Middle East matters: Recent Episodes
FRANCE 24 English
Political and social events from the Middle East, with exclusive reports and interviews. Tuesday at 5.45 pm Paris time.
For this final edition of Middle East Matters, we bring you a series of reports from our correspondents in the region. We begin in Israel, where as the war in Gaza drags on, divisions in Israeli society are growing more stark. Immediately after the attacks of October 7, the vast majority of people supported the government's decision to pursue Hamas aggressively. But a growing, vocal minority argues the government's strategy is not working – particularly when it comes to rescuing the Israeli hostages. Our correspondent Claire Duhamel reports.
Around a dozen donor countries are freezing funding to UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel alleged that 12 UN staffers took part in the October 7 Hamas attacks. The UN has fired the employees in question and promised a full investigation. The budget cuts come at a profoundly challenging time. A quarter of the population of Gaza is starving, and UNRWA is the biggest aid provider in the enclave. Unless funding resumes, the agency says it will have to stop its operations in the coming weeks. We take a closer look and speak to Johann Soufi, who ran UNRWA's legal department from 2020 until last year.
From Lebanon to Iraq and Syria, the ripple effects of the war between Israel and Hamas are being felt, but nowhere more so than Yemen. For months now, Houthi rebels there have been firing missiles at cargo ships in the Red Sea, prompting the US and UK to bomb targets inside Yemen this past weekend. FRANCE 24 spoke to Dr Elisabeth Kendall, a Yemen specialist at the University of Cambridge.
The International Court of Justice is to hold hearings this week on a case brought by South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and seeking a halt to its military campaign. Israel has described the allegations against it as "baseless" and intended to stir up lethal hatred of Jews. FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon tells us more about South Africa's decision to file the case, the Israeli response and what's likely to happen at the hearings.
In this edition, we look at the ripple effects of the war in Gaza. In the Red Sea, Houthi rebels from Yemen are stepping up their attacks on vessels in the vital shipping lane, saying they're doing so in protest at Israel's actions in Gaza, even though many of the ships in question are not Israeli-owned. Might that lead to a wider conflict? We speak to Abdul Ghani Al-iryani, senior researcher at the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies.
He's claiming that his remarks were "misinterpreted". The Emirati oil executive leading the COP28 climate conference in Dubai has come out fighting after widespread criticism of his suggestion that there was "no science" indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels was needed to contain global warming. A controversial choice as president, Sultan al-Jaber argues he's "uniquely placed" to persuade the industry to buy into a green energy future. We take a closer look.
This week, we are starting to learn more about the conditions of the mainly Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Those who have been released tell different stories: some received medical attention, while others were denied it. Many were held in the dark, with little food. What is clear is that all the hostages suffered a massive ordeal; we take a closer look. Plus, FRANCE 24's Wassim Nasr tells us why those released so far are only women and children.
The world's eyes are on Gaza at the moment, and rightly so. But violence is also continuing in the occupied West Bank. Even before the October 7 Hamas attacks, 2023 was already the deadliest year for Palestinians there in two decades. Now, violent confrontations are happening almost every day. Israel says it is trying to stamp out militant groups in the West Bank, but civilians are being killed. For more, we speak to Tahani Mustafa, a Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group.
As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, violence is also on the rise in the occupied West Bank, fuelling tensions and creating divides amongst the Jews and Arabs living side by side in the region. While some continue to perpetuate the violence that splits communities, others are trying to build bridges between Palestinians and Israelis despite the anger and loss on both sides. For more, we're joined from Tel Aviv by Rula Daood and Nadav Shofet, from Standing Together, an Israeli grassroots movement aimed at building a just and equal society.
We bring you a special edition of Middle East Matters, one month after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. On October 7, 1,400 people were killed in the unprecedented Hamas attacks; the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. A month on, Israelis are still reeling, none more so than the families of hostages still held in Gaza, as our team on the ground reports. Meanwhile, amid intensifying Israeli bombardments on Gaza, the UN says the enclave is becoming a "graveyard for children". At least 10,000 Palestinians have been killed there, including more than 4,000 infants. For more on the dire humanitarian situation, we speak to Juliette Touma from UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
In this special edition, we take a closer look at the military strategy behind Israel's ground offensive in Gaza. Can Hamas truly be defeated?
In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we focus on the regional repercussions of the Israel-Hamas war. The October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel have placed Arab nations which have peace treaties with Israel in the awkward position of trying to honour their commitments under those deals, while they face mounting pro-Palestinian support from their people on the streets. We also take a look at the role played by regional mediator Qatar.
In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we look at the media war being played out in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Researchers who study mis- and disinformation warn that fake stories are spreading fast, adding to the digital fog of war. We talk to FRANCE 24's Catalina Marchant de Abreu, presenter of our Truth or Fake show.
Hamas fighters on Saturday launched an unprecedented deadly assault on Israel, catching Israeli intelligence services off-guard. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed the militant group will pay a heavy price. As Israel responds with force, razing whole districts in Gaza, the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave, residents there are being left with nowhere to go. Amid the loss of life on both sides, the conflict risks spreading to the wider region. In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we get analysis from Professor Yossi Mekelberg of London's Chatham House think-tank. We also take a closer look at the history of Hamas.
Is "chocolate hummus" an original, creative recipe or an insult to Arab culture? That's the burning question as a chorus of voices slam the so-called cultural appropriation of Middle Eastern food in the West. Where to draw the line between appropriation and exchange? And is there anything wrong with enjoying "fusion food"? FRANCE 24's Thameen Al-Kheetan dips into the issue for us.
The ballot hadn't been expected until spring next year. But Egypt's National Election Authority announced this week that the country would be holding its presidential vote in December, amid its worst-ever economic crisis. The vote is already fraught with accusations of repression. Human rights groups say at least 35 opposition supporters have been arrested in recent months. Our Cairo correspondent Eduard Cousin tells us more.
This week, five Americans released from an Iranian prison arrived back home in the United States. Their release was a part of a deal brokered by Qatar. The prisoner swap agreement also included the unfreezing of $6 billion of Iranian funds, which the Biden administration has reiterated was not a ransom. We take a closer look.
Israel's Supreme Court has opened the first case examining the legality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial overhaul, lurching towards a showdown with the nation’s far-right government. The latter has split Israel in two ever since it announced plans to reform the country’s judicial system, which would see the Supreme Court weakened. We speak to Yuval Shany, professor from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Faculty of Law and former member of the UN Human Rights Committee.
It's sometimes called a forgotten war: fighting in Yemen has killed hundreds of thousands of people. Hunger has claimed even more lives, while 4.5 million Yemenis are internally displaced. Yet the complex conflict between Saudi-led forces and Houthi rebels doesn't always make headlines. This September, nine years after the Houthis attacked the capital Sanaa, triggering Saudi Arabia's intervention, the country is not in the grips of all-out war, but it's still not at peace either. In this special edition, we bring you reports from our team on the ground and speak to Asher Orkaby, the author of "Yemen: What everyone needs to know".
Anti-government anger is mounting in southern Syria, where rare protests in the heartland of the minority Druze community are now into their second week. The protests were initially driven by surging inflation and the war-torn country's economic crisis, but have quickly shifted focus, with marchers now calling for the fall of the Assad government. The demonstrations are centered on a region that's largely stayed on the sidelines during more than a decade of civil war: the government-controlled province of Sweida. The protests were initially sparked by Assad's move to raise public sector salaries while scaling back fuel and gas subsidies. We take a closer look.
Protesters in Israel continue to take to the streets. The renewed demonstrations come after the Knesset adopted a key clause in the country's judicial reform package. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing ahead with the controversial bill that seeks to curb the power of Israel's Supreme Court, despite widespread opposition. We take a closer look.
Ten years ago this week, Egypt's first democratically elected president was ousted in a coup d'état. Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was propelled to power by the Arab Spring. His dramatic fall was orchestrated by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a military general who promised to bring stability to Egypt. A decade later, the country's economy is in dire straits and Sisi rules with an iron fist. We bring you a report from our Cairo correspondents and speak to Koert Debeuf, professor of Middle East politics at Brussels University.
It's one of the largest religious gatherings in the world: the Hajj pilgrimage is underway this week in Saudi Arabia, with some 2 million Muslims converging in Mecca and at Mount Arafat. This year's Hajj could be the largest on record, according to officials, after several quieter years during the Covid-19 pandemic. We take a closer look.
As football superstars like Karim Benzema head to Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom announces a bombshell golf merger, we're asking what role sport plays in Saudi soft power. And is this a case of "sportswashing"? We speak to Yasmine Farouk, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Feminists and human rights activists in Lebanon are speaking out against attempts to impose increasing restrictions on their lives in the name of "conservative values". This follows an attack on a woman at a beach in the southern city of Sidon, when an Islamic cleric and his followers told Mayssa Hanouni she didn't have the right to wear a bathing suit there before getting violent.
In Syria, the Islamic State group stands accused of executing a series of attacks targeting truffle hunters. Truffles, or 'sand truffles' as they're commonly known, grow in the desert and have become a sought-after commodity. FRANCE24's Observers team delved into this issue. Journalist Mahmoud Naffakh provides further insights.
The International Space Station has rolled out the welcome mat for two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom's first woman in space. The pair is among a group of four that will spend about a week in space before returning to Earth. We take a closer look and speak to expert Jane Kinninmont about the political significance of the move.
Turkey's presidential election is headed to a run-off on May 28, when Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go head-to-head with the opposition's Kemal Kilicdaroglu. While the incumbent is in a strong position going into the vote, the opposition isn't giving up hope just yet. We take a closer look.
He's the most powerful leader since Ataturk founded the modern Turkish republic a century ago. After three stints as prime minister, the highly divisive and populist Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a third consecutive term as president in Sunday's elections. A champion of religious piety and low interest rates, his popularity has been hit by a cost-of-living crisis caused by rampant inflation. In this special edition, we take a closer look and speak to Deniz Yonucu from Newcastle University about how Erdogan has become more divisive over time. We also hear from our correspondent Shona Bhattacharyya about why conservative women appear to be losing enthusiasm for the incumbent. Finally, we take a look at Erdogan's main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Israel is still being rocked by huge protests. The most recent rallies took place last Saturday, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets. On the table is a major judicial reform that Benjamin Netanyahu's critics say will concentrate power with the prime minister, and undermine Israel's system of checks and balances. Such is the scale of opposition to the government's plans that a growing number of Israelis are considering leaving the country altogether. We take a closer look.
The presidential election in Turkey is now less than a month away. Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu is hoping to unseat Recep Tayyip Erdogan and polls show the 74-year-old is expected to win a majority of votes in the first round on May 14. In a video that has gone viral, Kilicdaroglu announced he was an Alevi, a member of Turkey's main religious minority. Alevis are Muslims but are considered heretics by some Sunni hardliners. We take a closer look.
In Yemen, more than 900 prisoners were released this past week as momentum builds to end the nine-year conflict there. This is linked to the fact that the leadership in Saudi Arabia and Iran are talking to each other again. The two powers broke off relations seven years ago, impacting politics and conflict across the region. So now that diplomatic ties have been restored, what might change? We take a closer look and speak to Julien Barnes-Dacey, the Middle East Programme Director at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Lebanon's economic meltdown has plunged most of the population into poverty. It's now also threatening the country's security. As the currency has plummeted to new lows in recent months, salaries too have fallen, as prices rise. To make ends meet, soldiers are being forced to take on second jobs, or even desert their ranks. Our Beirut correspondents went to meet two of them.
Is Bashar al-Assad's isolation on the world stage coming to an end? The Syrian dictator has been shunned by the international community since 2011, when his regime brutally crushed anti-government protests, triggering the civil war in Syria. But in recent months, a growing number of countries have been coordinating with Assad's government. Saudi Arabia is expected to invite Assad to the Arab League summit next month, 12 years after Syria was suspended from the organisation. Our Foreign Affairs Commentator Douglas Herbert tells us more.
Following weeks of mass protests and a day of nationwide turmoil, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yielded to pressure and agreed to postpone his controversial judicial reforms as of March 27th. This decision was a significant reversal for his government, which had fired the defense minister just a day earlier in response to his demands for a delay in the divisive law.
The two sides in Yemen's conflict have agreed to free nearly 900 people in a prisoner exchange. That deal comes less than two weeks after Saudi Arabia and Iran re-established diplomatic ties after years of hostility. The two regional powers have backed opposing sides in Yemen's war, and their rapprochement has galvanised efforts to end the conflict. We take a closer look.
Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the shadow of the war still looms large. As well as the destabilisation of Iraq and the wider region, the conflict also created a power vacuum that enabled the rise of the Islamic State group. In this special edition, we speak to Samuel Helfont, assistant professor of strategy and policy at the Naval War College programme at the California-based Naval Postgraduate School and the author of several books on Iraq.
This week marks one month since the ground shook under southern Turkey and northern Syria. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks killed over 50,000 people, making it one of the deadliest quakes worldwide in the past century. Entire cities were flattened and millions of people were made homeless. But Turkey is nonetheless scheduled to go to the polls in two months' time. To discuss the political fallout of the quake and its potential impact on the election, we speak to our Ankara correspondent Jasper Mortimer.
Iraq's government is going after what it calls "decadent content" on social media. Users of TikTok, Instagram and other platforms who are found to breach "morals and traditions" can now be jailed. The campaign was announced in January and so far, a dozen people have been arrested. Our correspondent Marie-Charlotte Roupie reports.
Protesters smashed windows of banks in the Lebanese capital Beirut this past week as the currency hit a new low against the dollar. The Lebanese lira has lost about 97 percent of its value, and more than 80 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Millions of people are struggling to make ends meet amid the financial turmoil. FRANCE 24's Beirut correspondents Rawad Taha and Serge Berberi met two such families in the once-wealthy neighbourhood of Ashrafieh.
In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we focus on the aftermath of last week's deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Tens of thousands dead and millions in desperate need of basic food-stuffs, water, shelter and medical aid - frustration mounts over the response of Ankara and Damascus - both governments stand accused of a lack of leadership and accountability, and of mismanaging relief efforts.
We bring you a special programme on one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Middle East in decades. Thousands have been killed after two massive earthquakes struck south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. Relief efforts are still underway, with a host of nations sending aid, but time is running out to save as many people as possible. For more on the challenges for the humanitarian response, we're joined by Rony Brauman, former director of Doctors Without Borders. We also speak to Ayham Taha from the international solidarity association Care, who is currently in Gaziantep, near the epicentre of the quake.
In East Jerusalem, locals are still coming to terms with the trauma of the attack that left seven people dead as they gathered to pray at a synagogue on January 27. That attack was followed by a second incident the following day, which injured two Israelis. Both attacks seem to be in retaliation for an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank earlier that week. The Israeli army says it targeted a particular house believed to be housing key members of Islamic Jihad who were planning imminent attacks in Israel.
Concern is growing for seven French nationals being held in Iran. Among them is Fariba Adelkhah, a researcher at Sciences Po university in Paris, who was arrested back in June of 2019, along with her colleague Roland Marchal. Marchal was released in 2020, but with political tensions on the rise in Iran, Adelkhah remains in jail. For more, we speak to Sandrine Perrot, a researcher at Sciences Po and a member of a group dedicated to securing Adelkhah's release.
Just weeks into the job, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's new coalition is facing a backlash over plans to overhaul the judiciary, with tens of thousands joining rallies over the past two weekends. Demonstrators say the proposed reforms, which would allow parliament to limit the power of the Supreme Court, are an attack on democracy. They're also concerned that the measures will set back minority rights. For more, we speak to Sally Abed, a member of the national leadership at Standing Together, one of the largest Arab-Jewish grassroots movement in Israel.
The UN human rights chief has accused Iran of weaponising the death penalty to frighten the public and crush dissent. The statement follows the execution of four protesters, two of whom were killed last weekend. The UN body says it has information that two more executions are imminent, with more than a dozen other people believed to be on death row. The Iranian regime is grappling to respond to months of unrest triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the morality police. For more, we speak to Shaparak Saleh, a Franco-Iranian lawyer and the co-founder of the campaigning organisation Femme Azadi, which was set up in the aftermath of Amini's death.
In this special edition of Middle East Matters, we focus on the Kurds. Spread across four nations, they are the world's largest stateless ethnic group. Indigenous to the Middle East and numbering at least 35 million, the Kurds have sought to establish a homeland of their own since the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s. They have endured decades of bloodshed in Iraq and also faced state oppression in Turkey, Iran and Syria. We take a closer look at the history and location of the Kurds and speak to researcher and journalist Guney Yildiz.
A polarising new film has been released worldwide on Netflix. "Farha", by Darin J. Sallam, tells the story of a Palestinian teenager during the Nakba, or catastrophe, of 1948. Supporters say the film tells a true Palestinian story, rarely seen on a mainstream platform like Netflix. But critics say it is inflammatory and smears the Israeli military. We take a closer look and get analysis from FRANCE 24's Oliver Farry.
A three-day general strike is taking place in Iran this week. It's a show of defiance, as the anti-regime protest movement approaches its three-month mark with no sign of abating. On Monday, the strike was observed in dozens of Iranian cities, from the capital Tehran to Isfahan, Tabriz and the Kurdish regions. Facing its greatest existential challenge since the 1979 revolution, the Iranian regime has responded with a crackdown. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more arrested, including 11 sentenced to death.
For decades, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have sought refuge in neighbouring Iraq. But in recent weeks, they have been targeted by dozens of missile and drone attacks launched by Tehran. Authorities there accuse them of supporting anti-government protests that have swept across Iran since the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The campaign comes as Turkey steps up its cross-border operations against Kurdish groups in both Iraq and Syria. Our correspondents Yasmine Mosimann and Marie-Charlotte Roupie have been meeting civilians caught up in the violence in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has become a focal point for geopolitics. Iran's team refused to sing their national anthem before their first match, in a gesture of support for protesters. Some Iranian visitors also took the opportunity to support the anti-government protests back home with signs and chants outside the stadium in Doha. Meanwhile, Tehran is blaming protests for the stinging defeat of its team against England. FRANCE 24's Jean-Emile Jammine tells us more.
Turkey says it plans to pursue targets in northern Syria following the blast that killed six people and injured more than 80 others in Istanbul on November 13. Ankara blames Kurdish militants for the attack and has detained a Syrian woman they believe to be the suspected bomber. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and both the Turkish PKK and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces deny any involvement. For more, we talk to Yavuz Baydar, editor-in-chief of the independent news website Ahval.
As leaders from 120 nations meet for the COP27 conference in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, we bring you a special programme on how climate change is already impacting countries in the wider region. With extreme temperatures, rising sea levels and prolonged drought, the Middle East is warming almost twice as fast as the global average. More than 400 million people in the region face potentially devastating consequences.
Unpaid wages, under-reporting of migrant worker deaths and an eye-watering carbon footprint are just some of the concerns being expressed by human rights groups and environmentalists as Qatar prepares to host one of the planet's biggest sporting events. Just weeks before the opening match, we bring you a special edition on the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Unpaid wages, under-reporting of migrant worker deaths and an eye-watering carbon footprint are just some of the concerns being expressed by human rights groups and environmentalists as Qatar prepares to host one of the planet's biggest sporting events. Just weeks before the opening match, we bring you a special edition on the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
After a year of political gridlock and instability, Iraq is finally on the verge of forming a government as Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani assembles his cabinet. But three years after a mass protest movement over corruption, unemployment and a lack of basic services upended the country's political system, many Iraqis remain sceptical that change is on the way. Our correspondents Marie-Charlotte Roupie and Yasmine Mosimann report from Baghdad.
After a year of political gridlock and instability, Iraq is finally on the verge of forming a government as Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani assembles his cabinet. But three years after a mass protest movement over corruption, unemployment and a lack of basic services upended the country's political system, many Iraqis remain sceptical that change is on the way. Our correspondents Marie-Charlotte Roupie and Yasmine Mosimann report from Baghdad.
In Turkey, incidents of gun violence have increased by almost 75 percent since 2015, claiming the lives of more than 2,000 people last year alone. Campaigners are calling for a review of gun ownership laws, as the vast majority of weapons are sold illegally. According to the Umut ("Hope") Foundation, one in three households are now armed. On average, 15 people die from gun violence every day in Turkey. Our correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Mehmet Akgun report from Istanbul.
In Turkey, incidents of gun violence have increased by almost 75 percent since 2015, claiming the lives of more than 2,000 people last year alone. Campaigners are calling for a review of gun ownership laws, as the vast majority of weapons are sold illegally. According to the Umut ("Hope") Foundation, one in three households are now armed. On average, 15 people die from gun violence every day in Turkey. Our correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Mehmet Akgun report from Istanbul.
The Iranian protest movement is now approaching its one-month mark. Led by women, the demonstrators are demanding sweeping social and political changes. Authorities have used force in a bid to quash the unrest. More than 150 people are reported to have been killed, and thousands more arrested. We speak to Sussan Tahmasebi, one of Iran's foremost feminist figures, who runs the organisation Femena, about why Iranian women are calling for a revolution now.
The Iranian protest movement is now approaching its one-month mark. Led by women, the demonstrators are demanding sweeping social and political changes. Authorities have used force in a bid to quash the unrest. More than 150 people are reported to have been killed, and thousands more arrested. We speak to Sussan Tahmasebi, one of Iran's foremost feminist figures, who runs the organisation Femena, about why Iranian women are calling for a revolution now.
Three years into Lebanon's devastating financial collapse, some 80 percent of the population is now living below the poverty line. The situation is driving more and more people to risk their lives on the open seas. Last month, at least a hundred people drowned when a migrant boat capsized off the Syrian coast. Our correspondents met a family who lost a father, mother and four children in the tragedy.
Three years into Lebanon's devastating financial collapse, some 80 percent of the population is now living below the poverty line. The situation is driving more and more people to risk their lives on the open seas. Last month, at least a hundred people drowned when a migrant boat capsized off the Syrian coast. Our correspondents met a family who lost a father, mother and four children in the tragedy.
Ersin Karabulut is one of Turkey's most famous cartoonists. His new autobiographical comic strip "The Anxious Diary of Istanbul" has just been published as a book here in France. He joins us from Istanbul to tell us more about how the political climate is affecting artists there.
Ersin Karabulut is one of Turkey's most famous cartoonists. His new autobiographical comic strip "The Anxious Diary of Istanbul" has just been published as a book here in France. He joins us from Istanbul to tell us more about how the political climate is affecting artists there.
In Lebanon, most depositors have been locked out of their savings since a financial crisis took hold three years ago. Now some of those customers are taking matters into their own hands by holding up bank branches. One woman, Sali Hafez, has been celebrated as a hero after using what turned out to be a toy gun to demand the return of her savings to help pay for her sister's medical treatment. Our Beirut correspondents Serge Berberi and Rawad Taha spoke to Bassam Sheikh Hussein, a man who was arrested after carrying out another of these so-called bank heists.
In Lebanon, most depositors have been locked out of their savings since a financial crisis took hold three years ago. Now some of those customers are taking matters into their own hands by holding up bank branches. One woman, Sali Hafez, has been celebrated as a hero after using what turned out to be a toy gun to demand the return of her savings to help pay for her sister's medical treatment. Our Beirut correspondents Serge Berberi and Rawad Taha spoke to Bassam Sheikh Hussein, a man who was arrested after carrying out another of these so-called bank heists.
Lebanon is drawing up a controversial plan to deport thousands of Syrian refugees every month. The country is in the midst of an economic meltdown and its government says it can no longer host more than 1 million Syrians. NGOs, though, say forced deportations are illegal and that Syria is not safe for returnees. Our Beirut correspondent Serge Berberi went to meet some refugees who are weighing up the prospects of going back.
Lebanon is drawing up a controversial plan to deport thousands of Syrian refugees every month. The country is in the midst of an economic meltdown and its government says it can no longer host more than 1 million Syrians. NGOs, though, say forced deportations are illegal and that Syria is not safe for returnees. Our Beirut correspondent Serge Berberi went to meet some refugees who are weighing up the prospects of going back.
Israeli authorities are pushing to impose new restrictions on foreigners who wish to visit or live in the West Bank. Human rights groups say the measures will have serious consequences for thousands of people who are married to or in relationships with Palestinians. The regulations, which were due to come into effect this week, have now been amended and their implementation delayed until October after being challenged in the courts. For more, we hear from one of the NGOs that took up the case: Jessica Montell, executive director of the Israeli NGO HaMoked.
Israeli authorities are pushing to impose new restrictions on foreigners who wish to visit or live in the West Bank. Human rights groups say the measures will have serious consequences for thousands of people who are married to or in relationships with Palestinians. The regulations, which were due to come into effect this week, have now been amended and their implementation delayed until October after being challenged in the courts. For more, we hear from one of the NGOs that took up the case: Jessica Montell, executive director of the Israeli NGO HaMoked.
Vladimir Putin works his Middle East connections. For his first international outing since the war in Ukraine, he went to Iran to meet with supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iran and Russia are seeking closer ties in the face of Western sanctions. Also on the agenda: negotiations over blockaded imports of Ukrainian grain and the situation in Syria.
During his campaign for the US presidency, Joe Biden described Saudi Arabia as a 'pariah state' in the aftermath of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But since taking office, Biden's language has changed. This week, he is making his first trip to the oil-rich kingdom as president, as global energy prices soar in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To discuss the trip (which also includes Jordan and Israel), we talk to Middle East expert and former CIA officer Douglas London, who is adjunct associate professor at the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University.
Smuggling is a huge part of the Iranian economy. All kinds of products change hands illegally in Iran, from contraband items like alcohol and satellite dishes, to washing machines, phones and car parts. However, little is known about these people who operate in the shadows. We're joined by Ershad Alijani from the FRANCE 24 Observers, who presents a special report on the issue.
Every year, some 10,000 low-paid migrant labourers return home to southeast Asia from the Gulf in body bags. Half of these deaths are unexplained, and with no labour laws in place — nor any will from home nations to investigate — the cycle of exploitation continues unabated. These figures are estimates published in a report from the NGO FairSquare. As summer begins, more and more of these vulnerable workers are succumbing to heat-related illnesses. For more, we speak to Nicholas McGeehan, Director of FairSquare Research and Projects.
The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Turkey are turning the page on years of strained relations, exacerbated by the 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Face-to-face dialogue is the order of the day between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ahead of bin Salman's visit to Ankara this week, Saudi Arabia ended a travel ban on Turkey, opening the door once again to tourism and investment. To understand what's at stake, we speak to researcher Dorothée Schmid from French think tank IFRI.
This week, Iraq was plunged into more political uncertainty. Lawmakers from the parliamentary bloc of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr resigned en masse at their leader's request. The Sadrist bloc is the largest in parliament and since an election last October, parties have been unable to form a government. The move aims to up pressure in a bid to end the country's political paralysis. We take a closer look.
An ongoing maritime dispute between Lebanon and Israel has re-entered the spotlight after a production vessel docked in an offshore gas field on Sunday. The Lebanese claim the ship is in disputed territorial waters, but the Israelis refute this. Both countries have yet to agree on maritime demarcation lines and have called on the US to mediate new talks. For more analysis, we speak to oil and gas policy expert Laury Haytayan, who is MENA Senior Officer at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI).
Israel has signed a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates – its first with an Arab country. The historic pact builds on the normalisation of ties in 2020 and eliminates tariffs on 96 percent of goods. It aims to bring growth and lower prices to both countries. We take a closer look.
Egyptian influencers, especially women, have become the target of a crackdown by authorities. At least a dozen women have been prosecuted since 2020 for ''attacking family values''. Two of them, Haneen Hossam and Mawada al-Adham, were sentenced to three and six years in jail on charges of "attacking society's values" and "inciting human trafficking". Like many TikTokers, they made videos of themselves dancing and lip-synching to music. For more on the crackdown, we speak to Souleimene Benghazi, an Egypt and Tunisia campaigner at Amnesty International.
A renounced Al Jazeera journalist was killed last week during an Israeli raid in the West Bank. Shireen Abu Akhleh was wearing a flak jacket with the word "press" clearly marked. Israelis and Palestinians have traded blame over who fired the fatal shot, while Israel has opened an investigation into heavy-handed police tactics used during Abu Akleh's funeral procession, which almost caused her coffin to fall to the ground. We get analysis with Sherif Mansour, Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists.
On May 15, parliamentary elections will take place nationwide in Lebanon. The Lebanese diaspora, estimated to be double the size of the domestic population, already cast their ballots last week. Around 60 percent of people across 58 countries turned out, slightly more than in 2018. We bring you a special edition of Middle East Matters on Lebanon's first elections since the mass protests of 2019.
Rights groups are sounding the alarm over a 25 percent surge in executions in Iran. Despite growing public opposition, the Islamic Republic has long been a leading executioner. We talked to Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of the NGO Iran Human Right.
This week, we take a special in-depth look at the Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. It was once home to the largest concentration of Palestinian refugees. During the Syrian civil war, Yarmouk was placed under a brutal siege from 2013 to 2015, leading it to be described as the "worst place on Earth". We speak to filmmaker Abdallah Al-Khatib, who chronicled this period in his documentary "Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege)".
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is on the verge of collapse. This comes after the Arab-Israeli Raam party threatened to leave the ruling coalition over recent clashes in Jerusalem. More than 150 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli security forces. Bennett is now scrambling to hold his fractious coalition together. We take a closer look.
A spate of attacks have taken place in Israel in the past three weeks. The incidents picked up during the holy month of Ramadan, a time of year when tensions between Israelis and Palestenians are typically high. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has warned that Israel is now on the offensive and there will be "no limits" to its response. We take a closer look and get analysis with researcher Elizabeth Sheppard Sellam.
The first day of Ramadan brought hope to Yemen with the start of a two-month truce. But a few days in, warring sides have already traded accusations of ceasefire violations. Nonetheless, the fragile truce offers the best hope in years for ending what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Now in its eighth year, the war in Yemen has killed nearly 400,000 people and left millions on the brink of famine. For more on this story, we speak to Dr Elisabeth Kendall, a senior research fellow at Oxford University.
This week's historic summit in Israel's Negev desert saw Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid host his counterparts from the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco. Lapid said the objective was to establish "a new regional architecture that will deter Iran. It follows the normalisation of ties back in late 2020. We take a closer look.
A social movement is creating shockwaves in Turkey. People have been taking to the streets, demanding salary rises, the right to unionise and equal pay between men and women. In a country where the economy is still suffering from record inflation and a weak lira, women are the hardest hit, particularly female blue collar workers. Our correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Hussein Assad report.
Turkey is one of the many countries calling for calm in Ukraine. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his government will relentlessly try to find a long-lasting ceasefire and Turkey has already hosted the first high-level peace talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers. But Ankara is walking something of a tightrope because it's traditionally a friend of Ukraine and has been supplying drones to Kyiv. Yet it also depends on Russia for gas. Our Turkey correspondent Jasper Mortimer tells us more.
In this edition, we look at how the Middle East is being affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey is being forced to take sides as two of its major partners go to war. Ankara has announced it's limiting a key route for Russian warships by sealing off the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. We get analysis from the EU's former ambassador to Turkey, Marco Pierini. Meanwhile, as the war in Ukraine sparks fears of a global energy shortage, FRANCE 24's Kate Moody takes a closer look at the economic ties between the oil-producing Gulf nations and Russia.
Iran is demanding world powers to lift all sanctions against it to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. According to the Iranian foreign minister, ongoing talks in Vienna are now making significant progress. The 2015 agreement offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for the country curbing its nuclear programme. But under president Donald Trump, the United States in 2018 pulled out of the deal and re-imposed harsh economic sanctions.
Last week, a 17-year-old girl was killed by her husband in Iran. A gruesome video showing the alleged killer holding a knife in one hand and his wife's head in the other went viral before being taken down. The victim was married when she was just 12 years old and had a son. Her name was Mona and she had reportedly fled to Turkey for four months before being persuaded by her father to return. Police have arrested the alleged killer and his brother, who is suspected of helping him carry the so-called honour killing that's shocked the country. For more on this story, we speak to Asieh Amini, an Iranian social analyst based in Norway.
We speak to Noam Shuster Eliassi, an Israeli comedian whose latest performance has gone viral in the Arab world. The satirical song "Dubai, Dubai" criticises the recent deal to normalise ties between Israel and the UAE and has been watched, rewatched and tweeted thousands of times. She tells us why she feels the song sends an important message.
Israel's president has made his first ever visit to the United Arab Emirates. The trip is symbolic of a rapprochement between the two countries. Isaac Herzog met with Abu Dhabi's crown prince on Sunday to discuss cooperation in trade, technology and health. The trip follows a visit by Naftali Bennett last month, a first by an Israeli prime minister.
In Israel, the number of gang-related murders is soaring in the Israeli Arab community. A record 128 Israeli Arabs were killed in gang-related violence within their own community last year, including women and children caught in the crossfire. The victims' families accuse the police of inaction, while the government has promised to do more. Our correspondents Gwendoline Debono and Irris Makler report from Qalansuwa, a town in the country's centre, where criminals have formed a state within a state.
The conflict in Gaza is something we're used to seeing on the news, but now, events in the Palestinian territory are popping up on the small screen as fiction. Following the success of hit Israeli shows like "Fauda", Hamas is throwing itself into television production, with a series to tell its side of the story. We take a closer look.
Turkey is home to more refugees than any other country in the world, with more than 3 million Syrians and 300,000 Iraqis. But as the country's economic crisis worsens, many Turks feel these refugees have overstayed their welcome. Our correspondents Ludovic de Foucaud, Shona Bhattacharyya and Hussein Asad report from Bolu, a city whose mayor wants all foreigners out of Turkey.
As the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to drive new infections around the world, Israel has become one of the first countries to start rolling out a fourth dose of the vaccine. The so-called "second" booster jab is currently available to the over-60s, health workers and anyone considered medically vulnerable.
The Dubai World Expo is one of the largest events of its kind ever organised in the Middle East. It was supposed to be held in 2020, but was postponed by a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Behind the scenes, the event has become a forum for political discussions, as countries in conflict find themselves just metres apart. FRANCE 24's Sylvain Lepetit, Nicolas Keraudren and Sophie Guignon report.
It's a job normally reserved for men, but one group of women in Iraq has taken on the dangerous task of clearing mines in the northern region of Mosul. The area is littered with hidden explosives left behind by the Islamic State group. We take a closer look at these women risking their lives and shattering stereotypes along the way.
Sufi whirling is a form of dancing that dates back to the 12th or 13th century. This mystic tradition emphasises the inward search for the divine. Not many women practice the dance in public but we're joined in the studio by one of them, Rana Gorgani. She tells us more about this unique form of dance.
In this special edition, we focus on the migrant crisis brewing on the European Union's eastern border. Thousands of people from the Middle East have travelled to Belarus in the hope of entering the EU. Now they are trapped on the border with Poland, desperately trying to survive in freezing conditions. We take a closer look and speak to Kinda Youssef from our InfoMigrants website.
Broadcasting in Hebrew and English, Jerusalem 24 is a new radio station by Palestinians for Israelis. Its mission is to offer Israelis a Palestinian perspective on the ongoing conflict between the two sides. We take a closer look.
After a summer of devastating forest fires and flooding, Turkey has become the last G20 country to ratify the Paris Agreement. Although it's among the world's biggest economies, Turkey wants UN climate officials to reclassify it as a developing country. That way, it would gain access to funding that could help Ankara adapt its inefficient farming methods. Our correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Hussein Asad report from Central Anatolia, where the country's second-biggest lake – Tuz Gölü or Salt Lake – is drying up.
The COP26 summit gets underway this Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland. Ahead of the event, the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, has launched a Middle East Green Initiative. It's aimed at funding projects to reduce regional carbon emissions. Currently, the Middle East is warming at twice the global average. Scientists say that if nothing changes, the region could be too hot to sustain human life by the end of the century. For more, we speak to Neeshad Shafi, co-founder of the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar.
Lebanon is now months into an investigation of the Beirut port blast – but no one has been held accountable yet. Politicians have repeatedly obstructed the work of the lead judge, Tarek Bitar. Last week, Hezbollah led a protest to demand his dismissal. It sparked a gun battle in the heart of Beirut that left seven people dead and reignited fears of new sectarian violence.
For the second time in recent weeks, Lebanon has been crippled by another major blackout. This time, the army saved the day by supplying reserves to the country's two biggest and fuel-starved power stations. The electricity shortages are a lingering and painful reminder of the political and economic crises that have rocked Lebanon for many months. For more, we talk to Sibylle Rizk, Director of Public Policies at the Beirut-based NGO Kulluna Irada.
In Iraq, at least 80 activists have been the target of assassination attempts since protests erupted in late 2019. The anti-government movement called for jobs and better public services. Now, as Iraq heads to the polls this weekend, many argue the killings have deterred protest movement candidates from standing in the elections. Our correspondents Jack Hewson and Lucile Wassermann travelled to the city of Kut to meet campaigners, who say the attacks are carried out by armed groups connected to Iraq's political establishment.
A trial is underway of 14 Palestinian officers, charged with beating to death a prominent critic of President Mahmoud Abbas. The killing of Nizar Banat in June drew widespread protests and calls for Abbas's resignation. Human rights groups say Palestinian Authority forces regularly arrest critics in the occupied West Bank, something that Abbas denies. We take a closer look.
When the Taliban seized Afghanistan, tens of thousands of people fled the country. Among them were former members of the Afghan security forces. Fearing Taliban reprisals, they've fled to neighbouring Iran, which hosts the second-largest population of Afghan refugees in the world. Temporary camps have been set up, but Iranian authorities are already considering sending the Afghans back. Our correspondent Reza Sayah reports from Tehran.
The Syrian province of Idlib, one of the last remaining rebel strongholds in the country's north, is experiencing a new wave of Covid-19 infections, driven by the more contagious Delta variant. This comes as the regime intensifies bombings in the region, putting local hospitals under even greater pressure. We take a closer look.
Fearing a new refugee crisis, Turkey is beefing up its border wall with Iran to block Afghan refugees from entering the country. Scores of civilians fleeing the Taliban regime are escaping to Iran, where they're making the weeks-long journey to the Turkish border. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says 300,000 Afghans have already arrived, and he's determined not to let any more in. Our correspondents Shona Bhattacharyya, Ludovic de Foucaud and Hussein Asad report from Van, on the Turkish-Iranian border.
As the war in Yemen continues, lawyers have called on the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into the Saudi-led coalition, accusing it of war crimes and crimes against humanity. We speak to British barrister Toby Cadman, co-founder of Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers. He tells us why he filed the request at the ICC.
Iran is home to a colourful array of ethnicities: Persians, Arabs, Azeris, Kurds, Baluchis, Lurs and a group that's less talked about: the Black African community. While we have no verified figures, according to some reports, there are more than tens of thousands of Black Iranians living in a number of cities. To talk more about the Iranian-African community both in and out of the country, we speak to Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda, one of the founders of the Collective for Black Iranians.
Pharmacies in Lebanon have gone on an indefinite strike. Drug importers have warned they are running out of hundreds of drugs, as the country's central bank has failed to pay overseas suppliers millions of dollars in dues. This, coupled with fuel shortages and power cuts which can last up to 22 hours a day, has resulted in the situation in Lebanon going from bad to worse. Haddak Men B3id is an organisation on the ground that aims to end food insecurity. We talk to its co-founder Gaelle Matar in Beirut.
Our guest is Sultan Al Qassemi, who is not just a friend of the show but also the inspiration behind some of our guests. He joins us in the studio to talk about his latest book, "Building Sharjah", which is the most extensive study of any city in the United Arab Emirates and quite possibly the entire region.