PHILADELPHIA – October 8, 2023 – The following analysts and scholars are available to comment on Hamas’s ongoing attacks on Israel, Israel’s response, and what the situation means for the region and the world.
In the United States:
Daniel Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum, which he has led since its founding in 1994. His policy recommendations emerge from thinking through what U.S. policy toward the region should be – including urging Israel to take out Hamas instead of continuing the failed status quo. The author of 16 books on the Middle East, Islam, and other topics, he served in five U.S. administrations, received two presidential appointments, and testified before many congressional committees. His work has been translated into 39 languages. He received both his A.B. and Ph.D. in Middle East history from Harvard.
Gregg Roman, director of the Middle East Forum, previously served as the political advisor to the deputy foreign minister of Israel and worked for the Israeli Ministry of Defense. An advocate of total Israeli victory over Hamas, his policy prescriptions emerge from his years spent in Israel, fluency in Hebrew, and deep familiarity with both the American and Israeli domestic and foreign policy apparatuses. A frequent speaker at venues around the world, Roman attended American University in Washington, D.C., and the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel, where he studied national security studies and political communications.
In Israel:
Nave Dromi is primarily responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Israel Victory Project (IVP) in Israel, a project of MEF. A journalist, author, and native Israeli, her insights into how best to deal with threats to Israel stem from her deep familiarity with all facets of Israeli political life. She works closely with members of the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus, opinion-shapers, members of the defense establishment, and Israeli social sectors to further the victory paradigm. A former commander in the Israel Defense Forces and frequent contributor to Haaretz, Dromi previously worked at the Institute for Zionist Strategies.
Ashley Perry is an adviser to the Middle East Forum’s Israel office. A veteran of numerous political campaigns in Israel and elsewhere, he has an insider’s grasp of how effective policy is made and, equally important, executed. He served as an adviser to Israel’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister from 2009 to 2015. Originally from the United Kingdom, he moved to Israel in 2001. Perry holds a bachelor’s degree from University College London and a master’s degree from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).
Alex Selsky is a senior adviser to the Israel Victory Project and member of the board of directors of Middle East Forum-Israel. A political and policy expert whose views are drawn from real world experience, he previously served as an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was spokesman of the Israeli National Economic Council. Selsky is a reserve major at the IDF Homefront Command emergency information unit and holds a B.A .in Business and an Executive M.A. in Public Policy from Hebrew University.
Jonathan Spyer, a journalist, oversees the Forum’s content and is editor of the Middle East Quarterly. No armchair analyst, Spyer has reported from military units in Iraq, Syria, and throughout the region so that he experiences the effects of policy decisions on-the-ground with those most affected. He has a B.A. from the London School of Economics, an M.A. from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. Spyer is the author of two books: The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict (2010) and Days of the Fall: A Reporter’s Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars (2017).
Benjamin Weinthal, a Ginsburg/Milstein Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum, is an investigative journalist known for his in-depth reports. Based in Jerusalem, he writes about the Middle East for Fox News Digital and the Jerusalem Post. He earned his B.A. from New York University and holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge. Weinthal’s commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Haaretz, the Guardian, Politico, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, and many additional North American and European outlets.
The Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank, is dedicated to defining American interests in the Middle East and protecting America from Islamist threats. It achieves its goals through intellectual, activist, and philanthropic efforts. For more information, visit www.meforum.org.
The Middle East Forum has over fifty research professionals available for comment to policymakers, journalists, and public officials. Our expertise spans a wide range of Middle East issues. As a nonpartisan organization, MEF is widely respected for operating independent of political and commercial pressures.
Looking for experts in other topic areas? Visit MEF’s Staff and Fellows page for up-to-date lists of experts.
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Gregg Roman
roman@meforum.org
+1 (215) 546 5406
