BICOM's Podcast

Episode 127 | Biden and domestic Israeli politics

In the episode, Richard Pater speaks to Shalom Lipner, the nonresident senior fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council, and a former veteran of the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, serving seven consecutive Israeli prime ministers over 25 years. They discuss the fallout of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Israel, what the implications of a democratic President are on domestic Israeli politics and what we should expect between Israel, the Palestinians and the US over the next four years. 

Episode 126 | Exploring the Abraham Accords

In this episode Richard Pater speaks to Dr. Majid Al Sarrah and Dan Fefferman, both founding member of the UAE-Israel Business Council and Policy Forum. Dr. Majid is an Emirati legal adviser and expert in public policy. He is a former professor at the American University of Sharjah and a researcher in international law, economics and policy analysis. Dan Feferman is a Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, and a former Israeli intelligence analyst. They discuss the opportunities created by the Abraham Accords, where this leaves the Palestinians and the significance of the F-35s deal.

Episode 125 | Trump’s last 70 days

In this episode, Ronie Gazit speaks to Israel Policy Forum’s Policy Director, Dr Michael Koplow. Ronie and Michael discuss what we may see from the Trump administration’s last two months in office, and what actions he make take regarding Iran and Israel. Michael also lays out how President Elect Joe Biden’s administration will differ from what we’ve seen from Trump in its approach to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Iran.

Episode 124 | What Israel and Iran should expect from a Biden administration?

In this episode, BICOM’s research associate Samuel Nurding speaks with Jonathan Paris, a geopolitical analyst and Senior Advisor at the Washington-based Chertoff Group, to discuss the US presidential election, how the make-up of the Senate and House of Representatives could impact US foreign policy, and what a Biden 1st term means for Israel, Iran and the region as opposed to a Trump 2nd term.

Episode 123 | Trump vs Biden in the Middle East

Five days out from the US Presidential election, Richard Pater speaks with Joel Braunold, the managing director of the S Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. How important is foreign policy in this election? Have the Abraham Accords swayed any American votes? Richard and Joel discuss this, what four more years of Trump mean for the Middle East compared to a Biden administration’s approach in the region, and more.  

Episode 122 | Politics in the Knesset under Corona

In this episode Richard Pater speaks with Blue and White MK Michal Culter-Wunsh to discuss what political life is like in the Knesset under the cloud of coronavirus. Michal also speaks about her new proposed law to enshrine Israel's Declaration of Independence into a new social contract, what needs to be done to help ensure the return of Israeli soldiers and civilians from the Gaza Strip, and why the Abraham Accords are a paradigm shift for the entire region. 

Episode 121 | How long will the government survive?

Richard Pater talks to Tal Shalev, the political correspondent for Walla News. They discuss the likelihood of passing a budget and the prospect of new elections, how loyal is Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc and could Naftali Bennett really form a government with the centre-left?

 

Episode 120 | The Four Camps in 2020 with Israel’s Former Deputy National Security Adviser

Sam Nurding speaks to Col (res) Dr Eran Lerman, the Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and former deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Dr Lerman shares his analysis of the competing regional powers and their alliances through ideological camps. Sam and Dr Lerman discuss the progress of the Iranian nuclear project, amid the expiration of the arms embargo and the European role in combatting the threat of a nuclear Iran. Dr Lerman also highlights the growing threat Turkey poses for Israel and the region and the importance of Israel’s normalisation with the UAE and Bahrain.

Episode 119 | The EU's role in the Israeli-Arab conflict

In this episode, Research Associate Samuel Nurding speaks with Anders Persson, senior lecturer at Linnaeus University and author of the new book, 'EU Diplomacy and the Israeli-Arab Conflict, 1967-2019'. The two discuss the EU's role in the conflict over the last 50 years, the impact of the Israel-UAE and Israeli-Bahrain peace deals on EU policy and how the EU has contributed to the development of Israel.  

Episode 118 | A Historic Day in Washington

Following the formal ceremony marking the normalisation of relations between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain at the White House, Richard Pater speaks to Ilan Goldenberg, the Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security and former Chief of Staff to the Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations at the US Department of State. Richard and Ilan discuss the how normalisation will impact the Palestinians and whether other Arab states will follow. They also discuss the importance of Jordan, the dangers F-35 sales to the UAE, what a Biden presidency means for the Middle East and more.