The Bottom Line

Al Jazeera
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Aug 22, 2025 • 24min

Will Israel choose truce or war? | The Bottom Line

If Israel rejects the latest offer to pause its War on Gaza, it’s a sign that Israel “doesn’t want any deal,” argues US journalist and author Jeremy Scahill. Scahill, the co-founder of Drop Site News, tells host Steve Clemons that Hamas has offered major concessions on sticking points such as the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released, Israeli withdrawal from the border with Egypt, and the so-called GHF. But with carte blanche from the US to continue its war, the question remains: Will Israel decide to sign a temporary deal or pursue war? Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Aug 13, 2025 • 24min

Will Trump’s ‘fast deals’ policy prevent peace for Ukraine, Gaza? | The Bottom Line

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to meet his US counterpart in Alaska, there were no indications that a deal to end the Ukraine war was imminent. Editor of the National Interest, Jacob Heilbrunn, tells host Steve Clemons that US President Donald Trump “will try and reach an agreement with Putin and impose it upon Ukraine. If Ukraine refuses, then he'll wash his hands of it and say that Ukraine is the obstacle to peace.” Heilbrunn argues that Trump is “squeezing the remnants of what’s left of the American empire” and that “the American brand is tattered” globally. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Aug 10, 2025 • 24min

Israel’s gambit: Massacre the Palestinians, subjugate the region? | The Bottom Line

Daniel Levy, President of the U.S./Middle East Project and former advisor to the Israeli government, shares his insights on the crises facing Israel and Palestine. He argues that Israel's actions have put Arab leaders in a challenging position amid rising regional discontent. Levy highlights the shift in Western attitudes, as some begin to acknowledge uncomfortable truths about their support for Israel. He also explores the failures of the Oslo Accords and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, calling for a new framework focused on rights and equality.
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Aug 3, 2025 • 24min

Where does Trump stand on Israel’s starvation of Palestinians? | The Bottom Line

Despite some pushback from his party to deal with the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza - especially Israel’s starvation policy - the US governing Republican Party remains unmoved. Republicans overwhelmingly support Israel’s tactics against the Palestinians, as support for Israel plummets among Independent and Democratic voters. Trump says he wants more food to reach Gaza via the militarised distribution mechanism, the GHF. But he criticised Western countries that spoke of diplomatic moves, such as recognising Palestinian statehood. Host Steve Clemons speaks with Republican analyst Mark Pfeifle and Democratic analyst David Bolger on Trump’s political calculations on Middle East policy. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Jul 27, 2025 • 24min

Has the US cancelled free speech? | The Bottom Line

Several groups of professors in the United States are suing the Trump administration over its policy of arresting, detaining, cancelling visas, and deporting students who participate in pro-Palestinian advocacy. The crackdown on free speech is creating a chilling effect across US academia, argues Jamil Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which is one of the organisations that brought the lawsuit. Jaffer tells host Steve Clemons that the issue is much wider than the rights of non-citizens in the country. The government's actions have the effect of "stifling a political viewpoint that the government doesn't like". Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Jul 20, 2025 • 24min

Do Africa’s leaders have a ‘game plan’ to deal with Trump? | The Bottom Line

Africa’s leaders have no one to blame but themselves if they cannot reach equitable trade deals with the United States, argues the former representative of the African Union to the US, Arikana Chihombori-Quao. Chihombori-Quao tells host Steve Clemons that US President Donald Trump’s “trade, not aid” policy opens up “an opportunity that African leaders were not awarded by the colonisers, the European nations, when they set out to exploit the continent of Africa”. She adds that African leaders should not allow themselves to be bullied by Trump, “because he has what you need, you also have what he wants”. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Jul 13, 2025 • 24min

Why does Israel want to prolong the war on Gaza? | The Bottom Line

Israeli columnist Gideon Levy tells host Steve Clemons that almost all Israelis believe their country “has the right to do whatever it wants”. This includes war crimes and plans to create concentration camps for Palestinians in Gaza, in preparation for expulsion. Levy argues that it makes no difference if a Republican or Democratic administration were in power in the United States or if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or a different politician were in power in Israel. “The same war might have taken place, and the same crimes of war would have been committed,” he said. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Jul 3, 2025 • 24min

Will Gaza finally get a ceasefire? | The Bottom Line

Although it’s not clear that Israeli leaders want to end the "Forever War" they launched in the aftermath of the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, the US has enough leverage to force a truce, argues Georgetown University visiting scholar, Khaled Elgindy. Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who quit in protest of President Biden’s Gaza policies, argues that Israel’s war was “not really about Hamas” but more about the Israeli desire to control Gaza, the West Bank and the wider region. Sheline and Elgindy delve into the details of the proposed ceasefire deal with host Steve Clemons. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Jun 29, 2025 • 24min

Will Iran double down on its nuclear programme after the war? | The Bottom Line

United States President Donald Trump can force Israel to end the war on Gaza if he shows the same gumption as he did with Iran, argues Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Parsi discusses the wider implications of the 12-day war on Iran with host Steve Clemons, including: Will Iran double down on its nuclear weapons programme? Will improved Iran-US relations lead to sanctions relief? Why did European leaders legitimise the unprovoked US and Israeli attacks, instead of calling for the “rules-based order” as they do in Ukraine? Does Iran have allies? Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
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Jun 26, 2025 • 24min

Was the Iran war to establish Israel's control over the Middle East? | The Bottom Line

Direct US involvement in Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran was a dangerous decision, argues Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East history at Johns Hopkins University. Hours before a ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran was announced, Nasr told host Steve Clemons that “the US doesn’t have a regime change option in Iran” and should be wary of humiliating Tehran, which would lead to long-term consequences. Nasr argues that the 12-Day War was meant to establish Israel’s dominance as the premier Middle East power, backed by Washington, with no room for challengers. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

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