BICOM's Podcast

Episode 241 | Trump and the Middle East

In this episode Richard Pater talks to Professor Jonathan Rynhold about the impact of Trumps's victory on the region. They explore the potential impact on the current fighting in Lebanon and Gaza as well the Iranian threat and the prospect of normalisation with Saudi Arabia.

Professor Rynhold is the Head of the department of Political Studies and the Academic Director of the Jonathan Sacks institute, both at Bar Ilan University. He is also the author of The Arab-Israeli Conflict in American Political Culture.

Episode 240 | Israeli – Jordanian relations

In this episode Richard Pater speaks with Dr. Joshua Krasna, ahead of the 30^th anniversary of Israel – Jordan diplomatic ties. They discuss cooperation in the fields of energy and security whist political relations remain fraught.  They also discuss the ramifications of the ongoing war, its effect on domestic Jordanian politics, Palestinian – Jordanian ties and more.

Dr. Krasna served for 30 years as a strategic analyst working for the Israeli government where his main focus was Israel - Jordanian relations. Since leaving government he is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and a Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Centre in Tel Aviv University. He also teaches at NYU’s Centre for Global Affairs.

Episode 239 | Humanitarian Aid into Gaza

In this episode Dr Amira Halperin speaks with Professor Dorit Nitzan. They discuss the mechanism of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as Israel works in coordination with international organisations including UNRWA. Professor Nitzan highlights the complexity of the mission that Israel has taken on since the beginning of the war.

Professor Dorit Nitzan is an advisor on humanitarian aid to Israel’s Defence Minister and the Acting Regional Emergency Director of the World Health Organisation's European Region Health Emergencies Programme. She is also the Director of the MA programme in Emergency Medicine at Ben Gurion University.

Episode 238 | Insight into Lebanon

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Hagar Chemali about the current situation in Lebanon, including her assessment of the public’s view of Hezbollah.  Hagar also shares her perspective on US regional policy and gives her prediction for the US presidential election.  Chemali is a former US official, serving in various positions in the Obama administration including as Director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council. She is now the host and creator of an award-winning world news show on YouTube called Oh My World! as well as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Episode 237 | Four Years of the Abraham Accords

In this episode, Daniel J. Levy speaks to Dr Nir Boms about the 4th anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. They discuss the state of the Accords, their potential for expansion, as well as current relations with Jordan and Egypt. Boms is a Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University. He is the Chairman of the Syria Research Forum and the Gulf Israel Policy Forum, as well as the coordinator of the TAU Workshop on Israel and the Middle East and the Hiwar Forum for Intra-Regional Dialogue.

Episode 236 | Iran's pending strike on Israel?

In this episode a day ahead of hostage release and ceasefire negotiations resuming in Qatar, Dr Amira Halperin speaks with Professor Uzi Rabi. They discuss the possibility of an Iranian strike on Israel following Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran, as well as American attempts to prevent the outbreak of a catastrophic regional war. He also argues that the terrorists groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, motivated by Iran, are using the democratisation in Western countries to act there, as terrorism pose a threat in the West.   

Professor Uzi Rabi, Ph.D (Tel Aviv University, 2000) is the Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, a Professor of Middle Eastern History at the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies, and a senior researcher at the Center for Iranian Studies, all at Tel Aviv University. Formerly, he was the Head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University.

 

Episode 235 | Netanyahu in the US

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Dr Guy Ziv. They discuss PM Netanyahu's recent visit to the US, his speech to Congress, and meetings with President Biden, VP Harris, and former President Trump. They also discuss the state of US-Israel ties, and his recent book, Netanyahu vs The Generals: The Battle for Israel's Future.

Dr Guy Ziv is an associate professor in American University's School of International Service's US Foreign Policy Programme. His research focuses on foreign policy decision-making, the role of political elites in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and civil-military relations in Israel. He has previously worked for the US State Department and regularly appears across US and Israeli newspapers.

Episode 234 | Israel-Egypt Relations

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Egyptian analyst Haisan Hassanein. They discuss Israeli-Egyptian ties in the context of the operation in Rafah. Haisan shares his assessment of Egypt’s current relations with Palestinian factions and rivalries with other regional powers.

 

Haisan was born and grew up in Egypt, before moving to the US. He is currently adjunct fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, where he analyses Israel’s relations with Arab states and Muslim countries. Previously, he was a research fellow at the Washington Institute, where he focused on Israel-Egypt relations.

Episode 233 | Escalation from Lebanon

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Lt. Col. (res.) Sarit Zehavi about the situation on Israel’s northern border and ongoing attacks by Hezbollah. Sarit describes what escalation along the border looks like for communities affected by Hezbollah's rocket fire. They also discuss Hezbollah’s presence not just in the south, but across Lebanon and what Israel can do to counter the threat. Sarit is a former IDF intelligence officer and the founder of Alma, an independent research and education centre focussing on Israel’s security challenges on its northern border.

Episode 232 | What's next in Rafah?

In this episode, Jack Omer-Jackaman speaks to Lt. Col. (res) Jonathan Conricus. They discuss the progress of Israel’s operation in Rafah, South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ, and the prospects for a diplomatic resolution in the north. Conricus is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies. He served in the IDF for 24 years, in a variety of roles including as an infantry commander, as liaison to the UN, and finally as the IDF’s international spokesperson.