Israel

Israel

As a strong ally in the Middle East, Israel’s domestic politics and geopolitical role are of primary concern for the United States. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has confounded one administration after the other, with various attempts at brokering a peace process falling short of success. As Israel inches closer to the east with increased economic cooperation with India and China, as well as semi-discreet displays of engagement with Gulf neighbors, Israel’s independent foreign policy and controversial domestic policies continue to shape its relationship with the United States.

Featured commentary & analysis

Israel and Turkey are not natural rivals. It’s time to stop treating them that way. 

Dispatches Jun 17, 2026

What the US-Iran deal means for the rest of the Middle East (and beyond)

By Atlantic Council experts

Atlantic Council experts look at the ways the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran will affect other countries.
Conflict Economy & Business
Israel and Turkey are not natural rivals. It’s time to stop treating them that way. 

Dispatches Jun 10, 2026

From a gap to a chasm: Diverging US and Israeli interests in the war with Iran

By Daniel B. Shapiro

The once-modest gap between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump has widened in recent weeks.
Conflict Iran
Israel and Turkey are not natural rivals. It’s time to stop treating them that way. 

MENASource May 5, 2026

Dispatch from Beirut: Israel-Hezbollah talks risk falling into a failed, decades-long pattern

By Nicholas Blanford

As the war with Israel revives Hezbollah and divides Lebanon, the ongoing negotiations echo failed 1983 talks.
Conflict Israel

Programs

The Project for Middle East Integration is dedicated to advancing US interests by strengthening relations and trade among key partners and allies in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Learn more

Learn more about the Middle East programs

Middle East Programs

Working with our allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

EXPLORE THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL’S MIDDLE EAST PROGRAMS

Content

MENASource

Oct 8, 2026

Israel and Turkey are not natural rivals. It’s time to stop treating them that way. 

By Alissa Pavia

The West should find ways of managing rather than entrenching both countries further into this competition.

Conflict Geopolitics & Energy Security

In the News

Oct 7, 2026

Charai for Newsmax: Wage War on Terrorism Within: Follow the Money, Share Intelligence

By Atlantic Council

Financial Crimes & Illicit Trade Israel

Dispatches

Oct 6, 2026

Three years after October 7, Israel is facing inward

By Daniel B. Shapiro

A foiled flydubai attack has revived the sense of abandonment many Israelis felt almost exactly three years earlier.

Elections Israel

MENASource

Aug 11, 2026

Israel cannot afford to miss the IMEC moment

By Samantha Sutton

For the next Israeli government, the economic gains of investing in the corridor are worth the political costs.

Israel Middle East

Testimony

Aug 4, 2026

Daniel B. Shapiro testifies to House Foreign Affairs Committee on wartime prospects for regional integration

By Daniel B. Shapiro

Shapiro testified to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa at a hearing titled, “Building a New Regional Security Architecture: The Next Phase of the Abraham Accords."

Israel Middle East

Dispatches

Jul 31, 2026

10 questions (and expert answers) about the deal to disarm Hamas

By Atlantic Council experts

The US-led Board of Peace has announced an agreement that could lead to the disarmament of the Gaza-based terrorist group.

Israel Middle East

Inflection Points

Jul 15, 2026

The defining issues Lindsey Graham leaves behind

By Frederick Kempe

The late senator spent his final days pushing hard for Ukrainian sovereignty and Saudi-Israeli diplomatic normalization.

Israel Middle East

MENASource

Jul 13, 2026

Israel’s next government must prioritize the Abraham Accords

By Amit Yarom and Itai Melchior

The fall election could open a narrow window for Israel to reset its regional strategy and create momentum to expand normalization.

Israel Politics & Diplomacy

Dispatches

Jul 10, 2026

Israel and the new reality of buffer zones

By Miroslav M. Zafirov

If left unchecked, the buffer-zone approach might become less a temporary security measure and more the operating logic of a new regional order.

Conflict Iran

MENASource

Jul 6, 2026

New Middle East corridors are about more than just bypassing the Strait of Hormuz

By Allison Minor

A recent Atlantic Council gathering reveals how initiatives like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) must evolve.

Economy & Business Infrastructure
Load More

Experts

Fellow

Itai Melchior

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Project for Middle East Integration

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Artificial Intelligence Economy & Business

Fellow

Daniel E. Mouton

Former Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Staff

Jonathan Panikoff

Senior Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Economy & Business Financial Regulation

Fellow

Alex Plitsas

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Afghanistan Crisis Management

Staff

Melanie Robbins 

Deputy Director, Realign for Palestine

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Extremism

Fellow

Jean-Loup Samaan

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic Defense Policy
Load More

Events

Online Event Thu, October 15, 2026 • 4:00 pm ET

Brett McGurk on ‘Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7th Hostages’
Israel Middle East Politics & Diplomacy