Gaza Strip

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COVID-19 and the Economy, America's Blood Supply, 10 Years of the ACA: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on COVID-19 and the economy, strengthening the U.S. blood supply, 10 years of the Affordable Care Act, and more.

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Five Thoughts on Jerusalem, Gaza, and What's in Between

Dozens of people have been killed and over 2,000 injured in protests in the Gaza Strip along the border with Israel. Continued clashes are expected until the fundamental problems of the strip are solved, including the governance vacuum, the Palestinian Authority-Hamas rift, and the conflict with Israel.

Shira Efron

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Gaza on the Brink

The combined risk of violence and pandemic in Gaza makes this small coastal enclave a ticking time bomb. While neither Israel nor the U.S. has the solutions to all of Gaza's water and health woes, the United States' decision to withhold funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency could only make things worse.

Shira Efron

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How Salafism's Rise Threatens Gaza

The rise of hardline Salafism is a worrisome trend in Gaza, where Salafists could surpass Hamas as the most dangerous threat to other Palestinians and the state of Israel. Such a result could signal the sabotage of yet another chance for progress in one of the world's longest-running conflicts.

Colin P. Clarke

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Five Lessons from Israel's Wars in Gaza

After a decade of operating against Hamas in Gaza, the Israel Defense Force has learned many lessons about urban warfare against hybrid adversaries. The last confrontation teaches five basic lessons that apply well beyond Gaza.

Raphael S. Cohen

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Hamas's Strategic Rebranding

Hamas has unveiled a revised version of its charter that appears to soften the group's stance toward Israel. Does this represent a shift away from violence and toward a more lasting and peaceful political presence? Or is it a ploy to buy time to rearm?

Colin P. Clarke

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The Upside of Lower Oil Prices

Movement toward sharply lower oil prices should be a prominent component of any strategy directed at disabling many of the world's most disruptive threats: Iran's nuclear development, ISIS, Hamas attacks on Israel, and Russia's threat to Ukraine.

Charles Wolf, Jr.

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The Gaza Conflict: Tunnel Warfare's Latest Chapter

Despite its long history as an effective combat tool, tunneling rarely garners much attention, perhaps because it is inherently clandestine, tedious, and dirty. However, as the conflict in Gaza indicates, tunneling remains effective, and will likely persist as long as conflict itself.

Scott Savitz

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The Grim Lessons of 'Protective Edge'

For all the attempts to find technological quick fixes or enforce a permanent settlement, Operation Protective Edge has highlighted that a war of attrition, known as a 'long war,' remains the only viable strategy in the current environment.

Raphael S. Cohen, Gabriel Scheinmann

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Gaza and the Nuclear Negotiations

Whether a deal materializes that meets Iranian demands for a civilian nuclear program, but is limited enough to satisfy the United States and its partners remains to be seen. But the longer the Gaza conflict continues, the harder it'll be to insulate the negotiations from broader regional trends, which doesn't bode well for a successful outcome.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

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With the Death Toll Rising in Gaza, Is There Any Hope for Peace?

Casualties are rising in the conflict between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Are there any realistic expectations for peace in the region? Who could broker a settlement between Hamas and Israel?

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What Does Israel's Election Mean for Israeli-Palestinian Peace?

While the two-state solution may indeed be dead, its death may not necessarily be a bad thing. Rather, it could lead to an opportunity to create a more appropriate formula that can better address the complexities of the current Israeli-Palestinian impasse writes Tova Norlén.

Tova C. Norlen

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Intelligence Experts Discuss U.S. Role in Latest Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

At RAND's Politics Aside event, former Saudi Intelligence chief Prince Turki Al Faisal, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Dobbins and others discuss ways the U.S. can help end the latest Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

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Gaza: Hard Fighting Looms Without a Broader Peace Strategy

The United States and Israel should capitalize on Egypt's active role in mediating a cease-fire and thus revisit initiatives like the Arab Peace Initiative, which in the new regional strategic environment may be the best hope of reviving the moribund peace process before it is too late.

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Spending Aid to Palestinians Wisely

Spending Aid to Palestinians Wisely in the International Herald Tribune

David Aaron, C. Ross Anthony

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Blair's Project for a New Palestine

Blair's Project for a New Palestine, in Project Syndicate--an associationthat distributes commentaries to 291 newspapers in 115 countries.

Robert E. Hunter

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Vision for a Successful Palestine

To turn the dream of a Palestinian state into a reality, Palestinians need a practical vision of a successful state that is safe, secure, economically viable, and at peace with Israel and its other neighbors.

Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich

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Palestinians Need More Cash

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Robert E. Hunter

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A Chance to Clean Up the Palestinian Authority

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Seth G. Jones

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Gaza pullout - a Cynic's Path to 'Peace'

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Seth G. Jones