The Take

US President Joe Biden has declared ‘rock-solid’ support for Israel and its right to self-defense, American military ships and aircraft have been sent to Israel, and US positions in the region are also being bolstered. But Hamas has its own allies, and the regional shockwaves of the attack are still transmitting. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has fired rockets across the border into Israel, while Iran has denied allegations of its involvement in Hamas’s attack. So how likely is the escalating violence to set off a regional tinderbox?

In this episode: 

• Rami Khouri (@RamiKhouri), Distinguished Public Policy Fellow at the American University of Beirut

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana, Miranda Lin and our host Malika Bilal. Ashish Malhotra, Sarí el-Khalili and Sonia Bhagat fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Maram Humaid is an Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza. Her home was hit in an Israeli air strike on Saturday.  She lived in an apartment building with her husband, eight-year-old daughter, and infant son. When Hamas fighters broke through Israel's fence, everything changed for them. As Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip ramps up and the death toll rises, Maram shares what it's like to live in Gaza today.

In this episode: 

• Maram Humaid (@MaramGaza), Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Sonia Bhagat, and our host Malika Bilal. Ashish Malhotra fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik, and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

It’s a date that is now history. Saturday’s Hamas attack sent shockwaves through Israel, Palestine, and the world, 50 years and one day after a war that is etched in memory across the Middle East. Thousands of rockets, followed by an assault by Hamas fighters from land, air, and sea, caught Israel almost completely by surprise. We hear from Al Jazeera journalists in both Gaza and southern Israel about these unprecedented events. We’ll be back with more this week. 

In this episode: 

• Hoda Abdel Hamid (@HodaAH), Al Jazeera senior correspondent 
• Safwat al Kahlout (@safwatkahlout), Al Jazeera producer 
• Rob Reynolds (@RobReynoldsAJE), Al Jazeera senior correspondent 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke and Khaled Soltan, with Sari el Khalili,  Zaina Badr, Ashish Malhotra, Fahrinisa Campana, Chloe K. Li, Amy Walters, David Enders, Miranda Lin, Sonia Bhagat and Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

A new wave of conscription is affecting Ukrainian women, going into effect for women with a medical or pharmaceutical education. When this new law was first proposed last year, it was postponed because of the public outcry. But with Ukraine’s soldiers, volunteers and conscripts alike, going through months of grueling war, there’s a growing awareness in Ukraine that the country is in for the long haul. The optimism that the war could end this year is ebbing away. So, what does this law say about Ukraine's position in the war, and is it a sign of the changing role of women in Ukrainian society?

In this episode: 

• Kateryna Malofieieva (@KatyaMalofeyeva), journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and Khaled Soltan, with host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Sarí el-Khalili fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

It took fifteen rounds of voting for the US House of Representatives to elect Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy as its leader in January. It was the longest vote for Speaker of the House since the US Civil War and it was fraught with political divisions. Nine months later, McCarthy’s tenuous leadership came crashing down this week, as he became the first Speaker of the House to be voted out. The move was led by members of his own party. So how did things get to this point, and what does it mean for American politics?

In this episode: 

• Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi), MSNBC Chief Correspondent and host of “Velshi”

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat, Ashish Malhotra, Chloe K. Li and our host Malika Bilal. Sarí el-Khalili and Amy Walters fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Since last year, Haiti’s government has been asking the international community for help to restore peace and security. This week, the United Nations Security Council approved sending an international police force led by Kenya to Haiti. Kenya signed on to send 1,000 police officers, with Washington pledging $100 million and logistical support. The Caribbean country has been gripped by spiraling gang violence as well as poverty and food insecurity. And if assistance does succeed in pushing back the gangs, there’s still a need to address Haiti’s lack of governance and political power vacuum. The last UN mission there lasted from 2004-2017 and faced accusations of rights abuses, sexual violence, and starting a cholera outbreak that killed more than 9,000 people; so, can this foreign intervention avoid repeating those mistakes?

In this episode: 

• Harold Isaac (@HaroldIsaac), journalist in Haiti

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Sarí el-Khalili and Amy Walters fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Shelters are filled to the brim on both sides of the US-Mexico border with people seeking asylum in the United States. The US government says there have been at least 230,000 encounters with migrants since August. Families and other groups have waded through the Rio Grande to eventually get across. They are part of a wave of people making the dangerous trek through Central America. So, what do their journeys look like and why are they happening now? 

In this episode: 

• John Holman (@johnholman100), Al Jazeera correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sonia Bhagat and our host Malika Bilal. Sarí el-Khalili and Amy Walters fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Leaders from both Saudi Arabia and Israel have been working toward normalising relations. The Saudi Kingdom, which supports Palestinian statehood, says it hopes normalisation would ease Palestinians' lives. But during an address at the United Nations General Assembly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said peace can only prevail in the Middle East when Palestinians have full, legitimate and national rights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right wing coalition has been adamant in making no concessions to the Palestinians. So where do Palestinians fit as Arab-Israeli relationships change?

In this episode: 

• Mustafa Barghouti (@MustafaBarghoti), General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Sonia Bhagat, and our host Malika Bilal. David Enders fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik, and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

A fire broke out during a wedding in Nineveh governorate, Northern Iraq, in al-Hamdaniya’s Christian community. Within hours, the death toll had risen above 100 people, and over 150 have been injured. Fire extinguishing and rescue operations began soon after the blaze erupted, with victims being transferred to hospitals nationwide to be treated. Authorities expect the death toll to continue rising. Could this latest fire in Iraq have been prevented? And what does it mean for a community that’s only now returning from years of devastation?

In this episode: 

• Julian Bechocha (@JBechocha), English Desk Reporter for Rudaw

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and Khaled Soltan, with our host Kevin Hirten in for Malika Bilal. Amy Walters, Ashish Malhotra, and David Enders fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

The fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan, goes back decades. But last week, after a battle that lasted less than 24 hours, Azerbaijan declared victory over the territory and invited the ethnic Armenians who weren’t involved in the fighting to stay. Now, tens of thousands of them are leaving their homeland without any hope of returning. So how did this happen, and what does this mean for the people most affected as an era comes to an end?  

In this episode: 

• Alison Tahmizian Meuse (@AliTahmizian), Strategic Advisor, DeepStrat
• Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid), Al Jazeera English correspondent
• Bernard Smith (@JazeeraBernard), Al Jazeera English correspondent 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Amy Walters and our host Malika Bilal. David Enders fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik, and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

For more, listen to our 2020 episode, "The long story between Armenia and Azerbaijan"

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

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