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The West Bank and East Jerusalem are at the heart of any future Palestinian state.

But, occupied by Israeli forces since 1967 and now threatened by annexation, Palestinian dreams of their own homeland look increasingly impossible.

Israel's Prime Minister wants to declare sovereignty over illegal settlements, both in the west bank and the Jordan valley.

Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to begin annexation now, at the beginning of July.

But his coalition government partner Benny Gantz says combatting the coronavirus should come first.

The Palestinian leadership, major EU countries and Arab states all object to annexation.

But the seizure of more Palestinian land is seen to be in line with Donald Trump's proposals for peace in the region.

So, what does it all mean for the Middle East?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests;
Mustafa Barghouti - Leader of the Palestinian National Initiative and Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Said Arikat - Political Writer and Analyst
Amichai Stein - Political Writer and Diplomatic Correspondent

Russia is denying paying fighters linked to the Taliban in Afghanistan to kill U.S. troops.

The allegation is triggering renewed debate on Donald Trump's strategy to end the war, and his relationship with Vladimir Putin.

The New York Times says investigators focused in part on a Taliban attack last year that killed three U.S. Marines and an Afghan contractor near an American army base.

President Trump denies being told about intelligence reports dating back to February.

Members of Congress want to know why they weren't told either.

A Kremlin official told Inside Story the bounty killing claims are ''fake news''.

How could the controversy shape efforts to end America's longest war?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Richard Weitz - Defence Expert at Wikistrat Global Consultancy

Nikolay Surkov - Senior Research Fellow at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations

Omar Zakhilwal - Former Ambassador of Afghanistan in Islamabad, and a former Minister of Finance

The killing of Black American George Floyd last month triggered protests across the U.S. and elsewhere against police brutality.

People are demanding justice and drastic changes to policing.

Activists say officers routinely discriminate against minorities, and use excessive force when making arrests.

The protest demands include cutting funding for law enforcement agencies, stripping police of military gear such as armoured trucks, and even abolishing police altogether.

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a police reform bill to ban chokeholds, combat racial profiling, and establish a national database to track police misconduct.

But the Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to pass the law.

So is there a political will for genuine change?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:
Jamira Burley - Human Rights activist

Steven Rogers - Retired police lieutenant

Elisabeth Anker - Professor of American Studies and Political Science at George Washington University.

For thousands of years, the Nile has been the backbone of civilisations and a source of conflict.

The latest dispute is over the the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam project in Africa.

Ethiopia's government says its $4 billion project on the Blue Nile will provide power to its more than 100 million citizens and create huge opportunities for its economy.

It wants to start filling the dam's reservoir in July when its rainy season begins.

But Sudan and Egypt downstream first want a legally-binding agreement on how long it will take to fill the dam, and the way it will be operated.

The African Union is mediating.

Ethiopia's government says the parties could finalise an agreement within two to three weeks.

Can they find a way to bridge their differences?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Gedion Asfaw - Head of the Technical Committee of the Ethiopian Negotiating Delegation.

Osman El-Tom - Former Sudanese Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation.

Mac Sharkawy - Political Writer and Researcher on Egyptian Affairs.

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After months of anti-government protests and political uncertainty, Iraq is now grappling with its worst fiscal crisis in decades.

The country's economy and state budget are heavily reliant on oil income, and have been hit hard by the sharp decline in global oil prices.

The World Bank has projected Iraq's GDP to contract by 9.7 percent, with the fiscal deficit expected to reach almost 30 percent of GDP.

Iraq's newly appointed government, led by Mustafa al-Kadhimi, is now faced with a challenging task of implementing long-overdue structural reforms, such as reducing public sector employment while also keeping popular unrest at bay.

But what are the root causes of the current economic crisis and what needs to be done to tackle it?

And how can the new government overcome entrenched political interests that oppose reform while also winning over a public that has lost all trust in the political establishment?

Ramzi Neman, the World Bank's special representative to Iraq, talks to Al Jazeera