The October 2023 Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel was savage in the extreme. It was clearly designed to provoke a response by the Netanyahu government that would discredit Israel in the eyes of the world. The resulting conflict between the two bitter enemies has wrought catastrophic destruction and loss of life. Predictably the global response has been starkly divided along political, religious, and cultural lines. But surprisingly some observers have suggested that peace is still possible if Hamas is finally neutralized. Jim Kenney will present a timely overview of the changing situation in the Middle East, with a broad sampling of expert opinion, from the pessimistic to the cautiously hopeful.