The Path to a Transformed Middle East: How to Keep the Peace in Gaza While Countering Iran

Feb 3, 2025

Also published in Foreign Affairs
About the Authors
Ambassador Dennis Ross
Dennis Ross

Dennis Ross, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.

David Makovsky
David Makovsky

David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations.

Articles & Testimony

Very close allied coordination will be needed to strike the right balance between pursuing viable nuclear diplomacy and giving Israel the weapons and support it needs to use force against Iran if necessary.

Donald Trump begins his presidency with ambitions of being a peacemaker. He laid out this vision in his inaugural address, declaring that his administration “will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, by the wars we never get into.” Later that day, he basked in the success of the cease-fire deal in Gaza, including by bringing the families of Israeli hostages to the inaugural parade. But to be a peacemaker who transforms the Middle East, he has more work to do. In Gaza, Israel and Hamas have different views of what is required to achieve the second phase of the deal. Iran, meanwhile, is accelerating its nuclear program and thus continues to existentially threaten Israel. But the easiest way to handle Gaza and Iran might just be to address them together...

Read the full article on the Foreign Affairs website.

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