The Big Picture

This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with Middle East Eye’s Editor in Chief David Hearst to talk about the rapidly unfolding war between Israel and Iran, why the West supports it and what it threatens to unleash on the global order.So what does Israel really want to achieve, what options does Iran have to deescalate, and will the United States stop the war, or join it?We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

NOTE: This conversation was recorded in November 2024, which is why you'll hear references to the elections and the Biden Administration.This week on The Big Picture, we sit down with military analyst and author William Hartung.Hartung is a senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and in 2010 published Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Military Industrial-Complex - a seminal work that examined how military lobby groups shaped public policy, and how White House officials pursued lucrative jobs in the same lobbies that funded their political careers.In 2024 he published a Cost of War report with Brown University, which unpacked the $20 billion of military aid the Biden Administration had given to Israel's government since October 7, the majority of which was then used to purchase weapons from US military companies.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

Why haven’t there been mass protests against Trump like there were in 2017?Part of the reason is the climate of fear and uncertainty that now proliferates throughout many communities, from student activists on IV league campuses to undocumented migrants.The arrests of pro-Palestine students Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi and Rumeysa Ozturk among others, and the deportation of hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador, some of whom legal US residents, has left many in shock about the direction of the government and what it intends to do next.So how do activists and organisers continue to speak up without fearing for their own careers, their families and their freedom?This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we speak with Palestinian-American political activist and civil rights advocate Linda Sarsour.Sarsour was the co-chair of the 2017 women’s march, which brought millions to the streets in a defiant protest of Donald Trump’s first term in office - at the time it was the largest single day protest in US history.In 2020 she published her memoir We’re Not Here To Be Bystanders.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

The catholic world is grieving the loss of Pope Francis, but so is much of the Muslim one.Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Pope Francis spent much of his life reaching out across religious lines, forming monumental friendships with Muslims, from refugee families to Islamic scholars to Palestinians.In his final Easter Sunday sermon just hours before his death, he called on the world to protect the sanctity of life in Gaza, and work towards a lasting ceasefire that saved Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages.His voice echoed across all corners of the world, and in his death, his messages were reflected.The grand imam of Al Azhar Ahmad al Tayeb, described Pope Francis as a “true friend to Muslims, sincere in his pursuit of peace”.So how did he leave such a mark on such a divided world?This week on the Big Picture Podcast we speak with Georgetown University scholar, theologian and author Dr Jordan Denari Duffner.Dr Jordan is the author of ‘Finding Jesus Among Muslims’ and the upcoming book ‘Pope Francis and Islam’.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we speak to Momodou Taal, a Cornell Unveristy scholar forced to flee from US immigration officers.The crackdown by the Trump administration on pro-Palestine activists has continued to intensify despite legal challenges.Undercover agents belonging to the department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE for short, have been filmed arresting university students on campuses, in their homes and even in the middle of the street.Some of those targeted as part of this nationwide sweep have attempted to appeal to the justice system - in Cornell university a group of academics and students launched a legal case against the Trump Administration.At its centre is the case of Mamodou Taal, a British-Gambian PHD student whose home was then raided by ICE agents in an attempt to arrest him.After failing to get a judge to hear their case, Taal decided instead to leave the United States before he faces the same fate as Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

A trauma surgeon stationed at one of Gaza’s largest hospitals says the carnage this week is beyond anything he has seen in Ukraine or anywhere.More than 500 have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since Tuesday, when Israel’s government broke a two-month ceasefire with Hamas and has escalated attacks since.Hospitals continue to be overwhelmed with more than 900 injuries and facing ongoing shortages since food and fuel were cut off by Israel’s government in early March.UNICEF says Tuesday was the single deadliest day for children in Gaza since the war began.On this episode of The Big Picture Podcast, we speak with Dr Feroze Sadhwa, a volunteer trauma surgeon at Nasser Hospital, and an eyewitness to what he describes as ‘carnage’ in Gaza.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

At least 400 people have been killed after a surprise Israeli attack on Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday. Israel’s government vows to continue escalating these military attacks, saying it’s in response to Hamas’ refusal to extend the ceasefire, which has been in place since January.But is this the real reason for this morning’s attack? Or is there a much more cynical explanation - one tied to the political fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we speak to Daniel Levy, the president of the US/Middle East Project and a former Israeli peace negotiator.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

Is Judaism itself an anti-Zionist religion?According to Rabbi and organiser Alissa Wise, it's precisely the teachings of her faith that informs her stance against Israel, and her advocacy for a free Palestine.Rabbi Wise is a former organiser with Jewish Voice for Peace, and in December 2023 founded the group Rabbis for Ceasefire, calling for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.The group now has more than 200 members, all of them teachers of the Jewish faith. They're a part of a growing movement of dissenting voices within Jewish communities challenging ideas that were taboo for decades.Back in November, shortly after the re-election of Donald Trump, The Big Picture Podcast  travelled to Philadelphia to meet with Rabbi Alissa Wise to talk about the history of Judaism and the Jewish people.And why standing against Zionism is the most Jewish thing she can do.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

What has Hamas achieved after 15 months of war with Israel?With the assassination of two of its most senior leaders, and the devastating human toll in Gaza, the future of Hamas appears uncertain.But the scenes of its militia re-emerging hours after the ceasefire sent a message of defiance.The scenes outraged an Israeli public, who were told that  victory would only come after the complete destruction of Hamas.While the world prays for an end to the violence in Gaza, Hamas’ senior leaders say a new chapter of their fight against Israel is expected - this time in the West Bank.As settler-led violence and Israeli military raids on Palestinian villages reach historic levels, many have lost hope that the Palestinian Authority and its president Mahmoud Abbas can do anything to protect Palestinians from another all-out war.Instead, the lure of armed resistance championed by Hamas has influenced a generation of disillusioned and angry young Palestinians, who’ve given up hope that diplomacy offers them any future.This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we speak with senior Hamas official Basem Naim, who is a former health minister in Gaza and now part of the group’s political bureau. Naim believes that Gaza was only the first chapter in the war, and that the next will be more complicated and ultimately more devastating.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

Netanyahu’s social contract has collapsed, and Israelis are in a state of shock.That is how former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy sees the outcome of 15 months of war in Gaza, after a ceasefire was brokered without Hamas conceding defeat.Instead, Israelis watch the scenes of Hamas militants celebrating in fresh uniforms and wonder what exactly did their Prime Minister achieve after promising nothing short of a total victory.Meanwhile, the abject failures of the Biden Administration in their deeply unpopular Gaza policy were undermined by the seeming ease of Trump’s ability to force Netanyahu to accept a deal that was on the table since May 2024.But as Levy says, this says less about Trump’s power as it does Netanyahu’s vulnerability.This week on the Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with the former Israeli peace negotiator and the president of the US-Middle East Project Daniel Levy.Daniel Levy was part of the negotiating team during the Oslo Accords in the mid-90s. He was then a Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister’s office and a lead drafter of the model peace agreement, known as the Geneva Initiative.If you’d like to read Amos Harel’s analysis on the IDF’s push for a ceasefire, you can read it here: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-22/ty-article/.premium/despite-operational-successes-in-gaza-the-next-idf-chief-will-inherit-an-army-in-crisis/00000194-8abc-dee1-aff7-ebff04f10000We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG