October 7, 2023, is a day that, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “will forever live in infamy.” Hamas’s invasion of Israel, massacre of over 1,200 people, and kidnapping of over 250 individuals sparked a seven-front war between Israel and its terrorist enemies – chief among them the Islamic Republic of Iran. Now, two years on, the regional balance of power has unmistakably tipped in Israel’s favor. Hezbollah, 25 months ago a behemoth with 100,000 rockets and missiles along Israel’s border, was crippled by a decisive Israeli campaign and now faces the previously unthinkable prospect of being disarmed by Lebanon. And, in what one retired senior U.S. general described as “nothing short of a miracle,” Israel’s June campaign dealt considerable damage to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, aided by historic U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
However, Israel and the Jewish people’s fight for security is far from over. Israel continues to battle a stubborn Hamas insurgency in Gaza, threats to its homeland from Houthi projectiles, and the latent dangers of a weaker but determined Iranian regime. Diplomatically, Israel faces increasing global isolation, even from longtime European allies, thanks to a deceitful yet ferocious anti-Israel information warfare campaign. Against this backdrop, a virulent wave of antisemitism has grown more pronounced worldwide, including on the campuses of America’s most prestigious universities.
And, just days before the two-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the Gaza war reached a momentous crossroads. On September 29, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu revealed at the White House that the two leaders converged on a 20-point deal to end the war in Gaza and create a new U.S.-led multinational post-war authority in the enclave. Hamas officials indicated only tepid interest in the proposal, calling for further negotiations, which was followed by Trump demanding that Israel “stop the bombing of Gaza” and indicating he believes Hamas is “ready for a lasting peace.”
JINSA hosted a webinar examining the state of play two years after October 7, 2023. The discussion featured leading experts Elliott Abrams, JINSA Iran Policy Project Member and former U.S. Special Representative for Iran, John Hannah, JINSA Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow and former National Security Advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, and Michael Makovsky, PhD, JINSA’s President & CEO.
Blaise Misztal, JINSA’s Vice President for Policy, moderated the conversation.
Elliott Abrams Elliott Abrams is a member of JINSA’s Iran Policy Project and JINSA’s Gaza Futures Task Force. He served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George W. Bush, where he supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East for the White House, and as Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela in the administration of Donald Trump. |
John Hannah John Hannah is the Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy. John served in senior foreign policy positions for both Democratic and Republican administrations, including as former Vice President Dick Cheney’s National Security Advisor from 2005-2009 and as Vice President Cheney’s Deputy National Security Advisor for the Middle East from 2001-2005. |
Michael Makovsky, PhD Michael Makovsky, since 2013, has been President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). Makovsky has worked extensively on U.S.-Israel defense ties, U.S. policy toward Iran, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, the Persian Gulf, the role of energy in U.S. national security policy, and the Eastern Mediterranean. |
Blaise Misztal
Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. Misztal served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, a congressionally mandated project convened by the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Program. He has testified before Congress and published widely—including op-eds in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, and Roll Call.