BICOM's Podcast

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Hagar Chemali about the current situation in Lebanon, including her assessment of the public’s view of Hezbollah.  Hagar also shares her perspective on US regional policy and gives her prediction for the US presidential election.  Chemali is a former US official, serving in various positions in the Obama administration including as Director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council. She is now the host and creator of an award-winning world news show on YouTube called Oh My World! as well as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

In this episode, Daniel J. Levy speaks to Dr Nir Boms about the 4th anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. They discuss the state of the Accords, their potential for expansion, as well as current relations with Jordan and Egypt. Boms is a Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University. He is the Chairman of the Syria Research Forum and the Gulf Israel Policy Forum, as well as the coordinator of the TAU Workshop on Israel and the Middle East and the Hiwar Forum for Intra-Regional Dialogue.

In this episode a day ahead of hostage release and ceasefire negotiations resuming in Qatar, Dr Amira Halperin speaks with Professor Uzi Rabi. They discuss the possibility of an Iranian strike on Israel following Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran, as well as American attempts to prevent the outbreak of a catastrophic regional war. He also argues that the terrorists groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, motivated by Iran, are using the democratisation in Western countries to act there, as terrorism pose a threat in the West.   

Professor Uzi Rabi, Ph.D (Tel Aviv University, 2000) is the Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, a Professor of Middle Eastern History at the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies, and a senior researcher at the Center for Iranian Studies, all at Tel Aviv University. Formerly, he was the Head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University.

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Dr Guy Ziv. They discuss PM Netanyahu's recent visit to the US, his speech to Congress, and meetings with President Biden, VP Harris, and former President Trump. They also discuss the state of US-Israel ties, and his recent book, Netanyahu vs The Generals: The Battle for Israel's Future.

Dr Guy Ziv is an associate professor in American University's School of International Service's US Foreign Policy Programme. His research focuses on foreign policy decision-making, the role of political elites in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and civil-military relations in Israel. He has previously worked for the US State Department and regularly appears across US and Israeli newspapers.

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Egyptian analyst Haisan Hassanein. They discuss Israeli-Egyptian ties in the context of the operation in Rafah. Haisan shares his assessment of Egypt’s current relations with Palestinian factions and rivalries with other regional powers.

Haisan was born and grew up in Egypt, before moving to the US. He is currently adjunct fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, where he analyses Israel’s relations with Arab states and Muslim countries. Previously, he was a research fellow at the Washington Institute, where he focused on Israel-Egypt relations.

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Lt. Col. (res.) Sarit Zehavi about the situation on Israel’s northern border and ongoing attacks by Hezbollah. Sarit describes what escalation along the border looks like for communities affected by Hezbollah's rocket fire. They also discuss Hezbollah’s presence not just in the south, but across Lebanon and what Israel can do to counter the threat. Sarit is a former IDF intelligence officer and the founder of Alma, an independent research and education centre focussing on Israel’s security challenges on its northern border.

In this episode, Jack Omer-Jackaman speaks to Lt. Col. (res) Jonathan Conricus. They discuss the progress of Israel’s operation in Rafah, South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ, and the prospects for a diplomatic resolution in the north. Conricus is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies. He served in the IDF for 24 years, in a variety of roles including as an infantry commander, as liaison to the UN, and finally as the IDF’s international spokesperson.

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Jacky Hugi, an expert on regional affairs. They discuss the state of Hamas and its leadership, the ongoing hostage negotiations, what could come next for Gaza and who could be in charge. Hugi is an Israeli journalist, serving as the Arab affairs editor and host at Army Radio and as a columnist at the daily newspaper Maariv.

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Professor Rosa Freedman, an expert in international human rights law. They discuss Israel’s obligations in facilitating aid into Gaza and the current role of NGO’s operating in the Strip.  Prof Freedman also explores the   politicisation of aid, and the failure of the Red Cross to visit the Israeli hostages since October 7th.  Freedman is Professor of Law, Conflict and Global Development at the University of Reading. She is a member of the UN Secretary-General's Civil Society Advisory Board on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse, a member of the FCDO Steering Committee on the Global Framework, and the Civil Society Workstream Lead on the Prevention Project.

In this episode, Richard Pater speaks to Prof. Kobi Michael, an Israeli expert on security affairs and the Palestinian arena. They discuss the performance of the IDF so far, the Israeli security calculus during Ramadan, the internal dynamics within both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and the need for Israel-Palestinian peace to be pursued through a multilateral regional framework. Prof. Michael is a senior researcher at INSS and the Misgav Institute, as well as a visiting professor at the International Centre for Policing and Security University of South Wales. The author of 20 books, he previously served as the deputy director general and head of the Palestinian desk at the Ministry for Strategic Affairs.