A year of dialogue: Israelis, Pales­tinians, and regional actors are working together in the Middle East Network to discuss ways out of the war in Gaza, the release of hostages, and a peaceful future. On September 15 and 16, the network success­fully concluded its fifth round of dialogue. Organized by the Center for Liberal Modernity, the exchange builds trust, generates new ideas, and, for the first time, brings together voices from politics, civil society, and academia.

When President Emmanuel Macron sat down with Israel’s Channel 12, he declared that appointing a vice president to the Pales­tinian Authority was a suffi­cient reform step to justify France’s recog­nition of a Pales­tinian state. With those words, Macron handed Mahmoud Abbas a free pass—applauding a cosmetic gesture while ignoring the single reform Pales­tinians have been demanding for nearly two decades: the right to vote in free presi­dential and legislative elections.

For almost two years – since October 7, 2023, when the terrorist organi­zation Hamas attacked Israel, murdered 1,200 civilians, and took 240 hostages – war has been raging in Gaza. The conflict is being fought with unrelenting ferocity – on both sides. Kerstin Müller, Program Director for the Middle East Network, assesses the current situation and explains why recog­nizing a Pales­tinian state would currently be purely symbolic politics.

The Middle East Network consists of a small group of political experts, activists, and repre­sen­ta­tives from think tanks and NGOs from Israel, the Pales­tinian Terri­tories, as well as regional actors from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In this short video, several members share what motivates them to work toward changing the dynamics of the conflict and what oppor­tu­nities they see in the crisis.

In the run-up to the Alaska summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Thomas Enders (President of the Council on Foreign Relations), Marieluise Beck and Ralf Fücks (Center for Liberal Modernity) have issued an appeal to the German government, naming five essen­tials that Europe must now stand for.

The parlia­mentary elections on September 28 will be historic in Moldova, even if the outcome is still uncertain. Various scenarios are possible: Will Moldova succeed in pushing ahead with EU accession as protection against a perceived threat from Russia? Much depends on how the population reacts to frustration and fears, as Denis Cenusa analyzes for us.

Germany is paralyzing itself. This is partic­u­larly evident in its foreign policy toward Georgia. We seem to be far from a turning point. This must change urgently, not least so that Germany takes itself, its democ­ratic values, and its partners seriously! An appeal from Tbilisi by Hans Gutbrod.

In an appeal to the German government and its European partners, numerous public figures from Germany and Europe are calling for a joint effort by European democ­racies to enable Ukraine to success­fully defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression. Any success for Russia’s politics of violence would be a blow to European security. The European democ­ratic project would also be struck at its core.

In his essay for the major German weekend newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” Ralf Fücks, founding director of LibMod, analyzes the current debate about Israel, the efforts to get rid of Germany’s special commitment to the Jewish state (“end of the cult of guilt”), and the long lines of hostility toward Israel on the “progressive” left.