Latest Analysis and Commentary
by Pierre Rehov • February 22, 2026 at 5:00 am
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched an ambitious diplomatic offensive aimed at unifying the Sunni world under Ankara's leadership. The objective is not merely reconciliation with former rivals. It is the construction of a Sunni diplomatic and strategic "wall," or "noose," around Israel, replacing the Iranian "Shi'ite crescent" with a new configuration of Sunni power. The Turkish-Saudi reconciliation is particularly significant. Following years of tension after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Ankara and Riyadh have now moved decisively toward strategic cooperation. Turkish and Saudi officials increasingly frame Israel as a destabilizing actor in these theaters. The emerging partnership is not merely economic; it reflects coordinated positioning against perceived external threats, with Israel explicitly cited. Turkey and Egypt have now signed a $350 million military framework agreement covering joint weapons production, intelligence sharing, and military exercises. Turkish air defense systems and munitions are slated for delivery, and bilateral trade is projected to reach $15 billion. As the guardian of the Suez Canal and a dominant actor in North Africa, Egypt provides logistical leverage capable of influencing maritime routes critical to Israel's economy. On February 9, 2026, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint communiqué condemning what they called "Israeli expansionist policies in occupied territories" and calling for Islamic unity. Some analysts describe an emerging "Sunni axis," or noose, influenced by Muslim Brotherhood ideology; backed by Turkish military power, financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and designed, by expanding into Gaza, to encircle and finish off Israel. The UAE, under the impressive leadership of Sheikh Mohamed ben Zayed al Nahyan, pursues a technocratic, anti-political Islam agenda that diverges sharply from Erdogan's ideological sympathies.... Still, the coalition's ultimate aim, apart from the UAE, unmistakably seems to be "containing" Israel. Recently, Saudi media have featured openly anti-Israel and antisemitic headlines not seen in years. The kingdom appears to be totally aligning itself with anti-Israel countries such as Qatar and Turkey, while "tensions with the UAE explode." Egypt, Israel's chilly peace partner since 1979, has reportedly expanded military infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula in ways that should, under the supposed peace treaty, raise serious questions. Turkish and Egyptian intelligence services are reportedly coordinating efforts to counter rival influences and restrict Israel's strategic access. Israeli analysts increasingly describe it as the replacement of Iran's Shiite axis with a Sunni bloc influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood. The coalition presents itself as promoting regional peace. Yet "peace" may translate into the vaporization of Israel, especially should a future Israeli government prove more pliable. Erdogan's participation in "stabilization" efforts would significantly expand Turkish influence within the emerging Sunni crescent. Ankara's well-documented support for Muslim Brotherhood networks — which are Hamas's patrons, ideologically and financially – should raise obvious concerns. Netanyahu's insistence that Israel determine which international actors, if any, operate in Gaza, serves multiple strategic purposes. It prevents Turkish entrenchment in Gaza, maintains Israeli control over post-war arrangements, and signals to Washington that Israel views Turkish expansionism as a long-term threat transcending personal or political relationships. Whatever the obstacles, Erdogan's direction seems clear: a militarily and economically anchored Sunni alignment to constrict Israel's strategic space.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched an ambitious diplomatic offensive aimed at unifying the Sunni world under Ankara's leadership. The objective is not merely reconciliation with former rivals. It is the construction of a Sunni diplomatic and strategic "wall," or "noose," around Israel. Pictured: Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman to Ankara, on June 22, 2022. (Photo by Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)
While much of the world's attention remains fixed on Iran and its Shi'ite axis, another geopolitical realignment is taking shape — more quietly, more pragmatically, and potentially just as consequential for the US, Israel and the Middle East. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched an ambitious diplomatic offensive aimed at unifying the Sunni world under Ankara's leadership. The objective is not merely reconciliation with former rivals. It is the construction of a Sunni diplomatic and strategic "wall," or "noose," around Israel, replacing the Iranian "Shi'ite crescent" with a new configuration of Sunni power.
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by Amir Taheri • February 22, 2026 at 4:00 am
"Look at our times a handful of imposter clerics
Having no notion of reason and science
Having no notion of what man is about
Desperate like donkeys in search of fodder
All they care about is eating and fornicating
Have cast aside notions of shame and honor
They seek nothing but loot and plunder
Alien they are to rules of faith."
— Sanai, 11th century Persian poet, from a samizdat distributed in the "holy" city of Qom, the bastion of Iranian clergy, February 20, 2026, the 40th day of the deaths of thousands of protesters across Iran. Surprisingly, despite unprecedented security deployment, no attempt was made to stop the tract. It quotes an unnamed cleric addressing fellow clerics: "They gave you money to build a school but you built a palace for yourself!" — Editorial in daily Jumhuri Islami, founded in 1979 and owned by "Supreme Guide" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Today, however, every village mullah insists on having a luxury tomb, if not a full-blown shrine with ceramic tiles and mirror work. Before the 1979 revolution, the clergy was largely independent of state funds. In 1977, total government "gifts" to a dozen grand ayatollahs in Qom, Tehran and Mashhad were estimated at $3 million. Today, voluntary donations have evaporated, leaving the clergy dependent on a secular authority that uses a clerical vocabulary. Thus the current wave of attacks on the clergy could come from the "deep state" including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that may be thinking of a post-Khamenei arrangement in which the turbans move stage left to exit.
Last Tuesday, as Iranians organized mourning ceremonies on the 40th day of the deaths of thousands of protesters across the nation, a samizdat with a poem lampooning the clergy was distributed in the "holy" city of Qom, the bastion of Iranian clergy. Surprisingly, despite unprecedented security deployment, no attempt was made to stop the tract. Pictured: The Shrine of Fatima Masumeh in Qom, Iran. (Photo by iStock/Getty Images)
Last Tuesday, as Iranians organized mourning ceremonies on the 40th day of the deaths of thousands of protesters across the nation, a samizdat was distributed in the "holy" city of Qom, the bastion of Iranian clergy. The single-page tract included parts of a poem by Sanai, an 11th century Persian poet lampooning the clergy. Part of it read: Look at our times a handful of imposter clerics
Having no notion of reason and science
Having no notion of what man is about
Desperate like donkeys in search of fodder
All they care about is eating and fornicating
Have cast aside notions of shame and honor
They seek nothing but loot and plunder
Alien they are to rules of faith.
Surprisingly, despite unprecedented security deployment, no attempt was made to stop the tract.
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by Majid Rafizadeh • February 21, 2026 at 5:00 am
A deal would also buy Iran time to rebuild and expand its military capabilities, particularly its drone and ballistic missile program — the largest in the Middle East. "Iran's drones and ballistic missiles can finish 40,000 US troops," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed the US Senate.... Survival today means strength tomorrow. Any deal that allows the mullahs to survive to torture their citizens another day would be looked on by both the international community and history as the pinnacle of American hypocrisy: a permanent stain on the values that the United States and the Free World purport to uphold. America's stature as the world's guarantor of freedom and humanitarian values would be demolished overnight. Conversely, if Trump would just do what he promised -- "Help is on the way" -- his place in history, as one of the greatest leaders for freedom, as in tearing down the Berlin Wall, would be forever assured. It would place him forever in a league with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan. Let us hope he will join these winners and Make Persia Great Again.
A deal would also buy Iran time to rebuild and expand its military capabilities, particularly its drone and ballistic missile program — the largest in the Middle East. "Iran's drones and ballistic missiles can finish 40,000 US troops," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed the US Senate.... Survival today means strength tomorrow. Pictured: A Fattah hypersonic ballistic missile is displayed during a military parade in Tehran, on September 22, 2023. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
There is one thing the Iranian regime needs now more than anything else — something upon which its survival may depend. That lifeline is a deal. Precisely for that reason, at this moment of maximum pressure, President Donald J. Trump's offering Tehran an agreement — especially one that provides sanctions relief, legitimacy, or breathing room — could become the single most consequential mistake of the century. The regime needs a deal because it needs a breath of relief. It is under pressure from several directions simultaneously. Internally, Iran has recently witnessed incessant waves of unrest, protests, and uprisings that cut across class, ethnic, and generational lines, with many Iranians calling for regime change -- despite openly being gunned in the streets.
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by Gordon G. Chang • February 20, 2026 at 5:00 am
The U.S. Department of Commerce has decided to allow American data centers to buy Chinese equipment, thereby permitting Beijing to steal as much as it wants and perhaps remotely control or take down these critical facilities. Moreover, Commerce recently has not implemented a number of other obviously needed restrictions on Chinese technology and Chinese companies. In general, Commerce has shifted its tech-security efforts away from China. Reuters states that late last year "leadership instructed staffers in the office charged with policing foreign tech threats to 'focus on Iran and Russia.'" Last month, Commerce replaced the head of this office with a political appointee. Similarly, last year the administration did not, as it was contemplating, place critical export controls on software. Trade-surplus countries, such as China, have little ammunition in trade wars. They are the ones with everything — their surpluses — to lose. Trump should remember that the next time he refuses to keep out China's Trojan Horse products and services, such as the internet services above.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has decided to allow American data centers to buy Chinese equipment, thereby permitting Beijing to steal as much as it wants and perhaps remotely control or take down these critical facilities. Commerce has also decided not to impose a ban on the U.S. operations of Chinese state-owned China Telecom. (Photo by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Commerce has decided to allow American data centers to buy Chinese equipment, thereby permitting Beijing to steal as much as it wants and perhaps remotely control or take down these critical facilities. Moreover, Commerce recently has not implemented a number of other obviously needed restrictions on Chinese technology and Chinese companies. The Trump administration's effort to protect American infrastructure from China has collapsed. It now appears Beijing has a veto on American tech policy. On February 12th, Reuters reported the Trump administration "has shelved a number of key tech security measures aimed at Beijing." The Commerce Department, in addition to not barring Chinese equipment from data centers, has decided not to impose a ban on the U.S. operations of Chinese state-owned China Telecom.
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by Khaled Abu Toameh • February 19, 2026 at 5:00 am
When addressing Arab audiences in Arabic, however, Hamas leaders and senior officials have been saying the exact opposite. Anyone who believes that Hamas would "keep their word" is grotesquely misguided. Before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, many people seemed to believe Hamas when its leaders used to say that they were interested in maintaining their ceasefire with Israel. Moreover, the assumption that pro-Hamas members of the "Board of Peace" such as Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan would participate in any effort to disarm the terror group is clueless and misinformed. Recent statements in Arabic by two of the terror group's senior officials, Khaled Mashaal and Mahmoud Mardawi, show that Hamas remains vehemently opposed to Trump's plan, specifically the provisions concerning disarmament, the involvement of foreigners in the governance of the Gaza Strip, and the deployment of an international security force there. According to Trump's plan: "There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning..." [Emphasis added.] Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist in any borders and understandably wants to keep its weapons to pursue its Jihad (holy war) to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamist state. "We do not accept the logic of guardianship, external intervention, or a return of the mandate. Palestinians govern Palestinians." — Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas's political bureau abroad, manassa.news, February 8, 2026. It is crucial that the Trump administration and the rest of the international community start paying attention to what Hamas says in its own language, Arabic, not what some of its leaders or friends in Qatar and Turkey tell foreign officials in English and behind closed doors. Disarmament would undermine Hamas's core identity, reduce its political influence within Palestinian politics, and deprive it of what it claims to view as deterrence against Israel. Historically, however, Israel does not attack anyone unless it is attacked first. The only way to ensure the success of Trump's plan is by insisting that Hamas cease to exist, both as a political and as a military entity, and vanish from the Palestinian universe. Failure to do so will only encourage Hamas and other Islamists to pursue their Jihad to kill more Jews, eliminate Israel, and defy Trump.
Recent statements in Arabic by two senior Hamas officials, Khaled Mashaal (pictured) and Mahmoud Mardawi, show that Hamas remains vehemently opposed to Trump's plan, specifically the provisions concerning disarmament, the involvement of foreigners in the governance of the Gaza Strip, and the deployment of an international security force there. (Photo by Mohammed Saber/AFP via Getty Images)
As the US is preoccupied with the crisis in Iran, the Palestinian terror group Hamas has again announced its rejection of President Donald J. Trump's 20-point plan for ending the war in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leaders may have told US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during secret meetings that the terror group does not rule out the possibility of laying down its weapons. "Hamas has always indicated that they would disarm," Witkoff said in November 2025. "They've said so – they said it to us directly during the famous meeting that Jared [Kushner] had with them. I hope they keep their word because if they do, they'll understand that the development plan we have for Gaza is really terrific – a lot better than anyone has ever discussed before."
When addressing Arab audiences in Arabic, however, Hamas leaders and senior officials have been saying the exact opposite.
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by Anna Mahjar-Barducci • February 19, 2026 at 4:00 am
Having already designated Muslim Brotherhood branches elsewhere in the region, Washington should now extend that policy to Sudan's Islamic Movement — the local iteration of the Muslim Brotherhood — to counter its massively destabilizing influence and prevent Sudan from becoming a hub for transnational jihadism. In September 2025, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned the Al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade for destabilizing activities and its reported ties to Iran. The designation underscored concerns that the battalion functions as part of a broader Islamist armed structure embedded within Sudan's military campaign and linked to external actors. In addition, human rights organizations and church groups have accused SAF-aligned forces of targeting Christian communities and church properties in conflict zones. Failure to address these dynamics risks ceding strategic control of Northeast Africa and the Red Sea corridor to the Muslim Brotherhood — endangering global trade routes and emboldening jihadist organizations across the region. The United States should designate Sudan's chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization — a step that is not only strategically sound but essential to safeguarding regional stability and U.S. as well as global security. Failure to do so will most likely have serious long-term consequences for the United States. Inaction will allow the Muslim Brotherhood to consolidate its influence across Northeast Africa and the Red Sea corridor, threatening vital global trade routes, fueling transnational jihadism, and emboldening militant actors throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, from Yemen to Libya and beyond.
The Muslim Brotherhood has embedded itself within the Saudi-backed Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), using the military as a vehicle to reassert influence over Sudan's governance, strategic geography, and access to the Red Sea — a critical artery for global commerce. Pictured: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the SAF, speaks in Port Sudan, on February 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
The United States has taken important steps by designating key Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). These actions acknowledge the Muslim Brotherhood's support for terrorism. Unfortunately, this transnational jihadist network poses serious threats far beyond those countries. Sudan's long struggle for a stable and democratic future, for instance, has been repeatedly undermined by the Muslim Brotherhood. After decades under Islamist rule and amid the current civil war, the Muslim Brotherhood remains a powerful political and military presence. The movement has embedded itself within the Saudi-backed Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), using the military as a vehicle to reassert influence over Sudan's governance, strategic geography, and access to the Red Sea — a critical artery for global commerce.
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by Pierre Rehov • February 18, 2026 at 5:00 am
This chill is often dressed up as "just asking questions" or "anti-globalism". How come there never seem to be similar "questions" about Qatar, China, Turkey, Nigeria or Pakistan? The problem is not about failing to tolerate "free speech." The problem is about failing to examine what is said with follow-up questions. The great Edward R. Murrow invited Senator Joseph McCarthy on CBS television's See It Now not to give him the run of the corral but to challenge his remarks. The problem is a pattern of tolerating an intolerance that would not be accepted if it were aimed at any ethnic group other than Jews. There is a gulf between arguing to cut foreign aid and amplifying blood-libel smears. Criticism is not censorship, decency is not "consensus" and the Jewish people are not "clicks." Contrast the fringe to actual governance. Under President Donald J. Trump, the U.S. moved its Embassy to Jerusalem (2018), recognized Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights (2019), and brokered the Abraham Accords — historic normalization agreements reshaping the strategic map. These facts remain the gold standard for a pro-ally foreign policy grounded in U.S. interests. Whenever Washington projected resolve rather than courting applause in European salons, anti-terror alignment, economic growth and Western values have advanced. The newly vocal antisemitic "Right" seems to represent regress masquerading as rebellion. They do not actually speak for the "Right;" they speak for themselves and for the social media algorithms that reward outrage and sounding outrageous. Many – maybe most -- prominent members of the "Right" — from Trump to Pastor John Hagee, Thomas Sowell and Marco Rubio — stand with Israel because they stand with the West, with victims of jihad, and with a commitment to preserve the values of individual freedom, economic opportunity, quality education, freedom of expression and equal justice under the law. The "Right" would do well say so — clearly, repeatedly, and without apology — and should quarantine the grifters who would trade civilization for "clicks."
The newly vocal antisemitic "Right" seems to represent regress masquerading as rebellion. They do not actually speak for the "Right;" they speak for themselves and for the social media algorithms that reward outrage and sounding outrageous. Pictured: Tucker Carlson speaks in Phoenix, Arizona on December 18, 2025. (Photo by Olivier Touron / AFP via Getty Images)
It's back. Not the usual anti-Israel vitriol from the so-called "Left" —but a creeping, winking strain of anti-Jewish hostility rising this time inside the American "Right." This chill is often dressed up as "just asking questions" or "anti-globalism". How come there never seem to be similar "questions" about Qatar, China, Turkey, Nigeria or Pakistan? There is nothing new about recycling century-old tropes, flirting with blood libels, or mainstreaming a Holocaust denier because he brings clicks. The American "Right" — at its best — defends the Judeo-Christian foundations of the West, and honors facts, allies and moral clarity. This heritage means standing with Israel and against antisemites, even when the antisemites posture as being on the side of all that is "good."
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by Lawrence Kadish • February 18, 2026 at 4:00 am
Even before America was drawn into World War II, William Knudsen left his job as president of General Motors to serve the nation for just $1 per year in directing America's mobilization for the war that would soon come. Pictured: Knudsen (left) and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Photos by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
In his efforts to put America's defense companies on a "war footing," US President Donald J. Trump is calling out those firms whose executives earn extraordinary salaries while providing their shareholders with financial rewards rather than investing serious dollars into quickly boosting production of missiles and aircraft. Even before America was drawn into World War II, William Knudsen left his job as president of General Motors to serve the nation for just $1 per year in directing America's mobilization for the war that would soon come. Recognizing his management skills and patriotism, President Franklin D. Roosevelt would appoint him to lead the Office of Production Management. By 1942, Knudsen went even further, accepting the rank of lieutenant general in the U.S. Army to further coordinate aircraft production, tanks, and other vital military equipment.
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by Robert Williams • February 17, 2026 at 5:00 am
It seems almost unbelievable that the German state, which intensely surveils citizens' every word on the internet, does not have the faintest clue who might be behind these terrorist attacks. These are the same authorities, after all, who send law enforcement to raid the homes of ordinary citizens for posting satirical comments about leading politicians, and for supposedly "inciting hatred." German authorities, in fact, appear to have been hyper-focused on eliminating what they seem to see as political threats to their power instead of catching terrorists from the "left." Even the BfV's former president, Hans-Georg Maassen, is under surveillance by the agency for being a "right-wing extremist." He lost that job in 2018 after expressing concern about the obvious Islamist threat from then Chancellor Angela Merkel's policy of flooding Germany with Muslim migrants and for, ironically, refusing to put the AfD under surveillance. He said, "I am not a tool of the governing parties, nor is it the BfV's job to undermine their political competitors." Perhaps if the German government had been more concerned with fighting terrorism and less with fighting legitimate political opposition, it might have been able to locate the actual terrorists?
On January 3, 2026, a reportedly leftist radical network, "Volcano Group", committed an arson attack against the power grid in Berlin, Germany, causing an electricity blackout that left 45,000 households and 2,000 businesses without heat and light during freezing winter temperatures for up to five days. Pictured: Volunteers from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief set up generator-operated streetlights near Mexikoplatz in Berlin during the blackout, on January 4, 2026. (Photo by Omer Messinger/Getty Images)
In the early morning hours of January 3, 2026, a reportedly leftist radical network, "Volcano Group" (Vulkangruppe), committed an arson attack against the power grid in Berlin, Germany, causing an electricity blackout that left 45,000 households and 2,000 businesses – approximately 100,000 people – without heat and light during freezing winter temperatures for up to five days. It was reportedly the longest blackout in Germany since World War II. The radicals in Volcano Group claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, they said that the network had aimed to "cut the juice to the ruling class" and claimed that the attack was about action to protect the climate from fossil fuels, artificial intelligence and a "greed for energy."
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by Bassam Tawil • February 16, 2026 at 5:00 am
The 162-article draft "constitution," however, shows that, if and when the Palestinians have a state of their own, it would actually not be different from the two mini-states they have had for the past two decades: the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. Both Palestinian regimes have miserably failed their people, mainly by depriving them of international aid, democracy, opportunity, free elections, and freedom of speech. Notably, the new "constitution" repeats and reaffirms the long-standing and familiar positions and policies of the PA and Hamas, especially towards Israel and Jews. These include the "right of return" for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to their former, mostly no-longer-existent homes inside Israel; the continuation of stipends paid to Palestinian terrorists -- a program also known as "Pay-for-Slay," and the perpetual denial of the Jews' far-reaching history and religious roots in Jerusalem. The new "constitution" is actually saying that the Palestinians want their own state, but they also want to move millions of their own people to the sovereign territory of the neighboring state. The message is still, "My marbles are mine and your marbles are mine." By omitting Jewish ties to Jerusalem, the Palestinians are saying that there will be no Jews in a future Palestinian state. This slammed door should be no surprise to anyone: hundreds of thousands of Jews who used to live in Arab countries, including Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Libya, were long ago subjected to ethnic cleansing and expulsion.... It is worth noting that while the Palestinians do not recognize Jewish ties to the land and want a Jew-free state, there are more than two million Muslim Arabs living peacefully and safely inside Israel as full citizens with equal rights. [A]ny Palestinian who murders or wounds a Jew will be protected by the Palestinian constitution, which will guarantee him or her and the family stipends as high as $3,000 a month -- in a region where the average salary is about $1,000 a month. The new Palestinian "constitution" shows why the idea of creating another Islamist country at Israel's doorstep is both dangerous and delusional. This "constitution" demonstrates that the Palestinians still have not come to terms with Israel's right to exist, still have not abandoned their dream of destroying Israel, and are still as committed as ever to encouraging terrorists to murder more Jews.
As part of an attempt to persuade the United States and the rest of the international community that the Palestinians are seeking to create a democratic state "based on the rule of law and human dignity," the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership last week published a draft of the Palestinians' temporary "constitution." This "constitution" demonstrates that the Palestinians still have not come to terms with Israel's right to exist, still have not abandoned their dream of destroying Israel, and are still as committed as ever to encouraging terrorists to murder more Jews. Pictured: PA President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the Fatah youth conference in Ramallah on November 27, 2025. (Photo by Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
As part of an attempt to persuade the United States and the rest of the international community that the Palestinians are seeking to create a democratic state "based on the rule of law and human dignity," the Palestinian Authority leadership last week published a draft of the Palestinians' temporary "constitution." The 162-article draft "constitution," however, shows that, if and when the Palestinians have a state of their own, it would actually not be different from the two mini-states they have had for the past two decades: the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. Both Palestinian regimes have miserably failed their people, mainly by depriving them of international aid, democracy, opportunity, free elections, and freedom of speech.
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by Con Coughlin • February 15, 2026 at 5:00 am
As commendable as it may be that US President Donald J. Trump is apparently hoping that he can turn "swords into ploughshares," the inclusion of avowedly pro-Islamist, pro-terrorist countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan in his so-called "Board of Peace" has all the potential thoroughly to undermine the American leader's peace initiative in Gaza. The presence of so many Islamist and terror-supporting countries on Trump's Gaza Board, though, has prompted concerns that they will attempt to stymie the Trump administration's disarmament demand and seek to find a compromise agreement whereby Hamas terrorists are allowed to continue holding weapons to be used later to continue attacking Israel, especially after Trump is a lame duck after the US midterm elections this year or no longer holds office Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan still refuse formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Qatar also has a documented history of funding virtually every Islamist terror group then, when conflicts flare up, offering to serve as the supposedly "impartial" mediator. "Qatar is at the top of funding terrorism worldwide, even more than Iran." -- former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy agency who dealt with economic warfare against terrorist organisations, YNet, April 18, 2024. Turkey, meanwhile, has taken the perverse decision to intensify its support for Hamas in the wake of the October 7 attacks.... The fact, therefore, that so many Hamas-supporting countries have signed up to participate in Trump's board raises serious questions about their true motives in joining the enterprise. Are they genuinely committed to supporting the Trump administration's ambitious plan to end hostilities in Gaza? Or are they, as all the evidence seems to suggest, simply joining the board so that they can protect the interests of Hamas terrorists and frustrate Trump's ambitions of bringing peace to the war-ravaged area?
The inclusion of avowedly pro-Islamist, pro-terrorist countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan in US President Donald J. Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" has all the potential thoroughly to undermine the American leader's peace initiative in Gaza. Pictured: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on April 14, 2016 in Istanbul. (Photo by Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/AFP via Getty Images)
As commendable as it may be that US President Donald J. Trump is apparently hoping that he can turn "swords into ploughshares," the inclusion of avowedly pro-Islamist, pro-terrorist countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan in his so-called "Board of Peace" has all the potential thoroughly to undermine the American leader's peace initiative in Gaza. With Trump's 20-point peace plan for ending the Gaza conflict entering a new stage, the American president is insisting that the Hamas terrorist organisation surrender all its weapons within the next two months. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast this month, Trump insisted that, with the war in Gaza ended, Hamas should give up its weapons. "Now they have to disarm," Trump said. "Some people say they won't, but they will, and if they don't, they're gonna not be around any longer."
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by Amir Taheri • February 15, 2026 at 4:00 am
Khamenei's renewed defiance is inspired by four conclusions he has drawn from the latest events.... the "Supreme Guide" seems determined to work with a more compact group of no-questions-asked loyalists on a platform of revolutionary defiance moderated by cosmetic gestures he calls "heroic flexibility". The hope in Tehran is that Trump will agree to limit the talks to levels of uranium enrichment by Iran and the transfer of part of the already enriched uranium stockpiles to Russia for safekeeping. The talks could be prolonged for weeks if not months, and end granting Trump another "diplomatic victory" on the eve of midterm elections in the US. Slowing down uranium enrichment until Trump becomes a lame duck or ends his term will give the "Supreme Guide" enough time to reassert his authority and perhaps work out his succession. Last Wednesday, over 2,000 prisoners were released on Khamenei's orders, partly because space was needed to keep new prisoners arrested during the January uprising. His priority now is to propel one of Iran's tested allies into the premiership of Iraq while supplying enough aid to the Houthis in Yemen to hold their own until better days return.
Pictured: Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei on February 1, 2026.
After weeks of tergiversation caused by military threats from the US and Israel and unprecedented nationwide protests, Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei has returned center stage to reaffirm his resolve to make absolutely no concessions to domestic opponents or foreign foes. The defiant message came last Wednesday as the regime organized marches to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. To be sure, this year's marches lacked the density, let alone the passion, of previous years and in some cities were too obviously contrived to appear genuine. In some cases, the official media had used photos and clips from previous years to heighten the narrative. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Tasnim News site used a single photo to illustrate what it reported as rallies in 21 out of 31 provinces.
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by Majid Rafizadeh • February 14, 2026 at 5:00 am
If Iran can drag negotiations across months and years, it no doubt hopes to reach a moment when U.S. pressure weakens, priorities shift, or its leadership changes. In that sense, diplomacy becomes a defensive weapon, an end in itself. Iran's regime has refined its tactics, learned its opponents' weaknesses, and mastered the art of procedural diplomacy: how to slow talks without collapsing them, how to offer symbolic concessions while protecting core interests, and how to appear reasonable while remaining fundamentally intransigent. For the mullahs, President Barack Obama's 2015 "nuclear deal" was a triumph.... Obama's illegitimate Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), rather than permanently dismantling Iran's nuclear capabilities, enshrined them. The deal conveniently contained sunset clauses with expiration dates, so that restrictions on Iran's nuclear program would magically vanish – poof! -- four months ago, on October 18, 2025, in fact. Iran, however, does appear to appreciate that, for the moment at least, it cannot win a direct military confrontation with the United States, especially under a president who has not demonstrated a helpful fear of escalation. Every day that talks continue without decisive pressure is a day the regime can use to strengthen its rule. It can import and build more deadly weapons, refine its ballistic missiles, reinforce its regional proxy militias, and tighten its grip internally. Time overwhelmingly favors the Iranian regime. Even just the act of sitting across the negotiating table, for Iranian officials, signifies recognition and endurance. For ordinary, unarmed Iranians, however, who have suffered the regime's savagery - its mass murder, blindings, rapes, mass arrests, and deadly crackdowns, seeing their rulers treated as legitimate diplomatic interlocutors has to be unbearably demoralizing. It sends the message that the countries of the West are willing to engage with those who oppress them, and -- as long as the comfort of foreigners is at stake -- actually leave their tormentors in place. Beyond immediate tactics, Iran's approach must be understood as part of a much larger messianic project. This is a regime that sees itself as engaged in a major religious-historical mission. Its leaders believe they are guardians of a revolutionary system with religious and ideological foundations that transcend generations, uprisings and even the visage of Trump. The regime is willing to absorb blows, retreat temporarily, and compromise tactically if, in doing so, it believes its long-term survival is secured. The central danger is that the longer negotiation process drags on... the greater the risk of consolidating the very system that the process claims to moderate. Every additional day Iran buys through talks is another day the regime survives, adapts, prepares for war. If the Trump administration's goal is to prevent the Iranian regime from emerging more brutal and more entrenched, the greatest mistake would be to give it what it really wants: time to wait out Trump.
If Iran can drag negotiations across months and years, it no doubt hopes to reach a moment when U.S. pressure weakens, priorities shift, or its leadership changes. In that sense, diplomacy becomes a defensive weapon, an end in itself. Pictured: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian looks on as a 'Qasem Soleimani' missile is displayed during a military parade in Tehran, on September 21, 2024. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian leaders have emerged from their latest contacts with the Trump administration sounding upbeat, even enthusiastic. Senior officials have described the talks as a "good start," constructive engagement, and delight at the prospect of continuing negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's tone has been deliberately reassuring, projecting calm confidence and a sense that diplomacy is moving in the perfect direction. From the Iranian regime's perspective, any talks are preferable to sanctions, sustained military pressure, the threat of escalation, and the prospect that US President Donald J. Trump might choose confrontation over an agreement. Trump, for his part, has repeatedly emphasized that he prefers a deal, but that "all options" remain on the table.
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by J.B. Shurk • February 13, 2026 at 5:00 am
What those critics miss is Trump's rather unique set of problem-solving skills that allow him to tackle complex problems in unorthodox ways. Peace in Gaza. Peace in Ukraine. U.S. energy independence. U.S. trade parity with the rest of the world. Enhanced partnerships with Japan. Economic collaboration with Russia. Economic decoupling from China. Border walls. Immigration enforcement. Military supremacy. Technological superiority. Free speech. Nationalism. Panama. Venezuela. Cuba. Iran. Greenland. The list goes on and on.... Rather than treating them as distinct problems that must be navigated one at a time, Trump looks at them as valuable pieces of property on one big game board. While the president makes nice with China's Xi Jinping and talks publicly about how China and the United States are economically tied together for the foreseeable future, he simultaneously destroys China's investments in Panama and energy partnerships in Venezuela and Iran. While the president sends emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his representatives, he secures a strategic trade deal with Indian President Narendra Modi that could end India's importation of Russian oil.
What his critics miss is President Donald Trump's rather unique set of problem-solving skills that allow him to tackle complex problems in unorthodox ways. Pictured: Trump speaks during an event in the White House on February 12, 2026. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Dwight D. Eisenhower made an important observation about finding answers to difficult questions. "Whenever I run into a problem I can't solve," the five-star general reportedly remarked, "I always make it bigger. I can never solve it by trying to make it smaller, but if I make it big enough, I can begin to see the outlines of a solution." As an example, as Europe's first Supreme Allied Commander, Eisenhower suggested that a problem resupplying troops in Italy might be about much more than simple logistics. A problem-solver must consider the wider map and examine how convoy movements in northern Europe affect supply distribution in the South, whether resources for the whole continent are being allocated efficiently, and whether leadership decisions a thousand miles away might be a more pressing problem than finding enough mechanics to fix run-down trucks stuck in the mud.
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by Khaled Abu Toameh • February 12, 2026 at 5:00 am
That such a large number of Muslims are able to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem every week shows that Hamas's claim that the Jews are desecrating the mosque and plotting to control it is another big lie produced by the terror group and its supporters. It is worth noting that Jews do have a right to visit the Temple Mount, primarily because it is also the holiest site in Judaism, where the First and Second Temples once stood. [T]he arrangement set up in 1967 allowed non-Muslims to visit the Temple Mount but restricted praying there to Muslims. Ten days after the Six Day War, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, out of respect for Muslim concerns, forbade Jews to pray on the Temple Mount and proclaimed the Kingdom of Jordan the protector of the holy site. Non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians, regularly tour outdoors on the grounds of the Temple Mount but, since 2000, have not been allowed to enter inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock. Palestinian officials and media outlets regularly and falsely portray the visits as "violent incursions by extremist Jewish settlers." It is worth recalling that to many Palestinians, all Jews in Israel are "settlers" and that, in their eyes, all of Israel is just one big settlement. It is abhorrent to see the Palestinians and many Muslims use a mosque -- especially falsely -- to justify terrorism and the murder of Jews. It is even more abhorrent to see Hamas and other Palestinians proudly name their dishonorable crimes after a mosque. The long-familiar Palestinian campaign to destroy Israel continues to this day. Palestinian officials continue to repeat all the same fraudulent accusations. Unless this anti-Israel and anti-Jewish campaign stops, the next October 7-style massacre by Palestinians -- presumably what they would like, distracting from and derailing US President Donald J. Trump's attempts to rebuild Gaza without Palestinian leadership -- is just around the corner.
"The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are ours. They are all ours, and they [Jews] have no right to defile them with their filthy feet. We salute every drop of blood spilled for the sake of Jerusalem. This blood is clean, pure blood, shed for the sake of Allah. Every martyr will be placed in Paradise, and all the wounded will be rewarded by Allah." — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. (Image source: MEMRI)
Hamas has repeatedly justified its October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel by arguing that it was seeking to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest shrine in Islam, against attempts by Jews to take it over. Hamas -- officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, Paraguay, and the Organization of American States -- even named the attack, during which more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered and thousands injured and tortured, after the mosque: "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood." In 2024, Hamas published a statement in which it claimed that the attack was primarily the result of "the Israeli Judaization plans to the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque, its temporal and spatial division attempts, as well as the intensification of the Israeli settlers' incursions into the holy mosque."
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