared t…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawUS Jerusalem Embassy vs. Nakba: A Moment of Truth for World Leaders
May 17, 2018Tamara KharroubTrump has walked back his declaration to bring US troops in Syria home “very soon” in light of pressure from advisors and allies, but he risks embroiling the U…
- Viewpoint
LevantInternational LawThe United States Abdicates Its Responsibilities in the Middle East
May 17, 2018Imad K. HarbIt is impossible to see how the massacre of unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza or the moving of the American embassy to Jerusalem will help chart a way out…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawThe Gaza “Great March of Return”: Regional and International Reactions
Apr 6, 2018Khalil E. JahshanDespite the bloodshed, from a Palestinian perspective the Great March of Return was a resounding success, beating expectations and fueling enthusiasm for more …
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionTurkey’s Kurdish Conundrum in Syria
Jan 24, 2018Mustafa GurbuzAs Turkey conducts its military operations against Syrian Kurdish militiamen ostensibly to secure its border with Syria, it finds itself needing to reconcile d…
- Policy Analysis
JordanInternational LawTrump Has Upended the Foundation of the Middle East Peace Process
Jan 18, 2018Yousef MunayyerAfter the Jerusalem decision, questions remain about whether Trump and his circle will realize the folly of their policies and the tremendous damage they will …
- Policy AnalysisLevantInternational Law
Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration: The Oslo Era’s Final Act
Dec 13, 2017Yousef MunayyerTrump’s declaration about Jerusalem isolated the United States, unified the Arab and Muslim worlds, and may have given the Europeans a chance to play a role as…
- Policy Analysis
JordanInternational LawTrump’s Jerusalem Announcement: Big Gambit, Little Gain
Dec 6, 2017Tamara KharroubThis is indeed a shameful day for the United States, where accrediting military force, violating international law, and supporting apartheid in Jerusalem mark …
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionMahmoud Abbas: A Lone Voice in the UN Wilderness
Sep 29, 2017Khalil E. JahshanPresident Abbas’s speech before the United Nations was true to the Palestinian essentials of appealing for justice in Palestine, denouncing Israel’s excesses a…
- Policy Analysis
IranInternational LawTrump’s United Nations Speech: More of the Same
Sep 20, 2017Marcus MontgomeryPresident Trump’s speech before the UN mixed isolationism and economic nationalism with calls for international consensus building, two irreconcilable position…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionA Discussion of the UN Report on “Israeli Practices Regarding the Palestinians and the Question of Apartheid”
Jun 8, 2017Virginia TilleyThe two-state solution will allow Israel as an apartheid state to rule over a smaller portion of historical Palestine but will not be a just solution for the c…
- Policy AnalysisEnergy and Economics
The American-Russian Strategic Competition in the Arab Middle East
Mar 23, 2017Abdulwahab Al-QassabThe Historical ContextThe presence of global powers in the Arab Middle East region is not new. American and Russian involvement goes back to the 18th and 19th …
- Policy AnalysisInternational Law
Trump’s Defense Budget Militarizes US Foreign Policy
Mar 7, 2017Joe MacaronThe signature blueprint of any US president is the federal budget. Donald Trump is giving us an insight into how he views the world and what resources he inten…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
UN Security Council Passes Resolution Against Israeli Settlements
Dec 23, 2016Tamara KharroubOn Wednesday, December 21, 2016, Egypt circulated a draft resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlements and demanding Israel to “immediately and complet…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionAssessing the Potential Impact of the Paris Peace Conference: Vive la France or Forget Paris?
Jun 4, 2016Yousef MunayyerOne hundred years after the Sykes-Picot agreement, international stakeholders met in Paris on June 3 to discuss the outlines of an Israeli-Palestinian peace pl…
- Policy AnalysisLevantInternational Law
Navigating Pitfalls and Opportunities: Obama’s Parting Shot on Israel/Palestine
May 17, 2016Yousef MunayyerPresident Obama, who gave his first interview to Al-Arabiya in 2009 and spoke again few months later in his Cairo address about Palestinian aspirations, is now…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Paris Initiative and US Middle East Policy: Paving the Way for the 4th Intifada – Why justice is the only roadmap to peace
May 16, 2016Tamara KharroubIn the middle of the US presidential election season, France has elected to take the opportunity and break the US monopoly over the Middle East peace process, …
