Middle East
The Leak Dividing Israel
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.
A Palestinian Citizen of Israel Reflects on Life in the Shadow of Genocide in Gaza
What does the future hold for Palestinian citizens of Israel after the Gaza genocide? The author, a Palestinian citizen who “thinks and dreams in Hebrew,” attempts to address the question through the lens of his first visit home since Oct. 7.
As a Tenuous Ceasefire Holds, Will Gaza Dare To Dream Again?
As the ceasefire was announced, everyone in Gaza was caught between joy and disbelief — smiling, crying, uncertain whether to hope. It felt like the first deep breath after years of suffocation, a long pause from an even longer fear.
Saudi Arabia and the Tired ‘Whitewashing’ Trope
Critics blasted comics for performing in Riyadh and fretted about Saudi money in video games. But the “whitewashing” critique flattens Arab societies, ignores local audiences and indulges a Western moral superiority that is no longer tenable.