The Endowment for Middle East Truth is pleased to announce a special two part briefing on Capitol Hill. The first portion, “Third Intifada?” will feature Captain (Res.) Barak Raz, former spokesperson for the Judea and Samaria Division of the IDF Central Command. The Judea and Samaria Division is the IDF’s largest and most complex, responsible for the area also referred to as the West Bank. Captain Raz will discuss the recent uptick in Palestinian terrorist violence in Judea and Samaria, how the IDF is responding, and what can be expected in the future.

In the second portion, Dr. Walid Phares, author of The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East will discuss what to expect in the region in the aftermath of the Iranian nuclear deal. How will the Iranians proceed with their regional hegemonic objectives? What reactions can we expect from other regional powers as fallout from the U.S.-Iran deal continues to reverberate through the region?

EMET is pleased to host these two experts on these key topics which can be expected to shape the near future of events in the Middle East.

Barak Raz is a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson for the Judea & Samaria Division of IDF Central Command – the IDF’s largest and most complex division, responsible for the region also referred to as the West Bank. As the Judea & Samaria Division Spokesperson, Captain (Res.) Barak Raz implemented a proactive strategic communications policy, serving as strategic advisor to the division’s commander and partaking in strategic and tactical planning for the division, its brigades, and its specialized units. Barak was also responsible for all media and public diplomacy efforts of the division, working with organizations and individuals from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and around the world, including government officials, media, NGOs, human rights organizations, civic organizations, and more.

Dr. Walid Phares, served as an Advisor to the Anti-Terrorism Caucus in the US House of Representatives since 2007 and is a Co-Secretary General of the Transatlantic Legislative Group on Counter Terrorism, a Euro-American Caucus, since 2009. Dr Phares briefs and testify to the US Congress, the European Parliament and occasionally to the United Nations Security Council on matters related to international security and Middle East conflict.  He has served on the Advisory Board of the Task Force on Future Terrorism of the Department of Homeland Security and the Advisory Task force on Nuclear Terrorism. Dr Phares teaches Global Strategies at the National Defense University. He has published several books in English, Arabic and French including the latest three post-9/11 volumes: Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against the West; The War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracy and The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad. His most recent book, The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East, has predicted the Arab Spring.