Stanly Johny is the international affairs editor with The Hindu. A PhD in international studies from Centre for West Asian Studies, JNU, he has reported from Washington DC, Montgomery, Moscow, Brussels, Amman, Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Seoul. He has contributed to think-tanks such as the Middle East Institute in Washington DC and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi. He is the author of The ISIS Caliphate: From Syria to the Doorsteps of India (2018).
<p>On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that claimed many</p><p>lives and has led to a devastating, retaliatory war in Gaza. Even as the death toll</p><p>mounts every day, the world remains divided in its support of Israel or Palestine.</p><p>With the US proposing 'a new Middle East', an idea that found significant international</p><p>support, the war has cast a shadow of doubt over the future of the region. The</p><p>Abraham Accords of 2020 saw four Arab countries normalize their ties with Israel,</p><p>laying the foundations of the new regional realignment. But these shifts ignore West</p><p>Asia's 'original sin' - the unresolved question of Palestine.</p><p>Based on his multiple reporting visits to the region and dozens of interviews, Stanly</p><p>Johny traces the roots of the conflict and unpacks the complex geopolitical systems that</p><p>are involved. He also examines India's evolving policies on Israel-Palestine, its</p><p>diplomatic history in the region and its current interests. Original Sin is a new,</p><p>definitive study of West Asia that is essential for anyone who wants to engage with the</p><p>current war.</p>
