Israel and Hamas reach a cease-fire deal aimed at exchanging hostages and prisoners while seeking a longer-term pause in fighting; the incoming Donald Trump administration weighs ambitious moves on immigration; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign off on a twenty-year partnership agreement; and students in Serbia protest violations of civil rights.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Antony Blinken, “U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the Biden Record in the Middle East—and What Comes Next,” Atlantic Council

Steven A. Cook, Elliott Abrams, and Elise Labott, “Virtual Media Briefing: The Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire and Hostage Deal,” CFR.org

“Serbia: ‘A Digital Prison’: Surveillance and the Suppression of Civil Society in Serbia,” Amnesty International

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/israel-hamas-cease-fire-trumps-first-immigration-moves-russia-iran-new-partnership