What's Next for U.S. Policy in the Middle East?

In the aftermath of the October 7th attack by the terrorist group Hamas that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and initially took 245 hostages, Israel launched an unprecedented ground and air counteroffensive into the Gaza Strip. In December of 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the operation would continue for “many more months” and has stated, “Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must demilitarize, and Palestinian society must deradicalize.” To this day, and despite Palestinian deaths surpassing 23,000 in many reports, Israel has not shown signs of relenting its operations in Hamas-controlled Gaza, and regular strikes on U.S. bases and commercial vessels by Iran-backed Houthis are sparking fears of a full regional outbreak.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most contested and unresolved areas in U.S. foreign policy, a wedge issue that spills daily into domestic political debate. The recent visits by Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscore the importance of short-term and long-term strategic commitments; however, can the U.S. broker a path for stability that equally accounts for Palestinian and Israeli interests? Is a two-state solution a viable outcome? Moreover, how should the U.S. avoid escalating or being pulled into a wider conflict in the Middle East?

Featuring
Dr. Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Mr. Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Ms. Mairav Zonszein, Senior Analyst on Israel and Palestine, International Crisis Group

Moderated by
Ms. Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

Welcoming remarks by
Ambassador (ret.) Susan M. Elliott, President & CEO, NCAFP