In April 2026, Cheng Li-wun, Chairwoman of the National People’s Party Kuomintang (KMT), and leader of Taiwan’s primary opposition, arrived in Shanghai. The pinnacle of the visit was a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping—the first meeting in nearly a decade between the leadership of these two historic parties. Cheng described the visit as a “journey of peace” and an attempt to ease tensions with China, while her critics in the Taiwanese government viewed the move as problematic, labeling it a “shameful...
In recent years, a profound shift has occurred in China’s economic involvement in Israel, which, since 2020, has been reflected in a sharp and sustained decline in both the volume of investments and the number of transactions. Chinese investment hit its lowest point in 2023, totaling only 39 million NIS, about 0.12% of all foreign investment in Israel that year. This trend stems from several factors: intensifying great-power competition and US pressure to limit Chinese involvement in sensitive sectors; the establishment of Israel’s...
A significant part of Hezbollah’s resilience rests on a global money-transfer network embedded within the Lebanese diaspora and in informal remittance systems, as well as on a wide range of illicit revenue streams developed over decades. Therefore, military strikes alone—without an international financial strategy focused on the organization’s financial network—are unlikely to significantly undermine its long-term financing capabilities or its capacity for recovery derived from them. To impair Hezbollah’s financing system, a broader...
The Houthi threat has evolved into a multidimensional challenge with direct implications for Israel and growing relevance for Somaliland. While the Houthis lack the capacity to defeat Israel militarily, they have demonstrated an ability to expand the geographic scope of confrontation, disrupt critical maritime routes in the Red Sea, and serve as a key instrument of Iran’s regional strategy. At the same time, emerging dynamics suggest increasing strain on Iran’s proxy network, potentially rendering actors such as the Houthis more...
The war in Iran confronts Europe and its leaders with difficult dilemmas; not only does it harm the interests of countries on the continent in the Middle East, but it also touches on core issues in contemporary European foreign policy. European states are thus trying to formulate a position that bridges recognition of the Iranian threat, tensions with the Trump administration, reservations about Israel’s strategy, commitment to Gulf security, adherence to international law, and concern over the war’s consequences. So far, however,...
A surge in violent attacks and concern about fallout from the Iran war have heightened attention to the topic of antisemitism in the United States. New research evidence documents the extent of the problem and the depth of concern among Jewish Americans and has intensified a debate inside the Jewish community about how best to respond. The debate has important implications for Israeli policy. Three broad approaches have emerged: a civil rights strategy focused on legal protections and advocacy; an approach emphasizing the need to...
Israel’s dire standing in the United States is evident in polls showing negative attitudes among key constituencies, including younger Republicans, Evangelical Christians, and Democrats of all ages. The mounting hostility toward Israel is compounded by increasingly critical media coverage, particularly of Israel’s role in the war in Iran, moves in the US Congress to condition aid to Israel, and growing scrutiny of the pro-Israel lobby’s activities. If current trends continue—driven in part by Israel’s actions and policies, alongside...
The West Bank arena is in the middle of a conceptual and practical transformation. Under the cover of the essential requirement of “absolute security,” the government is advancing a policy of applying Israeli sovereignty, blocking pathways to a future political settlement, weakening the Palestinian Authority to the point of collapse, and pushing Palestinians out of their places of residence. This policy effectively adopts the principles of the “Decisive Plan” promoted by the government’s ideological right and rooted in the doctrine...
The war between Iran, the United States, and Israel has not, so far, improved the strategic position of the Gulf states; in fact, it may have even worsened it. Despite the damage Iran has sustained, the regime has demonstrated resilience while preserving key levers of pressure—namely, the ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and to strike “bypass” pipelines and land-based critical infrastructure in the Gulf states. At the same time, in the eyes of the Gulf states, the war has sharpened the limitations of the US...
This article examines antisemitic narratives prominent among extremists on both the right and the left in the United States during the US–Israeli military operation in Iran (“Roaring Lion” / “Epic Fury”). These narratives, which are intertwined with the legitimate domestic American debate over the necessity and objectives of the war, accuse Israel of dragging the United States into a war that contradicts American national interests while illegitimately controlling the government. The article concludes with a recommendation that...
The Islamabad summit ended without a breakthrough, underscoring that the nuclear issue remains at the core of the dispute between the United States and Iran. From Washington’s perspective, Iran’s clear commitment not to develop nuclear weapons and not to retain breakout capability is a fundamental precondition for any agreement. Tehran, for its part, insists on its right to continue enriching uranium and sees the US demand as an attempt to impose political capitulation under unilateral terms. In this context, President Trump’s...
Syria, under Ahmed al-Sharaa’s leadership, is not a direct party to the war between the United States and Israel on the one hand and Iran on the other. At the same time, it is neither neutral nor passive. Although Syria is not directly involved in the fighting, Damascus has demonstrated extensive diplomatic activity as it seeks to exploit the regional crisis to distance itself from the Iranian axis, reintegrate into the regional system, and present itself as a constructive and valuable actor. At the same time, Syria is reinforcing...
