A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is in place, but tensions remain high. What made this outbreak of war different? Will the violence and unrest impact the Abraham Accords—and the region? What can be done, if anything, to end the cycle of violence? Middle East analyst and negotiator Aaron David Miller is interviewed by journalist Nathan Guttman.
Here is a short introductory guide to what is unfolding, with the acknowledgment that in a situation as fraught and complex as this one, any explainer will necessarily be incomplete.
It’s not about progressive circles questioning America’s unconditional support for Israel, nor is it about the far-left margins of the party that reject the mere idea of supporting Israel. It is about centrist Democrats willing to break rank and express views that—while still supportive of Israel—doubt Israel’s goals and question the tactics in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
This dispatch comes to you from Israel, a nation still trying to overcome the loss of 45 lives during a Lag B’omer celebration on Mount Meron last Thursday.
Nuclear talks with Iran are resuming. Absent from the table will be the United States, which dropped out of the nuclear deal in 2018.
