March 19, 2025
On Thursday, March 6, AJC Washington D.C. gathered more than 130 community members at Ohr Kodesh Congregation to learn about AJC’s Center for a New Middle East and prospects for regional cooperation. Our panel, facilitated by the chair of AJC’s Arabian Gulf institute, Andy Marks, featured Dana Stroul, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East and current Director of Research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Benjamin Rogers, AJC’s Director of Middle East and North African initiatives. AJC Washington D.C. hosted this program as part of our Bethesda breakfast series.
In the wide ranging conversation, panelists discussed why the center’s efforts are so important. Mr. Rogers noted, “While the obstacles are clear, so too are the unprecedented opportunities – and the peculiar fact is that, despite the events of the last 16 months, the current reality now requires Israelis and Arabs to be interdependent in ways not imaginable in the past.” AJC has worked for decades to pave the way for greater Israeli-Arab cooperation in our pursuit of peace and security. The new Center is uniquely positioned to actively contribute to progress in this area;
Ms. Stroul described the past year as game-changing for Israel and assumptions about the region. Iran’s proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, have been significantly weakened by the IDF. As such, the calculus of the effectiveness of military power coupled with a clear vision for the final status of ending the war – addressing the day after – has fundamentally changed and can inform the trajectory of the region in both the long and short term.
AJC believes the time is right to cement links with Arab states interested in accepting Israel’s role in the region, normalizing relations.and ensuring an era of prosperity and peace.
Through its permanent presence in Washington, D.C., Jerusalem, and Abu Dhabi, as well as constant travel to the region, AJC actively engages leaders from across the Middle East, including through high-level gatherings in Israel, UAE, and its 25 U.S.-based offices that bring together Arab and Israeli partners committed to new opportunities to work together. AJC works to help fulfill the promise of the Abraham Accords through programs that deepen diplomatic, civic, and business engagement across countries and throughout the region.
