Egypt’s Balancing Act

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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  »





Security and Peace After the War in Gaza

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




South Africa vs. Israel – with Jason Beckett

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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.


Voices for Peace – with Lara Friedman

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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. 


From Gaza to Regional War? – with Abdalhadi Alijla

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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.


“We Lost Our Dignity in this War” – with Nour Swirki

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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.” 




The Day Before – with Raja Khalidi

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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.


Gaza Conflict Cascading Effects: The Rafah Question

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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  »





Scouring for Meaning, and Hope, in the Rubble of Gaza

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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