America's relationship with Israel shapes the prospects for peace following years of war in Gaza.
That’s according to Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. He’s speaking Thursday night at the Filson Historical Society as a part of the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana's fall 2025 speaker series. A note,the Filson and the World Affairs Council provide support to Louisville Public Media.
This transcript was edited for clarity and length.
Bill Burton: There is an agreement in place between Israel and Hamas, but as we've seen the last few days, it's tenuous. The deal seems to be done mostly on the will of Donald Trump. Is that enough to keep it in place?
Brian Katulis: It's not, which is why President Trump has sent about 200 U.S. troops to Israel to set up a cell that will actually monitor the ceasefire and then work with other countries that might come in with troops.
BB: What's happening in Gaza, of course, isn't happening in a vacuum, so how is what's happening there affecting the rest of the Middle East?
BK: Everything that happened in Gaza, especially over the last year, reverberated around the region in ways that I think is hard to imagine here in America. For my job, I go to the region, to various capitals and countries about every other month or so, and the images of women and children being killed in this war in Gaza, Palestinians, really captured the imagination in a very negative way of many people and the empathy and sympathy of the plight of the Palestinian people, and it prioritized the Palestinian question in ways that I think I've not seen in a long time.
I used to live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip back in the 1990s and it wasn't on the priority list of many Arab countries back then. It is now — in large part because of how devastating the human security consequences have been.
BB: How is America's relationship with Israel affecting its relationships positively or negatively with other Middle Eastern countries?
BK: For much of the second Trump administration, he's essentially offered an unhindered blank check support to Israel. The bigger roadblock is the fact that most of the Arab countries support the creation of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution. Saudi Arabia joined France just last month at the United Nations for symbolic recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel and Trump actually opposed this measure. The Trump administration banned visas for all Palestinians, including children and those who were coming to America to get medical treatment for their injuries. So that relationship between the U.S. and Israel, particularly under Trump right now, holds back Trump's desire for a wider normalization deal, because most of those countries want to see the creation of a Palestinian state, and the current Israeli government, which leans heavily to the right, is opposed to that state.
BB: For the average person, what's unfolding in the Middle East can be nearly overwhelming to try to take in. Is there anything the average American, the average Kentuckian, can do that would make an impact?
BK: Depending on what your view is, if you're living in Kentucky and you're following these things, a lot of people have some point of connection to the Middle East, either through faith or through personal interest. Israel, in particular, is a holy land for Christians, Jews and Muslims. So there's strong feelings, as we've seen in our own country, about this war on many different sides. I think the main thing is to try to stay informed about what's going on, but then also be open minded to a diversity of views, including those that aren't your own. And what we do at the Middle East Institute is to try to offer up independent analysis that sees things from multiple angles and enriches the debate.
BB: That's Brian Katulis. He is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, Brian, thanks so much for your time.
BK: Hey, thanks for having me.
