Meet the Experts
Dr. Jonathan Spyer
Jonathan is one of Israel’s foremost analysts and journalists specializing in Middle Eastern affairs. Hailed as one of the few Western or Israeli experts with a first-hand perspective of the conflict in Syria, Iraq and the Kurdish areas, he is credited with uncovering evidence of possession and use of chemical weapons by ISIS in northern Syria. He has reported extensively from the front lines in Ukraine and covered the war against Hamas from the opening shot on October 7, repeatedly entering the Gaza Strip alongside Israeli forces.
The director of research at the Middle East Forum and a research fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Strategy and Security, Jonathan has authored two books: Days of the Fall: A Reporter’s Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars; and The Transforming Fire: the Rise of the Israel–Islamist Conflict. He is a columnist for the Jerusalem Post, with his pieces published regularly in the Wall Street Journal, the Australian, Middle East Quarterly, Times, Guardian, Atlantic, National Post, Janes Intelligence Review, Foreign Policy and so forth. He is also a frequent guest commentator on international television news networks, including CNN, Al Jazeera, Fox, BBC, Sky and other outlets. Jonathan holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the London School of Economics and an MA in Middle East politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. He has served in the IDF and is a combat veteran of the Second Lebanon War.
