Welcome to the first episode of The New Arab Weekly. Each week, we take a look at some of the biggest stories of the week and examine what happened and why is it important. This week we look at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the looming prospect for an invasion of Rafah, and the recently announced definition of extremism, as laid out by the UK government. We're joined this week by The New Arab's Opinions Editor, Nadine Talaat (@nadine_talaat), and New Arab journalist and reporter Oliver Mizzi (@OllyMizzi99).If you have any burning questions that you'd like the team at The New Arab to answer, then drop us an email at podcast@newarab.com. You can subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, Google, and wherever else you get your podcasts. This podcast is produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). To get in touch with the producer, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’ll be launching The New Arab Weekly, a brand new podcast, that will bring you a collection of biggest stories of the week. With help from the editorial and reporting teams at The New Arab in London, we’ll break down the stories for you and answer the questions: what happened and why does it matter?The first episode will be released on Friday March 15th, and will be finding its way to your feeds every Friday after that. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you can get notified when a new episode drops. Apple: The New Arab WeeklySpotify: The New Arab Weekly We’d also like to hear from you. If you have any questions that you want the team at The New Arab to answer, you can now email us at podcast@newarab.com. Until Friday, stick with The New Arab, for all the latest new analysis and opinion, from the region.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The humanitarian crisis is older than the war in Gaza. For years, Palestinians inside the besieged enclave have struggled to secure some of the basic needs for life.The war, which has now entered its four month, has turned crisis into catastrophe. All 2.2 million residents of Gaza are now suffering from acute food insecurity, and Israel are continuing the bombardments, day after day. The humanitarian situation in Gaza was recently dealt a deadly blow when major donors of the UN aid and refugee agency, including the US and UK, announced that they would be suspending funding for UNRWA. The decision to suspend funding was made following allegations that UNRWA employees had taken part in the horrific attacks of 7 October. To date, evidence to prove those allegations has not been provided, and yet the suspension stands. This week, we look at the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the details of the famine gripping the population, the spread of infectious diseases, and the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare. Also we look at the decision by Western nations to suspend funding for UNRWA. Why they decided to suspend funding, why they asked for no evidence, why so many pulled out, and why Israel is trying to eliminate UNRWA in its entirety. Joining us to help us understand the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we speak with Dr. Yara Asi (@Yara_M_Asi). Dr. Asi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics. Her research agenda focuses on global health, human rights, and development in fragile populations. She recently authored the book How War Kills: The Overlooked Threats to Our Health. To explain UNRWA and the impacts of the funding suspension, we speak with Chris Doyle (@Doylech). Chris is the Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (@Caabu) and its lead spokesperson.Sign up to our newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The International Court of Justice returned a verdict on 26 January. Not a complete verdict on whether genocide is being committed by Israel in Gaza, but the court did agree that there was a case to be heard, and it did recognise that there was a sense of urgency. Because of this urgency, they issued a series of provisional measures; these include an order to end the killing of civilians, end the mental and physical harm of civilians, immediately allow the distribution of aid, to name a few. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the provisional measures imposed by the International Court of Justice, what they are ordering of Israel, whether they will be abided to by Israel, what mechanisms exist if the provisional measures are ignored, and also what the case means for Israel's allies, namely the US. Joining us to explain the International Court of Justice and it mechanisms is Akila Radhakrishnan (@akila_rad). Akila is the strategic legal advisor for gender justice for the Strategic Litigation Project (@SLPJustice) at the Atlantic Council (@AtlanticCouncil).To guide us through what the court's decision means for Israel and its Western allies, we speak with Khalil E. Jahshan (@KhalilEJahshan). Khalil is the  Executive Director of Arab Center Washington DC (@ArabCenterWDC) and  a Palestinian American political analyst. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, protests around the world have called on the Israeli government to end their slaughter and protect civilian life. Thousands have turned out to protest in London, New York, Paris, Berlin, and Washington DC. Also, protests have been seen in Israel, however the civil space in Israel is shrinking.This week, we look at the shrinking civil space in Israel, and the shrinking rights of Israelis to protest against the government and the war in Gaza. We also examine the role of the Supreme Court in the stripping of Israeli civil rights. To help us understand this, we spoke with Eyal Lurie-Pardes (@eyallurie), a Visiting Fellow in the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst). Previously, Eyal worked in legal advocacy and policy research for civil rights in Israel and Palestine. Among other things, Eyal worked with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Zulat Institute for Equality and Human Rights.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the start of war in Gaza, the Houthi movement in Yemen decided that it would also do what it can to provide support to the people of Palestine. It decided the best thing that it could do was to attack commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea, of the coast of Yemen. They have fired missiles, launched drone attacks, attacked ships by sea, boarded ships and taken people hostage. On 11 January, the UK and US decided that they should do something and launched a flurry of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. This week, we look at the impact and reasoning behind the Houthi attacks on shipping lanes, the retaliatory strikes by the US and UK, and what this means for the ceasefire that only recently halted the war in Yemen. To help us understand the Houthi motives in the Red Sea, we're joined by Abdulghani al-Iryani (@AbdulGhani1959), a senior researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies (@SanaaCenter) where he focuses on the peace process, conflict analysis and transformations of the Yemeni state.And to help us understand what the US hopes to achieve in Yemen, we speak with Gerald M. Feierstein, Distinguished Senior Fellow on US Diplomacy and Director of Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst) and former US Ambassador to Yemen.Sign up to our newsletter here. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new year and a new season of The New Arab Voice podcast. This week, we continue with the story that has dominated the Middle since October: the war in Gaza. While we were away the violence did not cease nor slow down. The death toll has now passed 23,000, the vast majority women and children. Additionally, over 60,000 have been injured. There have been developments related to the war in Gaza that have occurred beyond Gaza's borders. The first is the killing of Hamas deputy Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on 2 January, and the second is South Africa's genocide filing at the International Court of Justice. This week we look at the killing of Arouri and examine what it means for the prospect of the war in Gaza escalating into a wider regional conflict. Will Hezbollah join the fight and open a second front in northern Israel? Will Iran launch a direct strike against Israel? And how will Iran use its network of militias in the region?Secondly, we look at the recent filing by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, where Israel was accused of committing genocide. Will the filing be able to stop the violence in Gaza? Will it create a path for accountability? Will the filing work as a part of a pressure campaign?To guide us through the prospects of an escalating conflict we're joined by Dr. Hamidreza Azizi (@HamidRezaAz), a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International Security Affairs (@SWPBerlin). And to help us understand what has unfolded at the International Court of Justice, we speak with Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany), the Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (@TimepDC).Sign up to our newsletter here. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week we looked back at the first six months of 2023, and this week, we're completing the year with refresher on the last six months of the year. We remember the arguments at the UN Security Council over Syrian aid delivery, the release of Patrick Zaki, the deadly wedding fire in Iraq, the COP28 in Dubai, and of course, the deadly Hamas attack of 7 October and the following war in Gaza. As well as looking back, we look forward to the next 12 months in the Middle East and North Africa, with the help of The New Arab's finest journalists, correspondents, and editors. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023 is drawing to a close and we’re spending our last two episodes of the year to look back over the past twelve months and the stories that have shaped the Middle East. For our first episode of our review, we look at the months from January to June, with help from some of The New Arab’s journalists, correspondents, and editors. We remember the earthquake in Turkey, the normalisation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the protests in Israel, Erdogan’s victory, and much more. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hamas attack of 7 October shook Israel to its core. It was a horrifying day that left at least 1,200 people dead, saw hundreds taken hostage, and a country deeply traumatised. Israel responded with a deadly barrage of airstrikes and bombardment. This assault continues to this day, and has so far killed over 17,000 people, and turned huge areas of Gaza into desolate wasteland. The stated aims of Israel is to destroy Hamas, remove them from power in Gaza, and secure the release of the hostages. This week on The New Arab Voice we assess Israel’s invasion of Gaza. How are they progressing? What have been their losses? And is there as risk that Israel will secure a tactical win, but a strategic defeat. Also, we explore how the ongoing Israeli assault is being viewed by Israelis, and what this all means for the future of Prime Minister Benjamin and Israeli thinking with regards to Palestinians. Do Israelis support the conflict, and do they support the manner in which the assault is being is being conducted? Can Netanyahu survive, and if he’s on the way out, then who will take his place? To help us understand the current state of Israel’s assault on Gaza, we speak with Tobias Borck (@tobiasborck), the senior research fellow for Middle East Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (@RUSI_org).Also, we speak with Dr. Nimrod Goren (@GorenNimrod), a senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst)You can sign up for our newsletter here. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.