Special

Gaza is a post-apocalyptic killing zone: UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini

Apr 11, 2025
It’s been almost a month since Israel broke the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, launching daily strikes across Gaza that have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians. Humanitarian aid has also been blocked from entering the area by Israel for more than a month, deepening the crisis.

Humanitarian workers have also been directly targeted. Since October 7, 2023, more than 400 aid workers have been killed - nearly 300 of them were staff members with the United Nations' Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA.

So, what’s needed to ensure justice and accountability for the victims of war crimes? And what is the situation on the ground in Gaza?

This week on UpFront, Redi Tlhabi speaks with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

Philippines: Women fight for the right to divorce in a deeply Catholic nation | Documentary

Friday, Apr 11, 2025
The Philippines is the only country in the world, apart from the Vatican, where divorce is illegal.

In this predominantly Catholic nation, there is intense pressure to uphold the sanctity of marriage.

This leaves many women trapped in violent and abusive relationships.

But a growing number of Filipinas are fighting to change the law.

101 East travels to the Philippines and follows these fearless women as they battle for the right to divorce.

Ralph Wilde on the ICJ & why Israeli occupation must end?

Friday , Apr 11, 2025
International lawyer Ralph Wilde joins Centre Stage to talk about the 2024 landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice that deems Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal - and why it must cease immediately. Wilde provides detailed analysis, which he presented to the court, and tells Al Jazeera principal presenter Cyril Vanier what Israel and the international community must do to comply with the ICJ ruling and the UN resolution that endorsed the court’s decision.

Can Europeans alone change the course of Russia's war in Ukraine?

Thursday, Apr 10, 2025  
European defence ministers from the so-called 'coalition of the willing' have been meeting in Brussels to discuss boosting military support for Ukraine.

It includes the possible deployment of peacekeepers if a ceasefire is agreed.

The talks are part of a renewed push by Europe to arm Ukraine against Russia's invasion after the US made military support a condition of Kyiv's participation in peace talks.

Meanwhile, the EU's latest effort to rally funding for Ukraine has only exposed disunity in the bloc.

So, does Europe have the means and the will to keep Ukraine in the fight as Washington looks for a way out?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:
Pieter Cleppe - Editor-in-Chief of BrusselsReport.eu

Marina Miron- researcher in the War Studies Department of King’s College London

Anatol Lieven- Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

What is behind Trump's U-turn on tariffs?

Thursday, Apr 10, 2025  
In a dramatic change of policy, Donald Trump has paused his so-called "reciprocal" levies on most nations for 90 days.

This, after his tariff policy sent markets globally into a freefall and left business leaders and even pro-Trump Republicans warning of a recession.

While the White House will be looking to cut deals with other nations on the levies, Trump has ramped up his trade dispute with China.

His decision to reverse course may have brought relief to markets.

But, with Trump's series of reversals since taking office in January, critics say uncertainty remains hanging over the United States economy.

What will shape Syria's future?

Friday, January 31, 2025
Ahmed Al Sharaa is Syria's new President and we're getting hints of what his government might look like. He's promised a temporary legislative council will pass laws for the time being - and that it will be inclusive of Syria's various groups and factions. The international community is applying pressure to make sure he keeps his promises. But can president Sharaa bring his country together? And will his government be able to improve the lives of the Syrian people - who've been battered by more than a decade of war?

Presenter: Cyril Vanier
Guests
Danny Al Baaj - Vice President of the Syrian Forum for Advocacy and Public Relations. He also led the Cabinet of Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister in the late 2000s.
Joshua Landis - Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Mohammad Al Abdallah - Executive Director of the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre.

Mearsheimer: The Israelis lost in Gaza

Friday, January 31, 2025
Despite the rhetoric, US President Donald Trump will not be able to ethnically cleanse Gaza nor resolve the Ukraine war, argues University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer.

Mearsheimer tells host Steve Clemons that Arab governments fear “the risk of being overthrown by their populations” should they bend to Trump’s desire to “clean out” the Palestinian people in Gaza.

On Ukraine, Mearsheimer predicts a “frozen conflict” without a peace treaty, and warns that Trump should stop “slapping around” US allies if he wants their cooperation in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Democracy doesn’t exist in the United States: Chris Hedges

Friday, January 31, 2025
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, many are raising concerns about the possible decline of liberal democracy.

What then would a second Trump term mean for the next four years for the United States? And what impact will the president's foreign policy have on the Middle East?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill discusses these issues with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and former war correspondent Chris Hedges.

Marwan Bishara on meaning of the prison in Palestinian life, literally and metaphorically

Friday, January 31, 2025
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara highlights how Israeli prisons have served as both places of education and sites of immense suffering for Palestinians.

He emphasizes that while many detainees pursued higher education and even learned Hebrew through distance learning, they also endured torture, which profoundly affected their lives and their families.

Bishara suggests that these prisons are not just physical confinement spaces but part of a broader metaphorical prison that has encompassed Palestine for the past 75 years. Whether locked inside Gaza and the West Bank or locked out as refugees forbidden from returning home, Palestinians live in a state of perpetual confinement.

He underscores that, for all Palestinians—whether imprisoned or under occupation—their ultimate aspiration remains freedom.

Exchange deal: Eight captives released for 110 Palestinian prisoners

Friday, January 31, 2025
Hamas has released three Israeli and five Thai captives in Gaza and Israel began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process after crowds swarmed one of the captive handover points.

Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, was the first to be released on Thursday as she emerged from under rubble at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, which has repeatedly been targeted by Israeli forces throughout more than 15 months of war.

Al Jazeera’s Michael Appel reports.