Middle East
Christmas in Bethlehem
Festivities have returned to the place of Jesus’ birth after a two-year pause, but the shadow of Gaza, occupation and genocide was never far from the muted celebrations.
Building New Realities in the West Bank
Stripped of their permits since Oct. 7, 2023, 160,000 West Bank Palestinian construction workers are desperate to return to work in Israel. Meanwhile, as radical settlers terrorize Palestinians in one part of the West Bank, Palestinian citizens of Israel are finding peace of mind by purchasing apartments in another.
‘The Course of Empire’ Reimagined in Middle Eastern Graffiti
Through graffiti, political expression has slipped out of gilded frames and onto concrete and stone. Modern murals in Cairo, Bethlehem and Amman show how the measure of a civilization lies not in its monuments, but in people insisting on being seen, claiming space and painting themselves back into the landscape.
The Army Prosecutor, the Sexual Assault and the Videotape
Israel’s military advocate general has been arrested for illegally leaking a video that shows military prison guards carrying out a brutal sexual assault on a Palestinian prisoner. Liberal Israelis see her as a guardian of democracy, while the far right regard her as a traitor.
The Power Shifts Changing the Middle East
The Financial Times’ Raya Jalabi and writer Robin Yassin-Kassab join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss elections in Iraq, and White House visits by the leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Hala Alyan Reflects on Motherhood, Exile and the Geography of Loss
Palestinian-American writer and poet Hala Alyan joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss her recent memoir, motherhood and the politics of writing during the Gaza war.
The Shape of Gaza’s Future
Following the ceasefire, an imaginary yellow line divides Gaza into two sectors, with the Israeli army in charge of one and an international force poised to take control of the other. A new future is beginning to emerge.