Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen is the director of the Israel, The Palestinian Territories, Egypt and the Levant program at the U.S. Institute of Peace where she leads a portfolio of policy-informing and peacebuilding work and frequently presents and publishes in a variety of forums on political, diplomatic and civil society efforts related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Arab-Israeli relations. She is co-author of a forthcoming USIP/Cornell University press volume examining the diplomatic efforts of successive U.S. administrations toward the Arab-Israeli conflict. Kurtzer-Ellenbogen has previously worked with the U.S. Department of State as an Arabic language specialist, and as the program officer for the Kennedy School of Government’s Middle East Initiative at Harvard University.

Publications By Lucy

A Year After October 7, the Middle East Crisis Has No End in Sight

A Year After October 7, the Middle East Crisis Has No End in Sight

Thursday, October 10, 2024

The grim anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing war brought little respite for memorialization and healing from the enormity of loss with which Israeli and Palestinian societies have been grappling. More than 100 of the over 250 Israeli and foreign hostages abducted that day into Gaza are estimated to remain in captivity, with only 64 presumed still alive; upward of 42,000 Gazans have been killed in the ongoing war, most of the enclave’s population has been repeatedly displaced, and damage and humanitarian devastation is widespread. A multi-front war that has simmered since that day is now poised to boil over with catastrophic potential for the region.

Type: Question and Answer

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

Hassan Nasrallah is dead. What happens next in the Middle East?

Hassan Nasrallah is dead. What happens next in the Middle East?

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Two weeks ago, Israel announced that halting Hezbollah attacks had become an official goal of its post-October 7 war effort. Since then, Israel conducted a sophisticated clandestine attack on Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure and struck numerous Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut, killing many of Hezbollah’s senior leaders. Then, on Friday, an Israeli airstrike assassinated Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who led the group for over 30 years.

Type: Question and Answer

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

Whither Cease-fire Talks After Hamas Kills 6 Israeli Hostages?

Whither Cease-fire Talks After Hamas Kills 6 Israeli Hostages?

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Israeli soldiers’ discovery of six of their country’s hostages shot dead in a tunnel underneath Rafah, Gaza has placed the question of a cease-fire’s prospects in stark relief. Coming as the U.S. had already stepped up efforts to push for an Israel-Hamas agreement, the grim fate of the hostages can simultaneously be viewed as providing a catalyst for the urgent conclusion of a deal, or as a harbinger of diplomatic derailment for a process the U.S., Egypt and Qatar had been in the throes of pushing to resolution.

Type: Question and Answer

Conflict Analysis & PreventionPeace Processes

Israel-Hezbollah Contained Escalation Halts Concern Over Broader Mideast War

Israel-Hezbollah Contained Escalation Halts Concern Over Broader Mideast War

Thursday, August 29, 2024

For weeks, concerns over the risk of miscalculation or even intentional escalation between Israel and Hezbollah have dominated attention. Ramped up cross-border attacks between the two sides on Sunday, August 25 have left each side simultaneously claiming success “for now,” suggesting a much-feared larger conflagration may have been averted in the near term. However, implications for longer-term risk and mutual deterrence, Iran’s calculations for escalation, and linkage to the still-elusive Gaza cease-fire remain uncertain.

Type: Question and Answer

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

What the Houthi-Israel Exchange Might Mean for Escalation in the Middle East

What the Houthi-Israel Exchange Might Mean for Escalation in the Middle East

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

The Middle East saw yet another escalatory episode over the weekend, as Israel and Yemen’s Houthis exchanged fire. On July 19, the Iran-backed Houthis launched an unprecedented drone attack on Israel, which hit an apartment building in downtown Tel Aviv, killing one and injuring at least 10 others. It was the first time that the Houthis killed or even harmed an Israeli, despite launching dozens of missile attacks on Israel since October 7. The next day, Israel struck back with an airstrike on the strategic port of Hodeida, marking the first time it attacked Yemen. The Israeli attack killed six, injured dozens more and left ablaze key oil facilities in the area.

Type: Question and Answer

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

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