Middle East Matters

FRANCE 24 English
  • 3.6 (13)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

In Middle East Matters, Nadia Massih brings you analysis of the big stories making headlines in the region, as well as reports from our team of correspondents. Catch the show every Thursday at 4.30pm Paris time.

  1. 4D AGO · VIDEO

    Settler violence surges in the West Bank

    As the Iran-Israel-US-Lebanon war makes headlines around the world, what is happening in the occupied West Bank? Expropriation of Palestinian land, settler attacks and killings have long been the story of the West Bank, but human rights campaigners and experts say that amid the fog of regional war, attacks are on the rise and Israeli settlers are emboldened. We take a closer look in this special edition of Middle East Matters.

    15 min

  2. MAR 13 · VIDEO

    Strait of Hormuz: Iran leverages control of a critical chokepoint in the global oil trade

    Amid the current crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr. Guy Laron, Author of "Oil Wars", Historian and Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. According to Dr Laron, what we are witnessing is not merely a regional confrontation but a textbook demonstration of how energy chokepoints shape global power. Iran’s strategy relies on exploiting one of the world's most critical bottlenecks in the oil trade, a tactic that has repeatedly proven effective throughout modern history.

    15 min

  3. 02/07/2024 · VIDEO

    Israel, Lebanon, Turkey: Reports from our correspondents

    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.

    13 min

  4. 01/31/2024 · VIDEO

    Allegations against UNRWA: Future of biggest Gaza aid provider in jeopardy

    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.

    13 min

  5. 01/17/2024 · VIDEO

    Attacks in the Red Sea: After US-UK strikes, what next for Yemen?

    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.

    13 min

  6. 01/10/2024 · VIDEO

    With case filed to ICJ, South Africa accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza

    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.

    13 min

  7. 12/13/2023 · VIDEO

    Fallout from Israel-Hamas war: What's behind Houthi attacks in Red Sea?

    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.

    13 min

  8. 12/06/2023 · VIDEO

    Sultan al-Jaber under fire: COP28 president accused of conflict of interest

    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.

    12 min
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In Middle East Matters, Nadia Massih brings you analysis of the big stories making headlines in the region, as well as reports from our team of correspondents. Catch the show every Thursday at 4.30pm Paris time.

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