Middle East News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of Israel, Iran, and other regional players, with analysis on how Middle East events impact America’s security and global stability.
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opinion
What Makes US-Israel Relations Special?
The relationship between the United States and Israel is usually seen as “special” because of technical matters. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel and the U.S. share vitally important intelligence and technology. But what about shared values? Shortly after America’s new ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, arrived at his post, he… -
opinion
Trump’s Core Strategy in the Middle East
There is an opportunity for the Middle East to be defined “by commerce, not chaos,” President Donald Trump said, speaking at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. The president is using the universal language of economic prosperity as he visits Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates this week, reminding… -
opinion
2 Very Different Hostage Homecomings Show Israel’s Dedication to Its People
It’s been quite a week for Israeli homecomings. On Monday, American-Israeli Edan Alexander was returned to Israel after 584 harrowing days of captivity in Hamas’ dungeons under Gaza. Alexander, now 21, was just 19 years old on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Hamas terror army invaded Israel and took him hostage alongside about 250 other… -
news
Trump Gives Iran Deadline to Accept Terms for a Better Future
President Donald Trump wants to make a deal with Iran to give that country a brighter future without terrorism and extremism, he said Tuesday at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “If I can make a deal with Iran, I’ll be very happy if we’re going to make your region and the world… -
news
Last Living American Israeli Hostage Released Ahead of Trump’s Middle East Trip
Hamas has released Edan Alexander, the last living American Israeli hostage in Gaza, just as President Donald Trump departed the United States for a four-day trip to the Middle East. Trump called Alexander’s release “a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators—Qatar and Egypt—to put an… -
news
Trump in ‘Constant Communication’ With Israel About Freeing Gaza Hostages, Leavitt Says
The Trump administration is in “constant communication and dialogue” with friends in Israel about getting remaining hostages out of Gaza, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday. Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, visited the White House Thursday to meet with the Trump administration about the situation in Gaza. “The president and his entire national… -
news
Former Hamas Hostage Bashes Pulitzer Board for Awarding ‘Modern-Day Equivalent of a Holocaust Denier’
Emily Damari spent nearly 500 days in Hamas captivity after terrorists shot her in the hand and forcibly took her from her home on Oct. 7, 2023. Now, the Pulitzer Prize board has awarded a man who Damari calls the “modern-day equivalent of a Holocaust denier.” The Pulitzer board has awarded Mosab Abu Toha… -
news
Iran Hawks Graham, Cotton Draw Red Line for Deal: No Nuke Program for Tehran
Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton—among Congress’ most adamant defense hawks—made clear Thursday that they will only support a deal with Iran that completely eliminates Tehran's ability to make nuclear weapons. The lawmakers joined forces to promote their Senate resolution on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, a resolution they say is modeled… -
news
‘Every Cop Death Is a Victory’: Antifa Rioters Torch University Building, Attack Police Over Gaza
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Police arrested dozens of protesters at the University of Washington on Monday night after an Antifa-style mob lit fires and took over a building to protest Israel. “About 30 individuals who occupied” an engineering studies building were arrested and will be referred for prosecution, a university spokesperson said in a Tuesday statement. Videos posted on… -
opinion
The Trump-Iran Deal, Explained
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. Just recently, the Houthis, that is the terrorist organization that controls half of Yemen and has… -
news
Israel Approves Plan to Assume Control of Gaza After Trump’s Middle East Trip
Hamas has “a window of opportunity” to agree to a hostage deal with Israel before the end of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week, according to a top Israeli defense official. If no deal is reached, Israel will launch an aggressive campaign inside Gaza aimed at the elimination of Hamas, according… -
news
Analyst Explains Why a Two-State Solution Between Israel and Palestine Won’t Work
JERUSALEM—For decades, many political leaders on the Left and Right alike have advocated for a two-state solution to solve the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, but such a plan is not a viable solution, says Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Eugene Kontorovich. “The best thing about the two-state solution is its name because it… -
opinion
The Art of a Second Iran Deal
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, which he celebrated this week with a characteristically electric campaign-style rally in Michigan, were the fastest and most frenzied 100 days in modern presidential history. And if Thursday’s presidential personnel drama is any indication, the next 100 days could offer more of the same. On Thursday, embattled Trump administration… -
news
Would a Strike on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Mean War? Foreign Policy Expert Explains
TEL AVIV, Israel—Taking out Iran’s nuclear facilities wouldn’t automatically result in war, according to The Heritage Foundation’s Victoria Coates. “We also very strongly believe, and this is the critical point, a strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities does not result, necessarily, in war,” Coates, who serves as vice president of the think tank’s Institute… -
news
WARNING: Middle East ‘Hangs in the Balance,’ Former Israeli Ambassador to US Says
JERUSALEM—Israel’s war with Hamas goes beyond land and borders; it’s a battle for “our common civilization, for our values,” a former Israeli envoy to the United States warns. “The enemy we’re fighting against is an enemy that detests everything that you stand for, everything that we stand for,” Michael Oren, who served as Israeli… -
news
Envoy to Israel Huckabee Says Deal Can Be Reached If Iran Gives Up Ambitions of ‘Nuclear Weaponry’
JERUSALEM, Israel—Iran could see a breakthrough in its nuclear nonproliferation negotiations with the United States, but “it’s up to them,” according to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Iran has “never ever been anything but clear in that their goal is the annihilation of Israel, and ultimately the annihilation of every free-thinking, free-living person… -
news
Saudi Arabia, Qatar Bail Out War-Ravaged Syria
The Middle East was the source of some rare positive news on Sunday when Qatar and Saudi Arabia announced that they would be paying back the some $15 million that Syria owes to the World Bank. The payment will help enable the bank to assist in the rebuilding of Syria after nearly 14 years of… -
news
Who Will Rule Gaza After the War? Ex-IDF Spokesman Sees Just One Option
JERUSALEM, Israel—If Hamas is dismantled and the war between Israel and the terrorist group comes to an end, Israel will need to step in and “rule Gaza” for a time, a former international spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces says. “I think in [an] interim period, Israel will apply a military occupation of it… -
news
Biden vs. Trump: What Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu Says About Working With Each President
JERUSALEM, Israel—When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers were discussing the plan to detonate explosives located inside pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, some close to the Israeli leader encouraged him to give the Biden administration advance warning. Netanyahu refused. “I said, ‘no,’ and we didn’t,” Netanyahu said, adding, “I didn’t read… -
news
Anton to Lead Trump Team Negotiating With Iran
President Donald Trump has chosen Michael Anton, the State Department's director of policy planning, to lead the next round of nuclear negotiations with Iran, Politico reported Thursday. This weekend, Anton will lead a dozen U.S. officials in talks with members of the Iranian government on the subject of constraining the Islamic fundamentalist state’s nuclear program…