Five Questions

Arab Barghouti and Yousef Munayyer discuss Marwan Barghouti’s imprisonment, his enduring influence in #Palestinian politics, the human impact on families of detainees, and the debate over leadership, justice, and the future of Palestine.

Khalil Shikaki and Khalil E. Jahshan discuss new polling on #Palestinian politics, declining Hamas support, election prospects, and public attitudes after the #Gaza war.

Sabri Jiryis and Khalil Jahshan discuss Jiryis’s lifelong research on Zionism, the roots and evolution of Zionist ideology, and the future of Israel and Palestine in a wide-ranging conversation.

Laura Rozen and Yousef Munayyer unpack the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and #Iran, examining key sticking points, regional tensions, and what lies ahead in the uncertain path toward a final agreement.

Matt Duss and Yousef Munayyer unpack the shifting landscape of American public opinion on #Israel and its implications for the future US engagement in the #MiddleEast.

Daniel Neep and Khalil E. Jahshan discuss Neep's new book, Syria: A Modern History. From Ottoman roots to civil war, he unpacks how history shapes #Syria's struggles today.

Yousef Munayyer and Omar Shakir discuss his decision to depart from Human Rights Watch, the contents of the report that the organization sought to withhold, and the broader challenges of conducting human rights documentation on #Palestine within a climate of repression and restricted expression.

Yousef Munayyer and Muhammad Mustafa explore rising crime in Palestinian towns inside #Israel, the government’s willful neglect, and the shifting domestic political landscape ahead of the Israeli elections.

Negar Mortazavi and Yousef Munayyer examine the latest unrest in Iran amid a deepening economic crisis, intensifying US sanctions, and rising threats of external military intervention.

Yara M. Asi, Muhammad Shehada, and Yousef Munayyer discuss the current situation in Gaza, the forthcoming “Phase 2” of the ceasefire, and the implications for Palestinians in the Strip as well as for the broader Middle East region.

Imad K. Harb and Khalil E. Jahshan examine the situation in #Lebanon, focusing on the challenges of disarming #Hezbollah and the ongoing #Israeli military campaign against the country.

Radwan Ziadeh and Yousef Munayyer discuss #Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House, exploring what Syrians hope to gain from the trip, and what both Damascus and the #Trump administration seek from the US–Syria relationship.

Experts examine how the war on #Gaza has reshaped global public opinion toward #Israel, and explore how these shifting perceptions influenced the New York mayoral race and other key state-level elections across the US in 2025.

Experts examine the #Trump administration’s proposed plan for #Gaza, assess the likelihood of a lasting #ceasefire, evaluate the current role of the US in the region, and explore whether efforts to normalize relations with #Israel might be revived.Speakers: Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer

Yousef Munayyer chats with Sarah Leah Whitson and Michael Shaeffer Omer-Man about their new book, which offers a blueprint for a future in #Palestine and #Israel. The conversation covers the plan offered in their book, the process of coming up with it together, why they felt this intervention was so needed now, and what sort of conditions will be required to begin putting the plan into place.

Aaron Magid and Khalil E. Jahshan explore King Abdullah II's evolving relationship with the United States over the past 26 years, as well as Magid's new book, The Most American King.

Experts discuss escalating tensions as Israel launches attacks across the region, including a failed airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha and alleged drone attacks near Tunisian waters. Meanwhile, momentum for Palestinian statehood has accelerated, with Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia among the Western countries making historic recognition announcements.Speakers: Hanna Alshaikh, Yara Asi, Rami Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer

Experts examine the announced plans of several countries to recognize #Palestine at the UNGA, Israel’s targeting of journalists at Nasser Hospital in #Gaza, and ongoing efforts by the Lebanese government to disarm resistance groups in the country. Speakers: Hanna Alshaikh, Yara Asi, Rami Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer

Brian K. Barber discusses his decades of research in #Gaza and his book "No Way But Forward," which chronicles the experiences of three Palestinian families living under the crushing weight of occupation and conflict. Khalil E. Jahshan moderated the discussion.

Experts discuss #Israel's use of starvation as a weapon in #Gaza and the role of the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" in exacerbating the suffering of Palestinians in the Strip.Speakers: Hanna Alshaikh, Yara Asi, Rami Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer

Peter Beinart, Heba Gowayed, and Yousef Munayyer discuss Zohran Mamdani's surprise victory in New York City's mayoral Democratic primary and the implication it may have for US domestic and foreign policy.

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen and Khalil E. Jahshan discuss how the #Gulf Arab states are responding to #Israel’s assault on #Iran and explore the broader implications of this conflict for the #GCC nations and the Middle East.

Experts discuss Trump's trip to the region, the US deal with the Houthis, the dismissal of Michael Walz, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the release of detained student protestors in the US.

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer discuss the deteriorating situation in Gaza as well as Netanyahu's recent meeting with Trump and its implications for the Middle East.

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer discuss the resumption of Israel's war on Gaza and the Trump administration's arrest of the war's critics on college campuses.

Sarah Leah Whitson discusses her organization's efforts to urge the ICC to investigate Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, and Lloyd Austin for their personal roles in aiding Israel's war crimes in Gaza. Whitson is Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer discuss US foreign policy in the first six weeks of the Trump administration and how it affects the Middle East.

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer discuss how the Middle East region has changed over the past year and their expectations for 2025.

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, Ethan Mayer-Rich, and Yousef Munayyer discuss the results of the US Presidential election and the implications for the Middle East.

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer discuss the annihilation of northern Gaza, Israel's killing of Hamas leader Yaha Sinwar, American media bias, and US policy on the war.

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara M. Asi, Rami G. Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer discuss the expansion of the Gaza war into a regional war, the Israeli assault on Lebanon, and the Iranian missile strike on Israel.

Hanna Alshaikh, Yara Asi, Rami Khouri, and Yousef Munayyer discuss the war on Gaza, the escalating Israeli military campaign in the West Bank, anti-war campus protests, and the upcoming US Presidential Elections.

Mariam Barghouti and Yousef Munayyer discuss the dangerous situation in the West Bank, as well as how Palestinians are experiencing an unprecedented rise in Israeli military and settler violence. Barghouti is a journalist and writer based in the West Bank, and her analysis has been featured in several prominent news outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and others.

Reem Abbas and Yousef Munayyer discuss the civil war in Sudan, which started a year ago in April 2023 and has regional actors supporting different sides of the conflict. Abbas is the Mohamed Aboelgheit Fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

Dr. Thaer Ahmad and Yousef Munayyer discuss Israel's war on Gaza's health system and Dr. Ahmad's decision to walk out of a Ramadan dinner in the White House. Dr. Ahmad is an emergency medicine physician based in Chicago, and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois. He spent time volunteering in Gaza's hospitals during Israel's war on the Strip.

Josh Paul and Yousef Munayyer discuss US weapons sales to Israel during the war on Gaza. Paul is the former Director of Congressional and Public Affairs at the US Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which oversees arms transfers to foreign nations.

Yara M. Asi and Yousef Munayyer discuss how Israel has been targeting the healthcare system in Gaza in order to drive Palestinians out of their towns. Asi is a Non-resident Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC and Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics.

Maysaa Shujaa al-Deen and Yousef Munayyer discuss the current situation in Yemen and the role of the Houthis in the regional unrest triggered by Israel's war on Gaza. Shujaa al-Deen is a senior researcher at the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies.

Farah Nabulsi and Yousef Munayyer discuss her film The Present, which tells the story of a Palestinian father and daughter in the West Bank trying to buy a wedding anniversary gift but having to navigate the Israeli system of apartheid on their way home. Nabulsi is an Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning British-Palestinian filmmaker and human rights advocate.

Nathan Thrall and Yousef Munayyer discuss Thrall's new book detailing the experience of a Palestinian father searching for his missing son and how the system of Israeli apartheid complicates his efforts at every turn. Nathan Thrall is also the author of The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine (Metropolitan, 2017). He spent a decade at the International Crisis Group, where he was director of the Arab-Israeli Project, and has taught at Bard College.

Aida Alami and Yousef Munayyer discuss the devastation in Morocco and the status of the rescue and recovery efforts. Alami is a Moroccan reporter who has been contributing to The New York Times since 2011. Based in Rabat, Morocco, and Paris, she mainly covers migration, human rights, religion, politics and racism.

Antony Loewenstein and Yousef Munayyer discuss the Israeli arms industry and how it relates to Israel's military occupation of Palestine. Loewenstein is an independent investigative journalist, best-selling author, and filmmaker.

Dahlia Scheindlin and Yousef Munayyer discuss the process of creeping Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Scheindlin is a Fellow at Century International, a public opinion expert and an international political and strategic consultant, as well as a scholar and a writer. 

Azad Essa and Yousef Munayyer discuss the implications of Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States and the relationship between India and Israel. Essa is a senior reporter for Middle East Eye based in New York City. He worked for Al Jazeera English between 2010-2018 and is the author of 'Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel.'

Diana Buttu and Yousef Munnayer discuss the Israeli protests against Netanyahu proposed "judicial reform" and the Palestinian position on these unprecedented protests. Buttu is a Palestinian lawyer, writer, analyst, and a former legal advisor to the PLO.

Peter Beinart and Yousef Munayyer discuss the impact of Israel’s new government on the Jewish American community in the United States. Beinart is Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York, Editor at Large of Jewish Currents, and a Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Nadim Bawalsa and Yousef Munayyer discuss Palestinian communities in Latin America as part of Bawalsa’s recent book, Transnational Palestine: Migration and the Right of Return before 1948. Nadim Bawalsa is a historian of modern Palestine. His work has appeared in Jerusalem Quarterly, the Journal of Palestine Studies, NACLA Report on the Americas, and edited volumes. He earned a Master’s in Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies in 2010 and a joint doctorate in History and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies from New York University in 2017. In 2019­–2020, Bawalsa was awarded a PARC-NEH fellowship in Palestine. He currently serves as Commissioning Editor at Al-Shabaka and as a freelance editor at JerusalemStory.com.

Negar Mortazavi and Yousef Munayyer discuss the latest protests in Iran after the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Iranian morality police. Mortazavi is an Iranian-American journalist and the host of the Iran Podcast. 

Laila Al-Arian and Yousef Munayyer discuss the response by the White House and US media outlets to Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing. Al-Arian is an American Emmy-award-winning broadcast journalist, and executive producer of the Al Jazeera documentary series Fault Lines.

Sarah Yerkes and Yousef Munayyer discuss Kais Saied’s efforts to change Tunisia’s constitution and consolidate his power. Yerkes is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Middle East Program, where her research focuses on Tunisia’s political, economic, and security developments, as well as state-society relations in the Middle East and North Africa.