Robert Satloff

Segal Executive Director, The Washington Institute; author/filmmaker, Among the Righteous; founder,Pepperdine-TWI master's program in Middle East policy studies

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Huge family achievement: my 17-year-old son David lifted a personal best 491 lbs (deadlift) and went 8 for 9 at Powerlifting America Age Division National Championships in Reno last weekend. Way to go, Diesel Dave!

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

"We are calling out the occupation of #Palestine as unlawful."

Somewhere, in diplomatic heaven, Lord Caradon is turning over in his grave.

He was the wise and creative #British diplomat who was a chief architect of UNSCR 242, which authorized #Israel to retain territories occupied in the June 1967 war until peace was reached with #Arab parties.

Unlawful? It is actually mandated by the Security Council, as authored by a British diplomat.

[Ed Miliband @Ed_Miliband]

The UK will stand up for what is right.

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

A sad day for #European/#Canadian policy in the #MiddleEast …

— It is a sad day when well-founded criticism of the horrific violence of an extremist fringe gets expressed in the ban on imports produced in settlements of overwhelmingly law-abiding citizens.

— It is a sad day when all these western democracies fail to note that not a single mainstream party in democratic #Israel today advocates a two-state solution and instead they offer policies that are not only oblivious to this reality but are likely to harden this stance.

— It is a sad day when the “balancing” of anti-Israel policies come in the form of a statement denouncing antisemitism, which only underscores the fact that these leaders know that singling out Israel for such “special” attention smacks of the antisemitism they denounce.

— It is a sad day that there is not a single word demanded by all these democracies of the #PalestinianAuthority, the ostensible partner in the two-state solution, not even restating all the promises that were made in the New York declaration cited in this statement.

If these governments want to be irrelevant to the future of the #Israeli-#Palestinian relationship, they are certainly choosing policies that will take them there.

https://t.co/ElI1SXONWz

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Bold, courageous and spot-on

"For #Gaza to Recover, #Hamas Must be Expelled" by @afalkhatib https://t.co/27jA9iTedY

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Kudos to US Amb to #Lebanon #MichelIssa for taking unusual step of visiting #Israel for direct talks at highest level to advance trilateral framework agreement. This is the most positive, hopeful item on agenda of security/peace diplomacy these days - one that should transcend political divide both in Israel and in U.S. - and it would be diplomatic malpractice to let it wither due to indifference, complacency or inaction.

[Ambassador Mike Huckabee @GovMikeHuckabee]

I met last nite w/ @IsraeliPM & Amb Michel Issa, US Amb to Lebanon to discuss progress in US led talks w/ @Israel & Lebanon. Historic process only impeded by Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, responsible for killing hundreds of Americans. Whatever Iran touches, turns to 💩

[Hanin Ghaddar @haningdr]

I joined @i24NEWS_EN to discuss the pilot zones, and what needs to be done in order to seriously dismantle Hezbollah across Lebanon.

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

"#Israel is a cause that stands beyond the ordinary changes and chances of #American public life. In our pluralistic society, it has not been a #Jewish cause - any more than #Irish independence was solely the concern of Americans of Irish descent. The ideals of #Zionism have, in the last half century, been repeatedly endorsed by Presidents and Members of Congress from both parties. Friendship for Israel is not a partisan matter. It is a national commitment."

Take a moment to re-read JFK's speech to a gathering of American Zionists 66 years ago today.

https://t.co/OzZMb9DN41

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Terrific reporting by @WashInstitute alumna @ClaudiaGroeling. Thanks to her and her @ThisIsBeirut_ colleague @AtrachRalph, assessments of #LAF performance in the pilot zones can draw on first-hand observation, not the wishes or fears of uninformed third parties.

[This Is Beirut @ThisIsBeirut_]

On-the-ground reporting by @ClaudiaGroeling found that LAF access controls in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh lacked consistent identification and inspection procedures, raising questions about how effectively the army is enforcing control over the pilot zone.

More here: https://t.co/zEUhify7qa

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

If the #Lebanon-#Israel framework agreement collapses because the #LAF fails to fulfill its mission “to disarm and dismantle” #Hezbollah in its zones of responsibilities, it will be a tragedy foremost for the people of Lebanon, for whom this agreement offers a path to sovereignty, security, prosperity and peace not promised by any other so-called solution. It is not too late to correct these early mistakes and do the job right.

https://t.co/s5vismyCs6

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

For a prime example of bad journalism on a complex #MiddleEast story, see this @washingtonpost article: https://t.co/KGkQw08gAV

-- Subhead of the article draws a parallel between #Israeli operations in #Lebanon and the #WestBank but there is not a single quotation within the story that makes that comparison. This provocative assertion seems to emerge from the imagination of the reporter or his editor.

-- The fundamental distinction between the West Bank and Lebanon is that #Israel has declared on multiple occasions that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, which it readily recognizes as a sovereign state with which it hopes to reach a peace treaty, which is very different from the murky, contested situation in the West Bank. If the @washingtonpost was intent on pursuing this fictional connection, it really should have started with first principles.

- #Hezbollah and Israel didn’t just “renew fighting,” as this story states, suggesting these things happen spontaneously and without cause. The history is that Hezbollah broke a ceasefire on March 2 by firing rockets into northern Israel, allegedly out of sympathy for its Iranian patron, with Israel then retaliating by targeting Hezbollah and dispatching troops to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

-- The reporter creates a false sense crisis by suggesting that there is something sinister and foreboding in the fact that three weeks have passed since Israel and Lebanon established their first “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon without yet agreeing on the next set of zones. Really? After just three weeks?

-- The one “independent” analyst cited in this article is one of the most virulent and extreme critics of the Lebanon-Israeli framework agreement, calling its terms “absurd” (https://t.co/YxgJFL0x0R) and saying the agreement “effectively puts Lebanon in U.S.- and Israeli-supervised receivership.” (https://t.co/MQ136pdNBz), whatever that means.

-- The article totally misreads the relationship between Lebanon-Israel negotiations and the broader U.S.-Iran conflict. This is what it says: “President Donald Trump is attempting to keep the peace here in part to advance talks with Iran. #Tehran has repeatedly tied a ceasefire with the United States and Israel to an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Israeli strikes on #Beirut in June almost derailed a deal, and Iran signaled over the weekend that it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless attacks in Lebanon stopped.”

What is missing here is any discussion that the U.S. pursued two paths simultaneously – including Lebanon within the terms of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding while also mediating direct Lebanon-Israel negotiations unconnected to the MOU. Lebanese President Aoun @LBpresidency broke through this muddled situation by bluntly rejecting Iranian efforts to claim Lebanon as a protectorate, boldly and courageously demanding that the Lebanese government is the sole agent to speak for Lebanon, a position from which he then authorized the final negotiations for the framework agreement. The fact that Iran continues to talk about some connection between Hormuz and Lebanon while the Lebanese and Israelis implement their agreement has little operational significance and is an embarrassment to Tehran. The article misses all this completely.

Bottom line: An article like this – which leaves readers dumber about a complex situation than they were before – suggests the Post didn’t go far enough when it took the axe to its woeful Middle East coverage earlier this year.

[Sam Heller | سام هيلر @AbuJamajem]

For people upset about Article 13 of this U.S.-Israel-Lebanon trilateral agreement – or its other sovereignty-negating provisions, which effectively put Lebanon in U.S.- and Israeli-supervised receivership – this is where this process was always headed: https://t.co/LbOO0GyLhD

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

On behalf of the Trustees, Fellows and Staff of @WashInstitute, I extend our deepest condolences to the family of James G. Roche, former secretary of the @usairforce and longtime member of our advisory board, who passed away last week. A fierce patriot and courageous advocate of the U.S.-#Israel strategic partnership, his powerful voice and keen intellect will be sorely missed.

https://t.co/dBEWtu5702

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Today is the 74th anniversary of the decision by the #Jordanian parliament to name #Hussein bin Talal as king of #Jordan, replacing his ill father. Since Hussein was just 16 years old at the time, the #Hashemite kingdom was managed by a three-member regency council until he formally took the throne the following May.

Indeed, a circle of wise, responsible leaders – people who understood Jordan’s precarious position and took sensible decisions to maintain stability and security -- was essential to Jordan’s survival then and for years to follow, during which Hussein matured into the widely respected king that navigated the region’s turbulence until his passing in 1999.

Jordan today has a savvy, experienced monarch, older than Hussein was when he passed away, and a crown prince twice as old as his namesake was when he became king. Still, with Jordan facing unprecedented attack from faraway #Iran designed to sever the kingdom from its strategic allies, that circle of wise, responsible leaders on whom the monarchy can rely for sound judgment and sensible decisions is more important than it has been in a long time.

Does it still exist? Yes, but the circle is smaller today and largely, though not solely, concentrated within the national security establishment. Hopefully, these stalwart, far-sighted men and women will speak up and speak out more, not to grandstand but to help shape public opinion and absorb difficult decisions. Jordan needs them.

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Important @nytimes story on the financial fight against #Hezbollah but how could such smart reporters make a whopper mistake in the opening sentence? Who “launched” this round of fighting in March 2026 by firing six rockets across the border? It wasn’t #Israel.

https://t.co/KhF8gH8FKV via @NYTimes

[Souad Mekhennet @smekhennet]

From me in @PostOpinions: Tens of thousands of people from #Morocco , mobilized largely by viral rumors, overwhelmed the border at #Ceuta in a matter of days. What followed should alarm every security service in #Europe. 🧵
https://t.co/b1O6RmOjaF

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

“The share of men and older teenage boys continues to grow over time, and males aged 15-45 account for 33,268 (45.7%) of currently recorded deaths, compared to an estimated 24.7% share of Gaza’s pre-war population.”

In other words, combatants.

Another brilliant analysis of newly released #Gaza fatality statistics by @GabrielEpsteinX

[Gabriel Epstein @GabrielEpsteinX]

The 14th public iteration of the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s (MOH) death toll list, dated to May 7, 2026 and containing 72,835 entries, was released quietly on July 5 by Iraq Body Count. Long analysis of data quality, demographics, unknowns, and post-ceasefire trends. 🧵

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

By hitting #Jordan, #Iran may be trying to drive a wedge between #Amman & #Washington and deepen popular opposition to US military presence. But except for 2 episodes for which Jordan paid dearly (1967 and 1990/91) the kingdom's leaders have stood with America, which has been a reliable source of security for nearly 70 years, and they are unlikely to change course.
https://t.co/M7KldzkduR

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Congratulations to @nmladenov not only for this important achievement but for affirming the right approach, affirming the principle that #Israeli withdrawal is wholly dependent on decommissioning #Hamas weapons. On this principle, real progress can be built.

[Nickolay E. MLADENOV @nmladenov]

Today, agreement has been reached on the decommissioning of weapons and civilian transition in Gaza. It took months of very difficult negotiations to get here. There were several points when I did not believe we would make it... What the agreement says matters. What happens next matters even more. Implementation and verification have to be real. Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning. And the @NCAG and the Palestinian people need the political and practical backing to take charge of their own future. Grateful to @realDonaldTrump for driving this through, and to the #US, #Egypt, #Qatar, #Türkiye, #UAE for their support and for their help in keeping people in the room on the days when walking out would have been far easier. I want to also thank the UN Secuirty Council for staying focused on our work and consistently messaging how important it is to fully implement resolution 2803. Ahead of us is a Gaza rebuilt, governed by Palestinians and at peace with Israel an a political horizon to a meaningful resolution the Israeli Palestinian conflict. That is the work now.

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

Impressively, @washingtonpost either erred or missed almost every critical aspect of the @LBpresidency-@POTUS meeting:

WRONG: "The United States supports efforts to mediate a deal between Lebanon and Israel." This implies a deal doesn't exist but it already does -- a breakthrough "framework agreement" signed last month with the help of @SecRubio's mediation. The real news from the Oval Office yesterday was that Trump, for the first time, publicly embraced that agreement, effectively renouncing the controversial clause in the US-#Iran MOU that envisioned Lebanon as an item on the US-Iran agenda.

WRONG: "#Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon in March, after the joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran." in reality, Israel moved significant forces into southern #Lebanon after #Hezbollah broke the 2024 ceasefire by launching rockets into northern Israel, to open a second front in support of Iran.

WOEFULLY MISLEADING: "[Israel's] continued military action has killed more than 4,300 citizens, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry." According to the same data from the health ministry, more than 80 percent of those killed were adult males, strongly suggesting that the large majority were Hezbollah fighters. Without minimizing the loss of civilian life, making the distinction between combatants and non-combatants should be elemental.

Read for yourself the original story here:
https://t.co/1DAR6tDnxB

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

On behalf of the trustees, fellows and staff of @WashInstitute, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of Jim Woolsey, a longtime member of our Board of Advisors.

https://t.co/5Ew9K2claI

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

All told, today was a great success for @LBpresidency, #Lebanon and the cause of Lebanon-#Israel peace.

From his opening sentence, President #Aoun focused on implementing the “framework agreement,” a breakthrough accord that commits #Beirut to disarm and dismantle #Hezbollah, in exchange for which Israel will progressively redeploy from Lebanese territory.

And from his Oval Office remarks, @POTUS finally embraced the framework agreement, putting to rest any lingering fears that he might actually resurrect the #Iran MOU with its #Tehran-centric approach to Lebanon. Aid to help implement the deal with Israel - including support for the #LAF- is sure to come.

And policy aside, it appears the two leaders took great strides to building a relationship that is critical to both Lebanon’s future and the cause of peace. It is no small thing that Lebanon - which suspended flights from Iran - was approved for direct flights from America.

Were there miscues? Sure - for example, #Amal leader #NabihBerri is Hezbollah’s ally and enabler, not the “good guy” Trump called him. Whoever is feeding this line to the president is not a friend of peace.

But let’s not let the trees obscure the forest - today was a big step forward toward Lebanon reclaiming its sovereignty and paving a road to peace.

[Robert Satloff @robsatloff]

What likely happened in the @WhiteHouse meeting between @POTUS and @LBpresidency? My view broadcast today on @AlHadath

https://t.co/StAgVbGN3e