Beyond the Headlines

A year has passed since Bashar Al Assad’s government fell in Syria, marking the end of a brutal civil war that lasted for almost 14 years. In the end, it took less than two weeks last December for an insurgency of rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham to take control of Damascus. It was a euphoric moment for Syrians opposed to the Assad regime. The HTS leader quickly traded his fatigues for a suit, and his nom de guerre for his new title as President Ahmad Al Shara. He was widely accepted by the international community, most notably the US. But even as sanctions were eased and reconstruction pledges rolled in, the honeymoon phase was ending. Sectarian violence, revenge killings, economic despair and devastated infrastructure posed challenges for the transitional government. As Mr Al Shara looks to the West for legitimacy and the region for economic support, the pressure is also mounting on him internally to reunite the fragmented country. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher is joined by Rahaf Aldoughli, assistant professor at Lancaster University, and Charles Lister, director of the Syria Programme at the Middle East Institute. They discuss how Mr Al Shara has fared over the past year and whether Syria is better off today.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a cabinet meeting this month to discuss settler violence, but this sudden interest stands in stark contrast to years of inaction by the state. Settler attacks in the occupied West Bank hit a record high in October, the worst monthly toll since record-keeping began almost two decades ago.  The violence is happening with impunity and under the protection of the army, according to evidence collected by rights groups and testimonies from Palestinians. The question is: why are authorities only now taking an interest? Is new pressure from Washington pushing them to take a stronger stand against settler attacks? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines Israel’s reaction to settler violence. She speaks to Kobi Michael from the Misgav Institute and to political analyst Ori Goldberg.

Israel has bombed Lebanon on an almost daily basis over the past year, despite a ceasefire being in place. Its army claims to be attacking Hezbollah, accusing the group of re-arming. But civilian infrastructure, agricultural land and even construction equipment in southern border towns have been destroyed in the attacks. At least 100 civilians have been killed over the past year. Just this week, 13 people died in an attack on Ain Al Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp. Residents have been unable to rebuild their lives. Their homes lie in rubble. Their means of income have dried up. And any hope of reconstruction comes at a huge risk: more Israeli strikes. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to urban planner Isabela Serhan from The Beirut Urban Lab, senior Lebanon analyst at Crisis Group David Wood and The National’s Beirut correspondent Nada Maucourant Atallah. They discuss the heavy price paid by Lebanese communities in the south and the pressure mounting on the government to respond to the Israeli aggression.

When the Sudanese city of El Fasher fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in late October, the group gained control of the entire Darfur region and areas to the south-west. Their rivals, the Sudanese armed forces, control the capital Khartoum, as well as the northern, eastern and central areas of the country. The fear now is that Sudan could be divided, as the fighting rages on for a third year. Amid the violence, it is the civilians who suffer most. Mass atrocities have been reported that may amount to war crimes. Famine has been declared in parts of the country, while millions have been displaced by the conflict. This episode of Beyond the Headlines documents the humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the RSF taking control of El Fasher, as civilians seek safety. We hear from Shashwat Saraf, Sudan country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, and ask The National’s Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi what a diplomatic end to the conflict could look like.

Iraqis are going back to polls this month for the sixth time since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein more than 20 years ago. It is expected to be one of the most contested elections yet. Political factions are competing for power, both in parliament and through armed groups, many backed by Iran. Candidates have been accused of making empty promises, of corruption and even of vote-buying. Many Iraqis are planning to boycott the elections altogether because they say they are fed up with a system that deprives them of basic services and economic opportunities while the state profits. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses the challenges facing Iraq in the November 11 election and what it will mean for millions who have waited too long for democratic change. She speaks to The National’s deputy foreign editor Aveen Karim and Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House.

How does the superpower rivalry between the US and China dictate international relations more broadly? And what does it mean for the future of trade, security and development? How does the superpower rivalry between the US and China dictate international relations more broadly? And what does it mean for the future of trade, security and development? Lynn Kuok, Lee Kuan Yew chair in South-East Asia Studies at the Brookings Institution, analyses the state of global relations almost a year into the second Donald Trump presidency. This episode is a collaboration between Beyond the Headlines and Radio Davos, a podcast from the World Economic Forum that looks at how the world is confronting its biggest challenges. It was recorded at the forum's Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity in Dubai on October 15. , analyses the state of global relations almost a year into the second Donald Trump presidency. This episode is a collaboration between Beyond the Headlines and Radio Davos, a podcast from the World Economic Forum that looks at how the world is confronting its biggest challenges. It was recorded at the forum's Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity in Dubai on October 15.

Under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, a yellow line has been traced along the inside of the enclave's land borders. It designates more than half of Gaza as territory controlled by Israel. Until recently, that line had been completely invisible for Palestinians. The Israeli military has since begun to place large concrete blocks to demarcate the line, but confusion still reigns and there have been incidents of Israeli soldiers firing at people crossing the boundary or approaching the area. The line is supposed to be a temporary measure, but it is the subject of fear among Gazans and raises questions about its purpose. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, guest host Ban Barkawi speaks to Palestinian political analyst Khalil Sayegh and Francesco Schiavi, Middle East analyst and non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute Switzerland.

In Gaza, a fragile ceasefire comes with great uncertainty for the future. In Yemen, the Houthis are abducting humanitarian workers and journalists in a witch hunt for alleged spies. And in Syria, a new and unstable political landscape could go either way. “It's not easy to build peace. It's much easier to stop a war,” says Martin Griffiths, executive director of Mediation Group International. The former under secretary general for humanitarian affairs at the UN speaks to The National’s editor-in-chief Mina Al-Oraibi in this special episode of Beyond the Headlines. They discuss the instrumental role of mediation, not only to resolve conflicts in the Middle East, but to ensure peace will follow. Mr Griffiths draws insights from his decades-long career in the humanitarian field to reflect on current events in the region. He talks about the diplomacy model set by Gulf countries and about opportunities to reform a UN in crisis.

Palestine’s olive harvest season started this month, and quickly became the target of Israeli settler attacks. A viral video this week showed a mob violently chasing Palestinian olive pickers in an occupied West Bank town north-east of Ramallah. A masked man is seen striking a woman with a club in the field, knocking her to the ground. In another town, farmers trying to harvest their groves were met by gunfire from Israeli soldiers, who are known to offer protection to settlers. These incidents are not new but the UN has documented a 13 per cent increase in settler attacks this year compared to the same period last year. In addition to violence and vandalism, farmers are now also facing the threat of Israeli annexation. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Abbas Milhem, executive director of the Palestinian Farmers' Union. They discuss the recent rise in assaults and the impact of Israel's land grab policies on Palestinian agriculture.

World leaders gathered in Sharm El Sheikh on Monday to sign a declaration of peace in Gaza. But the resurgence of armed militias brings a new threat to the strip. Clashes have broken out between these groups and Hamas security forces in recent days, prompting fears of more violence. Back in June, a leak forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to admit Israel was “activating” Palestinian militias. These factions have been accused of looting aid and causing chaos. Now, with a security vacuum in the wake of a weakened Hamas, the question is: who will fill it? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the rise of militias in the enclave and their collision course with Hamas. She speaks to The National’s Gaza correspondent Nagham Mohanna, and Palestinian defence and security journalist, Hamze Attar. They discuss the repercussions of the clashes for Palestinians in a post-war Gaza and what this means for Hamas’s future.