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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. US military reporter Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff says he has “some very good feelings” about the chances for reaching a temporary ceasefire that leads to a long-term resolution to the conflict in Gaza. Magid explains what could be on the table and why Witkoff is expressing optimism despite long-time Israeli and Hamas intransigence. The Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said Wednesday it had successfully opened its second aid distribution center in southern Gaza, after the launch of its first site a day earlier descended into chaos when crowds stormed the facility. International media is reporting shootings and deaths at the first aid center this week. Magid attempts to make order of the chaos. The United Arab Emirates rebuked Israel over this week’s Jerusalem Flag March, characterizing it as an “annual spectacle of unchecked violence and extremist provocation” and issuing a rare warning against Israel if Jerusalem doesn’t take “decisive steps” against the phenomenon. Magid explains why summoning of Israel's envoy -- only the second time the UAE has taken this measure -- is so significant even as several of Israel's allies are openly condemning the Jewish state. US President Donald Trump confirms that he asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call last week not to take military action against Iran that could disrupt Washington’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic. Magid describes the differing accounts of the phone call. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Witkoff says US to issue new Gaza terms, has ‘very good feelings’ on reaching hostage deal Gaza aid group opens 2nd distribution center, day after first site swarmed by crowds UAE issues rare warning to Israel after summoning envoy over Jerusalem Flag March Trump: I told Netanyahu striking Iran would be ‘very inappropriate,’ as deal is close Report: Netanyahu-Trump phone call on Iran was marked by heated disagreements 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 and video edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump invites US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to respond to a question in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rita Cosby features an in-depth discussion with various officials from the Trump administration. Dr. Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Trump, highlights significant counterterrorism accomplishments, including the quick capture of a key terrorist. Discussions cover Trump's Iran strategy, MS-13, border security, and economic policies aimed at revitalizing American jobs and reducing inflation. Steve Woff, US Special Envoy, speaks about international diplomacy with leaders from Russia and Iran, while Secretary of Education Linda McMahon addresses educational reforms and student loans. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discusses public health issues such as the autism epidemic, diabetes, and the impact of chemicals in food, along with plans for FDA reform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Tshidi Madia, in for Clement Manyathela speaks to Ryan Smith, who is the DA Deputy Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation; Professor Christopher Isike, who is Director of the African Centre for the study of the United States at the University of Pretoria and Tebogo Khaas, who is the Chairperson of Public Interest South Africa to get their opinions on the appointment of Mcebisi Jonas as the country’s special envoy to the US. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

Israel strikes dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites after a rocket launch from southern Lebanon; Israel expands military assault against Hamas on the ground; US Special Envoy blames Hamas for collapse of hostage negotiations; US again warns ...

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.

Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

US and Russian negotiators are planning to meet for discussions in Saudi Arabia next week about the war in Ukraine. The US envoy to Russia-Ukraine suggested yesterday that Europe would not be involved in peace talks. We speak to a European foreign minister who met with the envoy earlier today. Also in the programme: the city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo is confirmed to have fallen to M23 rebels; and we reflect on the winners at Britain's annual film awards, the BAFTAs.(Photo: Steve Wikoff, US Special Envoy to the Middle East and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House in Washington DC, USA, 11th February 2025. Credit: Aaron Schwartz/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Tuesday, February 11, 2025  Hoover Institution, Stanford University The Hoover Institution Applied History Working Group (HAHWG), chaired by Milbank Family Senior Fellow Niall Ferguson, and vice-chaired by Hoover Fellow Joseph Ledford, held its annual History Symposium on February 11, 2025. The Hoover Institution Applied History Working Group (HAHWG), chaired by Milbank Family Senior Fellow Niall Ferguson, and vice-chaired by Hoover Fellow Joseph Ledford, held its annual History Symposium on February 11, 2025. The 2025 History Symposium has the theme of “Anti-Semitism: Past and Present.” World-renowned historians will reviewed recent developments in the historiography of this subject and related them to contemporary aspects of anti-Semitism, not least those exposed by the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and their aftermath. The Symposium featured a series of papers and panels focused on both new historical research and contemporary developments. Presenters include Mark Brilliant (University of California, Berkeley), Rosa Freedman (University of Reading), Jeffrey Herf (University of Maryland, College Park), Ethan Katz (University of California, Berkeley), Jonathan Karp (Binghamton University), Rebecca Kobrin (Columbia University), Olga Litvack (Cornell University), Daniel Sargent (University of California, Berkeley), Jeffrey Veidlinger (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), and Steven Zipperstein (Stanford University). In addition, the Symposium held a special session featuring Deborah Lipstadt, the US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism and University Distinguished Professor at Emory University, in conversation with Niall Ferguson. Participation is by invitation only. For further information, contact jledford@stanford.edu

For review:1.  IDF Warplanes Strike Hezbollah Weapon Depots in Lebanon.2. Three Israeli Hostages set for release on Saturday morning from Gaza Strip. Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners in return.3. In a speech from Tehran, the Iranian Supreme Leader vows Iran will respond to any threat or violation of the country's security by the US.4. Iran Unveils IRGC Navy Drone Carrier. According to an IRGC Navy Commander- the drone carrier is capable of carrying several squadrons of unmanned aerial vehicles, launching and landing unmanned fighter jets, deploying various reconnaissance and combat drones, launching and recovering various light and fast combat vessels, as well as carrying and deploying various combat and support helicopters.5. US Special Envoy to Ukraine & Russia- Keith Kellogg- will participate in the Munich Security Conference from 14-16 February. Though he will speak at the event, Mr. Kellogg denied that he will release the US Peace Proposal to stop the fighting between Russia and Ukraine. Mr. Kellogg: "The person that's going to present the peace plan is the President of the United States, not Keith Kellogg."6. Russian Army receives first batch of BMP-3 Fighting Vehicles. The BMP-3 is armed with a 100-millimeter gun launcher, a 30-millimeter autocannon, a grenade launcher, machine guns, and an optional remote weapon station with a 57-millimeter autocannon.7. France Sends Mirage Fighters to Ukraine. Sébastien Lecornu, France's Armed Forces Minister, said last year that the Mirage 2000 Fighters would be equipped with air-to-ground weapons and new electronic warfare equipment.8. UK to Chair Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defense John Healey will chair the event as it gathers for its 26th time next week in Brussels, marking the first time an American defense secretary has not convened the meeting in its three-year history.9. Dutch military renews focus on the strategic importance of rail transport for heavy military equipment and supplies.10. Panama declines to renew Panama Canal infrastructure agreement with China after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit.

President Trump is putting America's economy front and center, threatening sweeping tariffs on goods from America's three biggest trade partners. Trump has since reached a temporary agreement with Mexico to pause tariffs for one month in exchange for ten thousand Mexican troops being sent to the border. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Trump today and is expected to keep negotiating. Canada's former Foreign Minister John Baird joins the show from Toronto.  Also on today's show: Adam Boehler, US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs; Tom Malinowski, Former US House Democrat; Peter Beinart, Author, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza"  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Christiana has a fascinating window into the Biodiversity COP negotiations underway in Colombia. From Cali, she's joined by Freya Newman and Irene Suarez Perez from the Global Optimism team who give us the lowdown into what's going on inside and outside the negotiating rooms. They tell what's unique about Colombia hosting, how it's given a platform to indigenous and local community voices; and why business is talking about love as well as finance. Also joining Christiana from Cali is Monica Medina, a fellow with Conservation International and the US' first Special Envoy for Biodiversity. They have an animated chat about the essential interdependence of climate and biodiversity, and Medina shares her optimism about a new oceans fund. And they take a deep (and refreshingly nerdy!) dive into DSI - digital sequencing information - and how we can ensure lucrative genetic codes, often found in the Global South, are fairly compensated and reimbursed.   NOTES AND RESOURCES   GUESTS Monica Medina, Arnhold Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International, former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science and the first US Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter (X)   Irene Suarez Perez, Senior Advisor - Nature & Food System Transformation - Groundswell at Global Optimism LinkedIn   Freya Newman, Advisor, Groundswell at Global Optimism LinkedIn   Please fill out our Annual Listener Survey!   Learn more about the Paris Agreement.   It's official, we're a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof! Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective   Please follow us on social media! Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

After a year of turmoil in the Middle East, Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests to ask ‘What Is the Path to Peace?'Joining Mishal are Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's International Editor; Lord Ricketts, who served as a British diplomat for many years including being on the Foreign office Middle East desk during Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982; Afif Safieh, former Palestinian Head of Mission in London, Washington, D.C. and Moscow; Ehud Olmert, who was Israeli Prime Minister from 2006 to 2009; Ambassador David Satterfield, who until earlier this year was US Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues and Dr. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.The Today Debate was produced by Sinead Heekin and Louisa Lewis. The editor is Owenna Griffiths. Studio direction by Ben Andrews.

At a special event in Belfast last night, Joe Kennedy III, US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, announced that applications are now open for Connect to Success (C2S) a programme powered and implemented by Ulster University. This initiative aims to empower women entrepreneurs, bolster the regional economy, and advance gender equality in Northern Ireland. C2S sets itself apart from other women's entrepreneurial programmes in Northern Ireland by offering selected WOBs unparalleled access to global corporations and their international networks, a comprehensive team-based mentoring approach, and a targeted focus on women-owned businesses (WOBs) in the scale-up phase. C2S pairs 10-15 WOBS with teams of executives from some of the world's top multinational corporations. These mentoring teams will provide expert guidance to help shape and implement the long-term business and leadership strategies of the participating WOBs. The year-long mentoring program is scheduled to commence in January 2025. C2S's mentoring champions include industry giants such as Aflac, AIG, Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, Google, Irish Life Group, Kainos, KPMG, PwC, Seagate, and Stripe, Inc. Additional supporters of the C2S initiative include AwakenAngels, Catalyst, Cliste Hospitality, Endeavor Ireland, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, Ormeau Labs, and Ulster Bank. Joe Kennedy III, US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, said: "Empowering women in business isn't just a local effort; it's a global game-changer. Whether it's in Belfast or in Boston, we need more women-led enterprises and more female investors. By championing women entrepreneurs, Connect To Success, Ulster University, and their partner companies are igniting economic growth, driving social progress, and paving the way for a more inclusive and prosperous Northern Ireland." Kim Sawyer, Executive Director of Connect to Success, said: "This initiative goes beyond business growth; it's about empowering women, fostering cross-community collaboration, and breaking down barriers that have traditionally limited women's access to capital, markets, and networking. By connecting women entrepreneurs with mentors from some of the world's most successful companies, we aim to equip them with the skills, connections, and confidence needed to elevate their businesses and pay forward the opportunities they've received. "Moreover, the program offers C2S mentors from global corporations a unique perspective on the entrepreneurial mindset of SMEs, enriching their understanding of agility, innovation, and risk-taking. This experience not only sharpens their leadership abilities but also sparks creative thinking and opens doors to new partnerships and ventures." Ulster University Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Bartholomew added: "Connect to Success will play a key role in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, in a specific area critical to both economic growth and gender equality - supporting female entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses. At Ulster University, we are active and vocal champions of the development of female entrepreneurship and are deeply committed to helping women build and scale successful businesses. In partnership with Connect to Success, we can create a future where women-owned businesses are at the forefront of innovation, corporate success and regional economic prosperity. Highly rewarding and life changing experience New to Northern Ireland, C2SNI follows C2SPortugal, which supported over 1,100 women-owned businesses via 128 corporate mentoring teams from leading global companies, with mentoring from companies including L'Oréal, McDonalds, Microsoft and Nestlé. Ana Margarida Matos, Corporate Mentee, C2S Portugal, said: "For any woman who owns a business, Connect to Success combines the best of both worlds: flexibility and opportunity to run my own business with the resources and community usually found in large companies. Being a part of Connect to...

Tommy and Ben discuss the discovery of six Israeli hostages killed by Hamas, protests in Israel demanding Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, how Biden's rhetoric about Gaza gives Netanyahu political cover, and the challenges of the UN's Polio vaccination rollout in Gaza. They also talk about what an election win for Germany's far-right AfD party means for the country's political future, why a former aide to NY Governor Kathy Hochul is being charged with working as a foreign agent for China, why X (Twitter) was blocked in Brazil, a controversial effort to reform Mexico's judicial system, the shooting of Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, and the Taliban's ban on women speaking in public in Afghanistan. Then, Ben speaks to Tom Periello, the US Special Envoy to Sudan about the negotiations he led to address the world's worst hunger crisis. 

*) Palestinians risk lives for survival as hunger crisis deepens in Gaza In Gaza, Palestinians brave ongoing bombings to gather mulberry leaves for food, highlighting the severe hunger crisis. On July 9th, UN human rights experts reported that famine has spread throughout Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) noted last month that over 495,000 people face "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity. *) Erdogan urges NATO to convince Netanyahu for Gaza truce Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged NATO allies to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire and uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza. At the NATO summit, Erdogan said “until comprehensive, sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts at cooperation with Israel within NATO will not be approved by Türkiye." Erdogan also accused Netanyahu of endangering Israelis and the region with his expansionist policies. *) US announces new $225M weapons package for Ukraine, including Patriots US President Joe Biden has announced a new $225 million aid package for Ukraine, including a Patriot missile system. Biden made the announcement during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also pressed for US permission to fire long-range missiles deeper inside Russia. The aid package includes Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and other munitions. *) Sudan's warring parties meet in Geneva for UN-brokered ceasefire talks Sudan's warring parties have arrived in Geneva for UN-brokered talks on "possible local ceasefires" to facilitate humanitarian aid. This is according to a UN spokesperson. US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello is involved, focusing on humanitarian aid and a political solution, according to US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Thomas-Greenfield said the Sudanese army and RSF will negotiate via mediators in "proximity talks." *) China building more wind, solar capacity than entire world combined: report China is building nearly twice as much wind and solar energy capacity as the rest of the world combined, according to new research. The world's largest greenhouse gas emitter has 339 gigawatts (GW) under construction, including 159 GW of wind and 180 GW of solar. That is "nearly twice as much as the rest of the world combined", according to the new study by Global Energy Monitor.

Ireland's first all-island summit for women who founded their own businesses takes place in Co Fermanagh on May 20th-21st. 'SheVentures' will pull together over 200 women founders, investors, entrepreneurs, and their supporters in Ireland, say Awaken Hub, the organisers of the event. The summit offers "unparalleled access to inspiring Irish and international women leaders, including some who have never spoken at an Irish event before," says Awaken Hub chairperson, Mary McKenna. Speakers include Silicon Valley's Ann Hiatt who worked directly for Amazon's Jeff Bezos; Lorna Conn, CEO of Cpl, and entrepreneurs' champion; and Samantha Barry, Global Editorial Director for the Americas at Glamour magazine. Women Founders Summit Mary McKenna says SheVentures offers an "opportunity to hang-out with your tribe of women founders and investors in a friendly and informal setting for a couple of days. But get yourself investor-ready," she advises. "You might even bag an angel investor or two!" The summit is being held in the breathtaking and cosy location of Lusty Beg Island, Fermanagh. Sponsored cabins on the premises will offer Master Classes and discussions on challenging themes like Investment, Sustainability, US Market Entry, Sales, Storytelling and Marketing, and Commercialisation. McKenna says these are an ideal chance to learn from experts at first hand. "She Ventures is not just about offering great speakers. It's about giving participants access to these speakers and experts for informal chats and discussions throughout the two days. It's also about extending women founders' networks of key players, contacts, and investors as they grow their business." The summit is being supported and sponsored by the Shared Island Initiative. Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he was delighted that the Shared Island Civic Society Fund has been able to support the work of Awaken Hub and the SheVentures summit. "The Shared Island Civic Society Fund aims to promote practical cooperation and interaction in civic society on this island and the SheVentures summit is a stellar example of the Fund supporting people to come together and make real connections." The 2-day event is being MC'd by BBC and TG4 presenter Lynette Fay, and other contributors lined up to take part include the Positive Economist Susan Hayes Culleton, and US and global expert on women's access to networks and Venture Capital, Kelly Hoey. There's accommodation on and off the island and boat/bus transport to shuttle participants back and forth. The summit starts at 9AM on Monday 20th, closing at 4PM on Tuesday 21st. You can book tickets online at: http://sheventures.co.uk About AwakenHub Founded in 2020, AwakenHub is a social enterprise dedicated to removing barriers for women founders across the island of Ireland. Its mission is to level up opportunity, access, and connectivity for women founders throughout the Island of Ireland by removing barriers to investment, scale and success and is backed by a community of over 3,000 subscribers. About AwakenAngels Launched in 2023, is the first investor syndicate on the island tailored for women, aiming to democratise angel investing. Highlights of activity first quarter of 2024 AwakenHub/ AwakenAngels hosted their 2nd US St Brigid's Week Trade Mission to NYC & Boston in Feb 2024 specially supported by US Special Envoy to NI, Joe Kennedy III & the Irish & British Consulates Invited and showcased at the week-long events as part of the NI/Irish delegation to Washington Dec in 11-18 March 2024 As part of a consortium bid secured EU core consortium partner, we launched the Women TechEU Call - a €12m Fund for women-led startups in Deep Tech & a call for deep tech experts as EU evaluators In partnership with Global Tech Advocates launched Tech Northern Ireland Advocates and collaborating with Tech Ireland advocates Within 9 months of our AwakenAngels syndicate we have onboarded 50 new women angels across the island of Ireland and counting and closed o...

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with: Bloomberg congressional reporter Billy House discusses the House advancing the long-stalled $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan teeing up a big vote over the weekend Mick Mulroy, co-founder of the Lobo Institute and former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East to provide analysis of last night's strikes on a military base in Iran and whether it could signal further escalation Bloomberg politics contributors Rick Davis and Jeanne Sheehan Zaino to recap the week on Capitol Hill heading into a key vote on foreign aid this weekend, plus break down the latest in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission Executive Vice President, An Economy that Works for People joins to talk about the state of global economic ripple effects of tension and conflict in the Middle East and in Ukraine Mick Mulvaney, former OMB Director, former US Special Envoy for North Ireland, former-Acting White House Chief of Staff and co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus joins to discuss the likelihood of Congress passing critical foreign aid this weekend, Trump's trial in New York and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arizona has become a flash point for America's abortion-rights battle, as the Supreme Court there votes to uphold a Civil War-era law banning nearly all abortions. To discuss what happens now and how will this development impact people in Arizona and across America, law professor and author Mary Ziegler ("Abortion and the Law in America") joins the show.   Also on today's show: US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello; author Percival Everett  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello will travel to Africa and the Middle East from March 11-23. According to the State Department, the visit demonstrates the priority the administration places on ending the Sudan conflict. However, over the weekend, the assistant commander-in-chief of Sudan's army rejected the calls for a ceasefire. The UN Security Council last Friday called for a ceasefire before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. A Sudan analyst has called on the international community to exert maximum pressure on Sudan's warring parties to reach a ceasefire... Suliman Baldo, director of the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker, tells VOA's James Butty, a ceasefire is not likely because of the Sudanese army's demands which, he says, amounts to a complete surrender of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The head of the European Commission has said a new maritime corridor for delivering humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza will begin operating very soon. On a visit to Cyprus, Ursula von der Leyen said she hoped the initiative would start by Sunday. A pilot project will begin today. The project is also being backed by the United States, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.Also on the programme: We hear from the new US Special Envoy for Sudan; and the death of "Dragon Ball" creator, Akira Toriyama.(Picture: The UN says a quarter of Gaza's population is on the brink of famine and children are starving to death. Credit: Getty Images)

At the Munich Security Conference in February a senior UN official described the war in Sudan as “not a forgotten crisis, but a wholly ignored crisis”. And yet the impact of 10 months of fighting is huge - nearly eight million people have had to leave their homes, more than in any other current conflict.Just last week the UN pointed to multiple indiscriminate attacks by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in densely-populated areas. So who is keeping the war going and why? Is it a conflict that will be fought to exhaustion or is there any hope of a negotiated settlement? And does the appointment of a new US Special Envoy for Sudan this week suggest that the world is ready to stop ignoring Sudan? Shaun Ley is joined by a panel of experts: Azza Aziz, a Sudanese anthropologist who was in Khartoum at the outbreak of the war and returned to London in January; Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation and a research professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in Massachusetts; Kholood Khair, a Sudanese political analyst and the founding director of Confluence Advisory, a "think-and-do" tank based in Khartoum. She left Sudan soon after the outbreak of the war and is now based in the UK.(Photo: A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings, 2 August, 2023. Credit: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has appointed Tom Perriello as the new U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan. Perriello previously served as the US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Blinken said Perriello will lead US efforts to address the ongoing crisis in Sudan. Brian Adeba, Deputy Director of Policy at The Sentry – an organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy, tells VOA's James Butty , Perriello's appointment prioritizes the prospect for peace in Sudan.

In this episode of Frankly Speaking we hear from Timothy Lenderking, the US Special Envoy for Yemen. We ask him about the military coalition the US is leading against the Houthis. We also ask about the flip flopping of the US administration with regards to the classification of the Houthis as a terrorist organisation, explore whether the recent escalation in the Red Sea and across the region can be contained and question whether President Biden's latest stance towards the Houthis could impact the crucial flow of aid into Yemen and the ongoing peace efforts.

Today in the House of Commons, legislation aimed at eliminating trade barriers and restoring Northern Ireland's executive has been approved. Joe Kennedy, the Third, is the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs.

Tommy and Ben discuss the latest news out of Gaza, including a potential ceasefire deal that would include a two month stop in fighting in exchange for hostages, a look back at Bibi's rejection of a two-state solution throughout his political career, and the news that the Biden administration is preparing for a sustained military campaign in Yemen. They also talk about the UAE funneling weapons to Sudan, mass protests in Germany against the far-right ADF party, British conservative's continuing attempts to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, Elon Musk's visit to Auschwitz, and an odd auction item belonging to Winston Churchill. Then Ben speaks with Ricardo Zuniga, the former US Special Envoy to the Northern Triangle and Senior Advisor at the US Institute of Peace about the spiraling gang violence in Ecuador. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

The Pentagon has confirmed that 14 Houthi missiles, which may have been intended for attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, were targeted by American forces. We ask US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking how effective these strikes are. Meanwhile, Pakistan has launched missile strikes into Iran, killing nine people, after Iran carried out strikes in Pakistan late on Tuesday.Also on the programme: we hear from a Spanish MP with Down's syndrome who is thought to be the first person with the genetic disorder to join a European regional or national parliament; and we also hear from Lesley Lokko, a Ghanaian-Scottish architect and academic, who is the first African woman to win one of the world's top prizes in architecture.(Picture: Honor guards march during a military funeral procession of Houthi fighters killed in recent U.S.-led strikes on Houthi targets, in Sanaa, Yemen. Credit: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah)

Paul Whelan, who's been imprisoned in Russia, wrongfully for 5 years called me on Christmas Eve, with a message for President Biden. You'll hear our conversation and his deep concerns on this episode. You'll also hear Ambassador Roger D. Carstens, the US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, discuss his team's efforts to free Whelan and fellow American Evan Gershkovich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Whelan, who's been imprisoned in Russia, wrongfully for 5 years called me on Christmas Eve, with a message for President Biden. You'll hear our conversation and his deep concerns on this episode. You'll also hear Ambassador Roger D. Carstens, the US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, discuss his team's efforts to free Whelan and fellow American Evan Gershkovich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Israel Defense Forces troops have carried out local raids in Gaza in search for hostages. The news comes after the Israeli military warned people in northern Gaza to move south immediately, and the United Nations saying that only 24 hours' notice was given to evacuate. For the latest on the unfolding story, Becky Anderson joins the show live from Jerusalem.  Also on today's show: Jan Egeland, Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council; Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Clinical Psychologist / Author, “The Wolf Hunt”; Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State; Ambassador Dennis Ross, former US Special Envoy for Middle East Talks / Distinguished Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, joins us to discuss how she's settled into her new role and shares insights on the development of the new U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, for which AJC has long advocated. Lipstadt, a renowned Holocaust historian and one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People of 2023, also delves into the ways in which the Abraham Accords have contributed to the fight against antisemitism in the Middle East. Additionally, she provides an insider's look into the challenges and progress associated with addressing antisemitism and how the National Strategy factors in.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Deborah Lipstadt Show Notes: Go Deeper:  Test your knowledge of the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism  Read: Everything You Need To Know About The U.S. National Strategy To Counter Antisemitism And AJC's Task Force Honoring International Antisemitism Envoys AJC David Harris Award Listen: People of the Pod: Hear from America's New Antisemitism Envoy Deborah Lipstadt 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 enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. __ Transcript of Interview with Deborah Lipstadt: Manya Brachear Pashman:   Deborah Lipstadt, US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism is a renowned Holocaust historian, recognized earlier this year as one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People of 2023. She has written eight books, and four years ago, advised the United Nations on its unprecedented report on global antisemitism. In fact, she joined us on this podcast shortly after the report's release. Since then, she has joined the US State Department in a role that for the first time carries the rank of Ambassador. She joins us again this time in our popup Tel Aviv studio. Ambassador, welcome to People of the Pod. Deborah Lipstadt: Thank you. Manya Brachear Pashman:   America's National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism was adopted in May. Your job primarily deals with US Foreign policy to combat antisemitism. But how does this new domestic strategy affect your work? Deborah Lipstadt: Well, it affects our work and that certainly I was consulted and worked closely with the White House in the shaping of it, my team played a part in helping to shape it people to reach out to and things like that. And there are over 24 agencies involved including the State Department, we're now looking at all the other national strategies to see best practices, what America could possibly adopt. And of course, informally, I'm the administration's most knowledgeable person on antisemitism. So they turned to me quite often for advice, for ideas, etc. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Okay. All right. Well, so as I said, your role is more international. Do you need a domestic counterpart? Does the United States need a domestic antisemitism czar? Deborah Lipstadt: I'm not sure. It's a lot on–the strategy is really run out of the Domestic Policy Council, which until about a week ago, was headed by Ambassador Susan Rice, who was greatly responsible for seeing this thing come to fruition. And we'll see how it works. It's up to them to decide how they want to do it. But I think it's also good that each agency from the usual suspects, as I like to say, homeland security, education, FBI, law enforcement, are involved, but so are so many others. Small Business Administration, Veterans Affairs, Smithsonian, all looking at ways to counter antisemitism, make sure there aren't barriers that are there, whether because of antisemitism or just ignorance. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And second gentleman Doug Emhoff has been certainly-- Deborah Lipstadt: Even before I was sworn in, after I was confirmed, I was in Washington and he asked me if I would come in and visit with him. We had a wonderful visit. We're in touch all the time. And he really feels this very deeply. And I give him great credit because he could easily have said, Look, I'm the first Jew in this position. First second gentleman. We put up a mezuzah for the residence. We have a Hanukkah party. We have a Seder. We do other things. Don't ask me to take the lead on this. But he's taken the lead. He's traveled all over, he traveled with me to Poland and Germany, where I coordinated a meeting for him with other special envoys, just to give him a sense of what other countries were doing.  And I think when he and his staff and other people in the White House who were with us saw that, it sort of energized them to say, my God, other countries have taken this really seriously. They're way ahead of us. We have to do something serious as well. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You know, with that in mind, I mean, if you think about it, your predecessors in this position have kind of made it their business to monitor, sound the alarm about antisemitism in Europe, elsewhere around the world. AJC helped convene that group of envoys at the White House. And so in many ways, the table's turned a little bit in terms of, you know, instead of the United States monitoring and sounding the alarm, these envoys came and advised the United States. Has this kind of mutual mission actually improved the relationship with some of these countries?  Deborah Lipstadt: It's improved the relationship tremendously. We really work as a team, not as a team–each one has its own you know, position, certain things one can get involved in certain things. You know, I lurk and watch what's going on, but I'm not involved in it. But one of the first things I did in fact, it was the same day as last year's AJC Global Forum, which was in New York, I think, at Temple Emanuel. And I was on the stage with Katrina von Schnurbein, the amazing EU envoy on Countering Antisemitism and Enhancing Jewish Life. And then she and I left the meeting with Mr. Lottenberg, Fernando Lottenberg, who's the OAS Special Envoy, and we met with a group of us of special envoys met to talk about how we could work together.  And so we've been meeting and convening. Katrina convened something that the EU others have convened, and then we meet, you know, sometimes we'll meet through the auspices, let's say, we'll be meeting here because many have come for AJC. But it is a government to government when we meet, it's not, convened by someone else. But it's people who speak for their governments coming together, which is quite amazing.  I've had great predecessors in this job. They're all terrific. And were strong supporters of me taking the position, very excited about it from both sides of the aisle. And I'm very grateful for that. But there are differences. First of all, Congress elevated the position to an ambassador before I was in the picture.  So it wasn't for me. And that carries weight in the world of protocol. That means you speak for the President. I see what weight it carries. In fact, I was just in conversation with a Republican senator, around the time of the rollout, because I was briefing him about the national strategy.  And he had been one of those who had pushed for the elevation of it to be an ambassador. And I said, you know, when I first heard you were doing this, I said, Oh, doesn't really matter. I said, I was wrong, you were right. It really enhances the importance, and it shows how America takes this seriously. But my predecessors, certainly amongst the earlier ones, we were the first country to have a position like this. So when something happened in France, and Belgium and Germany, whatever, they would go, and they would say to the government, you know, we take this very seriously, and we think you should take it seriously. Or if they were taking it seriously, we take this very seriously, and what can we do to help you take it seriously, and say, you have a problem, we've got to address it. And now first of all, I go and I said, we have a problem, because we have acknowledged that exists in our country. And sometimes I don't have to go racing as they might have had to, because there's someone else there. There's a local person, there's a national person there, too. So the fight has become much more coordinated, enhanced, and really raised to a government level in a way that it hadn't been previously. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Are there particular lessons that you can recall from any of your predecessors? Any of the envoys that you've taken to heart and realized. Deborah Lipstadt: I spoke to virtually all of them before I took the position. And they each had different advice, and I won't say one or the other, etc. But one the reasons–and I've only been in the job a year, but – building alliances in the State Department. And I'm worried a little bit not because of anything anybody tells me, just natural inclination to worry to be a pessimist so that we can be happily surprised when good things happen or the bad stuff doesn't happen.  But, would I find compatriots in the State Department, would people see me as you know, an add-on, a niche? Would I be operating off by myself? And that hasn't happened. And it's really been quite amazing. Partially thanks to the advice I've gotten, partially, I think, my own interpersonal connections, but I have built really strong alliances. And I'm not saying I have personally, but people in other offices with other portfolios, see this not as a niche issue. But as a central element of American foreign policy. Manya Brachear Pashman:   We hear a lot of statistics of incidents of hate crimes each month each year. And I'm curious if that's what matters most. In other words, does the perception of a community also matter whether it's a Jewish community or any other minority community, if that community perceives a rise in hatred against it? Is that enough to amplify our response? Deborah Lipstadt: The perception of a community is important, perception of an individual. Sometimes, any community, any individual can see things more dire than they are. But I think if anything, the Jewish community has become more aware of certain incidents and more aware of certain things. Give you an example, New York. I think there were a lot of Jews in New York who didn't take seriously some of the antisemitism encountered by Haredi, Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn, you know, who would walk down the street, get their hat knocked off, or get spat upon. And you could say, Okay, what's the big deal?  Well, if you're walking down the street, especially walking with your kids and your hat gets knocked off, suddenly you're looking at your father, or your mother gets a little nervous because she's in, you know, other people that she sees people come in and might be dangerous or whatever. And I think now they take that much more seriously. Have that been happening on the Upper West or East Side. We would have been quicker to respond. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Do you think that that is enough for a government, for example, to amplify a response? Deborah Lipstadt: Well, certainly a local government, this was happening in New York, but as it became more national, and there's something else in the strategy addresses this. That government can't really deal with, but it can call out. And that's the normalization of antisemitism. And the strategy speaks very directly in the beginning, when it's something I'm paraphrasing, when politicians, when actors, when rap stars, when sports figures engage in anti semitism and amplifies it in a way that it hasn't been before. Government can't stop them. We have that pesky thing called the First Amendment and we all treasure it.  Even though sometimes it can make us gnash our teeth, the good comes with the bad, or the bad comes with the good. But the normalization, so with the strategy. And when the strategy was rolled out, I spoke from the podium of the White House, one of the things I said: government can do a lot.  Congress is already doing a lot and is willing to do more. But it calls for an all hands on deck and it has to be a public, the broader society has to be involved in this fight, not just because of protecting fellow American Jews, fellow citizens, but because as I think as listeners to People of the Pod know well, antsemitism is a threat to democracy. I've been talking about it now someone even said to me, the cliche, and I realized that I had been the one to really popularize it, as the canary in the coal mine of democracy. But it's a warning, it's a warning. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You began your tenure with a tour of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, right? Deborah Lipstadt: And Dubai. The first stop was Riyadh. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Oh, right. Okay. And in fact, you were just in Abu Dhabi again just a few days ago. Deborah Lipstadt: I was for a second time, right. And where I encountered an AJC's delegation. But AJC has been present in Abu Dhabi in the Emirates for a very long time. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I want to talk a bit about those visits and the Abraham Accords, which is another circumstance that has changed. I mean, your immediate predecessor got to benefit a little bit from the Abraham Accords. But I'm curious if those Accords are removing barriers, helping foster relationships. And you know, that will only continue to improve the relationship between Israel and Muslim majority countries but also, their receptiveness to your message for combating antisemitism.  Deborah Lipstadt: The Abraham Accords are of prime importance. And they've been wholly embraced by the State Department, this administration, and not only embrace, but I've been encouraged to build on them, in part because we see them as a good thing in terms of fostering relations in the region between Israel and these other Muslim majority countries, but also because we see them as enhancing the Middle East enhancing the economy. I mean, it's a great thing when we all go into Ben Gurion Airport and we look up and there's the flight to Atlanta and right in front of it's a flight to Abu Dhabi, you know, or the flight to Detroit, Dubai , you know, it's some people say it's Mashiach, it's the time of the Messiah in that sense.  The Abraham house in Abu Dhabi, which is a mosque, a church and synagogue is magnificent, of course, that's not part of the Abraham accords. So that wasn't, that was generated in 2018, with a visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi, who said, Let us build the church and a mosque, and it was the leadership of the Emirates that said, let's build a synagogue, to make it a complex of the Abraham House, of the Abrahamic faith. So and then of course, Morocco, which refers to its normalization because it's been doing this for quite a while, Morocco that expects 400,000 Israeli tourists this year. I think last year it had 225,000. And then it's just you know, everywhere. And all those things are good things. And then there are countries which are not yet and I've used not yet euphemistically, part of these things, but see them as working and see them as operating. And I think they're very important. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And do you do feel that they are perhaps more receptive to your message and to listening to what you have to say?  Deborah Lipstadt: Yes, of course, I mean, I think even you know, when I went to Riyadh, to Saudi Arabia, I had meetings with high ranking officials, now you can show up and you can meet with the Minister of, I don't know, keeping the paint dry or something like that. Or you can meet with higher level ministers and I met with high level ministers, very productive meetings. And one of my messages was, look, there is a geopolitical crisis in this region, we're well aware that, my country is well aware of it. I work for a government that has hundreds of people actively engaged in addressing this issue.  But that's something in many respects separate and apart from prejudice, and from hatred. And the example, I had this interesting encounter in either Riyadh and Jeddah with an older imam who knew what was meeting with me and he knew what my, what my status was on my remit, was my portfolio was and he said, If Israel solved the Palestinian crisis, there'd be no antisemitism.  So there was a part of me that thought, I think there was antisemitism before there was a Palestinian crisis, I think there was antisemitism, for those in Israel, I think there was antisemitism, Zionism, you need to go back and back and back. But I didn't think that was going to get me anywhere, you know, putting it on my professorial hat, my mortar board as we do at graduation and lecturing him on that. So instead, I said to him, after 9/11, in my country, there was a surge, not of Islamophobia, but Islamic hatred. And as you will remember, I'm sure, there was an attempt at one point to build a Muslim community center, opposite Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center had been.  And in fact that the group that was building it consulted with the Jewish community center of Manhattan, you know, how, what's your experience? What room? Did you build enough? Should we have a gym, swimming pool, you know, et cetera, et cetera. And whatever body whether it was the city council or whatever in New York. New York, the polyglot capital of the United States, refused permission, because they said to build the Muslim community center, adjacent to Ground Zero, when it was Muslims that had destroyed the buildings and murdered the people there, would be an insult. And many of us thought that was wrong. That was prejudice. And I said, why should Muslims in lower Manhattan, a woman who wants a good place for her children to learn about their tradition, or to have an Iftar or whatever it might be a man to go to pray or whatever?  Why should they be denied that right, because other Muslims had destroyed and attacked the buildings? And the man said to me, you're absolutely right. It was prejudice. I said, well, to say that antisemitism is solely dependent on what Israel does or doesn't is the same thing. And he got very quiet. I don't think I changed his mind. But he stopped arguing.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Do you see any progress toward people understanding it more as a territorial conflict? Deborah Lipstadt: I think so. I hope so. I think it's a continuing, it's not like you get to a point and then well, we're at this point. Now we get to the next point, you know, like I used to lift 20 pounds, I can lose 30 pounds, you know, it goes back and forth. It goes back and forth, depending on the situation. It's a volatile process. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Do you think that getting them to understand it as a territorial conflict would actually fulfill part of your role in terms of combating antisemitism? Deborah Lipstadt: Yes, absolutely. But I think it's also necessary not to do things that are going to aggravate or not to do things that are going to make it harder for some of these countries to follow through with the Abraham Accords, so it cuts both ways. Manya Brachear Pashman:   In May, you and Ambassador Hood attended the annual Lag Ba'omer Festival at the El Ghriba synagogue. Deborah Lipstadt: In Djerba, Tunisia. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The island of Djerba. Tunisia is one of dozens of Arab countries where Jews were forced out and displaced. And I'm curious if you could reflect a little on the situation of Jews in the Middle East and North African countries. Deborah Lipstadt: Tunisia is a different story than Morocco, different story than the Emirates, then Bahrain. In that it does have a very small Jewish community. I think there are 1300 Jews in Djerba, been there, hundreds, thousands you know, years. And it's much more a community in Tunis than in a number of other places. But this festival has been going on for quite a while. And it was really reasserting itself after COVID, after an attack about 20 years ago on the festival. And it was so promising. And when I heard that Ambassador Hood, our American ambassador in Tunis was going, I said, you want company, he said, I'd love it. So we went together.  We visited the school there that is funded by and supported by the Joint American Jewish joint distribution committee, the joint, the JDC, one of the little students showed them how to draw an aleph. It's was very poignant. And we had a wonderful time. And then we went to the festival that night. And it was joy. The night before the deputy minister from the government catered a kosher meal for us, a kosher feast for many of the foreign representatives who were there. And we went to the festival and it was just joyous and we just loved it. We were so happy and meeting people and seeing people and meeting old friends and etc.  And people are the American ambassadors here, which was very exciting. And we stood in a place and I noticed that our security guards were pretty tight security because of course Americans and back to two ambassadors and personnel from American Embassy in Tunis. We're getting nervous I said, it should relax. 24 hours later precisely in that same place, there was a shooting and two guards were killed. Two Jewish one French, Tunisian and once one Israeli Tunisian, were murdered. So it's very sober. Very, very sobering. And Tunisia was that in the beginning, what we say reluctant to acknowledge this as an anti semitic act they talked about as criminality, they talked about it as terrorism. So Ambassador Hood and I together, not together with, but also with president Macron, and the German Foreign Minister, all said this is antisemitism plain and simple. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And swayed them, turned? Deborah Lipstadt: Oh, well, I don't know if we swayed them, but we got them to, he met with the President and met with the chief rabbi. And they changed a little bit, but sometimes it's criminality. Sometimes someone gets mugged on the street, and doesn't matter what they are who they are. But when this guy shot, he was on guard at a naval base. He shot his fellow guard, took a car and drove half hour across the island, to the synagogue, to attack the synagogue. And he didn't say, Oh, they're a crowd of people. I mean, he knew where he was going. And he knew what he was doing. Manya Brachear Pashman:   My last question is, some listeners might not realize that there is actually a separate Special Envoy for Holocaust issues. Deborah Lipstadt: That's right, Ellen Germain. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Your colleague Ellen Germain. Given the rise of Holocaust distortion, trivialization, your candidate, the loss of survivors, how much of what you do now intersects with her work? Deborah Lipstadt: Well, we're very careful. I mean, she's really handling Holocaust reparations issues, property reparations, not that we get directly involved, but in urging countries to address these things. But there's not that much overlap. But there's a great deal of cooperation with us, you know, times traveling together, working together, the more the more. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Are their priorities that you can see for implementing the National Strategy since we started talking about it. Deborah Lipstadt: I think there are so many things in there that can be done large and small. I urge people to download it. Maybe you can put the link on your website. It's downloadable. It's 60 pages, read the whole thing. thing. I have to tell you, I knew it as it was emerging. But at one point when I saw a draft of it, and they asked me to go over it, I was abroad doing it in another country. So complicated. But of course, as I began to read it without going into the specifics even have different issues. I was deeply moved.  Because I don't like to correct my boss, otherwise known as the President of the United States. But when he spoke about it at the White House, he called it the most momentous comprehensive plan the American government has ever addressed and he was wrong. It was the first comprehensive plan that the American government has ever addressed.  Of course, when there've been tragedies and presidents from both sides of the aisle, from all perspectives have condemned, have responded, America has responded. Law enforcement has responded. But this is the first time that the United States government is taking the bull by the horns and saying, What can we do to address this scourge?  And as I said, from the podium of the White House when it was rolled out, probably making history because it's the first time a mishna was quoted from the White House or talmud was quoted from the White House. I quoted from the verse from ethics of the elders, pirkei avot – lo aleicha hamlacha ligmor, v'lo ata ben chorin livatel mimenu. You're not obligated to complete the task, but you're not free from starting, from engaging in it. The United States government has now seriously engaged in it. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, thank you so much, Ambassador. Deborah Lipstadt: Thank you. 

In July Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he planned to legalize same-sex marriage in his new term. Many have noted that this would be a huge step forward for LGBTQI+ rights at a time when some governments - even in the West - are cracking down on the community. Jessica Stern, the US Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons, and Nikos Efstathiou, a journalist and author from Athens and the current Managing Editor at the magazine LiFO, join Thanos Davelis to talk about the LGBTQI+ rights in Greece and around the world, and look at what Greece and the US can learn from each other as they work to advance these rights.Appointed by President Biden, Jessica Stern serves as the Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Persons. Special Envoy Stern leads U.S. efforts to protect LGBTQI+ persons globally from violence and discrimination.  Prior to joining the Department of State, Stern led Outright International, a global LGBTQI+ human rights organization, as its Executive Director for ten years.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons Stern's Travel to Greece and GermanyGreece's Prime Minister Plans to Legalize Same-Sex MarriageGreece wildfires: Eighteen bodies found in Greek forestWildfires: EU mobilises new planes and firefighters for GreeceUN calls unauthorized construction by Turkish Cypriots a violation of the status quo on CyprusTurkey accuses UN of abandoning neutrality over Cyprus roadwork

Joe Leahy, Beijing Bureau Chief with the Financial Times, on the visit of US Climate Envoy, John Kerry, to China.

What role do international partners like the United States play in shaping Sudan's transitional path forward? Deep Dish explores the need for a new approach to conflict resolution that prioritizes civilian interests, joined by Jacqueline Burns, former advisor to the US Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, and Peter Biar Ajak of the Belfer Center. They question traditional methods and uncover alternative strategies for constructive international engagement to secure a peaceful future for Sudan. Reading List: The Violence in Sudan Is Partly Our Fault, Jacqueline Burns, New York Times, April 23, 2023 

In Sudan, witnesses report that a sixth ceasefire is being broken by explosions and gunfire. More than 500 people have been killed in the conflict as it enters its third week, including at least two US citizens. With many looking to the United States and Saudi Arabia to help bring the two warring generals to the negotiating table, Alex Rondos, former EU Envoy to the Horn of Africa, talks to Christiane about the extremely high stakes.  Also on today's show: US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens; South Carolina State Senator Penry Gustafson; American Library Association President Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Joe Mathieu delivers insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy.On this edition, Joe speaks with: Kurt Volker, Former-United States Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations and Former-US Ambassador to NATO, on the latest with the war in Ukraine. Bloomberg Politics Contributor Jeanne Sheehan Zaino and Former RNC Communications Director and Partner at Reset Public Affairs Lisa Camooso Miller on the debt ceiling, Ukraine's spring offensive, and President Biden's re-election announcement. Mick Mulvaney, Former Acting White House Chief of Staff, OMB Director, and US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, on the debt ceiling and expectations for President Biden's re-election campaign. Lincoln Mitchell, Lecturer at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, on the debt ceiling and outlook for President Biden's re-election campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United Nations says more than 8,300 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia began its war. This as President Putin and his minister for children's affairs have been slapped with arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court over the forced deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children. To discuss all this and prospects for accountability, Christiane speaks with the head of Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties, which last year was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.  Also on today's show: Journalist Imara Jones; “Behayshta,” an Afghan girl prevented from going to school; Orzala Nemat, Research Associate, SOAS University of London; Rina Amiri, US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

President Biden is in Israel, the 10th trip of his lifetime but his first as America's commander in chief. Israel's new interim prime minister Yair Lapid welcomed Biden warmly, calling him one of the best friends Israel has ever known. But the lovefest between leaders surely won't continue on Friday when Biden heads to Saudi Arabia for his controversial meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Biden has previously called the country a “pariah” for its killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and other human rights violations. But with rising gas prices and concerns about Iran and China, President Biden has decided the visit is in America's interest. To discuss all this, Bianna speaks with Martin Indyk, who served as US Ambassador to Israel and US Special Envoy for Peace.  Also on today's show: New York Times South Asia correspondent Emily Schmall on the chaos in Sri Lanka; historian Kathleen Belew, author of Bring The War Home; acclaimed writer Patrick Radden Keefe. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy