The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #16 What an Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal could look like Tuesday brought rising hopes for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal as the world waits for Hamas' response to the latest proposal. Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI has withdrawn its offer to buy the UK newspaper conglomerate Telegraph Media Group, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed Tuesday to Jordan and Israel and the ICJ ruled not to grant provisional measures requested by Nicaragua in its case against Germany.
The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #15 Gulf's water concerns rise amid the climate crisis The United States is nearly ready with a security package to offer Saudi Arabia if it normalizes relations with Israel, Israel is preparing for the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of his cabinet over alleged war crimes in Gaza and France's top diplomat urged de-escalation between Israel and Hezbollah on Sunday.
The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #14 Inside an American university encampment Pro-Palestinian protests have rocked universities across the United States, spreading to over 20 campuses this week. At George Washington University, Al-Monitor talks to students at the pro-Palestine encampment and counter-protesters holding Israeli and American flags.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #173 Sister of Israeli-Russian scholar Elizabeth Tsurkov, who is being held by Iran-backed Shiite militia, calls for US military sanctions on Iraq Emma Tsurkov insists that the best way to get Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to make good on his pledges to secure her sister's freedom is for the United States to wield the threat of military sanctions.
The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #13 From döner diplomacy to NATO demands, a week in Turkish foreign policy More than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested Wednesday at two universities in California and Texas, a suspected Israeli drone attack hit eastern Lebanon on Thursday and Turkey’s Central Bank keeps interest rates at 50% despite rising inflation. On a lighter note, Turkey’s endangered Van cats from the province bordering Iran are rebounding.
The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #12 Environmental horror, ISIS resurgence in Amberin Zaman’s dispatch from Syria US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested Monday the State Department would make public this week its plan to withhold aid from an Israeli military unit, the Israel-Hamas war entered its 200th day and an independent review of UNRWA finds “neutrality-related issues” but not enough evidence to substantiate Israeli allegations.
The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #11 Palestinian UN membership struck down as US casts fourth veto Israel carried out retaliatory strikes against Iran early on Friday, reportedly targeting locations in the west of the country. Explosions were heard in the city of Isfahan, prompting commercial flights to divert from their routes. In Washington, an IMF official says economies in the Middle East and North Africa face a "shadow of uncertainty" from ongoing tensions in the region.
The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #10 Dispatch from Lebanon: We hear Israeli planes on daily basis Tech giant Google fired 28 of its employees on Wednesday after they staged a sit-in protest over an Israeli cloud contract, UN special envoy for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily tendered his resignation and Turkey prepares to welcome Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh this weekend while Qatar reevaluates its mediation role between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #172 Iran established deterrence against Israel proving through its actions it could do more harm, says academic Hassan Ahmadian Iran's weekend attack on Israel in response to an Israeli attack on its diplomatic mission in Syria has put an already explosive region on edge. Israel has vowed to retaliate and Iran says should it do so its own response will be massive.
The Al-Monitor Brief | Episode #9 Washington to impose new Iran sanctions as IRGC summons Swiss ambassador Iran paraded drones, missiles and soldiers on Wednesday to show its battle readiness while Israel faces pressure from its allies not to strike back as Washington puts together new sanctions against Tehran. Dubai's giant highways are swept by floods and the UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on the Palestinians' application to become a full UN member state.