Post-Sinwar: Hostages, Succession & Thwarting Hamas Revival
We explore the implications of Sinwar’s death on Hamas’s internal politics and what it could mean for Israel’s next steps in the conflict.
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On October 16th, the world was shocked to learn that the architect of the October 7th attacks, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by an IDF infantry unit. Yahya Sinwar’s death was a central goal of the Israeli war effort, and it marks a significant turning point for Hamas leadership, hostage negotiations, and Palestinian society.
In this episode, David Makovsky is joined by two experts, Ghaith Al-Omari and Dr. Michael Milshtein. Ghaith Al-Omari is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute, former executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine, and former advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team. Dr. Michael Milshtein is the Head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University, and he formerly was the Advisor on Palestinian Affairs in COGAT and the Head of the Department for Palestinians Affairs in IDF Military Intelligence. Together, they will explore the implications of this high-profile death on Hamas’s internal politics, potential shifts in regional power dynamics, and what it could mean for Israel’s next steps in the conflict.
Decision Points is a Washington Institute podcast on key moments in Israel’s history and present. The first season focused on the history of U.S.-Israel relations, the second season examined key Israeli and Arab leaders, the third season explored Israel’s contemporary policy dilemmas, and the fourth season highlighted books essential to understanding Zionism and U.S.-Israel relations. Season 5 of the podcast dives into the Gaza war and explores the long-term implications for Israel, U.S.-Israel relations, and the Middle East. In each episode, distinguished scholars, analysts, journalists, and officials will put the current conflict in perspective and discuss the road ahead.
The host, David Makovsky, is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Director of its Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations. He is a former senior advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, as well as a sought-after expert on U.S.-Israel diplomatic relations and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Decision Points is both a history lesson and an exploration of contemporary policy decisions impacting Israel, the United States, and the broader Middle East.
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