BICOM's Podcast

BICOM's Israel based staff Richard Pater and Calev Ben-Dor discuss the announcement of Israeli elections in April and the main issues to look out for, including Netanyahu’s popularity, the Attorney General's timetable over whether to indict the Prime Minister, and the possibility of the ‘centre left’ bloc uniting behind one candidate.

James Sorene talks to Calev Ben Dor and Richard Pater about BICOM’s forecast for the Middle East in 2019, a look ahead at the key trends and major events for the new year including - Israeli elections, Iran’s mission to upgrade Hezbollah missiles with precision guidance systems, Mohammad Bin Salman’s tarnished reputation and whether the US will ever publish its long awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian talks.

James Sorene speaks to Israel’s leading military and security analyst, Amos Harel, about this week’s shooting attacks in the West Bank, what steps Israeli security forces will take and what Hamas’s role has been facilitating the attacks.

James Sorene talks to Dr Daphne Richemond-Barak, assistant Professor at the IDC Herzliya and an expert in underground warfare, about Hezbollah tunnels and what they tell us about its wider operational strategy towards Israel. 

James Sorene and Dr Toby Greene discuss the highlights of BICOM’s new research study 'British Middle East Strategy after Brexit', UK relations with the UAE and Saudi and how Israel’s warming relations with Arab countries complements the UK’s role in the Middle East.

James Sorene talks with Richard Pater and Calev Ben-Dor about the UK Foreign Secretary’s Saudi and Iran visits, crisis with the UAE and a full analysis of this week’s events in Israeli politics and the inside story of how the Israeli coalition survived. 

James Sorene talks to Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief and co-author of two books: "Weapon Wizards - How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower" and "Israel vs. Iran - The Shadow War". They discussed the fallout from the latest conflict in Gaza, the impact of Defence Minister Lieberman's resignation and early elections in Israel. 

CEO James Sorene speaks to Katherine Bauer, an expert on sanctions and terrorist finance at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former official at the US Treasury. They discuss the latest US sanctions on Iran, what sectors they target, what their effects will be, and what measures Iran might take to avoid them.

BICOM CEO James Sorene and BICOM Israel Director Richard Pater discuss the Israeli local elections and BICOM’s poll of UK attitudes to Israel and the Middle East.

 

BICOM CEO James Sorene interviews Tal Shalev from Walla News to assess Prime Minister Netanyahu’s week as he ponders early elections - Israeli media reported that the Attorney-General will decide whether or not to indict Netanyahu by March, Gaza continues to cause insecurity for the Israeli public and Jordan announced it will cancel a lease deal as part of the bilateral peace treaty.