On the Middle East with 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 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 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.
On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman | Episode #159 Former CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel warns Gaza conflict may expand because Iran lacks full control of its militia proxies As Israel’s war to unseat Hamas in the Gaza Strip grinds into its second month, the former top US military commander in the Middle East, Gen. Joseph Votel (ret.), says the hardest fighting is yet to come. While the IDF appears to be implementing some of Washington’s advice by allowing for the flow of humanitarian aid and civilian evacuation corridors, there remains real risk that Iran-backed militias throughout the region may escalate reckless attacks that could draw the United States into another war.
On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman | Episode #158 Iran continues strategic miscalculations even after Hamas' attack on Israel, says analyst Hamidreza Azizi Iran is doing its best to avoid getting dragged into the conflict in Gaza. Its strategy of deterrence through its proxies appears to have backfired and the United States is more present than ever in the region, says Iran analyst Hamidreza Azizi.
On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman | Episode #157 The Israel-Hamas War: Live Q&A with Ali Hashem, Joyce Karam, and Daoud Kuttab In another special edition of the podcast, we have the audio from the fourth edition of our live Q&A webinar series on the Israel-Hamas war, where Al-Monitor's Columnist Ali Hashem, Senior News Editor Joyce Karam, and Palestine Columnist Daoud Kuttab discussed the conflict's latest developments, including Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah's big speech and calls by US President Joe Biden for a humanitarian pause in the fighting, as well as answered guest questions.
On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman | Episode #156 As Turkey celebrates 100th anniversary as a republic, Erdogan's one-man pro-Islamist regime is firmly entrenched, says Turkish scholar Selim Koru On Oct. 29 Turkey will mark its 100th year as a republic, with an overtly Islamist leader in power for the past 20 years. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to unravel the legacy of the secularizing founder of modern Turkey Kemal Ataturk. He may have succeeded in several ways, but Turkish scholar Selim Koru argues that under Erdogan Islam has become more of a transactional rather than a spiritual force.
On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman | Episode #155 The Israel-Hamas War: Live Q&A webinar with Ben Caspit & Nadia Bilbassy-Charters In this special edition of our podcast, we have the audio from the second part of our live Q&A webinar series on the Israel-Hamas war, where Al-Monitor Israel Columnist Ben Caspit, reporting from Tel Aviv, and Al Arabiya Washington Bureau Chief Nadia Bilbassy-Charters discussed the latest developments in the war, including President Biden’s visit to Israel, as well as answered guest questions.
On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman | Episode #154 Palestinian American historian Rashid Khalidi says Israel, US will face new wave of hostility in Middle East as Gaza war escalates Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, argues that Israel’s persistent repression of the Palestinians and denial of their right to statehood are the underlying cause of Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state. Successive US governments, including the Biden Administration, with their unfettered support for Israel are complicit, he adds, paving the way for the current cycle of violence — one that could escalate into a regional war.
On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman | Episode #153 Israel's envoy to Bahrain says Iran behind Hamas attack, target is Abraham Accords Listen now to the latest podcast episode of "On the Middle East" with Amberin Zaman.
Crowds celebrate in Rafah streets after Hamas approves truce plan Agence France-Presse | AFP | May 6, 2024
Biden again warns Netanyahu on Rafah as US assesses ceasefire by Danny KEMP, Shaun TANDON | AFP | May 6, 2024