East to West | Voices of the Middle East

In this episode of East to West, Sarah Martinez Amir sits down with Sultan Said Sultan Deria, the traditional leader of the Grand Isaac Sultanate of Somaliland. Sultan Deria makes the case for Somaliland’s recognition, its natural partnership with Israel, and its role as a bridge between Africa, the Middle East, and the democratic world.

In this powerful episode of East to West, hosted by Sarah Martinez Amir, we sit down with Mosab Hassan Yousef, also known as The Green Prince — the son of a Hamas co-founder who made the extraordinary choice to break away and expose the truth about the movement from within.Mosab reflects on the aftermath of October 7, the suffering in Gaza, and the propaganda war that has reshaped global opinion. He explains why the chaos in Gaza isn't a famine, but a deliberate disorder, why hostages remain the true victims of this war, and why slogans of “ceasefire now” can ring hollow without accountability.With rare candor, Mosab warns against the illusions of quick fixes and challenges the world to face the ideology that fuels endless cycles of violence. His words — “October 7th cannot be justified — ever” — capture the moral clarity he believes is essential to moving forward.Can truth prevail in an age of distortion? And what will it take for peace to be more than just a slogan? Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation.

In this urgent episode of East to West by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, host Sarah Martinez Amir speaks with Rashad, a resident of Sweida, Syria, and a member of the Druze minority, about the regime-led assault on his city.

In this urgent episode of East to West by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, host Sarah Martinez Amir speaks with Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, the first Druze woman elected to the Knesset and a fierce advocate for her community, about a devastating wave of violence targeting the Druze in southern Syria.From children killed in their cars to hospitals under siege, Kamal-Mreeh reveals how jihadist militias have resurfaced under the Syrian regime’s protection — and how the West is turning a blind eye. This is more than a humanitarian disaster. It’s a strategic crisis. And Gadeer wants the world to wake up.

On October 7, women were systematically targeted by Hamas. Now, Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, a UN insider and legal scholar, reveals why the world — including leading women's rights organizations — stayed silent.She co-authored the Dina Project’s explosive report, which shows: Gang rape and genital mutilation across multiple sites; Assaults against hostages that continued in captivity; A coordinated, intentional use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.This episode of East to West is more than a conversation — it’s a confrontation with the global failure to stand with victims of gender-based war crimes.

Why is the word "genocide" being weaponized against Israel while true atrocities around the world go ignored? In this powerful episode of East to West, JCFA’s Sarah Martinez Amir sits down with Egyptian-born national security expert Khaled Hassan to expose the media’s dangerous manipulation of language, and its consequences for Jews worldwide.From Piers Morgan’s viral interviews to BBC Arabic’s October 7th coverage, Hassan unpacks how disinformation, selective outrage, and antisemitic undercurrents are reshaping public opinion. Together, they analyze why terms like “apartheid” and “genocide” are disproportionately applied to Israel, and how social media and alternative platforms are accelerating this shift.

In this powerful episode of East to West from the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, host Sarah Martinez Amir sits down with Netflix star and software engineer Miriam Haart. Speaking live from Tel Aviv during the 12-Day War, Miriam opens up about finding herself in bomb shelters instead of Pride parades — and why she refuses to hide her identity in the face of rising antisemitism, even in the progressive spaces that once felt like home.

In this gripping episode of East to West, host Sarah Martinez Amir speaks with Zineb Riboua, Middle East scholar at the Hudson Institute, about Operation Rising Lion — the Israeli strike that shattered Iran’s strategic command and sent shockwaves through the Middle East.Zineb explains how Israel pulled off one of the most sophisticated deception campaigns in modern military history, why Iran’s grip on its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria is faltering, and how the Islamic Republic may be on the brink of collapse. We also dive into what this operation means for U.S. strategy, shifting regional alliances, and the growing gap between the Iranian regime and its people.

In this gripping episode of East to West, host Sarah Martinez Amir speaks with Iranian activist Gazelle Sharmahd — the daughter of Jamshid, a journalist kidnapped, tortured, and executed by the Islamic regime. As Israeli airstrikes hit the gates of Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, Gazelle shares a deeply personal and unflinching account of life under the Islamic regime. From the systematic torture of children to the regime’s infiltration of Western discourse, this is a raw, urgent conversation about human rights, justice, and the future of a free Iran.

On this episode of East to West, host Sarah Martinez Amir is joined by Dr. David Wurmser to unpack the historic moment in Middle East history. The Fõrdow site, built deep underground, was recently struck in a high-impact operation involving advanced bunker-busting technology. The facility has long been central to the uranium enrichment efforts.