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ITME FELLOWSHIPS SPRING 2026

undergraduate, graduate students, young leaders

VOICES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
| ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST |

An international fellowship for motivated undergraduate and graduate students, as well as young leaders up to the age of 30. This Fellowship empowers emerging leaders to become Ambassadors of Change with the education, Intelligence Tools and Ambassador Skills they need to lead contextualized and constructive conversations about Israel and the Middle East across divides.

shlichim on north american college campuses

THE ISRAELI PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
| A VIEW FROM THE REGION 2026 |

A Fellowship designed specifically for Israel Campus Fellows working on North American college campuses. This Fellowship empowers Israel Fellows to be trusted educators and leaders, providing the education and tools they need to support students navigating complex, polarized conversations about Israel on campus.

VOICES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST

ITME’s newest initiative, VOICES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST, is an international fellowship for motivated college and graduate students.
By fostering knowledge and providing direct access to Middle East experts and resources, the Fellowship aims to help students shape a more informed and connected world on campus and beyond. To Understand Israel, We Must Understand The Middle East.

The Fellowship empowers participants to navigate complexity, think critically, engage differing viewpoints, and lead informed, constructive conversations across political and ideological divides. Fellows develop the confidence and capacity to foster understanding, build bridges, and contribute to more nuanced and productive dialogue on campus and in their communities.

AVI MELAMED

Geopolitical Middle East expert, intelligence analyst, author, educator, founder, and CEO of Inside the Middle East Intelligence Perspectives [ITME], an institute dedicated to apolitical Middle East education.

With a rich history as a former Israeli Intelligence Official and Senior Advisor on Arab Affairs, Avi has been uniquely positioned at the intersection of diplomacy, education, and intelligence. Fluent in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, Avi is recognized for his distinct understanding of current affairs in the Arab and Muslim world and their implications on Israel and the broader Middle East. His deep familiarity with the Arab and Muslim world has enabled him to predict key regional events.

Avi has authored three books on the region, produced “The Seam Line,” a five-part docuseries exploring the many layers of the conflict in and over Jerusalem, and the soon-to-be-released Inside The Middle East | The Primer, an educational film featuring voices from the Arab and Muslim world often absent in Western discourse.

>> MEET OUR GUESTS EDUCATORS >>

COURSE OVERVIEW | SPRING 2026 FELLOWSHIP

Session One: HISTORICAL FRAMING OF THE MIDDLE EAST [ AVI Melamed ]

Historical milestones that shape the Middle East—this context is essential for understanding its modern complexity and conflicts.

Session Two: NATIONALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST [Avi & Dalia Ziada]

Dalia Ziada is an award-winning writer and political analyst specializing in governance, geopolitics, and regional security in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Dalia studied international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, majoring in international security studies. She currently serves as the Washington D.C. Coordinator for the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP).

Session Three: THE RISE OF MILITANT ISLAM [Avi & Dr. Suha Hassen]

Dr. Suha Hassen received her PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Her research is grounded in extensive fieldwork, including face-to-face interviews with 80 former ISIS fighters detained in Iraqi prisons and primary research with survivors of ISIS enslavement in Iraq. Her work focuses on violent jihadist movements and has led to the development of multiple empirically grounded models of radicalization, including the True Muslim Identity Model, the Symbolic-Linguistic Model, the Body Trap Model, and the Blood Equation Model, which
explain how identity, narrative, embodiment, and violence interact in pathways to extremism. Dr. Hassen was a fellow in the USIP–Minerva Peace and Security Program (2024–2025) and was recognized as one of Homeland Security Today’s 50 Trailblazers for 2025.

Session Four: Turkey and Neo-Ottomanism [Avi & Dr. Hay Yanarocak]

Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak is a Turkey expert at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies (MDC) at Tel Aviv University and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS). He received his Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University’s School of History and is a lecturer there, as well as, Shalem Academic College. Dr. Cohen Yanarocak is the editor of Turkeyscope: Insights on Turkish Affairs. In May 2015, he was awarded the Dan David Prize Scholarship in the category of “Past: Retrieving the Past, Historians and Their Sources.” He is the author of The Evolution of the Turkish School Textbooks from Atatürk to Erdoğan, published by Lexington Books, Rowman & Littlefield, in September 2022.

SESSION FIVE: The Islamic Republic of Iran [Avi, Negar Mojtahedi & aLEX VATANKA]

Negar Mojtahedi is a multi-platform journalist working at Iran International English. She previously worked as a reporter and producer at Global News/Global National, CBC News and CTV in Canada. She is also an investigative reporter who broke the story on Iranian regime interference in Canada.

Alex Vatanka is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute. He specializes in Middle Eastern regional security affairs with a particular focus on Iran. He was formerly a Senior Analyst at Jane’s Information Group in London. Alex is also a Senior Fellow in Middle East Studies at the US Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) at Hurlburt Field and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at DISAS at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Born in Tehran, he holds a BA in Political Science (Sheffield University, UK), and an MA in International Relations (Essex University, UK), and is fluent in Persian and Danish. He is the author of two books: “The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy and Political Rivalry Since 1979” (2021) and “Iran and Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy, and American Influence” (2015).

Session Six: Yemen | The Land Of Constant Struggles [Avi & Fatima Abo Alasrar]

Fatima Al-Asrar (@YemeniFatima) is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute. Before joining the Institute, Al-Asrar was a Senior Analyst at the Arabia Foundation in Washington DC, MENA Director for Cure Violence, Research Associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, and an International Policy Fellow at the Open Society Foundation. From 2006-12, she worked as an advisor for the Embassy of Yemen in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career, Al-Asrar served as a program officer for the Department for International Development (DFID) in Yemen.

Session Seven: Yemen | The Land Of Constant Struggles [Avi & Abdul Aziz Ajini]

Abdul Aziz Ajini is a Syrian political activist, academic, and co-founder of the National Salvation Front in Syria. Born in Idlib in 1969, he studied English Literature at University of Aleppo and later became a lecturer in English. He joined the 2011 uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, after which he was dismissed from his academic position and began working with international humanitarian organizations. Ajini survived two assassination attempts before relocating to Germany in 2019. He remains active in political advocacy and has translated numerous works on Middle Eastern affairs, with a focus on Syria.

Session Eight: Iraq and Lebanon [Avi & Hussain Abdul Hussain]

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Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) and the author of the book The Arab Case for Israel (Wicked Son/Post Hill Press 2026). He champions immediate, unconditional, and comprehensive peace between every Arab nation and the Jewish state.

Raised in Beirut, Baghdad, and Baalbek, cities that have repeatedly served as epicenters of the Middle East’s most seismic conflicts, Hussain’s research focuses on Arab affairs, spanning Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Sudan.

His career launched as a reporter, and later managing editor, at Beirut’s The Daily Star. In Washington, he helped launch and manage the congressionally funded Arabic satellite network Alhurra Iraq before leading the Washington bureau of the Kuwaiti daily Alrai. He has also served as a Visiting Fellow at London’s Chatham House.

Session Nine: The Gulf Monarchies [Avi & Abdulaziz AlKhamis]

Abdulaziz AlKhamis is a seasoned Saudi journalist, media strategist, and political analyst with over four decades of experience in the Middle Eastern media landscape. His expertise spans print, digital, and broadcast journalism.
He has held key editorial positions at renowned publications such as Al-Jazirah, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Majalla, and Al-Arab Newspaper, London, shaping the discourse on regional and global affairs. His tenure as Editor-in-Chief at multiple leading Arabic newspapers and magazines solidified his reputation as a thought leader in political and economic analysis.
Beyond print media, AlKhamis has made a significant impact in television, hosting and producing political talk shows, including Hadith Al-Khaleej and Niran Sadiqa, where he engages with prominent political and intellectual figures to provide in-depth insights into pressing regional issues. His work in investigative journalism, strategic media planning, and editorial leadership has established him as a respected voice in Arab media.

Session Ten: Jordan [Avi & Amer Al Sabaileh]

Amer Al Sabaileh is a Jordanian university professor and geopolitical expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and international media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at international conferences on Middle East politics and developments. Al Sabaileh received his PhD from the University of Pisa, Italy in 2006 in intercultural conflict management, and Master’s degree from the University of Rome III in Education for Peace, Conflict Management, International Co-operation, Human Rights and Politics of the European Union. Al Sabaileh is a recognized expert on terrorism, de-radicalization and security studies.

Session Eleven: The Inner Palestinian Area [Avi & Mohammed Najib]

Mohammed Najib is a Palestinian defence correspondent, security journalist, and analyst from Ramallah, in the West Bank. For 36 years, he has reported on developments in the Middle East, working for leading newspapers, including Janes Information Group. His writing credits include the book “Global Security and Intelligence”, published by Praeger Security International, as well as the mid-2007 publication “Entry-point to Palestinian Security Sector Reform” by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).

Elected to the Foreign Press Association (FPA) board in 2014, and having been re-elected to that position for the past ten years.

Session Twelve: Israel | Path, Identity, and Direction [Avi Melamed]

Avi Melamed is a former Israeli Intelligence Official and Senior Official on Arab Affairs. In his public service, Avi has held high-risk Government, Senior Advisory, Intelligence, and Counter-Terrorist intelligence positions in Arab cities and communities throughout the region on behalf of Israeli Government agencies.

An Author, Intelligence Analyst, Educator, and Speaker, his expertise is Current Affairs in the Arab & Muslim World and their Impact on the Middle East and Israel’s Geopolitical Environment.
He is the Founder and Chief Education Officer of Inside The Middle East, a non-profit dedicated to providing an apolitical, non-partisan education about the Middle East.

Fluent in Arabic, English & Hebrew, Avi has a proven record of foreseeing the evolution of events in the Middle East & their impact on a local and regional level.

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June 24, 2026

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