ASCF Sr. Analyst Laurence Sanford interviews Colonel (Ret.) Pete McIllwain. Pete’s 22-year career with the CIA also included time in Tel Aviv. He gives an excellent, balanced history of Gaza and how Hamas came to power. Pete discusses the W River Summit in Washington, D.C., where he personally spoke with Yasser Arafat about why Arafat declined a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. He also discusses how Israel ignored a warning from Egypt that Hamas was planning something big on October 7th, 2023. Pete mentions a key theme throughout the podcast regarding the importance of the Temple Mount to all the major Middle East players.