The violence of the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent retaliatory war on Gaza have reignited historical collective traumas and existential fears among Jewish-Israelis, the Jewish Diaspora, and Palestinians
China saw Israel’s war in Gaza as an opportunity to gain traction in the Middle East at the expense of the United States, but is it ready to become a serious political actor in the region?
The Israeli government has capitalized on public anger and fear following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks to justify arbitrary mass arrests of Palestinians, the systemic use of torture, and inhumane prison conditions
The aftermath of October 7, and assassination of senior commanders, has forced an existential rethink within Hamas
What does the advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice tell us and why is it important?
It’s time to end this war
The Latin American response to Israel’s war on Gaza could help strengthen the rich but neglected cultural ties with Arab states
A widening of Israel’s War on Gaza could threaten the vital Red Sea waterway and lead to a global economic crisis
While the ramifications of the recent unity agreement signed in Beijing by multiple Palestinian factions remain to be seen, it is evident that China has stepped up as a leader in the region
Political tensions simmered under the facade of international communion at the Paris 2024 Games as countries competed both on and off the stage
Most believe that Tehran’s engagement in the battle for Palestinian emancipation is intrusive and uncalled for
Israel’s strategy to eradicate Hamas by killing off its leadership has proven ineffective for decades; the current war demonstrates the myopic nature of this approach
Without a new framework that ensures true sovereignty and security for a future Palestinian state, the two-state solution will remain a farce
The international community races to reduce tension after a series of targeted killings carried out by Israel
Jon Alterman: Karim Haggag, welcome to Babel.
Karim Haggag: Thank you Jon, thank you for having me. It’s great to be with you.
Jon Alterman: Egypt has had a security focus on the Israeli border since the creation of Israel in 1948. Help us understand the context. How does the current Egyptian concern over Gaza rank among the various crises that Egypt has felt on its border with Israel over the last 75 years?
Karim Haggag: This is a fundamentally different challenge than the large-scale armed conflicts that Egypt fought with Israel over the years, » Read more about: Egypt’s Balancing Act »
Israel’s campaign of targeting and silencing the media has hidden its crimes under a dark shadow
As Israel attempts to reestablish its identity as a regional deterrent by destroying Gaza, the effects of its campaign cascade through the region, shifting political alignments, and generating new concerns over radicalization and conflict spillover
A personal reflection of American involvement in the region’s wars through the eyes of a correspondent
Is the two-state solution feasible? In order to pursue such a policy, the international community must be able to overcome three main points of contention: Israeli occupation, the creation of a Palestinian state, and the role of Hamas
In the face of worst-ever Israeli–Palestinian violence, Europe’s selective moralism has also led to strategic blindness
Why has international law failed to hold Israel responsible for its destruction of Gaza? It was built to enable the colonizer, not to protect the colonized, explains legal expert Jason Beckett.
As the world awaits a much-anticipated provisional measures ruling by the International Court of Justice on the South Africa vs Israel case, we dive into what possible implications would a positive judgement in favor of South Africa have in terms of influencing the set ways of international law and politics, and the actual course of the war in Gaza.
Today’s episode is with Jason Beckett, associate professor of law at the American University in Cairo.
Young progressive Jews calling for a ceasefire in Gaza spent weeks since October 7 shutting down U.S. train stations, highways, and government buildings. But can their messages of solidarity reverberate beyond these demonstrations to cause change within government and Congress, especially as criticism of Israel is being increasingly shut down and classified as anti-semitism by US officials.
Today’s episode is with Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), a nonprofit organization working to promote peace between Israel and Palestine/peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis.
What is the next step in the Gaza War now that an Israeli drone has killed a Hamas leader in Beirut? A spillover in Lebanon? The entire region? Europe? The United States has a role to play in preventing the war from escalating, but what if it does not intervene? Today’s episode is with Abdalhadi Alijla, Palestinian political scientist and rebel governance expert, who tells us more about the worst-case scenarios of the war on Gaza, and how the war’s objectives are slightly shifting.
Some analysts have called Gaza a “news grave” because of the killing of journalists and their families, and the destruction of media outlets and communication infrastructure. For journalists on the ground in Gaza, the barriers are insurmountable, especially when they are fighting to survive themselves. On today’s episode, we hear from Nour Swirki, one of the few last standing journalists in Gaza about her own story of displacement, and about how she is able to continue doing her job during what she calls “a war against anything Palestinian…against our existence.”
What are Egypt’s top policy challenges should Palestinians in Gaza have no choice but to seek safety in Egypt?
U.S. President Joe Biden should issue a declaration spelling out a one-year plan that would end with launching negotiations for the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian State.
There are too many unknowns about what happens to Gaza after the war ends. Instead, we should be focusing on the Day Before, and the ways to pave the road for a political settlement for the Palestinians, which includes rebuilding a Gazan economy that does not depend on Israel. Today’s episode of Podcast Palestine: The War on Gaza is with Raja Khalidi, economist and director general of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute.
Egypt has described the latest suggestions by members of the Israeli Knesset for a “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians across the world as a “full-fledged war crime”. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry lambasted the idea—endorsed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—and said that Israel’s “deliberate targeting” of civilians is tantamount to a forced evacuation.
The idea that Palestinians should find somewhere else to call home has resurfaced as Israel’s bombing of Gaza enters its sixth week, » Read more about: Gaza Conflict Cascading Effects: The Rafah Question »
The recent attacks on Gaza have raised important questions regarding the effectiveness of international law in preventing violence
The war being fought today offers the latest evidence that the brutal reality of Palestinian dispossession has changed little in the decades since Israel’s founding
Biden’s recent attempts at deescalation do not challenge or overturn decades of America enabling Israel’s violent occupation of Palestine. Instead, Biden has continued to systematically dismantle any non-violent avenues for Palestinian resistance while strengthening the militant Israeli far right.
The latest war in Gaza has shocked the world by its sheer violence, and the potential to escalate into a full-blown regional conflict. Worst of all has been the international community’s deafening silence
