Podcasts about Arab League

12 - Columbus Day is saved! Attorney Extraordinaire George Bocchetto joins us to discuss how he prevailed in his case against the city and the Mayor's office over the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue and the celebration of Columbus Day, with the court ruling the former mayor was out of their depth decrying the statue and holiday. How does George feel after winning a case like this? Who will be the grand marshal of the parade? What has the response been to the win? Do we know the theme yet? Why is this case so big regarding the separation of powers in this country? What will happen to the Frank Rizzo statue? 1215 - Side - people who look like they have bad breath. Is this question too offensive? 1220 - Ambassador to Israel and former governor Mike Huckabee joins us from Israel. How has Trump's new plan regarding food distribution to Gaza stumped Hamas? How has the Arab League of Nations message on Hamas contrast with those of the Europeans and many sentiments in the West? How many tons of food have been sent into Gaza? Why are some conservatives saying our involvement in Israel is like participating in endless wars? 1250 - Your calls to round out the hour.

1. Hamas on Saturday said it would not disarm “as long as the occupation exists,” despite announcement from Arab League, urging the terror group to disarm. 2. The Israel Defense Force defeated Hamas's Beit Hanoun battalion, the IDF declared on Saturday. The majority of the Hamas gunmen in the Beit Hanoun Battalion were either killed during the fighting or fled.3. President Trump Announces Submarine Movements- in response to remarks from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.4. Armor Not Dead: Poland to Procure 180 K2 Tanks from S. Korea. Under the plan, the tanks are to be supplied to the Polish Armed Forces between 2026 and 2030. 5.  Russia & China Conduct Naval Drills in Sea of Japan- hosted by the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet. The goal of the annual joint exercise is to exchange experience between the Russian Navy and the PLAN, a Russia Navy release stated. 6. South Korea has completed the initial deployment of the second phase of its Cheongung-II air defense system, an advanced platform capable of intercepting both aircraft and ballistic missiles.The Cheongung-II forms a core part of the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system, a multi-layered defense architecture designed to counter North Korea's evolving missile threat.7. The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor or LTAMDS, arrived in Guam earlier this month- as part of the Air and Missile Defense Architecture designed to protect Guam from evolving threats. 8. US Senate Confirms Navy CNO. 

Thousands of young pilgrims gathered at Rome's historic Circus Maximus for the Jubilee of Youth's “Penitential Day.” Meanwhile, the Arab League has called for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power. And, tensions also remain high between Christian Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan.

On this week's Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian the Senate remains in session to markup the defense appropriations bill; moves to block members from trading stock but exempts President Trump and Vice President Vance; twice rejected Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., proposals to restrict arms sales to Israel; confirmed political appointees but Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan briefly blocked Adm. Darryl Caudle from becoming the next chief of naval operations demanding the long-closed Adak Naval Air Station be reopened; South Korea accepted 15 percent tariffs ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline as the president slapped higher tariffs on nations worldwide including 35 percent on Canada, 39 percent on Switzerland, and 50 percent on Brazil to punish the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsenaro who launched an insurrection to remain in power; Mexico's 90-day extension to make a deal; France and Germany frustration with EU for failing to fight a 15 percent tariffs; Trump's demand Russia and Ukraine strike a peace deal in 25 days and imposition of secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil; the proposal by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, for $54.6 billion in aid for Ukraine; with the Talisman Saber military exercise underway in Australia and Singapore, Washington blocked Taiwanese President Lai Ching Te from transiting the United States enroute to Paraguay to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing; and growing international pressure on Israel over growing starvation in Gaza as the Arab League pressures Hamas.

The admonition that “If you are going through hell, keep going” applies to Israel amidst the blood libel that it is starving the people of Gaza and renewed efforts to secure a ceasefire there.  The Israelis must instead finish the job with Hamas. Only by decisively defeating that terrorist regime is there any prospect of an actual end to the Gaza conflict, as opposed to a hudna – Islam's cynical use of temporary pauses to regroup, rearm and then reengage under more favorable circumstances.  Even the Arab League has finally called on Hamas to lay down its arms and release the hostages, albeit in the absurd context of having the hapless Palestinian Authority put in charge of a new state of “Palestine.”  If Hamas won't surrender for the good of the people it misrules, Israel must make the jihadists do so now.   This is Frank Gaffney.

Monte Judah breaks down the global push for Palestinian statehood, Hamas propaganda, Arab League's surprising shift, and Israel's move toward Gaza annexation.

For review:1.Arab League Condemns 7 October Attack; Calls for Hamas to Disarm. Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed a declaration (New York Declaration) Tuesday condemning for the first time Hamas's onslaught of October 7, 2023, and calling on the Palestinian terror group to release all the hostages it is holding, disarm and end its rule of Gaza.2. Givati Infantry Brigade combat in Northeast Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. 3. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed in an interview with Fox Radio on Thursday that the White House is nearing a critical decision point regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.4. India Rejects F-35 Purchase.5. The first of Japan's Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) F-35B Lightning II fifth-generation fighters will arrive from the United States in early August, according to the country's defense ministry.6. A US Navy pilot is “safe” after their F-35C crashed near Naval Air Station Lemoore on Wednesday evening, according to a Navy spokesperson.7. AM General has received a $126.5-million contract to deliver additional M1165A1B3 Humvees, for the US Army. The Pentagon did not disclose the quantity of the latest order.Work on the program will be carried out in South Bend, Indiana, with completion expected by August 2027.8. Senate Appropriators Pass Committee Defense Spending Bill.Senate appropriators passed their $852.5 billion defense spending bill for fiscal 2026 today, adding $21.7 billion to the Pentagon's topline. 

Top headlines for Thursday, July 31, 2025In this episode, we explore the recent legal battle as a coalition of Christian groups challenges the Trump administration's controversial policy permitting ICE operations at places of worship. We then shift focus to the international stage, where world leaders and humanitarian organizations are unveiling new strategies to address the emergent humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Plus, we examine the debate in California, where a parental rights group raises alarms over a proposed bill seeking to protect undocumented immigrant children, warning that it may dangerously redefine guardianship. 00:11 Christian groups seek to stop ICE operations on church properties01:05 OPM issues guidance on religious expression at federal workplaces01:52 Arab League nations demand Hamas leave Gaza02:56 Ray Comfort praises police response, thanks God after break-in03:45 World leaders, aid groups react to humanitarian crisis in Gaza04:38 Parental rights group: Calif. bill could 'make kidnapping' easier05:37 Lauren Daigle surprised Camp Mystic survivorSubscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsChristian groups seek to stop ICE operations on church properties | PoliticsOPM issues guidance on religious expression at federal workplaces | PoliticsArab League nations demand Hamas leave Gaza | WorldRay Comfort praises police response, thanks God after break-in | U.S.World leaders, aid groups react to humanitarian crisis in Gaza | WorldParental rights group: Calif. bill could 'make kidnapping' easier | PoliticsLauren Daigle surprised Camp Mystic survivor | Entertainment

The UK, France, and Canada are upping the pressure on Israel for a ceasefire, by talking about recognising a Palestinian state. Even Donald Trump has told Israel it has to “do it a different way” because of “real starvation”.But will this diplomatic pressure make any difference? Professor Michael Clarke and Middle East expert Dr Burcu Ozcelik consider whether cutting military aid might be more effective and assess the impact of Arab League calls for Hamas to disarm.Sitrep also speaks to British veteran Major Andrew Fox, about what he's just seen in Gaza as an invited observer of the Israeli/American aid distribution programme.And how brain-sensors, eye implants, and robot exoskeletons could transform not just future military operations but military personnel too.

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:  First—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and the rest of the 22-member Arab League have signed a formal declaration condemning Hamas's barbaric 7 October massacre, calling on the terror group to disarm, surrender control of Gaza, and release the remaining Israeli hostages. We'll have the details. Later in the show—one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off the coast of Russia's remote Far East early Wednesday, triggering tsunamis and prompting evacuations throughout the Pacific. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. 866-885-1881 or visit https://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB - NMLS 182334, https://nmlsconsumeraccess.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Political reporter Tal Schneider and diplomatic reporter Nava Freiberg join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, and meets several other conditions, including recommitting to a viable peace process. This is happening while, for the past several days, high-level representatives at a UN conference have urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state. We discuss fallout to Starmer's announcement, the “New York Declaration” and which other states may follow suit in potentially recognizing Palestine this fall. In his announcement, Starmer said that Israel could forestall the recognition by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, making clear that it will not annex the West Bank (or Gaza), and committing to a peace process that results in a two-state solution. This comes as there are increased rumors of plans to annex parts of the Gaza Strip. But are these rumors just a negotiation tactic? Schneider weighs in. At the NY two-state solution conference this week, Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed a declaration condemning for the first time Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023, and calling on the Palestinian terror group to release all the hostages it is holding, disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Strip. Schneider and Freiberg explain that all may not be as laudable it seems. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: UK to recognize Palestinian state in Sept. unless Israel ends Gaza war, commits to peace PM says ‘obstinate’ Hamas blocking hostage deal, as he weighs annexing parts of Gaza In 1st, entire Arab League condemns Oct. 7, urges Hamas to disarm, at 2-state solution confab Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement inside No. 10 Downing Street after the cabinet was recalled to discuss the situation in Gaza, in London, July 29, 2025. (Toby Melville, Pool Photo via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 11 of Geopolitics with Ghost, Ghost dives into a chaotic international landscape marked by power vacuums, realignment, and narrative collapse. He begins with the stunning visual of the American flag raised once again over Damascus, signaling potential diplomatic restoration between the U.S. and Syria. Ghost unpacks the implications of this move in the context of Arab League reintegration and shifting allegiances in the Middle East. The episode then turns to Israel, where Netanyahu's fragile coalition teeters amid pressure from both domestic unrest and international negotiations with Hamas. Ghost explores the realpolitik behind the hostage talks, the future of Israeli leadership, and whether the U.S. is quietly stepping back from unconditional support. In Asia, the conversation moves to Putin's multi-vector diplomacy, including outreach to North Korea and Central Asia, and how Trump's economic and military posture may be shaping new alliances. Tensions around Taiwan, U.S. base repositioning, and questions about Japan's sovereignty also make the docket. With his signature clarity and historical insight, Ghost weaves together Syria, Israel, Russia, and China to illustrate the broader dismantling of the unipolar world, and the unpredictable road to whatever comes next. A must-listen for those tracking the silent reordering of global power.

Preview Colleague Jonathan Schanzer comments that the fate of the Gazans is undetermined because they are refused refuge by the Arab League that claims to defend them. More later. 1898 GAZA

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised Iraq's progress since 2004 for, “strengthening institutions, resolving disputes through dialogue, providing humanitarian assistance and fostering sustainable development and human rights.” The Secretary-General spoke at the Summit of the League of Arab States today (17 May) in Baghdad, Iraq. “I am alarmed by reported plans by Israel to expand ground operations and more,” Guterres said during his address. “And I emphasize that the United Nations will not participate in any so-called aid operation that does not adhere to international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” he added. He stressed the urgent need for support to UNRWA, saying, “I reiterate my appeal for the urgent and full support of UNRWA's work, including financial support. We reject the repeated displacement of the Gaza population – and we obviously reject any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza.” Turning to Lebanon, Guterres called for full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. “Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected, and the Government of Lebanon must have control over all Lebanese territory,” he said. “I welcome the stated commitment by Lebanese officials to ensure a state monopoly over weapons.” In Sudan, the Secretary-General said a unified international effort was critical to stem worsening conditions. “Renewed and coordinated multilateral engagement is crucial to help stem appalling violence, famine, and mass displacement,” he stated. He thanked the Arab League and African Union for cooperating in a recent high-level meeting. Guterres concluded by commending Iraq's progress in the two decades since the restoration of sovereignty. “I want to recognise and commend the progress Iraq has made... strengthening institutions, resolving disputes through dialogue, providing humanitarian assistance and fostering sustainable development and human rights,” he said. “I sincerely hope that all pending issues will find a just solution by dialogue.” Comments to the media by Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, on the situation in the Country. Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a press conference in Rome, Italy, where he is attending the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. While in Rome, the prime minister is also meeting with other international leaders. Responding to questions from journalists, Carney comments on the papal inauguration, his government's plan to table its first federal budget in the fall, his upcoming meeting with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, and his government's position on housing prices.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support.

* Israel kills over 200 in Gaza, displaces 300,000 in two days * Arab League calls for peacekeepers in Palestinian territories * Trump schedules talks with Putin and Zelenskyy to end the conflict * ASEAN aims to revive its regional monetary fund: Malaysia * Türkiye announces new Black Sea gas reserve boosting energy supply

For review:1. Russia and Ukraine Istanbul Talks Last Under 2 Hours with Large Prisoner Exchange Agreement and Consensus to Meet Again. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the POW swap as a “confidence-building measure” and said the parties had agreed in principle to meet again.2. US President Donald Trump says he will be speaking to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday about ending the war in Ukraine, saying the call would be about "stopping the 'bloodbath'". The President said the call would take place at 10:00 EST & he would then speak to Ukrainian President Zelensky, and leaders of some NATO countries.3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev, who led the assault on Mariupol in 2022, as the Commander of the Russian Ground Forces.4. IDF Airstrikes on Houthi Ports. Israeli fighter jets targeted two Houthi-controlled ports in the west of the country, and threatened to kill the terror group's leader (Abdul-Malik al-Houthi), in response to the Iran-backed group's ongoing missile and drone attacks on Israel.5. The Israel Defense Forces announced that it has launched the first stages of a major offensive in the Gaza Strip, dubbed “Gideon's Chariots,” that will seek to “seize strategic areas.” 6.  In Baghdad, Leaders at an Arab League summit demanded increased pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, and reiterated the 22-nation body's rejection of President Trump's plan to take over the enclave, oust its residents, and rebuild it as a coastal resort.7.  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said US President Donald Trump was lying about his intentions for the region, and once again called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that must be uprooted.8. Armor Not Dead: Netherlands Building Tank Battalion. The new battalion, equipped with at least 46 x Leopard 2A8 Tanks, will be based at Bergen-Hohne Training Area (Germany), where the Dutch says there is enough space for realistic training, something that is lacking in the Netherlands.9. The Hungarian Defence Forces has received 3 x Leopard 2A7HU main battle tanks and their first Leguan 2HU armored vehicle-launched bridge as part of a contract signed in 2018. The plan will integrate up to 44 x tanks and associated support equipment to modernize the military's ground-based armored firepower. 

TITLE: Gaza, Should Africans Care? Pro- Palestine Cornell Student Who Fled US Talks to Africa Here & NowTags:Africa, Palestine, Israel, activism, geopolitics, youth, solidarity, African Union, Arab League, liberation We explore Africa's historical support for the Palestinian cause with MOMODOU TAAL, the 31-year-old British Gambian graduate student who fled the US before he was deported for his pro-Gaza activism. We recall Nelson Mandela's 1997 statement that South African freedom would be incomplete without that of the Palestinians and how the near universal solidarity on the continent for their cause has ebbed somewhat.Why should a bright, young African jeopardise a first-class education at an elite university because of the suffering of Gazans? MOMODOU is clear: everybody should care about the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, including thousands of children.MOMODOU tells us about the protests on campus calling for the university to divest from companies that are involved in the destruction of Palestine and the lives of its people. His name is noted by the authorities, and he realises that he will become a target for deportation by the incoming Trump administration.He is however, helped and supported by his lecturers and members of the faculty including many Jewish students. It is important MOMODOU says, not to conflate Zionism with the Jewish people against whom he has no grudge.When his name appears on a list for deportation, MOMODOU he challenges the legality of executive orders – the tool of choice used by the White House. His legal action fails and MOMODOU decides to ‘self-deport', to flee the United States before he is chucked out.“I've not been accused of any violence, I've not been arrested. The government doesn't say anything about me, my activity. It says that you created an uncomfortable environment for Jewish students….I find that quite strange because I never go to university thinking I have to be comfortable” he says.We ask MOMODOU the fundamental question: why does he think black liberation is inextricably linked to the Palestinian cause? He refers back to Malcolm X and others and their opposition to colonialism. He says: I believe in a world that's free for everybody. And given what we've seen in Palestine and Israel, I don't think we can ignore what has taken place. I want to create a better world, a world built on justice and I can't ignore what's happening in Palestine given what I know has happened to my own ancestor and history.'Momodou Taal hosts a podcast, The Malcolm Effect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textProf. Dr. Islam Abou El-Magd, Ph.D. is the President of the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Egypt ( https://www.narss.sci.eg/professor/47 ), which focuses on applied research using earth observation and geo-informatics in environmental-related issuesProf. Abou El-Magd is also Counsellor for the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for Space Technology and African Affairs ( https://mohesr.gov.eg/en-us/Pages/home.aspx ), which is responsible for all related education, science and technology in Egypt with Africa either on bi-lateral, multi-lateral and AUC agreements. Prof. Abou El-Magd has been involved in developing many international, regional and national Geographic Information System (GIS) projects in different disciplines. He was a GIS consultant for the Centre of Environment and Development for Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), Arab League. Prof. Abou El-Magd spent five years of his career in the UK as a GIS Program Coordinator for the University of Southampton and Gifford Excellence. He has been selected as an international consultant for a short-term consultancy to some of the UN Programs, including the Food and Agriculture Organization in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization in Sudan, and the United Nations Development Program in Kuwait.Prof. Abou El-Magd is also general secretary of the space council of Egypt, which is responsible for setting up the policy and strategy of space and earth observation applications in Egypt. He represents Egypt as a focal point in some European-African space initiatives and partnerships such as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES). He was also a co-chair of the Implementation Plan Working Group – Group on Earth Observation that developed the ten-year implementation plan for GEO (2016-2025). Moreover, He is also an acting member of the African Space policy and Strategy by the Space Working Group that developed the African Space policy and strategy. Finally, he is the Vice-President of the African Association of Remote Sensing and the Environment, the largest remote sensing and geo-informatics association and network in Africa.Prof. Abou El-Magd chaired the high-level national committee to strategize and develop the National Space Program, which the Egyptian Space Agency ( https://www.egsa.gov.eg/ ) currently implements. He was also appointed for a short period as the Vice Executive President of the Egyptian Space Agency before being appointed president of the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, which was the cradle of the Egyptian Space Program.Prof. Abou El-Magd has an MSc, University of El-Mansoura, Egypt and Ph.D., School of Civil Engineering and The Environment, University of Southampton, UK. #ProfDrIslamAbouElMagd  #RemoteSensing #SpaceSciences #Egypt #GeographicInformationSystems #SatelliteImagery #DisasterMitigation #SandDuneMovements #AeolianProcess #Dengue #MedicalEntomology #AquaticBiology #Fisheries #AedesAegypti #GreenhouseGases #GeothermalEnergy #FishingZoneDetection #Sardinella #Geosciences #GoldExploration #ArchaeologicalSites #SandStorms #Sinai #RedSea #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #Research #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcastSupport the show

As the ceasefire in Gaza falls apart, Tahani Mustafa, Nimrod Goren and Faysal Itani join ‘The Foreign Desk’ to weigh possible paths forward. Is Netanyahu even interested in peace? How will Lebanon fare? And as Trump, the Arab League and the EU push for their own ends, what will become of Gaza?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Hear the Extra-Special, Special Extra Segment on Patreon   —Horror Vacui— There's an odd mélange of diplomatic proposals for what-comes-next-in-Gaza, from an Egyptian and Arab League plan to various American plans, including one hatched in direct negotiations with Hamas. This leads us to wonder, why is Israel silent about something that matters so much? —Amalakites— It is a fact that we are living in a moment of “peak-Amalek,” especially as we celebrate Purim. What are we to make of this problematic idea? —Is Yad Vashem Pandering to the TikTok Generation?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: Is Yad Vashem pandering to the TikTok generation? All this and Rav Menachem Froman, the unveiling of under-wraps art and the Simba we need today, plus brilliant new music by Amir Sade.

Jewish Diaspora Report - Episode 145  On this episode of the Jewish Diaspora Report, Host Mike Jordan discusses the current status of the "ceasefire" deal in Gaza and what the future holds for the region as a stalemate has happened between Israel and Hamas as well as the USA/Israel and the Arab world.Explore these challenging issues and join the Jewish Diaspora Report for future episodes on issues of Politics, Culture, Current Events and more!   Check us out on Instagram @jdr.podcastSupport the show

*Qatar calls for safeguards for all Israeli nuclear facilities Qatar reiterated its call for intensified international efforts Saturday to subject all of Israel's nuclear facilities to the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Qatar's Ambassador Jasim Yacoub Al Hammadi highlighted “the need for the international community and its institutions to uphold their commitments under resolutions of the UN Security Council, which called on Israel to subject all of its nuclear facilities to IAEA safeguards.” He also highlighted “the urgency for the international community and its institutions to take decisive action to compel Israel to implement international resolutions, recognise the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state. *Russia says France has repeatedly lied Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has accused France of lying and violating international agreements, including the implementation of the Minsk agreements for a settlement in Ukraine and violated security guarantees given to Viktor Yanukovych, a former Ukrainian president. He stressed: "France, like other countries, didn't fulfill its guarantees. It was a real lie," adding that when French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of posing a threat to Europe, he did not mention France's mistakes. The Minsk Agreements were meant to resolve the Crimea crisis in 2014, as well as Eastern Ukraine. *Arab League denounces attack on security forces in Syria The Arab League condemned acts of violence and attacks on government security forces to fuel internal tensions and threaten civil peace in Syria. It expressed "condemnation of violence, attacks on government security forces, and reckless killings, threaten civil peace, and exacerbate the challenges Syria is facing at this critical stage."​​​​​​​ The Arab League emphasised that "such circumstances require a focus on policies and measures that strengthen and safeguard stability and civil peace to thwart any plans aimed at destabilising Syria and undermining its chances for recovery." *North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time North Korea has unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the US. The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, South Korean submarine expert said, adding the use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons. *Un warns South Sudan's peace process at risk amid growing violence A recent surge in violence and escalating political tensions in South Sudan are putting a fragile peace process in jeopardy, a UN human rights commission warned. "We are witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress," Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said. She urged leaders to "urgently refocus on the peace process, uphold the human rights of South Sudanese citizens, and ensure a smooth transition to democracy."

The Arab League has unveiled an ambitious plan to rebuild Gaza following an extraordinary summit last week. On this episode of Frankly Speaking we hear from renowned Saudi columnist and political analyst Abdulrahman Al Rashed to ask if the Cairo plan can ever materialize in reality. Can the secret talks between Hamas and the White House be successful? Plus, his views on the reforms happen in Saudi Arabia and its transition to becoming a global power broker.

This week in the news roundup: the Gaza truce expires and Israel resumes its blockade (0:29); the Arab League proposes a “day after” plan for the Strip which Trump rejects (5:53); the US is negotiating directly with Hamas (10:30); the PKK declares a ceasefire in Turkey (13:24); fighting breaks out on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan (15:10); a political crisis emerges in South Sudan (20:04); in Ukraine news, Zelensky embarks on a “repentance tour” while Trump suspends arms (22:00); the EU considers the “ReArm Europe” plan (28:59); BlackRock is buying up Panama Canal ports (31:08); and updates on the Trump tariff front (33:55). Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and much more content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week in the American Prestige news roundup: the Gaza truce expires and Israel resumes its blockade (0:29); the Arab League proposes a “day after” plan for the Strip which Trump rejects (5:53); the US is negotiating directly with Hamas (10:30); the PKK declares a ceasefire in Turkey (13:24); fighting breaks out on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan (15:10); a political crisis emerges in South Sudan (20:04); in Ukraine news, Zelensky embarks on a “repentance tour” while Trump suspends arms (22:00); the EU considers the “ReArm Europe” plan (28:52); BlackRock is buying up Panama Canal ports (31:01); and updates on the Trump tariff front (33:48).Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend now with the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss lawmakers' drive to target Medicare and Medicaid for savings as the US government rapidly runs out of money; President Trump takes a victory lap before a joint session of Congress and makes his case for tariffs, his approach to Ukraine and taking Greenland; after intensive counseling by his allies to swallow his pride, Volodymyr Zelenskyy moves to curry favor with Trump; as America cuts aid and intelligence to Kyiv, Britain and France work to shape a peace plan and European nations race to help Ukraine and bolster spending; Hong Kong's CK Hutchison sells management of the Cristobal and Balboa ports on either side of the Panama Canal through 2047 to Blackrock for $23 billion; China vows to fight tariff, trade and “any other war;” Trump again threatens Hamas with annihilation as Washington negotiates directly with the terror group as Arab League nations craft their own peace proposal and rebuilding plan for Gaza, and Washington reaches out to Tehran for nuclear talks. This program was recorded on Friday morning before Trump threatened Russia with “large scale” sanctions after Moscow's major attack on Ukraine.

Arab countries have agreed on a plan to rebuild and govern Gaza without displacing its Palestinian population, a direct response to former United States President Donald Trump’s vision of transforming Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East". What does Egypt’s plan entail, and what are its chances of success? In this episode: Imad Harb (@harb3imad) - Director of research and analysis, Arab Center Washington DC Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker and Chloe K. Li, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Khaled Soltan, Melanie Marich, Hanah Shokeir, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Reactions to the Arab League's new plan on Gaza have been pouring in since it was announced late on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump has promised a more “peaceful and prosperous” future for the Middle East. Syria and Lebanon are seeking to enhance their relations with Arab nations.   This episode features Assistant Foreign Editor Hadya Al Alawi, US Correspondent Ellie Sennett and Arab Affairs Editor Vanessa Ghanem.

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The US faces retaliatory measures as Trump's planned tariffs take effect, Saudi Arabia considers resuming Lebanese imports, Trump suspends all US military aid to Ukraine, the Arab League discusses a post-war Gaza reconstruction plan, the UN reports that hundreds of children have been sexually assaulted amid Sudan's ongoing conflict, the US Social Security Administration identifies $800M in savings, the UK launches an anti-migration ad campaign in Iraq, Linda McMahon is confirmed as US education secretary, half of adults across the world are predicted to be overweight by 2050, and scientists create the 'woolly mouse' using mammoth genes. Sources: www.verity.news  

China sets its GDP growth target for this year at around five percent, as the country's national legislature starts its annual session in Beijing. Canada hits back at the United States with retaliatory tariffs of 25%. The Arab League adopts an Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

For review:1. Israel PM thanks US for recent Foreign Military Sales of weapons to "finish the job" against Iran and their terror proxies. On Saturday, US Secretary of State Rubio said he had signed a declaration to expedite around $4 billion in military assistance to Israel, adding that a partial arms embargo imposed under former administration had been reversed. 2.  Egypt Prepares Plan for Gaza Reconstruction.  Egypt's vision will be presented at an Arab League summit on Tuesday.3.  US Pauses Military Aid to Ukraine. US President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine on Monday, a White House official said, sharply escalating pressure on Kyiv to agree to peace negotiations with Russia. 4.  UK & France Want to Lead "Coalition of the Willing" in Ukraine Peace Agreement.  British Prime Minister Kier Starmer announced the proposal on Sunday during a meeting of 18 European leaders in London.5.  The UK placed an order worth as much as $2 billion with Thales to supply more than 5,000 air defense missiles for Ukraine, the government said. 6.  US President Donald Trump's administration is loosening restrictions on military airstrikes by giving Commanders more autonomy to make lethal decisions, according to a U.S. defense official. 

Europe scrambles to fix fallout from Zelensky trip to White House. Will Euros counter Trump? Attempt its own peace deal? Mark in Europe offers analysis. Margot in Israel tells Tony how the cease fire deal with Hamas collapsed, and if Trump can resuscitate it. Also, the Arab League is scheduled to counter Trump's Gaza plans. 

AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson sits down with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for a live discussion in Washington, D.C., to introduce AJC's Center for a New Middle East. They cover plans for rebuilding Gaza, the future of Israeli-Arab relations, and the evolving geopolitical landscape, including the impact of the Abraham Accords and shifting regional alliances. Tune in for insights on diplomacy, security, and what's next for the Middle East. The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Resources: AJC Center for a New Middle East Initiatives and Policy Recommendations Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: with Hen Mazzig, Einat Admony, and more. People of the Pod:  Why Germany's Antisemitic Far-Right Party is Thriving Instead of Disappearing Spat On and Silenced: 2 Jewish Students on Fighting Campus Hate University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker: When Antisemitism Hits Home Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. __ Transcript of Conversation with Jason Isaacson and Steve Witkoff: Manya Brachear Pashman: This week, AJC's Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, Jason Isaacson, sat down for a live conversation with Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East. They discussed plans to rebuild Gaza, political upheaval in Syria and Lebanon and expansion of the Abraham Accords. For this week's episode, we bring you that live conversation to you. Jason Isaacson:   Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being here, and thank you Special Envoy Witkoff for participating in this evening's program, introducing AJC Center for New Middle East, and extension and refocusing of the work that we've been doing for decades to advance Arab Israeli understanding, cooperation and peace. Your presence here means a great deal to us.  As you've heard from my colleagues, AJC looks forward to working with you and your team in any way that we can to help ensure the success of a secure Israel, fully integrated in the Middle East. Now let me begin by thanking you again, renewing our thanks and thanking President Trump for your relentless efforts, which began even before the President took office, to assure the liberation of the hostages still held by Hamas and Gaza now for 508 days, we know how dedicated you are and the President is, to gaining the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage, and the remains of the four other Americans, Itai Chen, Gadi and Judy Weinstein-Haggai, and Omer Neutra, and all of the hostages living and dead, still held captive by the terrorists.  So I want to point out that leaders of the Hostage Families Forum are with us here this evening. As is Emmet Tsurkov, whose sister Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped by terrorists in Iraq two years ago. We are all counting on your and your colleagues' continued efforts to free them all. Thank you again, Steve.  Now my first question to you, how does a successful real estate developer make the transition to Middle East diplomacy, as you certainly have. Clearly, there are profound territorial issues at play here, but there are also powerful and tangible factors, perhaps less easily negotiated, factors of historical narrative, of religion, of nationalism. How do you cut through all that? How do you achieve success given the very different career that you've pursued up to this point? Steve Witkoff:   Well, first of all, Jason, thank you for having me, and welcome everybody and to the hostage families, I just want to welcome you here. Some of the people I probably have talked to already, and just know that my heart is always with you. You know, President, I'm a very close friend of President Trump's, and I think he felt that, hopefully, that I could do a good job here. And so I think the job had a lot to do with miscommunication and correcting that. It had a lot to do with getting over to the region and understand what was happening, and maybe most importantly, it had a lot to do with his election and peace through strength and the perception that he was not he was going to take a different path, that the old policy prescriptions that that had not worked in the Middle East were not going to be tolerated by him anymore. And I think that's in large part what allowed us to get a positive result.  Adding to that, of course, was all of the good work that Prime Minister Netanyahu in his administration had achieved with Nasrallah Hezbollah in Lebanon, he had basically gutted Hamas. So many good things that happened. And you know, on top of that, the raids in Iran, and it created this perception that a lot of the a lot of what emanated out of October 7 was never going to be tolerated again. And that began the, you know, that began the pathway to achieving the result we achieved in the first phase. But that's just half of the problem. So we've got a lot more to go. Jason Isaacson:   I've got some questions about that, as well as you can imagine. Help us understand the President's priorities and therefore your focus in this very complicated region. There's the continued trauma of October 7, 2023 dozens of Israeli and other hostages still held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and the deep wounds inflicted on Israeli society in that attack. There's the need to rebuild Gaza and to assure it is no longer governed by Hamas.  There's the prospect of advancing normalization between Israel and Arab states building on the Abraham Accords of the first Trump administration. There are also political upheavals and some hopeful signs, although the jury is still out in Lebanon and in Syria, and there's the ongoing threat to peace and stability posed by the Iranian regime. How do you prioritize? What are your expectations for success on these many tracks. It's an awful lot to deal with. Steve Witkoff:   That was, I think I counted like 14 questions. Jason Isaacson:   This is my specialty, by the way. Steve Witkoff:   I can see. I have to, now you're testing my memory on all of this. Jason Isaacson:   Priorities.  Steve Witkoff:   Yeah, I would say, How does the President think about it? Well, first and foremost, he wants something different for the region, yeah, and different in the sense that the old way of thinking we've they've rebuilt Gaza three or four times already. Like that's just an unacceptable use of resources. We need to do it in a much more in a much better way, a. B, we need to get rid of this crazy, ideological, psychopathic way of thinking that Hamas thinks. What they did, it can never be tolerated. I saw a film that many in this in this room did not see, made by Southern Command when I was in Gaza, and it's horrific. I mean, it is a horrific film. What happened in this film and what they did to people.  So this is not, this is not the act of people who are going to war. This is the act of barbarians, and it can never be tolerated. Normalization is critical for the region. Saudi Arabia embraces it because they can't finance in their own markets today. And why? Because there's so much war risk. I actually saw Jamie Diamond today, and I discussed it with him, and I said to him, you know, think about an area like Saudi Arabia. They have tons of money, but they can't leverage their money. And they can't because the underwriting risk on war, it can't be underwritten. So you're not going to see typical senior financing. Go into those marketplaces they can finance if they do a deal in New York and they can't finance in their own country. Makes no sense. And that's going to lead to a lot of stability.  In terms of the Iranian crescent, it's basically been decimated. Look at what's happened with Syria. No one ever thought that that was going to happen. We've got an epic election in Lebanon. And so tons of things happening. Lebanon, by the way, could actually normalize and come into the Abraham Peace Accords, as could even potentially Syria. So so many profound changes are happening there, and yet it's been a flash point of conflict, and I think that there's a possibility that we end it. Now, do we have to make sure that Egypt is stabilized? Yes, they've got some issues, economic and financial issues, and also on their streets. Same thing with Saudi Arabia, and we have to be cognizant about that. But all in all, I think there are some really good, good things that are happening.  Jason Isaacson:   Yeah, and I hope with your intervention and the president's power, more good things will happen in the coming months.  Steve Witkoff:   We're hopeful.  Jason Isaacson: So you've recently returned from your latest trip to the region with meetings at the highest levels in Israel, in Saudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates, next Tuesday in Cairo, will be a meeting of the Arab League to discuss the future of Gaza. What is your sense of, drills down on your last answer, what is your sense of the region's readiness to advance to the next phase of negotiations, to free the Israeli hostages, to shift to a new Israeli force posture in and around Gaza, and put a governing structure in place that excludes terrorists. Can we assure that Hamas no longer rules, no longer poses a threat, that its missiles, tunnels and other infrastructure in Gaza are destroyed? Steve Witkoff:   Well, you know, central to the May 27 protocol that was signed with the Biden administration and the Israelis. Central to that is that Hamas cannot have any part of  a governor governing structure in Gaza. And that's from that's a red line for the Israelis, but it's a red line for us, too. You see the film. And we have to thread that needle in phase two of the negotiations.  Jason Isaacson: How do we get there?  Steve Witkoff:   We're not entirely sure yet, but we are working. You know, we're making a lot of progress. There is, Israel is sending a team right now as we speak, it's either going to be to Doha or to Cairo, where negotiations will begin again with the Egyptians and with the Qataris, and I may if that negotiation goes positively enough. This is the initial phase of the negotiation where we've set, we've set some boundaries, some contours about what we want to talk about and what the outcomes we expect to happen. This is from the United States at the direction of President Trump. If it goes well, maybe I would be able to go on Sunday to execute and finish an arrangement. That's what we're hoping for. Jason Isaacson: Put phase two on track.  Steve Witkoff:   Put phase two on track and have some additional hostage release, and we think that that's a real possibility. We had a lot of conversation this morning about that, and with all of the parties I'm talking about, and people are responsive. Doesn't mean it's going to happen. That's a very chaotic place the Middle East. Jason Isaacson:   But you've got cooperation from the Quint, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar.  Steve Witkoff:   Yes. All of those countries in that region, they want to see, they want to see stability. There's new young leadership there. Everybody understands that it's untenable to be at war all the time. It just doesn't work, and it's setting everybody back. Look at Israel, by the way, they're drafting, they're conscripting people at 50 years old to go to go to the fight. That's, uh… Jason Isaacson:   And reservists are being called back to duty again and again. Steve Witkoff:   Correct. People can't work, by the way, economies are suffering throughout there. But on the other hand, Hamas can't be tolerated either, and yet, we need to get the hostages back to their families. Pardon me? Jason Isaacson:   Israel is still resilient. Steve Witkoff:   Of course it is. Of course it is. But we, you know, look, I don't want to talk about all these things and not acknowledge that the most that the primary objective has got to be to bring those hostages home. It has to be. Jason Isaacson:   I mentioned the Quint before: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar. Egypt and Jordan, longtime peace partners with Israel, were proposed by the president as the possible place in which Palestinians evacuated from Gaza could be housed temporarily, or perhaps more than temporarily. What is your sense of the possibility of the dislocation of Palestinians from Gaza? Is that essential to the idea of rebuilding Gaza, or not essential? Steve Witkoff:   Well, first of all, let me acknowledge King Abdullah, and also the Egyptians, General Hassan, who runs their intelligence unit. President Sisi, their ambassador. They're dug in. They're focused on solutions. It's a complicated situation right now, but they've done a great job, and they've been available, and whenever I call them, they're responsive.  The Jordanians have had a tough trip here, but, you know, they've managed through it. But let's just talk sort of about what the President talks about. Why is he talking about Gaza in the way he's talking about it? Because all the for the last four decades, the other ways of thinking have not worked. We sort of always get back to this place.  First of all, it's a giant slum. It really is, by the way, and it's a slum that's been decimated. On top of that, I was the first American official to go there in 22 years. I was literally there in the tunnels, on the battlefield. It is completely destroyed. There's 30,000 shells that are laying all over that battlefield, in large part because the Biden administration held up munitions shipments to the Israelis, and they were firing 1973 vintage ammunition that didn't explode. Who would let their children wander around these places?  In New York, there would be yellow tape around it. Nobody would be allowed to come in the they were digging tunnels. So everything underneath subterranean is swiss cheese, and then it got hit by 2000 pound bunker bombs. So you could have dust down there. It's so devastated. I just think that President Trump, is much more focused on, how do we make a better life for people? How do we change the educational frameworks? Right now, people are growing up there, in textbooks, in the first grade, they're seeing AK47's, and how you fire them. That's, that's, this is just insanity. What's going on out there.  So we have to directionally change how people are thinking there, how they're going to live together. People talk about two state we at the Trump administration, talk about, how do you get to a better life if you have a home in Gaza in the middle of a slum that hasn't been fixed up correctly, is that as good as aspirationally having a great job and being able to know that you can send your kids to college and they can become lawyers and doctors and so forth? That to me, is what we want to achieve. And when, when we began talking about Gaza, we were not talking about a giant eviction plan.  What we were talking about was the fact, unlike the Biden administration, and this is not a knock on them, it's that they didn't do their work correctly, the Biden administration, that May 27 protocol is based on a five year redevelopment plan. You can't demolish everything there and clean it up in five years, let alone x-ray it on a subterranean level and figure out what foundations exist, or what, what conditions exist to hold foundations, and then what we should build. It's easily a 15 year plan, and it might be 20 or 25 years.  And the Wall Street Journal, one of the most mainstream publications, two days ago, finally came out with a major article talking about that and basically validating what we've been talking about. Once you understand it from that perspective, you understand it's not about an eviction plan. It's about creating an environment there for whoever's going to live there that's better than it's ever been in the last 40 years. Jason Isaacson:   Steve, thank you. Before October 7, 2023 the betting in many foreign policy circles, as you know, was that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Israel were closing in on a deal to normalize relations, coupled with an enhanced security agreement between the US and Saudi governments and Saudi access to the full nuclear fuel cycle under US safeguards. Where would you say that formula stands today? Is that still the framework that you're expecting will describe the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia and between Saudi Arabia and Israel? Steve Witkoff:   Well, that's why I keep on going back to the May 27 protocol, because it's chock full of misinformation. And so the Saudis were operating, as were the Israelis, as if you could redevelop and reconstruct Gaza in five years. You can't. You can finish demolition, you can finish refuse removal, you can do all of that in five years. But for that, there's nothing else is going to get accomplished.  So when the Saudis talked normalization with the Israelis and defense treaty, they were thinking about it on a five year time frame. Once you begin to think about it as a 15 or a 20 year deal, it almost begs the question, are Gazans going to wait? Do they even want to wait?  I mean, if you're a mother and a father and you've got three kids, do you want to wait 20 years to maybe have a nice, safe home there? And this has nothing to do with relocation. Maybe we should be talking about relocation, or, excuse me, the ability to come back and, you know, later on. But right now, right here, right now, Gaza is a long term redevelopment plan, and I think once the Saudis begin to incorporate that into their thinking, and the Egyptians and UAE and everybody who has a vested interest in Gaza, I think you're going to see development plans that more mirror the way the President is thinking than what the May 27 protocol contemplated. Jason Isaacson:   Are you suggesting that the possibility of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia will come after there is a fully formed Gaza redevelopment plan?  Steve Witkoff:   I think so. Because I believe that. I believe it's just sequentially logical, because that's when you begin to think about how Gazans are going to think about it. Right now, we're talking about it in the abstract. And there are many countries, by the way, out there, that from a humanitarian standpoint, we've talked to many of them, are actually extending themselves and saying, Hey, look, we'd, we'd love to be a part of some sort of permanent solution for the Gazan people.  No one wants to see the Gazan people in some sort of diaspora, they're sort of disengaged, and that doesn't work. That only is going to fester and lead to more radicalism in the region. So we've got to get a solution for it, but we need to levelset the facts first. And the facts have not been levelset. They've been thinking about this from a perspective of facts that are inaccurate. Now we've level set those facts. We're going to conduct a summit pretty soon with probably the biggest developers in the Mideast region, many of the Arab developers, lots of master planners. I think when people see some of the ideas that come from this, they're going to be amazed. Jason Isaacson:   Steve, thank you. Final question, from AJC's many contacts and visits over many years across the Arab world, including regular exchanges over three decades in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, we've come to believe in the inevitability of Israel's full integration in the region, that the more the region's leaders and elites focus on the potential advantages to their societies, including their security of normal relations with Israel, the more likely it is that we'll achieve that goal. Is that the sense that you have as well, from where you sit? Steve Witkoff:   I do. I think, look, I think that the people of Israel want to live in peace with with the people of the Middle East. And it could be incredible. Jason Isaacson:   And vice versa.  Steve Witkoff:   And vice versa. I had a discussion with His Royal Highness, His MBs, his brother yesterday, the defense minister, an exceptional man, by the way, and we talked about how Saudi could become one of the best investable markets out there, when it can be financed. Think about this. The United States today has the greatest capital market system that the world knows. And when you have a great capital market system, when. You can borrow, when you can lease a car, when you can buy a home and mortgage it all those different things. It drives an economy. It propels it.  Right now in the Middle East, it's very difficult to finance. The banks don't want to operate it. Why? Because tomorrow a Hootie missile could come in if you're building a data center, and puff it's gone. We don't have to. Banks don't have to underwrite that risk in New York City or Washington, DC or American cities. So I think as you get more stabilization there, I think the real estate values are going to go through the moon. And we talk about this, Israel is a bedrock of great technological innovation. I think you know, all of the Arab countries, UAE, Saudi, Qatar, they're into blockchain robotics. They're into hyperscale data centers. These are the things that interest Israel, and yet they're driving so much of the tech surge out there. Imagine all of them working together. It could be an incredible region, so we're hopeful for that prospect. That's that's the way the President thinks about it. We've we talk at length about this, and he gives us the direction, and we follow it, and that's his direction. Jason Isaacson:   I thought I heard applause about to begin, but I will, I will ask you to hold for a second, because I just want to thank you, Steve whitco, for sharing your vision and the President's vision for how to move forward to build a more stable and prosperous and peaceful Middle East and and you've laid it out for us, and we very much appreciate your Thank you.  Steve Witkoff:   Thank you.  Manya Brachear Pashman: If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with AJC Berlin director Remko Leemhuis about the victory of a centrist right government in Germany's recent election and its plans to build a coalition excluding the far-right, antisemitic political party, Alternative for Germany. Remko and I discussed why that party's unprecedented post war election returns are a cause for concern.

Saudi Arabia has taken centre stage in global diplomacy this week, brokering high-level talks between Russia and the US - an unprecedented move that has left the world watching closely.   Today we speak with Dr Abdulaziz Sager, the Chairman of the Gulf Research Centre, to examine the significance of these pivotal talks, Saudi Arabia's growing influence on the global stage and whether the Arab League's next move could change the future of Gaza forever.

Today, Martha, Les, Morgan, and Jess unpack the latest developments in the Middle East and King Abdullah of Jordan's visit to Washington, D.C. With Trump's Saturday deadline for the release of Israeli hostages looming, tensions are rising as the Arab League prepares to meet and as Egypt and Jordan weigh their response to Trump's push for them to take in displaced Palestinians.What impact will Trump's threat to withhold aid from Egypt and Jordan have? Is his strategy giving Arab states flexibility or forcing their hand? And as Middle East dynamics shift, what role can U.S. allies play in addressing the humanitarian crisis?Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/11/trump-abdullah-gaza-plan-00203602 https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/11/politics/trump-jordan-king-abdullah-gaza-plan/index.html https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/trump-wants-jordans-help-with-gaza-its-king-is-looking-for-a-way-to-say-no-0958ad69?mod=world_lead_story https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/02/11/israel-war-gaza-ceasefire-jordan-egypt-news-hamas/ Follow our experts on Twitter: @lestermunson@marthamillerdc@NotTVJessJones @morganlroachLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/grrJd5Vvf2E Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arab nations slam Netanyahu's comments for Palestinian state on Saudi land "Arab nations have fiercely rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal of a Palestinian state on Saudi land. Saudi Arabia slammed the idea as a diversion from Israel's actions in Gaza, while the Arab League called it ""detached from reality."" The Saudi foreign ministry said Netanyahu's statements aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza. Regional outrage followed, with Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates denouncing the remarks as violations of international law." No power can force Palestinians out of their homeland: Türkiye "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that no force can expel Palestinians from their homeland. ""Palestine, including Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, belongs to the Palestinians,"" Erdogan said. Speaking in Istanbul before departing for Malaysia, another nation opposing Israeli war in the region, Erdogan dismissed US proposals on Gaza, calling them unworthy of discussion." Dozens killed in terror attack in Mali "At least 25 gold miners were killed, and 13 injured in a brutal terrorist ambush near Mali's Gao region, the army confirmed. The attack targeted a convoy of miners under military escort. In swift retaliation, Malian forces eliminated 19 terrorists. The assault, near Kobe, saw militants fire on fleeing civilians. No group has claimed responsibility, however, Daesh and Al-Qaeda-linked factions operate in the area." Colombia's Petro urges ministers to resign ahead of reshuffle "Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for the resignation of his entire cabinet ahead of an approaching reshuffle. The decision came after Environment Minister Susana Muhamad's resignation in protest of Petro's appointment of Armando Benedetti, citing concerns. Petro says the changes aim to better fulfill his administration's mandate." US funnelled $472 million for 'state propaganda': WikiLeaks "WikiLeaks has unveiled shocking details in a report, claiming that the US funnelled $472.6 million into Internews Network—a global non-governmental organisation accused of covert censorship and media control. USAspending data shows 87% of the funding —equivalent to $415 million — came from USAID, while the US State Department added $57 million. With ties to Soros and Clinton initiatives, Wikileaks also said Internews trained 9,000 journalists and backed social media censorship. As Trump freezes USAID's budget, critics call it a “state propaganda network.”"

-The Arab League Urges Syrians To Uphold Tolerance Following The Fall Of Assad-Dubai To Become A Pedestrian-Friendly City!-Why Brad Pitt Was On The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Podium Last Night -Dubai Rents To Increase In 2025

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim It's been a spectacular week in Syria. The world had written off the rebellion that began in 2011, believing Assad, with the support of Russian air power and Iranian militias, had consolidated his rule. In the past weeks, it has been reintegrated into the Arab League, and it just seemed the best the revolution could accept is a rump state in Idlib. There are many who have not followed the developments in Syria over the past 13 years of revolution, and the Thinking Muslim will dedicate some of our shows to reveal the facts and provide important analysis. Today, we have Razan Safoor to give her own account of the Syrian revolution. Razan is a Syrian researcher and an activist. Recently she has been speaking to the international press about developments. So we are honoured to have her with us today.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The British political class has clung on to a fantasy of its own relevance in Washington DC for decades. The special relationship that British Prime Ministers like to refer to (a bond that perhaps existed for Roosevelt and Churchill) has been an article of faith in Downing Street for decades but not in the White House. During the second Trump presidency, it will be exposed as the fiction it is.In 1948, the British finally ended their mandate government over Palestine. As they withdrew a vicious civil war between Jewish and Arab communities began, followed by a full invasion by the Arab League when the state of Israel had been declared. The British had created the tensions through their handling of Jewish immigration. This episode reads from Kenneth O.Morgan's The People's Peace.I will be running a livestream Q&A for students on Wednesday November 20th. You can access it here, subscribe to the channel to get your reminder.https://youtube.com/live/knBuNLBD-bU?feature=share (in case the link doesn't work)Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1948, the British finally ended their mandate government over Palestine. As they withdrew a vicious civil war between Jewish and Arab communities began, followed by a full invasion by the Arab League when the state of Israel had been declared. The British had created the tensions through their handling of Jewish immigration. This episode reads from Kenneth O.Morgan's The People's Peace.I will be running a livestream Q&A for students on Wednesday November 20th. You can access it here, subscribe to the channel to get your reminder.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*) Israel kills 26 Palestinians in air strikes across Gaza Israel continues with its deadly strikes on besieged Gaza. At least 26 Palestinians were killed and 47 wounded in Israeli air strikes on besieged Gaza. At least 16 Palestinians were killed and 30 wounded, including children, in strikes that targeted two houses north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Horrific and heart-wrenching experiences continue to haunt Palestinians in Gaza. In one such incident, a Palestinian ambulance worker made a horrific discovery when the corpse on the stretcher that he was carrying turned out to be his mother, killed by an Israeli air strike in central besieged Gaza. *) Arab League calls for UN resolution against Israel's UNRWA ban Meanwhile, the Arab League called for the passage of a UN resolution opposing Israel's move to ban the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) from operating in the country. The meeting demanded that the representatives of Arab countries in New York coordinate with the ambassadors and representatives of friendly countries and the UN Secretariat to request a special session of the UN General Assembly, as it is the body that issued the decision to establish UNRWA, to discuss the repercussions of this serious Israeli law and to issue a UN resolution rejecting this illegal Israeli measure. However, Israel continued with its defiance and demolished the office of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. *) North Korea launches a new ballistic missile North Korea has launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile in its first test in almost a year of a weapon designed to threaten the US mainland and occurring days ahead of the US election. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the missile test and was at the launch site calling the launch “an appropriate military action” to show North Korea's ''resolve to respond to its enemies' moves'' that have threatened the North's safety. In response to this, South Korea announced new export controls on materials needed to produce solid-fuel missiles to restrict North Korea's ballistic missile development. *) Canada labels India as a cyber threat According to a report, a cyber defence agency charged with keeping foreign actors from infiltrating Canada's computer networks identified India as a cyber threat for the first time. According to its National Cyber Threat Assessment report the Indian state-sponsored cyber threat actors are likely to conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for espionage. The report also said that as a breakdown in Canada-India relations continues, India will step up its cyber threats after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked New Delhi to serious crimes against Sikh Canadians. *) EU slaps $502M fine on the world's largest generic drugmaker Teva The EU has slapped the world's largest generic drugmaker Teva with a $502 million fine for "abusing its dominant position" to impede competition for its blockbuster multiple sclerosis medicine. The Israeli company said it would appeal against the EU's fine. The European Commission said that it found Teva artificially extended the patent protection of its drug Copaxone and "systematically spread misleading information about a competing product to hinder its market entry and uptake.

“I never thought there's antisemitism. It's something from the past, for my grandparents, for my mom a little, but it's not something in my generation, or my kids' generation. It's done . . . apparently, not.” Einat Admony is a chef, cookbook author, comedian, and social media star who grew up in Bnei Brak, Israel. With parents from Iran and Yemen, Einat spent her childhood in the kitchens of Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi neighbors. Learn about her family's deep-rooted Jewish heritage in Iran and the broader Middle East. Along with her mother Ziona's journey from Iran to Israel in 1948, Einat discusses the antisemitism she's dealt with online and on the streets in the past year. Hear her stories of Jewish-Muslim coexistence in Iran and memories of spices and perfumes that inspire Einat's dishes. Her cookbooks Balaboosta and Shuk, along with her Manhattan restaurant Balaboosta, reflect a blend of tradition and innovation. “You could not have Judaism today, if it were not for the Jews of Iran,” says Houman Sarshar, an independent scholar and director of publications at the Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History in Los Angeles. Sarshar highlights the historical relationship between Iran and Israel, noting that Iran was the second Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel post-1948.  The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by Jews in Iran, their cultural integration, and the impact of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.  —- Show notes: How much do you know about Jewish history in the Middle East? Take our quiz. Sign up to receive podcast updates. Learn more about the series. Song credits:  Pond5:  “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837 “Suspense Middle East” Publisher: Victor Romanov, Composer: Victor Romanov; Item ID: 196056047 ___ Episode Transcript: EINAT ADMONY: I've been in Israel a few months ago. It's like you always feel loved, you always feel supported. It's still home. It's always going to be my home. MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: The world has overlooked an important episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in the Middle East and North Africa in the mid-20th century. Welcome to the second season of The Forgotten Exodus, brought to you by American Jewish Committee. This series explores that pivotal moment in history and the little-known Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations. As Jews around the world confront violent antisemitism and Israelis face daily attacks by terrorists on multiple fronts, our second season explores how Jews have lived throughout the region for generations despite hardship, hostility, and hatred, then sought safety and new possibilities in their ancestral homeland. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Join us as we explore untold family histories and personal stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience from this transformative and tumultuous period of history for the Jewish people and the Middle East.  The world has ignored these voices. We will not.  This is The Forgotten Exodus. Today's episode: Leaving Iran. MANYA: Whether she's deviling eggs soaked in beet juice, simmering Oxtail in shawarma spices, or sprinkling za'atar on pastry dough, chef Einat Admony is honoring her family's Middle Eastern heritage. Both the places where they have lived for generations, as well as the place they have and will always call home: Israel.   EINAT/Clip: Start with brushing the puff pastry with olive oil and za'atar. Have some feta all around and shredded mozzarella. Take the other sheet and just cut it to one inch strips. Now we're going to twist. Need to be careful. Now we're just gonna brush the top with the mix of oil and za'atar. Get it some shiny and glazy. This is ready for the oven. Bake at 400 until it's golden. That's it super easy, just sprinkle some za'atar and eat. MANYA: For the chef, author, reality TV star, and comedian, food reflects the Zionist roots that have been a constant for Einat, the self-made balaboosta, who is largely credited with introducing Israeli cuisine to the U.S. That love for Israel goes back generations, long before the modern state existed, when her maternal ancestors lived in the land, that until 1935 was known as Persia, but is now known as Iran. Her own mother Ziona, the third of seven siblings, was even named for the destination where Einat's grandparents aspired to one day raise their family. Returning home to the land of Zion from which Jews had been exiled centuries earlier was always the goal. When you ask her why, Einat laughs in disbelief.  EINAT: Why? Why? That's homeland. I think a lot of Jewish people for hundreds of years was, that's in every prayer, it's in every Shabbat dinner evening. MANYA: The hatred directed toward Israel by Iran's regime in the form of the deadly attacks on Israel by Iran-backed terrorist groups and the Islamic Republic of Iran itself make it hard to believe that Iran was once a place where Jews and the Zionist movement thrived. But in fact, Iran's history includes periods when the wide-open roads between Iran and Israel ran two ways and the countries not only lived in harmony but worked in close partnership.  Iran was the second Muslim-majority country after Turkey to recognize the modern state of Israel after its formation in 1948, and the two established diplomatic ties. Regular flights ran between Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport.  SARSHAR: We cannot overlook the fact that since October 29, 539 BCE the Jewish community of Iran remains to this day the largest community of Jews anywhere in the Middle East outside the state of Israel. To this day. You could not have Judaism today, if it were not for the Jews of Iran.  MANYA: Houman Sarshar is an independent scholar and director of publications at the Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History in Los Angeles. He has edited a number of books, including Esther's Children: A Portrait of Iranian Jews.  SARSHAR: The history of the Jews in Iran begins about 2,700 years ago, when the first community of known Jews was taken to Iran. They are commonly believed to be one of the 10 Lost Tribes. And then when we fast forward to when Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and took Jews into captivity. Some years after that at 539 BCE on October 29, 539 BCE, to be exact, Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, liberated Babylon and gave Jews the permission to go back to Israel and rebuild the Second Temple. MANYA: Cyrus the Great – a Persian emperor particularly renowned among contemporary scholars for the respect he showed toward peoples' customs and religions in the lands that he conquered. According to the Book of Ezra in the Hebrew Bible, Cyrus even paid for the restoration of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. SARSHAR: This is known as the Second Temple period in Jewish history, and under the Achaemenid dynasty, Jews participated in every level of society. And a few centuries forward, around the 5th Century, we know the Jews continue to live with many freedoms, because that is the era when the Babylonian Talmud was originally produced in Iran by Rav Ashi. So, you know, there was a thriving rabbanut (rabbanite) in Iran who had the freedom and the luxury and the time to be able to produce such an important document as the Talmud, which has become the cornerstone of all jurisprudence that we know, Western law, and everything. MANYA: The advent and arrival of Islam in Iran in the 7th Century CE changed circumstances somewhat. As was the case across the Middle East, all non-Muslims became dhimmis – residents who paid a special tax and lived under certain restrictions. The situation for Jews worsened in the 16th Century when the Safavid dynasty made the Shiite creed the dominant form of Islam in Iran. Fatwas made life for all non-Shiites quite difficult. SARSHAR: And for reasons that are still open to discussion, all of these restrictions were most vehemently imposed on the Jews of Iran. And because of these restrictions, all non-Shiites were considered religiously impure. And this religious impurity, kind of like the concept of the untouchable sect in India, they were considered pollutive. MANYA: Jews could not look Muslims in the eye. They were placed in ghettos called mahaleh where they could not leave on rainy days for fear the water that splattered on them could contaminate the water supply. They wore yellow stars and special shoes to distinguish them from the rest of the population. They were not allowed to purchase property from Muslims or build homes with walls that were higher than those of their Muslim neighbors. SARSHAR: They could not, for example, participate in the trade of edible goods because, you know, fruits and vegetables and meats carried this pollution. So Muslims could no longer consume the foods that were touched by Jews. And as a result, this created a certain path forward in history for the Jews of Iran.  They went into antique trades. They went into carpet trades. They went into work of textiles. They became musicians. And for the following 500 years, these restrictions kind of guided the way the Jews of Iran lived in that country, even though they had been there for thousands of years previously. MANYA: Houman said the 1895 arrival of the Alliance Israélite Universelle, a Paris-based network of schools for Jewish children throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including within the mahalehs in Persia, was the first step in a series of improvements for Jews there. SARSHAR: Previous to that, Jews were not allowed to get any kind of an education whatsoever. The only teachers were the Muslim clergy, and they refused to teach anything to Jewish students. So this allowed for the Jewish community to finally start to get a Western-style education, which was very important at that time, given all of the dynamics that were going on in society with modernity. MANYA: As educational opportunities increased in the middle of the 19th Century, so did opportunities for the courtiers and elite to travel and see the Western world as it industrialized and modernized, expanding international trade and sharing wealth more widely. SARSHAR: Often they would be sent by their families to go and try to see if they can, you know, find a way to expand the family's businesses and lives as merchants, and they would come back shocked. I mean, Iran was a place where you know of mostly mud brick homes and dirt roads and people riding around on donkeys. And imagine this is all you've known. You never see women walking around the street. The only women you have ever seen with your own eyes in your life are your mom, your sister, your daughter or your wife, and occasionally, sex workers. And that's it. So all of a sudden, you know, you travel a couple of months by boat and train, and you get to Paris, and it's impossible to try to even conceive of the experience. It must have been something like the Hegelian experience of the sublime. What can the world look like? And where is it that I live in, and why isn't my country the same as this? MANYA: By the early 20th Century, the Persian people concluded the answer to that question was in the rule of law. The reason the European nations provided such opportunity for the community at-large had to do with the fact that the law of the land was not arbitrary or enforced by religion or royalty. It was embedded in a constitution – a set of laws that define the structure of a government and the rights of its citizens – a Western tenet that reduced the power of the clergy and created a parliament called the Majles. SARSHAR: They were starting to read travel journals. They were starting to understand the perspective that Westerners had on Iranians, and those perspectives were often awful. You know, the Western world believed, for example –the country was corrupt to the bone in every respect.  So all of these things gradually led to a call for a constitution, the major pivot of which was the establishment of a legislature of law that would start to create a community where everyone can feel like they're equal in the eyes of the law and have something to gain by trying to improve the country as a whole. Iran became the first constitutional monarchy in the Middle East in 1906 when that revolution happened, it was a momentous event. And really, things really, really did, in fact, start to change. MANYA: In 1925, Reza Shah Pahlavi – an arch nationalist who wanted to propel Iran forward into the industrial age – took over the crown of Iran. He welcomed any Iranian citizen to participate in that agenda. SARSHAR: By now, we had a good two generations of Jews who had been French-educated by the Allianz Society.  They had all gone to France at some point in their lives, so they were able to participate in this industrialization of the country, given the language skills that they had and some of the connections they had built in the Western world. MANYA: Both World Wars in Europe took a massive toll on Iran. Despite declaring neutrality, Iran was occupied by European nations that took over the nation's agriculture, treating Iran as a pantry to feed the armies. Droughts and disease worsened the toll. SARSHAR: One of the lesser-known factoids about history is that during World War I, the nation that lost the most individuals as a result of the war was Iran. Above and beyond all European nations who were at war, because of a famine that had started in Iran. The same dynamic started to happen in World War II. MANYA: With nationalist fever sweeping Europe and Iran, the Allies feared the arch-nationalist Shah would go the way of Franco in Spain, Mussolini in Italy, and Hitler in Germany. They also feared the Shah would collaborate with Hitler's Germany to provide oil for the German oil machine and cease being the pantry the Allies needed it to be. In 1941, the Western powers convinced him to abdicate the throne to his son Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. And when the war ended, Iran was able to enjoy the same economic benefits as the rest of the world at peace time. Most importantly, it was able to profit from its own oil reserves, significantly boosting Iran's national income. SARSHAR: In 1941, it was really the beginning of what is commonly referred to by the scholars of Jewish Iranian history as the Golden Age of Iranian Jewry. From 1941 until the revolution in 1978, the Jewish community of Iran saw a meteoric rise to power and social wealth. Industries such as pharmaceuticals, banking, insurance, real estate development, and other major industries, the aluminum plastics industries in Iran, all were either directly owned by the Jews of Iran or managed under their management.  And during this period, really, we can say that for the first time, after 2,500 years, the Jews of Iran really started to experience the kinds of freedoms that they had not seen since the Achaemenid dynasty. And it is during this time that, you know, we see, really, that life started to change for the Jews of Iran, even though some of the age-old social dynamics were still there.  The institutionalized antisemitism had not been completely wiped out. But for the most part, things had changed because Iranian society in general was also being Westernized, light speed. And many educated people had realized that antisemitism was really looked down upon, you know, that kind of prejudice was really no longer acceptable in the world at large. So many, many sections of the community really had shifted, genuinely shifted. And some, even though maybe their feelings had not changed, knew that their antisemitism was something that they needed to keep private. MANYA: At that time, Iran also became a refuge for Jews fleeing Europe and other parts of the Middle East. On June 1, 1941, a brutal pogrom in Iraq known as the Farhud, incited by Nazi propaganda, targeted Jews celebrating the holiday of Shavuot. Nearly 200 Jews were murdered in the streets. The violence became a turning point for Iraqi Jews. Thousands fled, many stopping in Iran, which became a way station for those headed to Palestine.  In 1942, thousands of Jewish refugees from Poland who had fled across the border into the Soviet Union during the German invasion traveled on trains and ships to Iran. Among the refugees – 1,000 orphaned children.  As Zionist leaders worked to negotiate the young Jews' immigration to Palestine, the Jewish Agency established the “Tehran Home for Jewish Children” – a complex of tents on the grounds of a former Iranian Air Force barracks outside Tehran. More than 800 orphans, escorted by adults, most of them also refugees, moved from Tehran to kibbutzim in Palestine the following year. Later, in 1948, when most Arab League states forbade the emigration of their Jews after the creation of Israel, the Zionist underground continued to smuggle Jews to Iran at about a rate of 1,000 a month, before they were flown to Israel. SARSHAR: The Zionist movement was fairly strong in Iran. It was a very lively movement. The Balfour Declaration was celebrated in all of the Allianz schools in Iran, and very soon thereafter, the first Zionist organization of Iran was established. And truly many of its founding fathers were some of the leading industrialists and intellectuals in Iranian society, in the Jewish Iranian community for the years to come. It was not unlike the kind of Zionism we see today in the United States, for example. You know, the wealthy families of the Jewish communities in New York and Los Angeles, all are very passionate about Israel, but you don't see very many of them selling their homes and packing up and moving to Israel because they just don't want to do it. They feel like they're very comfortable here. And what matters is that a state of Israel should exist, and they are political advocates of that state and of that policy and of its continued existence, but not necessarily diehard participants in the experiment itself. Iranians, after the establishment of the State of Israel, were being encouraged to move to Israel, and the Israeli government was having a lot of difficulty with that, because a lot of Iranians were seeing that life had become better for them, and they weren't as willing to leave, despite the fact that the Kourosh Project provided airplanes to get Jews out of Iran. My own great-grandmother was one of those passengers. She is buried in Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. She was one of the early citizens of Israel who went to live out the Zionist dream. MANYA: Both sides of Einat's family – her mother and father's ancestors – were among those early Israeli citizens. Einat's father was born in Tel Aviv. His parents and grandparents had come from Yemen in the late 19th Century. Einat's mother Ziona was 10 years old when in 1948, the family left Kerman, a city in southeastern Iran known for its carpet weaving and woolen shawls. They arrived in Israel with their suitcases ready to fulfill their dream. But living the dream in the new Jewish nation was not easy. After all, the day after Israel declared its independence, Arab nations attacked the Jewish state, launching the first of a series of Arab-Israeli Wars. EINAT: The story of my mom, it's a very interesting story. The family didn't have much money. There wasn't like, rich family that left, very different story. No, both of my parents come from very, I would say, very poor family. My grandpa was, like, dealing with textile. He was like, traveling from town to town with fabric. And that's what they did. They put them in what's called ma'aborot, which was like a very kind of small villages, tin houses. My mom always said there were seven kids, so all of them in one room. In the winter it's freezing; in the summer, it's super hot. But it was also close to the border, so the one window they have, they always had to cover it so at night, the enemy cannot see the light inside that room and shoot there. Also in the ma'aabarot, nobody speaks the same language. So, it was Moroccan and Iraqi and nobody speak the same dialect or the same language. So, they cannot even communicate quite yet. MANYA: Most of Ziona's six siblings did not go to school. To make it possible for Ziona, her parents placed her in a foster home with an Iraqi family in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv. EINAT: My mom's family decided that for her, she should get education, because most of the siblings didn't went to school or anything, So they put her in a foster home. In an Iraqi home, and she didn't speak a word there. So my mom, as a 10 years old, became a kid for foster parents that live in a center in Ramat Gan, where I basically grew up. And she got education, which was great. She learned also Iraqi, which is Arabic. So she speaks fluent Arabic, but she had not an easy life in coming to Israel from a different country. MANYA: Ziona has shared many of these stories with her daughter in the kitchen and dining room as they prepare and enjoy dishes that remind them of home. When she visited her daughter at her home in upstate New York at the end of the summer, Einat collected as many stories as she could over cutting boards, steaming pots, and sizzling pans. EINAT: There's a lot of story coming up, some old story that I know, some new stories. And it's really nice, because my mom is 84, 85. So, it's really nice to capture all of it, all of it. There is a lot of interesting stuff that happened during the first 10 years when she came to Israel.  That's the main, I think, I always talk about, like, how I grew up and how much food was a very substantial part of our life, if not the biggest part. You know, it's like, family can fight and this, but when it's come to the dinner, it's just change everything, the dynamic. For us, it was a big, significant part of everything. So obviously, most of these stories and memories come in while we're cooking or eating. A lot of time she used to talk about, and still talking about the smells, the smells of the flowers, the smells of the zafar (perfume). She still have the nostalgia from that time and talking very highly about what Iran used to be, and how great, and the relationship between the Muslims and the Jews back then. My grandpa's best friend was crying when he left, and he said: ‘Please don't go. Stay with us.' And he said: ‘I want to go to homeland.' So, they have a really great relationship. She's always talking, actually, about how they come for Shabbat dinner, the friends if they put the cigarettes outside of the door in Shabbat because they were observant. So cigarettes, lighter, everything, they keep it outside, in the garden, not coming inside the house. So a lot of mutual respect for the religion to each other. And I love that stories. It just showed what's happened when people take it extreme. MANYA: Einat's cookbooks and restaurant menus are filled with recipes from her own childhood and her parents' upbringing. To satisfy the appetite of her father, a former Israeli athlete, her house always had hummus and every weekend, the family made a hilbeh sauce --  a traditional Yemenite fenugreek dip made with cardamom, caraway seeds and chili flakes. Other recipes reflect her mother's Persian roots. And then there are recipes that, at first blush, seem to come out of left field, but are inspired by the Iraqi Jewish foster family that raised her mother, and the Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi neighbors that passed through the dining room and kitchen where Einat was raised in Bnei Brak.  Now a Haredi town east of Tel Aviv, it was then a diverse population of Jews from, well, everywhere. Einat still remembers standing on a stool next to the Moroccan neighbor in her building learning how to roll couscous. EINAT: One neighbor that was my second mom, her name was Tova, and she was Moroccan, so it was like, I have another Moroccan mom. But all the building was all Holocaust survivors. None of them had kids, and they were all speaking in Yiddish, mostly. So I grew up with a lot of mix. I wouldn't say, you know, in my time, it's not like our neighborhood. I grew up in Bnei Brak, and our neighborhood was very, it was before Bnei Brak became so religious like today. It was still religious, if you go really in, but we're close to Ramat Gan, and I have to say that it's, I would say, I didn't grow up with, it's very mixed, very mixed.  Wouldn't say I grew up just with Moroccan or Mizrahi, I say that it's very, very mixed. And my mom same. I think a lot of her friend is like, It's my mom would speak some Yiddish. She would do Kugel on Shabbat next to the jachnun and all the Mizrahi food. You know, this is the multi-pot and one things I love in Israel. You can see in one table so many different cultures. And that's something that would have happened in my house a lot. MANYA: That amalgam of Jewish cultures is reflected in her cookbooks Balaboosta and Shuk. It also shows up in her menu at the brick-and-mortar Balaboosta, a quaint Middle Eastern trattoria on Mulberry Street in Manhattan.  The name Balaboosta is borrowed from Yiddish meaning “a perfect housewife” – a twist on ba'al habayit, Hebrew for master of the house, or boss. But Einat insists that the term is no longer exclusively Ashkenazi, nor does it refer exclusively to a woman's domestic role. EINAT: An old friend, chef, asked me when I went to open Balaboosta, and I said, ‘I don't have a name.' She said: ‘What do you call a badass woman in Hebrew?' I'm like, ‘balaboosta.' She said, ‘It's a perfect name. We done.' Took five minutes to find this name, and I love it. It's really connected because for me it's so so much different things. You know, I always talk about the 20th century balaboosta. The balaboosta that outside going to work, the balaboosta that asking a man for a date. The balaboosta that it's not just like she's the housewife and the homekeeper. It's much more than that. Today, she's a multitask badass.  It's much more spiritual than what it is. I think it's the one that can bond the people together and bring them together and make peace between two parties clashing. So for me, it's much more than somebody that can cook and clean. So, much, much more than that. MANYA: Einat's parents became more religious when she was 12, which of course had the opposite effect on their daughter: she rebelled. When her time came to do her mandatory service in the Israel Defense Force, she was determined not to serve in a role typically assigned to women. She requested a post as a firing instructor. But after reviewing the high school transcript shaped by her rebellious adolescence, the IDF assigned her to the Nevatim Air Base where she served as a chauffeur for fighter pilots. EINAT: Back then most women would be secretaries giving coffee to some assholes. I was trying not to do that, and somehow I got very lucky, and I was in the same division, I was in the Air Force. I had amazing time for two years. I start the military a very different person, and left a very different person. I used to hang with a lot of bad people before, really bad people. And when I get to the military, I was a driver of pilots, it's the top of the top of the top in the hierarchy in the military in all IDF. So now I'm hanging with people that have the biggest ambition ever, and I'm learning new stuff, and everything opened up, even my language changed completely. Everything. I was want to travel more than I ever want before, and I have like, crazy dreams. MANYA: To make sure the elite pilots were well-fed, the IDF bused in a group of Yemenite grandmothers to provide ochel bayit, or home-cooked meals. Einat befriended the kitchen staff and helped out from time to time. Then in January 1991, she was tapped to cook a meal that probably launched her career. The IDF chiefs of staff had convened at Nevatim base to discuss the U.S. plan to bomb Iraq during the Gulf War and what Israel would do if Saddam Hussein retaliated with an attack on the Jewish state. But they needed to plot that strategy on full stomachs. A couple of pilots served as her sous chefs. That night, the Israeli generals dined on Chinese chicken with garlic, honey, and soy. And a rice salad. EINAT: It was definitely the turning point, the military.  I would say there is some values of relationship and working ethics that I wouldn't see anywhere else, and that's coming, I think because the military. They're waking up in the morning, the friendship, they're no snitching or none of this. It's to stand up for each other. There is so many other values that I grabbed from that. So when I start my culinary career, and I was in a fine dining kitchen, it was very helpful, very helpful. MANYA: After spending five years in a van driving around Germany – an extended celebration of freedom after IDF service --  it was time to get serious about a career. A culinary career made as good a sense as any. Einat worked as a waitress in Eilat and enrolled in culinary school. At the end, she marched into the kitchen of Keren, one of the first restaurants in Israel to offer haute cuisine. She got an internship, then a job. The former restaurant, run by Israeli Chef and television host Haim Cohen, is credited for reinventing Israeli cuisine. Now, as a restaurant owner and TV personality herself, Einat is largely credited for introducing Israeli cuisine to the U.S. But before she became the self-made Balaboosta of fine Israeli dining, Einat was America's Falafel Queen, made famous by two victories on the Food Network's show Chopped and her first restaurant – now a fast food chain called Ta'im Falafel. But her fame and influence when it comes to Israeli cooking has exposed her to a fair bit of criticism. She has become a target on social media by those who accuse Israelis of appropriating Palestinian foods – an argument she calls petty and ridiculous. So ridiculous, she has found the best platform to address it is on the stage of her new hobby: stand-up comedy. Cooking has always been her Zen. But so is dark humor. EINAT: I like comedy more than anything, not more than food, but close enough. EINAT/Clip: Yeah, this year was great here on Instagram, lot of hate comments, though. A lot about food appropriation, me making Arabic dishes. So let me clarify something here. I check my DNA through ancestry.com and I am 97% Middle Eastern, so I fucking bleed hummus. EINAT: It's very petty. Food, supposed always to share. Food supposed to moving forward.  It's tiring and life is much more complex than to even argue and have a debate about stupid things. I'm done. OK, yes, we're indigenous.I have connection to the land. My parents, my grandparents and great grandparents have connection to that land. Okay, I get it. Now we need to solve what's going on, because there was Palestinian that lived there before, and how we can, for me, how we change the ideology, which I don't see how we can, but how we can change the ideology, convince them that they want peace. And they want…I don't know. MANYA: Needless to say, in the year that has followed the attacks of October 7, stand-up comedy has not been the balm it once was. The attacks that unfolded that day by Iran-backed terrorists that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 250 more was simply too devastating. EINAT: I was broken there, my husband was with me, I was every day on a bed crying, and then going to work, and it was like I couldn't hear music, because every music thinking about Nova and my friends and then I couldn't see babies with a mom. Everything was a trigger. It was bad. We had a disaster of October 7 and then October 8 to see the world reaction was another. It's not just enough that we going through so much grief and need to kind of contain all that emotion and crazy and anger and rage and now we need to see the world's. Like, ok. I never thought there is antisemitism. It's something from the past, for my grandparents, for my mom a little, but it's not something in my generation, or my kids' generation. It's done, apparently, not. MANYA: The lack of sympathy around the world and among her culinary peers only amplified Einat's grief. As a way to push for a cease-fire and end U.S. support for Israel, nearly 900 chefs, farmers and others in the food industry signed a pledge to boycott Israel-based food businesses and culinary events that promote Israel. EINAT: I felt very, very alone, very alone. The first few months, I felt like, wow, not one call from anyone to check on me. It was pretty sad. At the same time, I'm in the best company ever Jewish community. There is nothing like that, nothing. MANYA: Her team at Balaboosta also checked in on their Israeli boss. But they too were scared. Soon after she posted pictures of the hostages on the window of her restaurant, she confronted a group of teenagers who tried to tear them down. EINAT: I stand in front of them and I said, ‘You better move fast'. MANYA: It's no secret that Iran helped plan Oct. 7. What is not as well known is how many Jews still live and thrive in Iran. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, there were nearly 100,000 Jews in Iran. Today, Israeli sources say the population numbers less than 10,000, while the regime and Iran's Jewish leaders say it's closer to 20,000. Regardless, Iran's Jewish community remains the largest in the Middle East outside Israel.  To be sure, the constitution adopted in 1906 is still in place nominally, and it still includes Jews as a protected religious minority. Jews in Iran have synagogues, access to kosher meat, and permission to consume wine for Shabbat, despite a national ban on alcohol. There's also a Jewish representative in Iran's parliament or Majlis. But all women and girls regardless of religion are required to wear a veil, according to the Islamist dress code, and Jews are pressured to vote in elections at Jewish-specific ballot stations so the regime can monitor their participation. Zionism is punishable by death and after Oct. 7, the regime warned its Jewish citizens to sever contact with family and friends in Israel or risk arrest. They also can't leave. Iranian law forbids an entire Jewish nuclear family from traveling abroad at the same time. At least one family member, usually the father, must remain behind to prevent emigration. But Houman points out that many Iranian Jews, including himself, are deeply attached to Iranian culture. As a resident of Los Angeles, he reads Persian literature, cooks Persian herb stew for his children and speaks in Persian to his pets. He would return to Iran in an instant if given the opportunity to do so safely. For Jews living in Iran it may be no different. They've become accustomed to living under Islamist laws. They may not want to leave, even if they could. SARSHAR: The concept of living and thriving in Iran, for anyone who is not related to the ruling clergy and the Revolutionary Guard, is a dream that feels unattainable by anyone in Iran, let alone the Jews. In a world where there is really no fairness for anyone, the fact that you're treated even less fairly almost fades. MANYA: Scholars say since the Islamic Revolution, most Jews who have left Iran have landed in Los Angeles or Long Island, New York. Still, more Jews of Iranian descent live in Israel – possibly more than all other countries combined. The reason why? Because so many like Einat's family made aliyah–up until the mid-20th Century.  It's hard to say where another exodus might lead Iranian Jews to call home. Einat will be forever grateful that her family left when they still could and landed in a beautiful and beloved place. Though she lives in the U.S. now, she travels back to Israel at least twice a year. EINAT: It's a dream for every Jew, it's not just me. It's the safe zone for every Jew. It's the one place that, even if we have, it's not safe because there is people around us that want to kill us. It's still emotionally. You know, I've been in Israel a few months ago, it's like, you always feel loved, you always feel supported. It's incredible. And it's still home. It's always going to be my home. MANYA: Persian Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who, in the last century, left Middle Eastern and North African countries to forge new lives for themselves and future generations.  Many thanks to Einat for sharing her family's story. You can enjoy some of her family's favorite recipes in her cookbooks Balaboosta and Shuk. Her memoir Taste of Love was recently released in  an audio and digital format.  Too many times during my reporting, I encountered children and grandchildren who didn't have the answers to my questions because they'd never asked. That's why one of the goals of this project is to encourage you to ask those questions. Find your stories. Atara Lakritz is our producer. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Nicole Mazur, Sean Savage, and Madeleine Stern, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name really, for making this series possible. You can subscribe to The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/theforgottenexodus.  The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC. You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.

Turkey will be attending the Arab League Summit for the first time in 13 years. We consider how significant this is. Plus: we'll hear about the mpox vaccine rollout in Africa, Germany's emergency land-border controls and get a round-up of aviation news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Arab League and many countries in the Middle East have condemned the Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter for displaced people in Gaza City.

Insiders say President Biden is being urged by First Lady Jill Biden to stay in the race—even though leading Democrats admit privately he's unlikely to win in November. 5) Barack Obama reportedly working behind scenes to replace Joe Biden with another candidate for president; 4) Trump gets good news from Supreme Court; 3) SCOTUS rules against administrative state, whiffs on free speech ruling; 2) Arab League apparently no longer considers Hezbollah a terrorist group; 1) Developers of EV charging stations forced to install gas and diesel generators to get the power they need. FOLLOW US! X: @WatchSkyWatchTV | @Five_In_Ten YouTube: @SkyWatchTelevision | @SimplyHIS | @FiveInTen Rumble: @SkyWatchTV Facebook: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHIS | @EdensEssentials Instagram: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHisShow | @EdensEssentialsUSA SkyWatchTV.com | SkyWatchTVStore.com | EdensEssentials.com | WhisperingPoniesRanch.com

Here's a sample of story headlines from the first quarter hour of the broadcast-----In a repudiation of President Biden, the Israeli Security Assistance Support Act passed in the House on Thursday with bipartisan support.----The U.S. State Department has moved a one billion dollar package of weapons aid for Israel into the congressional review process. ----The floating pier that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza from the sea has now been anchored to a beach according to U.S. Central Command. ----Amid heightened tensions with Egypt since Israel began its ground operation, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intimated that Egypt was holding Gaza civilians hostage by not working with them to reopen the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian aid.----Israel's military suffered setbacks yesterday after officials confirmed that five troops were killed in a friendly fire incident in Gaza while elsewhere an Israeli air force space in northern Israel was hit by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia.----Israeli Defense Forces have recovered the bodies of three hostages in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.----The IDF struck a Hamas command room and a school run by a U.N. agency, with fighter jets killing more than 15 terror operatives, including ten Hamas members and some involved in the October 7th invasion of Israel. ----The Arab League met on Thursday in Bahrain to voice its opposition, not just to the Rafah operation, but to call for an immediate ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.

Here's a sample of story headlines from the first quarter hour of the broadcast-----In a repudiation of President Biden, the Israeli Security Assistance Support Act passed in the House on Thursday with bipartisan support.----The U.S. State Department has moved a one billion dollar package of weapons aid for Israel into the congressional review process. ----The floating pier that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza from the sea has now been anchored to a beach according to U.S. Central Command. ----Amid heightened tensions with Egypt since Israel began its ground operation, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intimated that Egypt was holding Gaza civilians hostage by not working with them to reopen the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian aid.----Israel's military suffered setbacks yesterday after officials confirmed that five troops were killed in a friendly fire incident in Gaza while elsewhere an Israeli air force space in northern Israel was hit by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia.----Israeli Defense Forces have recovered the bodies of three hostages in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.----The IDF struck a Hamas command room and a school run by a U.N. agency, with fighter jets killing more than 15 terror operatives, including ten Hamas members and some involved in the October 7th invasion of Israel. ----The Arab League met on Thursday in Bahrain to voice its opposition, not just to the Rafah operation, but to call for an immediate ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.

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