<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Mideast Journal ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Fact-first coverage of the latest news, developments, and controversies emanating from Israel’s war against Hamas & operations in Gaza.]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/explainers</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:01:51 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.mideastjournal.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Could Arab Voters Decide Israel’s 2026 Election?]]></title><description><![CDATA[What Israel’s Arab citizens say about crime, identity and political integration — and why Mansour Abbas’s unprecedented alliance with Jewish Zionist Yoav Segalovitz could make Ra’am a kingmaker after October 27. By Suzan Quitaz AI generated photo of Mansour Abbas and Yoav Segalovitz When Yoav Segalovitz stood beside Mansour Abbas in Nazareth on August 31 and announced that he would run on Ra’am’s list in Israel’s October election, the symbolism was difficult to miss. Segalovitz is Jewish,...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/arab-voters-israel-2026-election-raam-mansour-abbas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9cad3a3b36b5909cb0b502</guid><category><![CDATA[Middle East Policy]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2026 03:23:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_1b43316f240e476aa5d839fa39db6328~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Suzan Quitaz</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Michigan’s Warning: The Antisemitic Takeover of the Democratic Left Is No Longer Theoretical]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Dan Feferman AI-generated image of Abdul El-Sayed waving on stage under red and blue lights. Something important happened in Michigan antisemitism concerns this summer, and American Jews should stop pretending it was just another Democratic primary. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, narrowly defeated centrist Representative Haley Stevens to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in one of America’s most important swing states. He won by roughly one...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/michigan-antisemitism-democratic-left-el-sayed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9a262e950c73fdcf78b417</guid><category><![CDATA[Antisemitism]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 03:07:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_411b4386b15b46939f4a4d8a8ba8cc23~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dan Feferman</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The End of the Honeymoon: How Turkey Preserves the Muslim Brotherhood as Leverage Against Egypt]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ankara has restricted the Brotherhood’s public activities but it has not dismantled the Islamist networks operating from Turkish territory By Moataz Khalil AI-generated image of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shaking hands with stern expressions. The diplomatic rapprochement between Cairo and Ankara is facing a quiet but consequential test. The restoration of high-level relations created the impression that Egypt and Turkey had overcome the disputes that divided them after the...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/turkey-muslim-brotherhood-egypt-leverage</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a98b067791a324bc1006f80</guid><category><![CDATA[The Muslim Brotherhood]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:39:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_48189ad5199a41a7a3d1b89a7e80f45e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_940,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Moataz Khalil</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happened in Qusra? Settler Violence, Mike Huckabee and Israel’s Response]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Uri Pilichowski AI generated photo of Qusra The West Bank village of Qusra has become a test case for a much larger question: can Israel confront extremist violence within its own society while resisting attempts to portray an entire population as responsible for the actions of a fringe? That question became more urgent on August 29, when dozens of Israeli rioters entered Qusra and, according to the IDF, took over a Palestinian home while members of the family were still inside. Israeli...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/what-happened-in-qusra-settler-violence-mike-huckabee-and-israel-s-response</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a94bf0621ca4b8be96960eb</guid><category><![CDATA[Israel-Palestine]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:05:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_e3d9f02db0d54cce82663ab23f4bf9ef~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Uri Pilichowski</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Allies by Choice: Why Greece, Cyprus and Israel Need a Strategic Alliance]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Dr. Marios P. Efthymiopoulos AI generated photo of the leaders of the three countries From Partnership to Strategic Alliance Greece, Cyprus and Israel are no longer simply three friendly countries cooperating in the Eastern Mediterranean. Missile warfare, drones, terrorism, cyber threats and attacks on critical infrastructure are increasingly turning their partnership into something more consequential: an emerging strategic alliance. Greece and Cyprus stand with Israel as allies by...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/greece-cyprus-israel-strategic-alliance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a918367968a722ed6375a9a</guid><category><![CDATA[Middle East Policy]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:04:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_ba5e829d82574e43afe47cad0fba71f7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Marios P. Efthymiopoulos</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gaza Kites: Hamas Has Weaponized Innocence Before - Let’s be Extra Careful]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Dan Feferman Kites sent from Gaza were found in Israel. Credit: Israeli media The latest Gaza kites carried no explosives. But the history they evoke—from incendiary attacks to the strategic deception preceding October 7—is anything but innocent. The Gaza kites recovered this week carried no explosives. The history they evoke is not innocent. While international attention has focused on implementing Phase II of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan—a process meant to connect Hamas’s...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/gaza-kites-hamas-incendiary-playbook</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8f72058bec28748d3a5c6a</guid><category><![CDATA[War in Gaza]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 23:16:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_d1ad60d1d3274cee85f448a4c885adfd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_768,h_432,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dan Feferman</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The “Muslim Vatican”? How the Mecca Defense Pact Could Redefine the Middle East]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Dr. Najwa AlSaeed AI image of the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan This summer, while travelling through Italy, I spent a day in Vatican City. Standing in St Peter’s Square, surrounded by pilgrims from every continent, I began to wonder whether Saudi Arabia could one day follow a comparable path: separating the holy cities of Mecca and Medina institutionally from the political apparatus of the state, much as the Vatican ultimately became sovereign and distinct from Italy. The...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/mecca-defense-pact-muslim-vatican-middle-east</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8ec549bab42b2ae4718d3c</guid><category><![CDATA[Middle East Policy]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:35:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_fb369c5aa4ba4ff994be541846d8bd16~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Najwa AlSaeed</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Strait of Hormuz Crisis and the Limits of Iranian Coercion]]></title><description><![CDATA[AI generated photo of Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz By Dr. Robert G. Rabil With the 60-day U.S.-Iran negotiating period now expired and the two sides still far apart, the Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the confrontation. Traffic through one of the world’s most important energy corridors remains a fraction of prewar levels, while Washington and Tehran continue to disagree fundamentally over the terms under which normal navigation would resume. The immediate dispute raises a...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/strait-of-hormuz-iran-us-crisis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8b63ee16311e234318e12f</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 23:11:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_c59c3a7ee30f47b68101c3802e1b6eac~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_832,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Robert G. Rabil</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the Islamic Republic Became the IRGC Republic: Why the Revolutionary Guards Hold the Key to U.S.-Iran Talks]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ali Khamenei’s death did not topple the Islamic Republic. Instead, it exposed the growing power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps  and why understanding the IRGC is now essential to understanding Iran, its regime and its negotiations with Washington. The IRGC has evolved from a revolutionary militia into the institutional backbone of the Islamic Republic. (Illustrative image) For years, a recurring assumption in Western and Israeli discussions of Iran held that the Islamic Republic was...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/when-the-islamic-republic-became-the-irgc-republic-why-the-revolutionary-guards-hold-the-key-to-u-s</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8b2255fe6fd82d150730eb</guid><category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category><category><![CDATA[Gulf]]></category><category><![CDATA[Middle East Policy]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 17:01:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_674940dc23204fe18ffd3cccae1550bb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Moataz Khalil</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lebanon’s General Amnesty Law Opens Door for Lebanese in Israel to Return — But Implementation Could Decide Who Comes Home]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Tony Boulos AI-generated image featuring the Israeli and Lebanese flags. Lebanon’s newly adopted general amnesty law does more than address Islamist detainees, drug-related offenses and thousands of prisoners affected by lengthy sentences. It also reopens one of the country’s most politically sensitive and long-neglected files: the fate of Lebanese citizens who fled to Israel following Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000. Under the new legislation, Lebanese citizens...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/lebanon-general-amnesty-lebanese-israel-return</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a87b30366245cbb70d80a50</guid><category><![CDATA[Middle East Policy]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 02:27:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9b2178_14633dcce7914893a48aaa42f6cbcfe1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Tony Boulos</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Settler Violence in the West Bank Is Spiking. What Does It Mean?]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Uri Pilichowski Area of the Palestinian village of Qusra. Credits: https://t.me/moriahdoron/33059 Recent attacks on Palestinians have put settler violence back in the headlines. The violence is real and demands action. But understanding its scale, causes and possible solutions requires separating several different phenomena that are too often collapsed into a single story. For several days in August, Palestinian families on the edge of the West Bank village of Qusra found themselves...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/west-bank-settler-violence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a865e0fc6c8f2fd385fab1e</guid><category><![CDATA[Israel-Palestine]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 02:51:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_11bde23b9f9d4cd5be11668a556cfd48~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_960,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Uri Pilichowski</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Tripartite Strategic Pact: How Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey Could Reshape Middle East Security]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Ahmed Khuzaie AI generated photo of Erdoğan, MBS and Shehbaz Sharif. The new defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey could mark a major shift in the Middle East’s emerging security order. Signed in Mecca on August 7, the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement commits the three countries to a simple but consequential principle: an armed attack on one will be considered an attack on all. The agreement is designed to strengthen collective deterrence and deepen defense cooperation...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/tripartite-strategic-pact-saudi-pakistan-turkey</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a824792a7a7d1a936d86bb0</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:38:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_0f79de0aef444ecfaf056820abfbf404~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Ahmed Khuzaie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Have the Abraham Accords Become a National Necessity for Sudan?Sudan’s Future Series – Part I]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Dr. Tayseer Mustafa This infographic illustrates Sudan’s critical geopolitical role, showing key economic corridors and resource distribution as part of an emerging partnership bloc with regional allies. After more than three years of war, the question occupying the minds of ordinary Sudanese is no longer who was right and who was wrong. For the citizen who has lost a home, a livelihood, or a loved one, the priorities are far more immediate: security, stability, and a genuine opportunity...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/have-the-abraham-accords-become-a-national-necessity-for-sudan-sudan-s-future-series-part-i</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8239880d24f7afd0f3dbb5</guid><category><![CDATA[The Abraham Accords]]></category><category><![CDATA[East Africa]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:41:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_8c53f15480b745208158444b1f2df5ed~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Tayseer Mustafa</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Underestimate Israel at Your Own Peril: What October 7 Revealed About Israeli Military Strength]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hussain Abdul-Hussain Smoke rises as Palestinians run through the broken Gaza border fence, October 7, 2023 The devastating events of October 7 did not happen in a vacuum. They were the direct result of a decades-long erosion of Israeli deterrence, a period during which Iran and its primary proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, became dangerously convinced that Israel had lost its military might and its will to fight. To their surprise, and to the dismay of the antisemites around the world, the...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/underestimate-israel-at-your-own-peril-what-october-7-revealed-about-israeli-military-strength</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7e35ba53dd17c774cd805a</guid><category><![CDATA[War in Gaza]]></category><category><![CDATA[Israel-Palestine]]></category><category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 21:35:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_a85d0734434e4f5484a44f8136a5dc58~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_708,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Hussain Abdul-Hussain</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hamas Says It Will Disarm in Gaza. But Will It Really Give Up Its Weapons? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hamas has accepted a framework for disarmament. Israel has now rejected the 15-point plan built around it. Is this a historic opening, a face-saving formula for Hamas to admit defeat or simply another strategy to buy time, preserve power and survive? By Dan Feferman and Moataz Khalil Hamas militants in Gaza. Credit: qassambrigades - Telegram For nearly four decades, Hamas has built its identity around one central idea: resistance. Its weapons were never merely instruments of war against...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/hamas-disarmament-gaza-israel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7930c1421979b2d9789966</guid><category><![CDATA[War in Gaza]]></category><category><![CDATA[Israel-Palestine]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:13:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_c1b9115035454cb48cd38454c5344dfa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_667,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Moataz Khalil</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Iran’s Militias: A Cancer Devouring the Middle East—and a Threat Far Beyond It]]></title><description><![CDATA[A MidEast.Journal Field Guide to Iran’s Militias and Proxies By Tony Boulos AI generated photo of Hezbollah fighters march in camouflage and caps, carrying yellow and green flags. They are stepping on a large blue Star of David painted on the pavement. At last, the threat has been described in language equal to its magnitude. President Donald Trump recently compared the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran to a “cancer,” arguing that such a threat had to be cut out before it could spread. The...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/iran-proxy-militias-middle-east-sovereignty</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a762ae4d14623d43d412a3e</guid><category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category><category><![CDATA[Middle East Policy]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:23:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_b217181e5a274053b9a489d4b6822649~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_832,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Tony Boulos</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Iran Corruptions network: “Sultans” Are Destroying Its Economy, But the Regime Cannot Survive Without Them]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Meir Javedanfar AI-generated image of Mojtaba Khamenei. Between 2019 and 2022, an Iranian company importing tea received roughly $3.4 billion in subsidized foreign currency. The scandal was exposed in 2023 and later implicated more than 60 people, including two former ministers.  But the real story was not tea. It was power. No company could secure billions in state currency without access to ministries, banks, customs officials and political protection. Iran’s “Sultans” do not operate...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/iran-corruption-network-mojtaba-khamenei</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a73e9f8cc18b115026f28a2</guid><category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:22:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_36190807b6594c7c9f9e6719ee35db44~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meir Javedanfar</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Man Who Taught Bin Laden's Teacher a Muslim Brother]]></title><description><![CDATA[Al-Qaeda and ISIS didn't invent their ideology from nothing. They inherited it from Bin Laden's teacher — a prisoner in a Cairo jail cell who belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood. Congress is finally asking why that lineage still gets a pass. By Michael Arizanti AI-generated editorial illustration depicting Sayyid Qutb in prison Before Bin Laden, There Was Sayyid Qutb—and the Muslim Brotherhood Al-Qaeda and ISIS did not invent their ideology from nothing. They inherited its central concepts...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/bin-ladens-teacher-muslim-brotherhood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7293d96f3a9867f4d6bd16</guid><category><![CDATA[The Muslim Brotherhood]]></category><category><![CDATA[Radical Islam]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:04:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_9992641fe5f44daf8bf4afbd90ae519d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Michael Arizanti</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Pro-Palestine Protests Flourish in the West but Alarm Arab Governments]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Uri Pilichowski AI-generated editorial illustration depicting a pro-Palestinian encampment on a university campus. Western democracies generally treat pro-Palestine demonstrations as protected dissent. Many Arab governments see the same mobilization as a potential vehicle for Islamist recruitment, political disruption and challenges to state authority. On July 30, British police arrested 117 demonstrators outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court for publicly supporting Palestine Action, an...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/why-pro-palestine-protests-flourish-in-the-west-but-alarm-arab-governments</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6fe0cc16cff318c18667e2</guid><category><![CDATA[Israel-Palestine]]></category><category><![CDATA[Antisemitism]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 02:07:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_18ffeaa58fd44312aadff3873b7c5f5d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Uri Pilichowski</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Greece Is Betting Billions on Israeli Air Defense - and How its Shaping the Eastern Mediterranean]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Dr. Marios P. Efthymiopoulos The photo shows the Israeli Spyder All-in-One (AiO) mobile air defense system at an unspecified location and time.Credits: Rafael Greece's Biggest Defense Bet in Decades Greece's decision to invest approximately €3.5 billion in the Israeli-developed Achilles Shield integrated air defense system is about far more than military procurement. It represents another milestone in the transformation of Greece and Israel from pragmatic regional partners into one of the...]]></description><link>https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/greece-israeli-air-defense-achilles-shield</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6ab0eccd8d822ee17b67b9</guid><category><![CDATA[Middle East Policy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Levant]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:31:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34be11_c8fb27562e9347c7a4dc9c051a334d16~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Marios P. Efthymiopoulos</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>