Book Reviews

Fall 2025 Book Reviews:
Book Reviews
Two Palestinian Memoirs Recall the Good Old Days
September 2, 2025
Book Reviews
White-Collar Blues: The Making of the Transnational Turkish Middle Class
September 2, 2025
More from MEF
The Star of David hexagram window at the top of the Intercontinental Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin.
Middle East Forum Observer
Israel Should Evacuate Jews from Ireland
Irish Politicians Openly Demonize Jews, and Growing Indulgence in Antisemitism Makes Bloodshed Inevitable
October 17, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Migrant workers perform maintenance on an underground water drainage system in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Middle East Forum Observer
Is Gulf Arab Labor Reform Real?
Just Because Formal Rights Exist on Paper, Does Not Mean They Translate Into Meaningful Change
October 17, 2026
 · 
Radhika Lakshminarayanan
The 396-page complaint, filed on June 10, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, alleges that accounts operated from Turkey moved tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency while transacting with networks linked to Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Middle East Forum Online
U.S. Lawsuit Details Turkey Links in Hamas and Iranian Cryptocurrency Financing Networks
A Sweeping U.S. Lawsuit Accuses Binance of Helping Finance Hamas and Other Iran-Backed Groups
October 16, 2026
 · 
Abdullah Bozkurt
As the first Israeli election since the 2023 Hamas attack looms, a topic of great significance has been thrust back into the limelight — the question of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s responsibility for the October 7 disaster.
Middle East Forum Online
Reports of Unheeded October 7 Warnings May Be Tenuous, but Still Are Dangerous for Netanyahu
October 16, 2026
 · 
Lazar Berman
In Southern Yemen on February 5, 2026, the Saudi-backed Yemeni Army deploys security checkpoints in the streets of Hadramaut following the withdrawal of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces.
Middle East Forum Online
The West Needs a Coherent Plan for Tackling Iran’s Proxies
The Yemeni Example Casts in Bold Relief the Fundamental Lack of a Common Strategy from the West in the Current Set of Interlocking Global Conflicts Under Way
October 16, 2026
 · 
Jonathan Spyer
Fishing boats on the beach in the port city of Chabahar on the coast of the Gulf of Oman in Sistan and Balochistan province.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iran’s Stretched Forces Look Desperate as Attacks in Sistan and Baluchistan Mount
There Have Been Dozens of Incidents for Which Jaysh Al-Adl Has Claimed Credit, and Other Unclaimed Attacks
October 16, 2026
 · 
Shay Khatiri
Ariana Harwicz, shortlisted for the Booker International Prize, was due to take part on September 26 in an event devoted to her work. The invitation was withdrawn after protests by activists and university students who discovered something they considered extremely serious: Harwicz is a pro-Israel Jew. Image: an interior courtyard at the language center of the University of Granada, Andalusia, Spain; June 19, 2026.
Middle East Forum Online
Welcome to the Pro-Pal Inquisition
The Jewish Writer Ariana Harwicz Has Been Excluded from the International Festival of Art and Literature at the University of Granada
October 15, 2026
 · 
Giulio Meotti
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, born on November 15, 1935, won the Palestinian presidential election in January 2005 for a four-year term that expired in January 2009. No subsequent presidential election has renewed his electoral mandate. Image: Abbas speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 21, 2023.
Middle East Forum Online
Abbas Delays Palestinian Elections Until 2027; Who Will Control the West Bank After Him?
Future Financial Assistance Must Be Tied Directly to Clear Budgeting, Independent Audits, and Strict Safeguards Against Political Misuse
October 15, 2026
 · 
Amine Ayoub
The skyline of Doha, Qatar.
Middle East Forum Observer
The End of Qatar’s Moment?
Qatar Is Reeling from the Iran War, and Its Ability to Pay off Critics Is Declining
October 15, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
The Chabahar port in Iran, where proposed Afghan investment provoked outrage.
Middle East Forum Observer
Afghan Investment Scandal Highlights Iran’s Economic Decline
How Did Iran Get to the Point Where the Prospect of Investment from Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan Could Be an Achievement?
October 15, 2026
 · 
Potkin Azarmehr