The Palestinian Authority (PA) has a new government and a new Prime Minister. An exciting and yet highly challenging time for them; but for the Palestinian people, optimism for real change is low. The Palestinian Authority has been in place since the 1990's, but satisfaction is low. There are systemic governance problems across Palestine, and the PA is no longer seen as the leaders of the liberation movement. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the Palestinian Authority and the problems ...
Apr 05, 2024•31 min•Season 10Ep. 7
At the start of March polling stations for Iran's legislative elections opened, and yet, very few Iranians turned up. It was a record low turnout, with just 40.64 percent of eligible voters casting their ballot. The low turnout reflected the discontent in the country, and the poor quality of candidates on offer. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the Iranian elections. Why was the turnout so low, and what does it mean for the regime’s legitimacy. How did the Iranian regime seek to contr...
Mar 27, 2024•28 min•Season 10Ep. 6
Welcome to the first episode of The New Arab Weekly. Each week, we take a look at some of the biggest stories of the week and examine what happened and why is it important. This week we look at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the looming prospect for an invasion of Rafah, and the recently announced definition of extremism, as laid out by the UK government. We're joined this week by The New Arab's Opinions Editor, Nadine Talaat ( @nadine_talaat ), and New Arab journalist and reporter Oliver Mizz...
Mar 15, 2024•48 min
This week, we’ll be launching The New Arab Weekly, a brand new podcast, that will bring you a collection of biggest stories of the week. With help from the editorial and reporting teams at The New Arab in London, we’ll break down the stories for you and answer the questions: what happened and why does it matter? The first episode will be released on Friday March 15th, and will be finding its way to your feeds every Friday after that. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you can get notif...
Mar 14, 2024•2 min
The humanitarian crisis is older than the war in Gaza. For years, Palestinians inside the besieged enclave have struggled to secure some of the basic needs for life. The war, which has now entered its four month, has turned crisis into catastrophe. All 2.2 million residents of Gaza are now suffering from acute food insecurity, and Israel are continuing the bombardments, day after day. The humanitarian situation in Gaza was recently dealt a deadly blow when major donors of the UN aid and refugee ...
Feb 09, 2024•39 min•Season 10Ep. 5
The International Court of Justice returned a verdict on 26 January. Not a complete verdict on whether genocide is being committed by Israel in Gaza, but the court did agree that there was a case to be heard, and it did recognise that there was a sense of urgency. Because of this urgency, they issued a series of provisional measures; these include an order to end the killing of civilians, end the mental and physical harm of civilians, immediately allow the distribution of aid, to name a few. Thi...
Feb 02, 2024•28 min•Season 10Ep. 4
Since the start of the war in Gaza, protests around the world have called on the Israeli government to end their slaughter and protect civilian life. Thousands have turned out to protest in London, New York, Paris, Berlin, and Washington DC. Also, protests have been seen in Israel, however the civil space in Israel is shrinking. This week, we look at the shrinking civil space in Israel, and the shrinking rights of Israelis to protest against the government and the war in Gaza. We also examine th...
Jan 26, 2024•35 min•Season 10Ep. 3
With the start of war in Gaza, the Houthi movement in Yemen decided that it would also do what it can to provide support to the people of Palestine. It decided the best thing that it could do was to attack commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea, of the coast of Yemen. They have fired missiles, launched drone attacks, attacked ships by sea, boarded ships and taken people hostage. On 11 January, the UK and US decided that they should do something and launched a flurry of airstrikes against Houth...
Jan 19, 2024•30 min•Season 10Ep. 2
A new year and a new season of The New Arab Voice podcast. This week, we continue with the story that has dominated the Middle since October: the war in Gaza. While we were away the violence did not cease nor slow down. The death toll has now passed 23,000, the vast majority women and children. Additionally, over 60,000 have been injured. There have been developments related to the war in Gaza that have occurred beyond Gaza's borders. The first is the killing of Hamas deputy Saleh al-Arouri in B...
Jan 12, 2024•34 min•Season 10Ep. 1
Last week we looked back at the first six months of 2023, and this week, we're completing the year with refresher on the last six months of the year. We remember the arguments at the UN Security Council over Syrian aid delivery, the release of Patrick Zaki, the deadly wedding fire in Iraq, the COP28 in Dubai, and of course, the deadly Hamas attack of 7 October and the following war in Gaza. As well as looking back, we look forward to the next 12 months in the Middle East and North Africa, with t...
Dec 22, 2023•49 min•Season 9Ep. 8
2023 is drawing to a close and we’re spending our last two episodes of the year to look back over the past twelve months and the stories that have shaped the Middle East. For our first episode of our review, we look at the months from January to June, with help from some of The New Arab’s journalists, correspondents, and editors. We remember the earthquake in Turkey, the normalisation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the protests in Israel, Erdogan’s victory, and much more. This podcast is written...
Dec 15, 2023•30 min•Season 9Ep. 7
The Hamas attack of 7 October shook Israel to its core. It was a horrifying day that left at least 1,200 people dead, saw hundreds taken hostage, and a country deeply traumatised. Israel responded with a deadly barrage of airstrikes and bombardment. This assault continues to this day, and has so far killed over 17,000 people, and turned huge areas of Gaza into desolate wasteland. The stated aims of Israel is to destroy Hamas, remove them from power in Gaza, and secure the release of the hostages...
Dec 08, 2023•24 min•Season 9Ep. 6
The ceasefire in Gaza didn’t last, but seven days without experiencing intense Israeli bombardments is certainly welcome. During the seven days when the worst of the violence was stopped, aid was able to get to the desperate people of Gaza, but additionally it allowed for the release of hostages, held by Hamas. In exchange, Palestinians held by Israel would also be released from Israeli prisons. During the ceasefire 110 hostages were released by Hamas, and 240 Palestinians have been released. Th...
Dec 01, 2023•22 min•Season 9Ep. 5
The death toll from the conflict in Gaza passed 14,000 this week. With a ceasefire starting on Friday evening, international diplomacy is happening, but so is the conflict. The recent four-day ceasefire and prisoner swap was negotiated by Qatar and Israel’s closest ally, the US. This week on The New Arab Voice, we look over the recent events in Gaza, including the siege of Al-Shifa Hospital, the humanitarian catastrophe that has a firm grip on the besieged strip, and the recently announced four-...
Nov 24, 2023•33 min•Season 9Ep. 4
Violence in Gaza has continued to intensify. The death toll passed the grim milestone this week, with over 10,000 now killed. In addition to the ongoing violence in Gaza, the West Bank is also seeing an increased level of attacks by Israeli settlers and increased oppression by the Israeli occupation forces. This week on The New Arab Voice, why is violence rising in the West Bank, how are Palestinians in the West Bank feeling about the conflict in Gaza, and what is the Palestinian authority doing...
Nov 10, 2023•30 min•Season 9Ep. 3
The Israeli bombardment of the people of Gaza has unleashed horrors. Thousands have been killed, including thousands of children. There’s no end in sight, and Israel does not look like it will step away from its path. The past 27 days in Gaza have been punctuated by war crimes of almost every nature. This week on The New Arab Voice we look at the past 27 days, the crimes that have been committed, the tragedies endure by the people, and the lives lost in senseless massacres. We examine the intens...
Nov 03, 2023•42 min•Season 9Ep. 2
The attack by Hamas on 7 October has changed the region and the world in ways that are still yet to be completely understood. In response to the attack, which killed over 1,400 Israelis, and took 200 hostage, Israel has unleashed a brutal and indiscriminate campaign of airstrikes. So far, thousands of Palestinians have been killed. This week on The New Arab Voice , we look at Hamas' attack, why they decided to attack, what they hoped to achieve, the Israelis intelligence failings that allowed fo...
Oct 27, 2023•35 min•Season 9Ep. 1
The residents of the Libyan city of Derna are sadly no strangers to tragedy. They have seen war and violent militant groups ravage their town. But the recent environmental disaster that struck was a new terrifying horror. In the early hours of 11 September, after hours of torrential rain, the two dams outside Derna broke, sending a torrent of water in the heart of the city. Entire buildings were washed away. Thousands were killed, and thousands more simply disappeared. This week on The New Arab ...
Oct 13, 2023•32 min•Season 8Ep. 10
Talk of normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel is hotting up. Israel signed the Abraham Accords with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco in 2020, and were deemed to be a major development in the region. Israel is now looking to Saudi Arabia for a normalisation deal, which if achieved would have a major impact on the Middle East. But the deal is proving more difficult than the first normalisation deals. There are three main stumbling points. A Saudi security pact. Saudi nuclear ambitions. And th...
Oct 06, 2023•31 min•Season 8Ep. 9
It's been a year since Mahsa Amini was killed. She was taken from the streets by Iran's morality police in September 2022. They beat her mercilessly, resulting in the young women falling into a coma, and later dying. The protests against her killing, the morality police, and Iran's mandatory hijab law were instant and persisted for several months. However the violent response by the Iranian state eventually forced people off the streets. They killed over 500 people and arrested tens of thousands...
Sep 29, 2023•30 min•Season 8Ep. 8
Protests are back in Syria. Twelve years since the start of the uprisings against the Assad regime, Syrians are still protesting. In the southern province of Suweida huge protests have erupted, in part, fuelled by the continuing fall in living standards across the country, but also for the same reasons that brought people out to the streets in 2011. They have now entered their fourth week, and so far, look set to continue. This week on The New Arab Voice , we look at the protests in Suweida. Wha...
Sep 15, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 7
We've been off for a few week, but now we're back! While we were on holiday, Jordan took the opportunity to implement a new cybercrime law that has set alarm bells ringing among human rights defenders. The cybercrime law contains some incredibly vague language, which critics say will allow the government to target free speech, and effect the basic rights of Jordanians. It will also limit the ability of Jordanians to call out corruption or human rights abuses in the country. This week on The New ...
Sep 08, 2023•34 min•Season 8Ep. 6
Iraq is known for its high temperatures. But with the impacts of climate change becoming ever more pronounced, the summer heat in Iraq has become unbearable for many, and also threatens to make large areas of the country uninhabitable. As Iraq inches towards this unbearably hot future, its ability to adapt is decreasing year after year. The Iraqi population has been growing while the water supply is dwindling and in most cities, public electricity is already too unreliable to guarantee access to...
Aug 11, 2023•23 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Riad Salameh spent 30 years at the top of Lebanon’s Central Bank. Some called him a magician. But in recent years, his tricks have been revealed to devastating effects. In 2019 the Lebanese economy dramatically collapsed and many inside and outside the country pointed the finger of blame at Riad Salameh. Despite the economic problems, he stayed on. But on the last day of July, Riad Salameh walked out of Lebanon’s Central Bank for the last time. This week on The New Arab Voice, we sat down with K...
Aug 04, 2023•27 min•Season 8Ep. 4
The release of Patrick Zaki was some rare good human rights news from Egypt. After being sentenced to three years in jail, he was then pardoned the next day by President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, and was able to return to Italy. Patrick had been hanging in legal limbo since 2020, when he was first arrested, and subsequently charged with “disseminating false news” and “inciting to protest”. His release was warmly welcomed by human rights defenders and lead to questions as to whether we could see more ...
Jul 28, 2023•31 min•Season 8Ep. 3
The people of northern Syria were recently dealt a terrible blow. At the UN Security Council, on 11 July, permanent member Russia vetoed the extension of UN deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing. It had served as a vital lifeline for the over 4 million people who live in the north west, and are in desperate need of help. Following the Russian veto, the Assad regime stepped in and said that they would grant permission to the UN for the delivery of aid. This offer was quickly and firmly reje...
Jul 21, 2023•32 min•Season 8Ep. 2
The recent violence in the Jenin refugee camp was a shocking and violent development. The incursion left 12 dead, over a hundred wounded, and a trail of destruction to infrastructure that will make life in the camp even more difficult. As Israeli soldiers made their way through the camp, Palestine activists in London took to the streets to express their anger and opposition to the events in the West Bank, and to the British government's relationship with the government in Israel. This week on Th...
Jul 14, 2023•38 min•Season 8Ep. 1
When the prison at Guantanamo Bay was opened, it was announced that it would hold terror suspects, picked up by the US in their War on Terror. It quickly became a dungeon that tortured its inmates and violated some of the most basic principles of humanity. Subsequent presidents, although not all, have said that they will close down the site and release the prisoners. However this task has been fraught with difficulties. While the vast majority have been never been found guilty, or even been char...
Jun 23, 2023•32 min•Season 7Ep. 10
The golfing world was upturned at the start of June, with the news that a deal had been struck between the PGA and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf. After months of warring words and a flurry of lawsuits the two sides agreed to come together and put hostiles aside. The deal will see a return of some of the biggest names in golf and also see a huge investment into the game by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Like the initial creation of LIV Golf, this investment has created controversy and prompte...
Jun 16, 2023•26 min•Season 7Ep. 9
In a report by Amnesty International, titled Apartheid Automated, the human rights group laid out how the Israeli government is using technology as a tool of oppression. This technological tyranny is perhaps best seen at the many checkpoints that Palestinians are forced to traverse as part of their daily lives. Cameras and algorithms are permanently watching every Palestinian who passes through; monitoring their movements and activities. This constant surveillance creates part of what is know as...
Jun 09, 2023•23 min•Season 7Ep. 8
