An Arab shift on Gaza and Hamas
The Arab countries understand that for both Israel and the Trump administration, the removal of Hamas from power is a non-negotiable condition for moving forward. The onus is now on them.
Yaara Segal is a specialist on the Abraham Accords and a strategy and communications consultant for the MENA region. She served as Senior Advisor to Israel’s ambassador to the UAE and was a founding team member of the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi following the signing of the Accords. She also served as Director of Public Diplomacy at the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles, where she developed strategic relationships with influential U.S. groups and led communications and public diplomacy efforts to strengthen Israel–U.S. relations.
Today, she drives initiatives that strengthen the Abraham Accords, forge connections through international dialogue, counter antisemitism,
and deepen global understanding of Israel’s role in the Middle East.
Op-eds And Features Articles
The Abraham Accords are still alive and well
The Gaza war posed a major challenge to the Abraham Accords Arab member states, many of whom have faced criticism from a slew of Arabs and Muslims for maintaining their relations with Israel.
Revitalization of the Palestinian Authority is not enough to fix the damage | The Jerusalem Post
We had a ceasefire... Hamas broke it
A ceasefire was firmly in place until the morning of October 7, but it was Hamas that violated it. Those advocating for an end to the fighting have overlooked this fundamental fact. Rather than being an instigator, Israel was responding to aggression imposed upon it. Any ceasefire at this stage would ultimately benefit Hamas, allowing them to regroup while undermining Israel’s security.
Hamas is playing the West
For all intents and purposes, it seems that those who are exerting so much pressure on Israel to stay out of Rafah are showing little to no concern for the fate of our 134 hostages.
At This Point in Time, a Two-State Solution Is Asking Israel to Commit Suicide
October 7th was by no means the first time that Hamas showed the world who they were, but the atrocities committed that day will forever mark a massive turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For perhaps the first time, Israelis were left with no choice but to believe the Palestinian side whose actions were nowhere near signaling for peace, nor any solution result in...
A two-state solution now is tantamount to suicide for Israel
Before Oct. 7, most Israelis believed in peace with the Palestinians and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state next to Israel. Today, many Israelis no longer believe that this is a realistic scenario in the foreseeable future.
Holocaust education begins in the Arab world
The UAE has become the first Arab country to add Holocaust education to its schools—a milestone for Jewish-Muslim relations and interfaith understanding. Amid rising antisemitism and fading awareness, this step highlights the urgent need to actively teach and preserve Holocaust history.
Sinwar killing ‘lowered barriers’ to Arab involvement in Gaza’s day-after plan, but obstacles remain
The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar over the weekend did not end the war in Gaza, but it is a potent symbol of a new phase, in which the terrorist group is mostly defeated and resorting to guerilla...
The world has betrayed and forgotten the Israeli hostages
Just days after the International Court of Justice issued an opaque ruling ordering Israel to halt its operations in Rafah that risked destroying the city’s civilian population, the Israeli military was reportedly responsible for what Prime Minister Netanyahu called “a tragic accident,” part of a strike in a humanitarian area that killed 45 people
In Gaza plan, Arabs recast the future
In almost every corner of the world since late January, the “America First” agenda of President Donald Trump has nudged nations to rethink their identity, even core principles. Europe has tightened its unity around higher defense spending. Canadians have reinvigorated their identity. American allies scattered across Asia are looking more to each other for support. For now, an inward-looking United States is forcing introspection elsewhere.Less noticed has been a marked shift in the Middle East....
United Arab Emirates sees itself as US of Arab world, peace keeper
A UAE diplomat proposes a peacekeeping initiative in Gaza to foster stability, strengthen a deradicalized PA, and pave the way for Arab-Israeli cooperation in postwar reconstruction.
Yaara Segal on the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi
A fascinating conversation with one of the founders of the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi, and formerly one of the more prominent figures at the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles. We talk about her family background, her childhood alongside leaders like Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu, and the big question: will the peace agreements with the Gulf states hold up after the events of October 7th?
טבריה-אבו דאבי אקספרס: הסיפור מאחורי הקמת השגרירות הראשונה באיחוד האמרויות
שיחה מרתקת עם יערה סגל, ממייסדות שגרירות ישראל באבו דאבי ולשעבר מהדמויות הבולטות בקונסוליה הישראלית באל איי. הייחוס המשפחתי, הילדות לצד מנהיגים כמו אריאל שרון ובנימין נתניהו, וגם, האם הסכמי השלום עם מדינות המפרץ יחזיקו מעמד אחרי אירועי ה-7 באוקטובר
