BICOM's Podcast

Episode 72 | Why is Turkey invading Syria?

James Sorene speaks to Hannah Lucinda Smith, Turkey correspondent for The Times and author of Erdogan Rising: The Battle for the Soul of Turkey, about why President Erdogan really ordered the operation in Syria, what it means for the battle against ISIS and what happens next.

Episode 71 | Israel’s campaign between the wars

James Sorene speaks to Brig. Gen. Michael Herzog about Israel’s ongoing battle against Iran in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq and Ronie Gazit speaks to Phillip Smyth from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy about Shia militias in Iraq and Iran’s wider militia strategy in the middle east.

Episode 70 | Gantz plays it calm as Bibi feels the heat

James Sorene talks to Tal Shalev from Walla news about coalition talks, Netanyahu’s pre-trial hearing and the contrasting style of Bibi Netanyahu and Benny Gantz.

Episode 69 | Is it really bye bye Bibi?

James Sorene talks to Lahav Harkov, Senior Contributing Editor of the Jerusalem Post and Raf Sanchez, Israel correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and Richard Pater speaks with Daphna Liel and Shalom Lipner to examine the Israeli election results and analyse what happens next during weeks of coalition talks.

Episode 68 | The election endgame

For the first time ever, the BICOM podcast was recorded on a moving train as James Sorene talked to polling expert Dahlia Scheindlin and journalist and Bibi biographer Anshel Pfeffer on the 21:15 from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. They discussed the final phase of the Israeli election campaign and how voter turnout and Avigdor Lieberman’s quest to bring Bibi down will decide who wins on 17 September.

Episode 67 | Israel's battle with Iran

In this week’s podcast, Richard Pater talks to Jerusalem Post's editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz, author of Shadow Strike: Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power, about recent events along the Israeli-Lebanese border. They also discuss the latest events in the Israeli election campaign.

Episode 66 | What will Hezbollah do next?

In this week’s podcast, BICOM’s Senior Research Fellow, Neri Zilber, talks to Lebanon and Syria expert Professor Eyal Zisser about reported Israeli strikes against Hezbollah targets in Syria and Lebanon and how Hezbollah is likely to respond.

Episode 65 | Israeli polls point to stalemate

James Sorene talks to Richard Pater and Calev Ben Dor about the latest news from Israel's elections with a focus on the potential impact of the new right wing and left wing party mergers. 

Episode 64 | Why did Israel bomb Iraq?

James Sorene talks to Michael Herzog about reported Israeli strikes against Shia militias and why Iran is sending long range missiles to Iraq. They also discussed Herzog’s new paper analysing Israel’s conflict with Iran in Syria: ‘Iran across the border, Israel’s pushback in Syria.”

Episode 63 | What does Boris think about the Middle East?

In this week’s episode Elliot Keck interviews BICOM CEO James Sorene to examine Boris Johnson’s record dealing with Middle East issues as well as what he has said about Britain-Israel relations