Israel should help shape Syria. But it must do so carefully, quietly and quickly
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Mourners carry the bodies of Palestinians, who, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, were killed in an overnight Israeli strike on a tent in Khan Yunis last week.
 
Molly Bernstein  
Molly Bernstein
 
 
As calls for a Gaza cease-fire continue both in Israel and abroad, critical voices are calling for a much more ambitious effort: To find a way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hiba Qasas of the Principles for Peace Foundation explains why now is the moment to move towards a comprehensive solution. Gilad Kariv, Ram Ben Barak and Alon Schuster, all members of Israel's Knesset, agree.

The story of MK Ayman Odeh demonstrates why this will be a difficult road. After calling for freedom for both Israelis and Palestinians, and for the freeing of both Palestinian prisoners and hostages held by Hamas, Odeh faced an attempt to oust him from the Knesset this week. Human rights lawyer Eitay Mack explains how Israel's treatment of Palestinian prisoners has been leveraged for political purposes by Israel's far right.

Haaretz has been the site of an impassioned debate about assessing the death toll in Gaza. After Nir Hasson wrote that the toll may stand at 100,000 dead, Professor Sergio DellaPergola submitted this response, which questioned the methodology used and suggested a much lower number. His article was rebutted this week by Professor Mike Spagat, an expert in calculating war deaths and author of the original pre-printed article cited by Hasson.

Moving outwards to the wider region, David Daoud of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies explains why Hezbollah sat out the Israel-Iran war. Former deputy national security advisor Chuck Freilich proposed a way forward for Israel with regards to Syria – although news today of a new bout of violence in the country and subsequent Israeli strikes on Syrian army targets may stymie such an undertaking. You can hear Chuck expand on his thoughts and concerns regarding Syria and Israel on the Haaretz podcast released today.

Finally, Dr Khinvraj Jangid, Israel Studies professor at Jindal Global University in India, explained how Iran's nuclear ambitions, once shared with New Delhi, diverged over time as a result of differing ideological motivations.
 
 
 
 
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PODCAST | Dropping bombs and dialogue: Israel-Syria talks are 'mind-boggling'
 
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India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh gather for a group photo during the Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States in Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong province
 
 
Once United by Nuclear Defiance, Iran and India Now Diverge Over Ideology – and Israel
Khinvraj Jangid | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
In this photo provided by Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Office, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, right, and Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, second left, stand on the balcony during their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan
 
 
Israel Should Help Shape a New Syria. But It Must Do So Carefully, Quietly and Quickly
Chuck Freilich | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
Hezbollah supporters wave Hezbollah flags and chant slogans during a gathering outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon
 
 
From Spearhead to Spectator: Why Hezbollah Sat Out Iran's War With Israel
David Daoud | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
Ayman Odeh, who leads Hadash-Ta'al, at a party meeting in Jerusalem late June.
 
 
I Oppose Israel's War and Occupation. Israel's Parliament Tried to Expel Me
Ayman Odeh | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
An Israeli soldier blindfolds a Palestinian prisoner, as he and others are seen in the back of an Israeli army truck after being detained by troops during a military operation near Bureij, in the southern Gaza Strip, near the border with Israel
 
 
How Ben-Gvir Uses Palestinian Prisoners for Political Profit
Eitay Mack | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and their supporters call for an immediate hostage release deal during a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel
 
 
Don't Stop at a Gaza Cease-fire. Now Is the Time for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Hiba Qasas | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
A billboard bearing a picture depicting U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the slogan above: "We (Israel) are ready " (for normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia), displayed on the facade of a building in Ramat Gan in February.
 
 
No Riyadh Without Ramallah: Israel Must Now Offer a Diplomatic Horizon, and Hope
Gilad Kariv | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
Kidney patients sit amid rubble at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City last week.
 
 
No, 100,000 Palestinians Haven't Died in Gaza
Sergio DellaPergola | 16.07.2025
 
 
 
 
 
Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in morning Israeli strikes on tents sheltering displaced people, according to medics, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip
 
 
Denying Gaza's Death Toll Doesn't Stand Up to Scrutiny
Michael Spagat | 16.07.2025
 
 
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