Eric R. Mandel

Dr. Eric Mandel is the founder and Director of MEPIN™, the Middle East Political and Information Network™. MEPIN is a private Middle East research analysis read by members of Congress, their foreign policy advisors, members of the Knesset, journalists, and organizational leaders. Dr. Mandel regularly briefs members of Congress and their staffs about the current geo-political situation in the Middle East, and meets with members of the Israeli leadership and their advisors. He is the Northeast Co-Chair of StandWithUs, an international organization dedicated to educating the public about Israel, while fighting the BDS movement (Boycott, Divest and Sanction) against Israel.

A SYRIAN flag is displayed outside the White House after the meeting of US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa last week. November is shaping up as a holiday season for Arab governments, says the writer.

America’s Middle East commitments must come with clear reciprocity - opinion

IRAQ’S PRIME MINISTER Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani (left) meets with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran earlier this year. Israeli officials warn that Iranian-controlled Iraqi militias are regaining strength, the writer notes.

US must keep Iraq central as Iran rebuilds its Ring of Fire - opinion

An illustrative image of a Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) movement protest against Israel.

Israel's next war: A battle fought in classrooms, boardrooms, and the media - analysis


Palestinian statehood must start with reform, demilitarization, recognition of Israel - analysis

Granting statehood before a stable, non-corrupt, non-jihadist Palestinian leadership is in place would reward movements committed to Israel’s destruction.

Palestinians walk past rubble as they return to their neighborhood, following Israeli forces' withdrawal from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip October 11, 2025.

Israel must secure Trump’s support to confront Hamas provocations - opinion

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must persuade President Trump, his advisers, and the US military team monitoring the ceasefire that Hamas’s violations cannot be ignored.

SECURITY FORCES pay respects as a convoy bringing four bodies arrives at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir, early yesterday morning, but one was not a hostage. Hamas violations of the agreement cannot be ignored, the writer stresses.

Remaking Israel's Navy: Transformation of IDF maritime forces can give lessons to the US

Hamas’s surprise assault forced Israel to rethink its maritime defense, offering lessons to the US Navy.

 An Israeli Navy vessel enters the port in Haifa on October 12, 2024, amid the war between Israel and Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah.

Radical jihadism and the occupation trap: How it’s reshaping the US-Israel alliance - opinion

If Israel is truly committed to reoccupying Gaza, it must coordinate with Washington at an unprecedented level to mitigate the cascade of adverse outcomes likely to emerge.

 COMBINED US-ISRAEL flag on the Lebanon border, March 30.

Israel's cold peace with Egypt is on the verge of unraveling - opinion

With 2026 approaching, the “cold peace” risks fraying further, a scenario neither the US nor Israel can afford to ignore.

Egyptian tanks are seen on the road to the Rafah border amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt September 9, 2024.

Hamas, not the IDF, endangers Gazan civilians - opinion

International law makes Hamas, not Israel, responsible for civilian harm, yet much of the world continues to misjudge the situation.

A BOY holds a sign that reads: ‘We will not be displaced. Stop our extermination,’ this week in Gaza City. Hamas, not Israel, is responsible for civilian harm, yet much of the world continues to misjudge the situation, the writer argues.

‘Anti-Palestinian Racism’: It’s the next tool of anti-Zionists - opinion

APR is framed as a new category of discrimination against Palestinians, their narratives, and their advocates.

A PRO-PALESTINIAN protest encampment is set up at the University of California, Berkeley last year. At Stanford and Berkeley, faculty resolutions and student events have labeled opposition to Hamas as ‘racist,’ state the writers.

A misleading PA ‘secular’ label: It matters for Gaza’s future - opinion

PA officials frequently invoke Quranic verses emphasizing the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque and promise divine reward for “martyrs,” blending scripture with calls to violence.

 Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beirut, Lebanon, May 22, 2025.

Israel’s declining image in the United States poses a strategic threat - opinion

To halt the decline in US support, Israel must treat public diplomacy as a national security priority.

IDF operating in the Gaza Strip

Iran's new posture on nuclear talks is not a breakthrough - it is a stalling tactic - opinion

Tehran, long adept at delaying diplomacy while advancing its nuclear program, had assumed 2025 would play out like previous rounds. But this time, the Islamic Republic misjudged.

 Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff attends a meeting in the White House Situation Room on attacking Iranian nuclear facilities, last month. Now there is anticipation over new nuclear talks.