BICOM's Podcast

Episode 249 | Trump's plans for the region

In this episode Richard Pater speaks to Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President at the American Foreign Policy Council. The conversation was recorded as part of a live media briefing following Prime Minister Netanyahu's meeting with President Trump. They discuss a range of regional issues including Trump’s plan for Gaza and his likely approach towards Iran. 

Ilan is an expert on regional security in the Middle East. In the past he has consulted for the Central Intelligence Agency as well as the US Departments of State and Defence. An author and editor of a dozen books has been called one of America's "leading experts on the Middle East and Iran" by CNN.

Episode 248 | Surviving a suicide bus bombing

In this episode, Dr Amira Halperin speaks to Sarri Singer. Sarri is the founder and director of Strength to Strength, a charity based in New York, established to bring survivors of terrorism and their families together globally to heal. After witnessing 9/11, Sarri moved to Israel and volunteered her time to help Israeli victims of terror attacks. In 2003, Sarri herself was a victim of the Davidka Square bombing in Jerusalem in June 2003 by Hamas.

Content warning: this podcast contains some graphic content.

 

 

Episode 247 | Implementing the Gaza Ceasefire

In this episode, Daniel J. Levy speaks with Dr Lynette Nusbacher. Recorded hours before Israel and Hamas agreed to the US, Egyptian, and Qatari-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal on Wednesday, they discuss how it would be implemented as well as what future phases might be and the impact of the deal on the Israeli government. 

Dr Nusbacher is a former British Army intelligence officer and served as Head of the Strategic Horizons Unit in the UK Cabinet Office, and the Devil’s Advocate to Britain’s Joint Intelligence Committee. She was also a Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Episode 246 | Israel, Palestinians & the international arena

In this episode, Dr Amira Halperin speaks with Professor Gerald Steinberg. They discuss Israel hostage agreement with Hamas, and the concessions Israel will have to make. Professor Steinberg, with his broad expertise also shares his concerns over rising  violence in the West Bank  and the role humanitarian organisations play both inside Gaza and their influence in international law.  The also discuss Trump's presidency and his approach to the Iranian nuclear programme .

Professor Gerald Steinberg is the founder and president of NGO Monitor. He is Professor Emeritus of political science and international relations at Bar Ilan University, where he taught for forty years. His research focuses on Middle East diplomacy and security, nuclear proliferation, and the politics of human rights and non-governmental organisations, an academic field that he pioneered 25 years ago.

Episode 245 | A view from the Knesset

In this episode Dr Amira Halperin speaks with MK Shelly Tal Meron. They discuss the prospects of a hostage deal, the displaced Israelis in northern and southern Israel. She also presents a vision for the day after the war end and the involvement of President Trump in the negotiations. 

MK Meron is a Yesh Atid MK and the co-Chair of the Israel-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group. She is a member of the Women's Rights and Finance committees in the Knesset. She completed her military service as a Captain in the Israeli Air Force.

Episode 244 | Regional roundup

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Jonathan Paris about the latest developments following the fall of Assad. They discuss the future of Syria and the role of Turkey and Iran plus the potential ramifications for Lebanon and Jordan. Jonathan also explores the potential strategy of the incoming Trump administration in relation to Iran. Jonathan Paris is a London-based Middle East analyst and former fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He is currently Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies on Terrorism (CAST) and Senior Advisor Emeritus at the Chertoff Group where he shares his expertise on the region.

 

Episode 243 | Iran, its politics, and its regional influence

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Behnam Ben Taleblu about Iran, its internal politics, proxies and the future of the region under President Trump.

Behnam Ben Taleblu is the senior director of FDD’s Iran Programme. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think tank in Washington. Behnam earned his MA in international relations from the University of Chicago, and his BA in international affairs and Middle East studies from the George Washington University.

Episode 242 | Facing the charges of the ICC

In this episode Richard Pater speaks to Dr. Michal Hatuel-Radoshitzky about the ICC, international lawfare, and the UN and UNRWA in Gaza. Dr. Hatuel-Radoshitzky is a senior adviser and programme director at Mind Israel and a founding member of the Dvora Forum. She is an adjunct lecturer at Tel Aviv University, where she earned her PhD.

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.