Arab world

Understanding Arab paradoxical positions in the Iran war - opinion

Arab states avoid direct war with Iran while shaping its outcome, using economic pressure and strategic distance to weaken a regional rival without escalation

|ByDALIA ZIADA
Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026.

Jordan-Syria rapprochement signals new regional axis amid post-war realignment - analysis

Syrian-Jordanian ties are natural because many southern Syrian tribes have connections with people in northern Jordan.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanon Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter walk to their meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S., April 14, 2026.

Arab voices cautiously back Israel-Lebanon talks, blast Hezbollah’s role in war

Commenting on social media platform X, journalist Tony Boulos expressed cautious optimism, writing that “the hope is that the process will mature into a fair peace agreement.

|ByMAARIV ONLINE
IRANIAN PRESIDENT Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech marking the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, in February 2024.

Israel – hegemon or partner? The Middle East is divided- opinion

Israel’s military successes so far are already generating waves across the Middle East regarding its place on the “day after.” 

|ByELIE PODEH, KSENIA SVETLOVA

Qatar, Arab nations to hold emergency summit in Doha over Israeli attack

Arab leaders this week made unscheduled visits to Qatar, in a show of regional solidarity with Qatar following IDF strikes targeting Hamas leaders in Doha.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2025ByAMICHAI STEIN
A damaged building, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders, according to an Israeli official, in Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025

Arab states increase focus on Gaza City battle as Israel intensifies military offensive - analysis

Al-Ain reports that some Israeli officials “make no secret of their desire to promote the ‘voluntary migration’ of Palestinians,” though experts describe this proposal as “unrealistic.”

AUGUST 30, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
An Israeli armoured personnel carrier (APC) manoeuvres on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, Israel August 19, 2025

Voices from the Arab press: Withdrawal of US forces from the region is off the table

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

AUGUST 2, 2025ByTHE MEDIA LINE
RECRUITING POSTER for US armed forces, 1917.

Jabotinsky's ‘Iron Wall’: The strategic doctrine Israel desperately needs - opinion

The Iron Wall was never just about force. It was about vision and the clarity to defend our legitimacy unapologetically and understand our enemies.

JULY 30, 2025ByDEBORAH DANINO HARKHAM
Ze’ev Jabotinsky, founder of Revisionist Zionism

French FM: Arab countries will condemn Hamas to recognize Palestinian state

Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand the removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian Authority so it can receive 2 billion euros, he said, which it is owed.

JULY 27, 2025ByREUTERS
France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot delivers a speech after a meeting with European partners to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Quai d'Orsay) in Paris, France, June 19, 2025.

Grapevine, July 11, 2025: When the writer becomes the story

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

JULY 11, 2025ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
JERUSALEM POST Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein, who is one of a handful of Israeli journalists who have more than once been among the recipients of B’nai B’rith journalism awards, is interviewed by Yuna Leibzon.

Deterrence to diplomacy: Can Israel’s military might facilitate Middle East peace? - opinion

It overestimates the appeal of military might while ignoring the real motivations that have historically led Arab states to normalize relations with Israel.

JULY 8, 2025ByGIL MURCIANO
A PALESTINIAN woman looks on at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City earlier this week. The Gaza war has returned the Palestinian issue to center stage, linked to any key movement on normalization, states the writer.

Grapevine June 25, 2025: Yesteryear, today and tomorrow

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

JUNE 25, 2025ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
ADAM MONTEFIORE.

From the Basij to Balochistan: How Iran has encircled the Arab world - opinion

Iran’s peripheral militias and quiet encirclement of the Arab world.

JUNE 19, 2025ByCATHERINE PEREZ-SHAKDAM
MEMBERS OF Iran’s Basij militia force attend an anti-Israel march in Tehran last week before Israel launched its attacks. It’s a quiet war of encirclement, exemplified by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s patience, theological certainty, and strategic depth, says the writer.

How the keffiyeh has been co-opted and weaponized - opinion

The keffiyeh is now worn as a symbol of violence, terror, incitement, and antisemitism.

JUNE 19, 2025ByALAN BAKER
A STATUE of George Washington is tied with a Palestinian flag and keffiyeh at George Washington University in Washington last year. The keffiyeh is consistently employed as a symbol of revolt, incitement, and terror, says the writer.