Analysis Arab States Ending Qatar Blockade Is Really About Biden
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey intend to present the U.S. leader with a new diplomatic map of the Middle East and create a protective wall against any pro-Iranian slide
Zvi Bar'el
Zvi Bar'el is the Middle Eastern affairs analyst for Haaretz Newspaper. He is a columnist and a member of the editorial board. Previously he has been the managing editor of the newspaper, the correspondent in Washington and has also covered the Occupied Territories.
Bar'el has been with Haaretz since 1982, and has written extensively on the Arab and Islamic world. In 2009, he was awarded the Sokolov prize for lifetime achievement in print journalism.
Bar'el has a Ph.D in the History of the Middle East. He teaches at Sapir Academic College and is a research fellow at the Truman Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as at the Center for Iranian Studies.
Analysis For Young Tunisians, Freedom of Expression Doesn’t Pay the Rent
As protests pick up again and threaten to unseat a fragile government, the old regime rears its head, surfing on a wave of nostalgia and historical revisionism
Analysis Jordan Looks to Biden for a Warm Embrace and Lots of Cash
The Hashemite kingdom, which has been battered by COVID-19 and shunned by Trump, will look to Washington with new hope
Analysis A Demoralizing Middle East Awaits Biden, With Iran as His Most Important Test
Another question is whether Biden is seeking to repair the world or whether he will get sucked into the whirlpool that Trump bequeathed him and just try to fix a few things
Analysis Pompeo 'Revealed' Iran's Ties to Al-Qaida, but Tehran Poses Graver Threats to the U.S.
It's an open secret that Iran has become a haven for Al-Qaida, so why did the secretary of state see fit to call Tehran out for it only now?
Analysis Lebanon Is Collapsing, Along With Its Banks and Hospitals
The country is in lockdown, unemployment is over 30 percent, coronavirus patients are being left outside hospitals, theft is soaring – and there’s no government
Analysis Erdogan-picked University Chief Gave Students the Perfect Way to Fight Back
Bogazici University's new rector confessed his love for Metallica, whose 'Master of Puppets' has become the anthem of a protest against President Erdogan’s heavy hand in Turkey's higher education system – where he seeks to reconcile traditionalism with aspirations of international prestige
Analysis How the UAE Is Buying Egypt
Fears from parents that the UAE was trying to shape the next generation of Egyptians through their textbooks were overblown. But the UAE may be able to shape a new Egyptian elite through schools
Analysis Once Allies, Cairo Wrestles Abu Dhabi for Influence in the Middle East
The Gulf states’ reconciliation with Qatar and Israel’s cooperation with the UAE are the latest blows damaging Egyptian President Sissi’s prestige, just as a new U.S. president takes over
Analysis Qatar Showed Force Can Actually Bring Peace in the Middle East
Since the embargo in 2017, Qatar has defied expectations to build new alliances and a more resilient economy. In the regional standoff, it is the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council that blinked first
Analysis A New Government Was Meant to Bring Hope to Yemen. But Then Aden Airport Was Attacked
The deadly attack exposes a tangled web of interests and agendas, with the roles of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia – and Israel – are as unclear as ever
Analysis How Does Israel Fit Into Iraq's Electricity Shortage?
Iraq’s shortage of electricity has driven it to form alliances with several countries – and even Israeli natural gas is implicated in the ensuing tangle
Analysis Egyptian Women Give Up on the Law – and Turn to the Internet for Justice
Blog posts accusing a famous Egyptian film director of sexual harassment and assault raise little hope for an investigation, but put the question of social punishment on the agenda
Analysis A Decade Later, the Arab Spring Gave Us an Important Lesson in Democracy
Ten years have passed since the West got excited over what it hoped would be the imminent democratization of the Arab world. But just as revolutions aren’t created in a day – they don’t end overnight, either
Analysis Where Will the Middle East’s Normalization Roulette Land Next?
An air of reconciliation isn't confined to relations between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries, but it is also sprouting between Arab countries themselves
Analysis Erdogan Reaches Out to Israel – but New Allies Will Influence Jerusalem’s Response
Up until a few years ago, Erdogan’s statements would have been welcomed as an important diplomatic message whose fruits Israel should quickly harvest, but the new geopolitical map demands more caution
Analysis Yemen Is Sinking Into the Red Sea, but Can It Be Saved?
With 80 percent of its citizens living under the poverty line, a unity government was formed last week, but its prospects of surviving are uncertain
Analysis Emirati Cash Lands in Syria, but It Can't Save Its Crumbling Economy
Money from Iran and the UAE winds up in the coffers of security forces and militias, while civilians are short on fuel for food and heating, and rarely have electricity
Analysis After Countless Failures, Could Natural Gas Power a Breakthrough in Israel-Palestine Relations?
As the Middle East awaits the inauguration of President-elect Biden, offshore Mediterranean natural gas could play a role in forging cooperation in the region
Analysis While Its Leaders Snub the Beirut Blast Investigation, Lebanon Is Running on Fumes
The Lebanese government is trying to show investigators that its politicians will not be questioned, while the army and police are getting ready for the streets to erupt anew
Analysis With Biden and Troubles in Europe, U.S. Sanctions on Turkey Are Only the Beginning
Biden, who called Erdogan a dictator, is expected to be tougher on Turkey than Trump
Analysis Morocco’s King Is Rich, but His Country Is Poor
Mohammed VI is not a monarch in the mold of the Persian Gulf countries, and after 21 years in power, the Moroccan king is considered one of the Arab world’s liberal leaders. Now he has agreed to normalize ties with Israel
Analysis To Normalize Ties With Israel, Saudi Crown Prince Must Placate His Father – and Biden
While the king sees his realm as the guardian of the whole Arab world, his son backs a Saudi-first approach. This debate will be key in relations with Israel, Iran and the new U.S. administration
Analysis As Israel Normalizes Ties With Arab Countries, Signs of Renewed Friendship With Turkey
Several developments suggest the beginnings of reconciliation, two years after Ankara recalled its ambassador and 10 after the watershed Mavi Marmara incident, but Israel is in no hurry