Our Past Projects
30 researchers from across the globe met in Abu Dhabi from November 24 to 27, 2025, to present research on 5 Years of the Abraham Accords.
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The overarching aim was to assess where the Abraham Accords stand today, and how they can evolve beyond diplomatic normalization to become a foundation for sustainable regional cooperation, economic integration, security coordination, and people-to-people exchange.
The Morocco Israel Forum, in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, held its first working visit to Morocco on 9–11 November 2025. The program included discussions on Morocco–Israel relations, Muslim–Jewish dialogue, trade, and the Abraham Accords, along with visits to local institutions and students. The forum ended with plans for continued cooperation.
From November 24–26, 2025, the Forum for Regional Cooperation, established by the MDC as a consortium of regional and international think tanks and scholars and headed by Joshua Krasna, hosted a seminal two-day gathering with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) in Abu Dhabi along with, to examine the evolving influence of the Abraham Accords on regional cooperation, security architectures, and geoeconomic integration across the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. The conference brought together approximately 30researchers and experts from 11 countries; including Israel, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan,, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Cyprus, the UK, and the USA, under a transnational network of academic and policy institutions. Partners included the Moshe Dayan Center (MDC), TRENDS Research & Advisory, the University of Connecticut, the American Jewish Committee, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Ohr Torah Stone, and AGDA.
The first two days comprised closed working-group sessions, where participants convened around pre-circulated research papers prepared over the preceding months in remote consultations and meetings. The final day was a public conference with plenary sessions, panels, and Q&As engaging diplomats, scholars, students, practitioners, and observers, thereby bridging expert analysis with broader stakeholder engagement.
The overarching aim was to assess where the Abraham Accords stand today, and how they can evolve beyond diplomatic normalization to become a foundation for sustainable regional cooperation, economic integration, security coordination, and people-to-people exchange.
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Conference working groups and public sessions addressed six core themes:
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The interfaith and tolerance agenda, framed around shared Abrahamic heritage and the possibilities for coexistence and cultural rapprochement
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Analysis of the impact on the Greater MENA / Eastern Mediterranean region of evolving great power relationships.
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Infrastructure and transportation connectivity linking the Gulf, Israel, and the Eastern Mediterranean.
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Energy futures — including cross-border cooperation in electric grids, renewables, resource management, and energy security.
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Regional security challenges and shifting strategic alignments.
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An interim qualitative evaluation of the Accords, including development of benchmarks, indicators, and future scenarios.
This multidimensional structure underscored the ambition to move beyond rhetoric and produce empirically grounded, policy-relevant research on how the Accords might deliver tangible cooperation in security, trade, energy, infrastructure, and cultural exchange.
The Morocco Israel Forum, as part of its growing partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, held its inaugural working visit to Morocco from 9th to 11th November 2025. The event commenced with an evening session discussing the history of Morocco-Israel relations and a working dinner. The following day featured a series of meetings, including discussions on Muslim–Jewish understanding at a synagogue in the Mellah, a lunch focused on bilateral trade and economic relations with entrepreneurs, an expert-led session on Morocco-Israel relations within the framework of the Abraham Accords, and a visit to a Moroccan think tank and university. The forum concluded on Tuesday with a collaborative session exploring prospects for future cooperation, and a meeting with Moroccan students. We look forward to continuing and expanding this fruitful cooperation.
Hiwar - Druze in the Middle East
Rena Netjes shared her recent field observations from areas near Damascus such as Jaramana and Sahnaya, where Druze communities reside. She highlighted the complexity of local dynamics, noting that while the Druze often serve in general security roles, they are part of a broader, mixed demographic landscape. Contrary to some media portrayals, Netjes found that the Druze in Syria, unlike those in Israel, tend to be loyal to their own state and often critical of Israeli policies, especially in light of land access issues near Mount Hermon. She also recounted civil society meetings where local grievances focused on safety, governance, and constitutional representation. Her insights revealed the existence of divisions within the Druze community regarding how to move forward with the new Syrian government. She noted that there is general sentiment for constructive, rights-based integration within Syria, despite widespread disillusionment with the state.
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Dr. Majd AlGhatrif, a Druze scholar from Suwayda, contextualized the Druze identity as one deeply rooted in national histories, noting their foundational role in the Syrian state. He explained how conflict and political shifts transformed their identity from cultural to increasingly political. Highlighting a split within the Druze community, between those seeking external protection and those advocating for national integration, he warned of the danger in overemphasizing sectarian divisions. Dr. AlGhatrif criticized external military interventions, including Israel’s, for exacerbating vulnerability and distrust. He instead promoted a vision of decentralized, identity-blind governance within a unified Syrian state. He emphasized Druze potential as a liberal, bridge-building force, advocating for inclusive reform over isolation or external alignment.
Additional contributions, particularly from Dr. Anan Wahabi, an Israeli Druze colonel in the IDF, focused on the divergent evolution of Druze communities across borders. He underscored the Israeli Druze’s full integration and democratic experience, contrasting it with the Syrian Druze's survival under authoritarianism and conflict. While supporting the principle of protecting Druze kin abroad, Wahabi warned of the dangers posed by jihadist groups like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and stressed the need for regional and international guarantees to secure minority rights. He acknowledged the risks of Israeli involvement but framed it as necessary given the existential threats faced by Druze communities, while maintaining that loyalty to one’s nation does not preclude cross-border communal solidarity.
Lecturing at Oxford
The coordinator of our Israel-Morocco Forum, Dr. Jonathan Ghariani, lectured at a conference at Oxford University on September 9, 2025, “The Middle East and the Maghreb between the mid-1970 to the present". He spoke about Saudi Arabia and the Israeli Peace process: From the Fahd Plan to an Eventual Normalization The coordinator of our Israel-Morocco Forum, Dr. Jonathan Ghariani, lectured at a conference at Oxford University on September 9, 2025, “The Middle East and the Maghreb between the mid-1970 to the present". He spoke about Saudi Arabia and the Israeli Peace process: From the Fahd Plan to an Eventual Normalization.
Middle East Briefing with Dr. Joshua Krasna and FPRI
It has been 5 years since the Abraham Accords, which seemed to herald the possibility of a regional dynamic of cooperation rather than competition. It has been 2 years since the Hamas surprise attack on Israel, which led to the re-insertion of the Palestinian issue at the center of world politics, a bloody war in Gaza, dramatic shifts in the regional balance of power, and a rapid reversal of Israel's international and regional status.
The regional crisis has been globalized by the Houthis' expensive dislocation of world trade, by the US becoming directly involved in hostilities against Iran, and by the attacks by both Iran and Israel against Qatar, a Major Non-NATO ally of the US. The re-arrival of a disruptive, mercantilist, non-internationalist US Administration has also significantly impacted the region.
Listen to FPRI's Joshua Krasna and Dr. Aaron Stein as they discuss the current situation and possible future scenarios regarding Israeli politics, Israel's relations with it's region, regional power politics, and the role of the US." "In his recent Middle East briefing on September 9, Dr. Krasna was hosted on a podcast with the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), where he analyzed the October 7 Hamas attack as a calculated effort to reverse the regional and symbolic shifts that had been taking shape since September 15, particularly those tied to normalization and evolving alliances in the Middle East. He emphasized that the attack was not merely a military escalation but a deliberate challenge to the emerging regional order and its narratives of reconciliation. His analysis situated the conflict within the complex interplay of state and non-state actors, public opinion, and shifting diplomatic currents that continue to define Middle Eastern dynamics
Hiwar - Saudi/UAE and Turkey/Qatar's role in Reshaping Syria and Gaza
We held a Hiwar event (in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung) on April 7, 2025 and discussed the topic of the potential role that the Saudi-UAE and Turkey-Qatar axes will play in rebuilding and reshaping Syria and Gaza. Limited resources and man-power coupled with two substantial geographic areas to stabilize and reconstruct will force the region's most active players to make crucial decisions regarding the allocation of resources and
influence. We were joined by Dr. Miroslav Zafirov, a former UN diplomat and a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Democracy, and Dr. Nuri Yesilyurt, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Political Science of Ankara University, and Naja Al-Otaibi, Saudi Policy Analyst at City University in London, in a conversation moderated by Dr. Nir Boms.
High Tech and Agriculture in Morocco
On May 5th, our Israel-Morocco Forum, run by Dr. Jonathan Ghariani, hosted a conference alongside our partners in Rabat, Morocco, and discussed the collaborative partnerships in innovation between the two nations. Israel’s strong high-tech industry, paired with Morocco’s role as a pillar of global agricultural production and a significant regional economic power, has paved the way for enduring collaboration in agriculture and cybersecurity. This webinar explored both the boons and challenges of two prominent partnerships through conversation with both an Israeli and a Moroccan representative of SupPlant, a precision agriculture company, and Checkpoint Software, Israel’s leading cybersecurity group. Speakers included Nitzhan Shatzkin, who has worked as an active farmer for 20 years in various field crops and fruit trees, dedicating a large part of these years to the olive oil production industry, in addition to working as a regional sales agronomist with the largest fertilizers and chemicals company in Israel. Currently, he serves as the company's chief commercial agronomist. In the past two years, he has focused on SupPlant activity and the development of the Morocco market, dealing with sales and agricultural customers’ support.
We also heard from Guy Lupo, who has over 25 years of experience working in cybersecurity across various roles as a technical services engineer, professional services and training manager, and security engineer for the Middle East. He has also worked in senior roles as Checkpoint’s Director of Security Engineering group for the Middle East and Africa regions, as well as the Head of Security Engineering team for Global and Strategic accounts including APAC, Japan & Australia. He currently oversees strategic sales for the Checkpoint’s Infinity platform in Eastern European, Africa, Middle East, GCC, Turkey, and Israel’s markets