On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #169 Will Turkey's Erdogan seize back Istanbul and fully secure his regime in March 31 elections? Turkey's opposition is in disarray since its humiliating defeat in last year's presidential and parliamentary elections. However, the opposition has what some say is a final chance to challenge his power in local elections that will be held on March 31. Turkey analyst Selim Koru says with the opposition bloc now fractured, Istanbul's secular mayor Ekrem Imamoglu will face an uphill battle to defeat Erdogan again.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #168 Why are Britain’s Jews facing the largest wave of anti-semitic violence in modern times? There has been an alarming spike in anti-Semitic attacks in the UK since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing nearly 1,200 Israeli citizens. Hate crimes monitor Dave Rich and historian Andrew Apostolou unpack the dynamics.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #167 Palestinian children face unspeakable suffering says American doctor who treated them in Gaza As the conflict in Gaza rages on, Palestinian children are dying by the thousands while many others are horribly injured. Hospitals are under unremittingly attacked by Israel forces and doctors struggle to treat the wounded.Seema Jilani, a rare American doctor to make it into the Gaza Strip, has been telling the world about what she has seen and is facing a backlash for doing so.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #166 Sweden did not take Turkey's terrorism concerns seriously enough says former Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde Turkey blocked Sweden's NATO membership for nine months saying Stockholm needed to curb anti-Turkish groups it classifies as terrorists. Those demands were widely dismissed as a foil for Ankara's real aim, to get the United States Congress to authorize the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Yet, some of Turkey's concerns were legitimate, says Sweden's Former Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #165 Does Turkey really support ISIS and, if so, why did ISIS just attack it again? Expert Aaron Zelin explains The Islamic State carried out an attack against a Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul on Jan. 28, killing one person. In its statement claiming responsibility for the attack the group referred to Turkey as "Wilayat al Turkiya" — or its "Turkish province" — sending a chilling message that it views the country among its prime targets. Any further such attacks would deal a big blow to Turkey's multi-billion dollar tourism industry in the midst of economic turbulence.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #164 Does Iran control Shiite militias that are attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria? Two leading experts weigh in The deaths of three US servicemen Sunday in an attack by an Iran-backed Shiite militia at a base wedged between Syria and Jordan has raised the specter of a direct confrontation between the United States and Iran like never before. But are things as black and white as they seem? Does Iran have full control over the Shiite militias that are part of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces created to fight the Islamic State? A US withdrawal from Iraq and Syria would help resuscitate the Islamic State which recently killed hundreds of civilians inside Iran. What is the end game?
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #163 German federal prosecutors petitioned to launch war crimes case against Turkish-backed Sunni factions abusing Kurds in Syria Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights have filed a complaint with German federal prosecutors against Turkish-backed Sunni factions they accuse of war crimes against Kurds in Afrin. These include ethnic cleansing, rape and looting. German prosecutors have convicted individuals accused of torturing fellow Syrians on behalf of the Assad regime.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #162 Kuwaiti academic says Red Sea escalation with Yemen's Houthis won't end without US pressure on Israel to end Gaza war Tensions between the United States and Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to escalate in the Red Sea, disrupting maritime traffic in a key shipping lane. A barrage of US airstrikes against the Houthis shows little signs of slowing them down. The Shiite rebels insist they won't stop targeting merchant ships and US naval vessels unless Israel ends its war against Palestinians in Gaza. Kuwaiti academic Bader Al-Saif tells Al-Monitor they should be taken at their word.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #161 Israel does not want a war with Iran, says Haaretz English editor-in-chief The assassination of Hamas' number two man in Beirut on Tuesday has deepened concerns that the conflict in Gaza will engulf neighboring Lebanon. However, Esther Solomon, the editor-in-chief of Haaretz English, dismisses the idea that Israel wants to provoke a war with Iran that would drag in the United States.
On the Middle East with Andrew Parasiliti and Amberin Zaman | Episode #160 Turkey won't be at the table when Gaza conflict ends, says Turkey analyst Alan Makovsky Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has openly sided with Hamas in its ongoing conflict with Israel in Gaza, making him a hero on the Arab street. However, his vocal support for the group that is designated as terrorists by the United States will likely further strain relations between Ankara and Washington. It will also make it harder for Turkey to normalize relations with Israel in the future, according to Alan Makovsky, a leading analyst of Turkish affairs in Washington.
Doubts over Israel plan to move Gaza civilians out of Rafah by Cecile Feuillatre with Adel Zaanoun in Rafah, Gaza Strip | AFP | Mar 18, 2024