Neville Teller

Born in London and educated at Oxford University, Neville combined a career in the Civil Service with writing for BBC radio as dramatist and abridger. In addition, he has been commenting on the Middle East political scene for some 35 years, with five books published on the subject.

People stand next to a destroyed tank turret, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025.

Sweida’s crisis and the quiet path to a Syria-Israel security deal - opinion

UK PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer hosts PA head Mahmoud Abbas at 10 Downing Street earlier this month. According to the last major poll of Palestinian opinion, about 81% of all Palestinians want Abbas to resign, notes the writer.

Accentuating the positive: Mahmoud Abbas's UN address - opinion

 Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025.

Is the Iranian regime on the verge of collapse? - opinion


Disarming Hezbollah: The five-phase Lebanese plan is actually happening - opinion

The Lebanese military drew up a five-phase disarmament plan that is being implemented.

LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER Youssef Raggi heads to a cabinet meeting in Baabda, Lebanon, last month. He declared that within three months, the army will have fully disarmed Hezbollah in the area nearest the border with Israel, says the writer.

Despite Macron's efforts, France's influence on the Middle East counts for little - opinion

French presidents have aspired to be power brokers in the Middle East ever since France assumed its colonial role there after World War I.

SAUDI CROWN PRINCE Mohammed bin Salman meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Riyadh, last year. Ever resilient, Macron is about to have another try, says the writer.

Tony Blair: A fresh and positive presence on the Palestinian issue - opinion

Blair has been closely involved with the Israel-Palestinian issue for a quarter of a century. His experience of the Middle East is unrivaled.

THEN-QUARTET representative to the Middle East Tony Blair speaks during a meeting with Palestinian businessmen in Gaza City in 2015. He is a fresh and positive presence on the scene, the writer maintains.

Airstrikes, cautious diplomacy: Israel and Syria draw closer - opinion

Cautious diplomacy will continue to guide Israeli-Syrian relations.

SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER Asaad al-Shaibani attends the Munich Security Conference earlier this year. Reportedly, he has met more than once with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the writer notes.

Egypt takes the lead as the only viable plan for the reconstruction of Gaza - opinion

Egypt is the progenitor of the only viable plan for the reconstruction, development, and administration of post-war Gaza. So the focus shifts from Qatar’s capital, Doha, to Cairo is logical.

QATAR’S EMIR Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani meets with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Doha in April. Egypt, along with Qatar and the US, has been central to recent efforts on reaching a ceasefire and hostage release, says the writer.

'King of Kings': The rise and fall of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi - review

Anderson portrays the shah as a complex, Shakespearean figure – arrogant but weak, ambitious for his country yet blind to the growing unrest among his people. 'A soft man masquerading as a hard one.'

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

One way to Palestinian autonomy - opinion

A three-state confederation has the potential to overcome many of the problems associated with simply establishing a stand-alone state of Palestine.

JORDAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER Ayman Safadi speaks at the two-state-solution conference at the UN last month. Although official Jordanian policy supports two states, its leaders are wary that unresolved issues could endanger its vital interests, says the writer.

As Hezbollah weakens, Lebanon recovers - opinion

Hezbollah’s legitimacy, even within its core constituency, has been damaged by its loss of charismatic leadership and its degraded military position.

 Members of Hezbollah attend the funeral of Taleb Abdallah, also known as Abu Taleb, a senior field commander of Hezbollah who was killed by what security forces say was an Israel strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon June 12, 2024.

'Antisemitism: History and myth': Greek Orthodox Christian examines antisemitism - review

In Antisemitism: History and Myth, Spencer provides a carefully researched overview of this most persistent, and most unjustified, of phenomena, but not, of course, any sort of remedy.

ON APRIL 1, 1933, Nazi soldiers hang a sign on the window of a Jewish-owned business, reading: ‘German, protect yourself. Do not buy from Jews.’

Palestinian statehood: What does recognition mean? - opinion

Most recognitions of Palestine are not legal affirmations of full statehood but political support for Palestinian self-determination and a two-state solution.

UK FOREIGN SECRETARY David Lammy speaks after addressing a conference on a two-state solution at UN Headquarters in New York City last week. The Palestinian Fatah leadership has rejected two-state offers on multiple occasions, the writer notes.