Middle East Monitor Conversations

The first to determine that Israel's operation in Gaza amounted to genocide, Prof Segal says the mass murder, forcible displacement of Palestinians and the official rhetoric of the Israeli government all provide a 'textbook case of genocide'  "You must remember what Amalek has done to you," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address to the nation. "O...

Imagining the future of Palestine isn't a fictional dream, but rather a radical attempt to rediscover and resistance   "Palestine is alive and well in the Palestinian psyche, but where is Palestine today?" Since 1948, Palestinians have been exiled, displaced and uprooted from their homeland. Additionally, those who expelled them deny the history of the Palestinian presence on the la...

Jerusalemite historian Wasif Jawhariyyeh photographed a changing Palestine over many decades, under Ottoman, British and Israeli rule. A new book about his work highlights Palestinian life and identity across eras Join us for an illuminating discussion with the authors of Camera Palaestina: Photography and Displaced Histories of Palestine as they vividly bring to life Jerusalemite historian Wasif...

Having served as the US envoy to a number of key Middle Eastern nations, Ford watched events in the region change the area's dynamic over the past two decades and how local leaders were reacting to the Arab Spring and the West's response to it. The United States's role in the Middle East has shifted over the last 20 years from invading Iraq to a more hands off approach post the Arab...

Two weeks into Israel's relentless campaign of bombing the Gaza Strip have left Eman Basher no longer able to convince her son that the lights and sounds in the sky are just fireworks and there is no reason for him to be scared.  As Israel's military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip continues, leaving in its wake thousands of deaths and millions of displaced Palestinians, MEMO in conve...

As Israel continues bombing the besieged Gaza Strip, killing an average of one child every 15 minutes, medical teams are struggling to cope. Supplies of vital medicines have now completely depleted and no water, fuel or other essentials have entered the Strip for almost 10 days, but medical crews continue to operate in an effort to reduce the death toll. Please note this conversation was recorded...

As we watch events unfold in Gaza on social media and on our television screens, we are only getting one per cent of the information from the ground, Palestinian student Aseel Safi says. Now with electricity being cut, less information will be getting out, and Palestinians will be unable to find out what is happening either. The Israeli assault on the besieged Gaza Strip enters its sixth day and r...

As Israel continues to bomb Gaza indiscriminately and an Israeli army spokesperson saying 'the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy', MEMO speaks to a Palestinian journalist from Gaza about the situation on the ground for her family and loved ones and what they are experiencing. Israel is bombarding the Gaza Strip and within 4 days almost 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, hundred...

Disclaimer Alert-- This conversation on Libya was recorded before the recent floods struck the country and so we do not discuss it in this episode.  Some 20 per cent of Libyans have had a family member kidnapped or go missing since the 2011 protests that ousted long term dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with officials who have been implicated in atrocities against their people vying for power, will Libya...

Since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the regime has oppressed minorities and tried to drive a wedge between communities, the Circassians have not been saved from this. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad frames himself as the 'protector of minorities' and has depicted all opposition to him as being both sectarian and jihadi. However, many have challenged the official narrative...

For the co-author of Tamimi's autobiography, meeting the outspoken Palestinian was an emotional rollercoaster  When she was just 16 years old, Palestinian Ahed Tamimi became a household name when footage of her slapping an Israeli soldier went viral. She was later arrested and jailed by occupation forces. She has since detailed her experience and the trauma that followed in her tell all book...

Saleh established the Palestine Museum US after noticing there were no Palestinian museums in the Americas but there were over 70 Israeli galleries In this week’s conversation we speak with the visionary businessman Faisal Saleh, who is behind the Palestine Museum US, as he embarks on a tour to bring the Nakba and history of Israel’s expulsion and dispossession of Palestinians from their land to t...

Ever wondered why certain words cross borders and are used the world over? Fadi BouKaram has made it his business to find out why Did you know the Arabic word for Austria - An-Namsa - comes from Proto-Slavic language and means 'mute' or someone who doesn't speak and this was applied to anyone who could not speak a Slavic language? Why is the loquat fruit in Turkish called yeni dunya...

MEMO in Conversations is on hiatus this week and will be back next week. During the later quarter of August 2023, the southern Syrian city of As-Suwayda was gripped by anti-government protests led by a religious minority, the Druze. In this throwback episode from 2020, we discussed the politics of Druze in Syria with Syrian feminist and human rights activist Sarah Hunaidi.  The Druze in Syria have...

The internet has always been the place for free expression in Arabic and Arabs eagerly embraced the possibilities offered by the online world. However, since the Arab Spring, MENA governments have ruthlessly clamped down on the internet and used spyware, fake profiles and disinformation on social media.  In 2011, people took to the streets in Tunisia , Egypt , Bahrain, Libya and Syria to demand ch...

Much of the Middle East's archaeological treasures are battling man-made climate change, over-development, wars and receding coastlines, but there are those who are working to save them. Gaza's heritage is being lost to the sea. Oman's ancient cities are taking a beating from cyclones. Archaeological treasures across the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East are battling man-mad...

The international humanitarian body UNRWA was created to support Palestine refugees functioned as a surrogate state, however Palestinian refugees have continued to demand their political rights while resisting the UN’s categorisation of their plight as an apolitical humanitarian issue. Join us as we speak to Dr Anne Irfan about her book ' Refuge and Resistance: Palestinians and the internatio...

Ali Pasha revolutionised nineteenth century Egypt, but was a violent and controversial figure   In 1805, an illiterate Turkish-speaking Greek-born military officer, Muhammad Ali Pasha, became governor of Egypt. He reigned for 43-years and by the time of his death in 1848 Egypt was a profoundly different place. Hospitals, schools, law courts, factories and many new institutions sprang up. Muhammad...

T he Middle East and North Africa are facing rising temperatures almost twice as quickly as the rest of the world, but how is climate changing impacting policy in the region? Dr Mohammed Mahmoud Director of the Climate and Water Program, Middle East Institute Join us for a conversation with climate change expert Dr Mohammed Mahmoud as we discuss the impact of water shortages on the Middle East and...

Shlaim recalls a time when indigenous Jews resided in Muslim-majority lands harmoniously alongside their Muslim and Christian neighbours and how Israel worked to destabilise their ties  Born in Iraq, Avi Shlaim spoke Arabic at home and says he had more in common with his Arab compatriots than his coreligionists from Eastern Europe, but Israel won't allow people to believe Arab Jews lived safe...

here is a drive to have the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism used by all political parties and civil society groups, but its use is silencing debate on human rights abuses committed by Israel against Palestinians.  Join us for a conversation with Giovanni Fassina as we discuss how the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism is increasingly being used to supp...

Using Afghanistan, Palestine-Israel and Kashmir as case studies we'll discuss how Islamic law is often misconstrued and mis-represented in the media  Join us for a conversation with Kaleem Hussein as we discuss his book ' Peace and Reconciliation in International and Islamic Law ' and how the sources of international law and Islamic Law help or hinder the pathway towards peace and r...

While Rumi is an internationally renowned poet, his ties to Islam are often forgotten or ignored, one man is working to change that The 13th century Islamic jurist and mystic Jalal Al-Din Muhammad Rumi is frequently dubbed 'America's best selling poet' and 800 years after his death he has acquired a large following among wellness influencers and spirituality shoppers in the West. Ho...

Join us for a conversation with Professor Khairudin Aljunied as we discuss his latest book 'Shapers of Islam in Southeast Asia', which attempts to capture the progressive and pluralistic nature of Islamic conformism in Southeast Asia from the mid-20th century onwards, as well as the impact of the Middle East on Malaysian scholars and vice versa. Prof Aljunied is a Senior Fellow at the Al...