UNAPOLOGETIC

Palestinian writer and analyst, Muhammad Shehada joins UNAPOLOGETIC in this special episode to explain how Israel's bombing of senior Hamas leaders in Qatar along with its order for 1 million Palestinians in Gaza city to evacuate once again to the South of Gaza has one common objective - to coldly and calculatedly make its ethic cleansing of Gaza inevitable.

"You have to think about people who are sitting in war rooms and plan the next bombing on civilians populations who are actually in tents in one place that they cannot move (from)"Al Jazeera has been at the center of one of the deadliest assaults on journalists in modern history. Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 270 journalists, including at least 11 from Al Jazeera. Despite losing colleagues, facing office bombings, and being banned from reporting inside Israel and the West Bank, Al Jazeera continues its coverage of Gaza.In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, Ashfaaq Carim speaks with Salah Negm, the head of news for Al Jazeera English. With more than 45 years of experience in international journalism, Negm reflects on what it means to cover a genocide, how Israel targets reporters to silence coverage, and why eyewitness accounts remain essential.Negm discusses:The pressures and dangers faced by his newsroomThe killings of Shireen Abu Akleh and other Al Jazeera journalistsHow Western media often relies on Israeli narrativesWhy objectivity is misunderstood and misused in journalismAl Jazeera’s process for recruiting and protecting local reportersThis is a rare inside look at how a newsroom endures grief, censorship, and political attacks while trying to hold power to account amidst an unfolding genocide in Gaza. Editors Note: This episode was filmed on August 21st, before Monday deadly by Israel that killed another Al Jazeera Journalist, Muhammad SalamaChapters:0:00 Intro3:40 Israel’s war on journalism7:00 Media bias and objectivity10:50 Why Al Jazeera hires locals15:30 Fear and character attacks19:00 Press freedom under threat23:40 Gaza reporting under siege29:00 Covering genocide in real time47:20 Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing51:00 Journalists killed in Gaza1:00:00 Bans, raids, and censorship1:08:00 Future of journalism in war

Muhammad Shahada grew up in Gaza during two decades of blockade and repeated wars. His father died after being denied medical treatment outside the Strip — one of countless lives lost to Israel’s permit system.Now a journalist and analyst, Shahada joins UNAPOLOGETIC to trace Gaza’s story from 2005 to 2025 — years that saw the removal of Israeli settlers, the imposition of siege, and the shift from Apache helicopters to F-16 bombardments, culminating in genocide.The conversation covers Hamas’s attempt to reach a political settlement that was rejected by Israel after its election victory, Israel’s role in fuelling a Palestinian civil war, daily life under siege, and the repeated wars waged under Israel's “mowing the lawn” doctrine.Shahada also reflects on the short period of relief when Egypt opened the Rafah crossing under President Morsi, the tunnelling economy and its risks, Israel’s policy of maiming protesters during the Great March of Return, the events of 7 October, and Israel’s ongoing 22-month assault on Gaza — alongside the silence and complicity of world leaders, media and policymakers.

Orly Noy is the chairperson of B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organisation that has been documenting Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians since 1989. In this episode, we discuss B’Tselem’s new report, titled ‘Our Genocide’. Through rigorous research, the report makes the case that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. We also discuss the sociological culture in Israel that has led to a society that largely supports the Israeli state’s annihilation of Gaza and its people, and the lies and myths that have produced a global narrative where power brokers enable or are complicit in the genocide.

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC Professor John Esposito — one of the world’s foremost scholars on political Islam — unpacks 120 years of modern Islamic movements. From Afghani and Abdu’s 19th-century reformist vision, through Hassan al-Banna and Maududi’s activism, to Sayyid Qutb’s radical turn, we trace the intellectual and political forces that shaped the Muslim world. We explore the Iranian Revolution, the Afghan war, democratic Islamists, authoritarian crackdowns, and how the West’s perceptions of Islamism were forged. This is a masterclass in the history, ideas, and global impact of political Islam. UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim Chapters0:00 – Intro & episode setup 2:33 – Esposito’s unlikely journey 5:41 – Immersion in Muslim scholarship 10:14 – Plan: 120 years’ history 12:14 – Afghani & Abdu’s vision 15:45 – Islam as civilization & faith 18:09 – Abdu’s modernist reform ideas 22:02 – Anti-colonial political Islam roots 23:54 – Al-Banna & Maududi emerge 26:44 – Movements spread transnationally 30:58 – Ideas spread without media 33:15 – Critique of elites & clerics 38:58 – Sayyid Qutb’s radical turn 43:39 – America through Qutb’s eyes 47:14 – Nasser’s crackdown & prisons 50:33 – Cross-pollination of movements 52:47 – Iranian revolution reshapes politics 55:03 – Authoritarianism fuels radicalisation 57:12 – Gradualists vs violent factions 1:04:05 – Revolution’s impact on perceptions 1:09:58 – Shah, hostage crisis, US errors 1:18:22 – Afghan jihad to al-Qaeda 1:27:05 – Democratic Islamists in power 1:35:48 – Post-Cold War Islamism shifts 1:40:19 – 9/11 & war on terror 1:49:15 – Arab Spring & Brotherhood 1:53:32 – Egypt’s coup & repression 2:02:08 – Islamism, democracy & inclusion 2:07:39 – Misrepresentation in Western discourse

“Every inch of that precious city is Rome and Paris and New York put together, and these barbaric savages go, ‘Oh Isfahan, we just bombed Isfahan’; they don’t even know where Isfahan is.” Hamid Dabashi, is an American and Iranian professor at Columbia University. He joined UNAPOLGETIC on this episode to give a scathing critique of US and Israeli adventurism and aggression in Iran and the region. Dabashi rebukes both states for having “absolutely no moral legitimacy” to export either freedom or democracy, especially while Israel continues to carry out a “genocide” in Gaza and the US under Trump cracks down on its own democratic institutions. The episode also delves into Iran's contemporary history, looking at how the CIA orchestrated coup of Iran’s elected leader allowed the Pahlavi dynasty to reestablish “autocratic” rule in Iran, which led to a popular uprising that paved the way for Ayatollah Khomeini to opportunistically establish Iran’s theocracy that has presided over Iran with a “totalitarian” fist, ever since. UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:22 - Israel-US no legitimacy on nuclear bombs 07:08 - Iran belongs to Iranian people 12:33 - US-Israel actions will be remembered 17:06 - The empire’s collapse 21:40 - West’s hypocrisy on Iran 26:55 - Israel’s war on Iran 33:18 - West's history with Iran 38:11 - The 1953 CIA coup 44:20 - Pahlavi and autocracy 49:35 - Khomeini seizes opportunity 55:58 - Iran’s totalitarian theocracy 1:02:41 - Trump and democratic decline 1:10:25 - Freedom as imperial excuse 1:17:04 - Moral clarity from the South 1:24:45 - Final reflections

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges joins us on UNAPOLOGETIC for a conversation on what the consequences could be if Israel draws the USA into a full-blown war with Iran.Hedges reflects on his years reporting from war zones, the cynical nihilism driving Netanyahu’s assault, and how Israel’s genocide in Gaza has become a “spectacle” that has irreparably broken trust between North and South.Are Israel’s and the Pentagon’s stated shifting priorities real, or a façade to continue diminishing societal infrastructure in the region? Will the complicity of Arab states in the genocide lead to blowback? Is regime change the goal, or is this just an excuse?UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim

“It’s left me with a deep and simmering anger against the western powers who imposed this nightmare on us.”Palestinian physician, author and Nakba survivor Ghada Karmi joins UNAPOLOGETIC to speak about how her life has been shaped by exile and how, as she tried to find a new home in the UK, she was confronted by experiences that enhanced her desire to reconnect with her Palestinian identity and eventually made her want to embrace a life where she lived in service of liberating Palestinians from Zionist occupation.She also reflects on the current unfolding genocide in Gaza, what she calls Arab and western complicity and how this event will traumatise future generations of Palestinians Chapters0:00 Intro and context setup 2:00 Two Nakbas, 77 years apart 4:32 Predicting 7 October’s logic 8:09 Fleeing Jerusalem in 1948 14:46  Remembering home, dog, Fatima 17:29  Life as a refugee child 21:28  1967 war changed everything 27:19  Reclaiming identity through activism 29:16  Visiting her old home 34:04  Learning the deeper history 43:58  Zionism’s effect on region 44:54  Arab states and complicity 55:57  The one-state vision today 1:09:00 Final reflections

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, joins UNAPOLOGETIC for a wide-ranging conversation about who has been complicit for the genocide in Gaza, the global shift in rhetoric, and what it takes to organise 20 months of continous mass protest across the UK.He unpacks the gap between what Western governments say and what they do - from condemning Israeli actions as “indefensible” while continuing to arm them, to criminalising peaceful protesters demanding justice. Jamal also reflects on his arrest and upcoming trial, the police’s systematic efforts to repress the movement, and why those tactics have failed to break the solidarity movement.In deeply personal moments, Jamal shares the story of his Palestinian father, his own political awakening, and what it has meant to sustain this movement through exhaustion, grief and hope.We ask: What does the future look like for Gaza? For Palestinian liberation? And for a world that has tolerated so much horror in real time?Chapters:00:00 Intro03:12 Shifts in media and government10:01 Words mean nothing without action15:30 Divestment wins and public pressure21:12 The arrest: what happened27:03 How police target protests32:47 BBC march and police trap38:55 Criminalised for peaceful protest44:11 Holding a movement together49:35 Building a resistance community54:20 Ben’s Palestinian family story1:00:07 Organising through trauma and grief1:05:05 Family, kids and solidarity1:10:10 What happens to Gaza now1:14:58 Will Palestinians be erased?1:20:10 Movement grows through genocide1:26:30 What keeps Ben going1:32:10 Final reflections

What were the Crusades really about - and why do they still matter today?In this deep-dive episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, historian and political scientist Professor Roy Casagranda comes back to the show to unpack the history, legacy and weaponisation of the Crusades. We begin by exploring why Jerusalem holds such profound spiritual and political importance to Judaism, Christianity and Islam - and how that shared reverence resulted in periods where the city was pluralistic and multicultural, and other periods where it was subject to conquest, ethnic cleansing, colonisation and occupation. From the First Crusade and the fall of Jerusalem, to the leadership of Salahuddin, to the devastation of the Mongol invasions, Roy walks us through a thousand-year arc of conflict, ideology and empire. But this isn’t just about the past.We examine how the logic of the Crusades impacts our current political landscape and geopolitics. Was the partition of the Middle East by colonial powers after World War I an extension of the Crusades? What about the War on Terror, drone strikes and ongoing Western interventions in the Muslim world?UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim. Chapters0:00 Intro collage  3:00 Why Jerusalem matters  7:40 Jewish roots and the Temple  12:20 Rise of Christianity  17:00 Islam and early rule  21:40 Muslim rule of Jerusalem  26:20 What triggered the Crusades  31:00 The call to crusade (1095)  35:40 Norman warriors and motives  40:20 The first massacres  45:00 Taking Jerusalem (1099)  49:40 Crusader brutality revealed  54:20 Crusader states form  59:00 Muslim response builds  1:03:40 Zengi, Nur ad-Din and resistance  1:08:20 Rise of Salahuddin  1:13:00 Egypt campaigns begin  1:17:40 Salahuddin becomes wazir  1:22:20 The Fatimids fall  1:27:00 Power struggles with Nur ad-Din  1:31:40 Salahuddin unifies Syria  1:36:20 The peace treaty  1:41:00 Breaking the peace  1:45:40 Battle of Hattin  1:50:20 Retaking Jerusalem  1:55:00 The Third Crusade begins  1:59:40 Legacy of the Crusades  2:04:20 The fifth Crusade?  2:09:00 Zionism as settler project  2:13:40 Clash of civilizations  2:18:20 Anti-Arab hatred in the West  2:23:00 Demographic shifts and Gen Z

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, Chinese political analyst Victor Gao joins UNAPOLOGETIC for a wide-ranging and often conflictual discussion about China's global image, western condescension towards it, human rights and democracy,Gao, a former translator for Deng Xiaoping and a vocal defender of the Chinese state, argues that China is a force for stability, free trade, and development - and rejects western narratives around repression in places like Xinjiang and Tibet.He is challenged on China's human rights record, especially concerning the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The clash exposes fundamental differences in how each views evidence, legitimacy, and sovereignty.Also discussed:- How does representation and governance work in China?- Why is China rising while liberal democracies fragment?- Can China be trusted as a global leader?UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq CarimThis episode was filmed on 14 May 2025.Chapters00:00 Intro04:15 Why the West misunderstands China08:30 China’s view on democracy and modernisation12:10 The century of humiliation16:00 Is criticism of China racist?19:50 Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang: the one China argument24:30 Pushing back on human rights violations29:00 “You are my enemy”: dissent and denial33:45 China’s stance on Palestine and Gaza38:00 Democracy in China: consensual vs confrontational44:00 Can China handle more free speech?50:30 Xi Jinping’s legacy and global role55:00 Winning global trust

“A mixture of stupidity and nastiness… The liberal establishment is primarily responsible for the genocide of the Palestinians.” In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, Yanis Varoufakis unleashes a fierce critique of Western liberalism, and tells us why he feels that the global system is in crisis.This episode explores the facade of Western moral superiority, the role of empire past and present, how liberal hypocrisy has given rise to fascism, the climate crisis, Gaza and why Varoufakis places his hope in the Global South.UNAPOLOGETIC is Hosted by Ashfaaq CarimChapters00:00 Intro02:01 Western civilisation and its hypocrisy  04:57 Gaza, genocide and colonial legacies  10:59 2008: The collapse of capitalism  17:28 Technofeudalism and the rise of cloud capital  20:06 Trump’s tariffs and the new Nixon shock  25:18 Liberal complicity in Gaza  30:55 Europe’s civil liberties crackdown  34:59 Palestine and the loss of moral resistance  39:19 Why protesters lack hope in the West  44:56 China vs. Russia: A critical distinction  50:02 China’s authoritarianism vs. local democracy  54:42 Climate collapse and cloud capital  58:46 Organising after collapse: What’s the alternative?  01:01:51 "Another Now": Varoufakis' vision for change  

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak with Sudan’s ambassador to the UK, Babiker al-Siddig Mohamed al-Amin, about the Sudanese government's case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice. The conversation explores Sudan’s accusations of genocide, the origins of the RSF, alleged atrocities, foreign interference and the path forward for a democratic Sudan.We also address difficult questions about the Sudanese Armed Forces, the role of the international community and the geopolitical interests driving the conflict.UNAPOLOGETIC is Hosted by Ashfaaq Carim00:00 Intro00:44 Opening remarks and episode overview01:28 Sudan's case against the UAE04:55 Evidence linking UAE to RSF06:09 Origins of Sudan conflict and army-RSF tensions09:02 The RSF: History and origins10:53 UAE's motives: Gold, ports, and proxy power13:00 Sudan’s gold industry and UAE smuggling16:36 Red Sea ports and strategic interest17:30 Atrocities committed by RSF22:10 Accusations against Sudanese Armed Forces28:57 Towards elections: Transition plans32:04 International mediation and critique of the narrative36:16 Jeddah Declaration and failed ceasefire40:58 Tribalism and redrawing Sudan’s borders42:48 Regional interests and external destabilisation43:31 Egypt’s role and historical ties45:22 Final message to Sudanese people and the world50:02 Outro and thanks

Stephen Kapos survived the Holocaust as a child in Nazi-occupied Hungary. In this candid interview, he recalls his time in a Jewish refugee home—hiding his identity with other children to avoid Nazi detection.He reflects on memory, survival, and the different paths his family took after the war, including his journey to London. Kapos also shares how visits to Israel opened his eyes to the country’s racism—both systemic and societal.We explore what justice looks like after atrocity, how Holocaust memory is politicised by Israel to justify war crimes, and what “Never Again” really means in today’s world. Kapos speaks about Palestine and why he continues to protest for justice. UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq CarimChapters0:00 Opening and Introduction2:28 What Kapos Wants Audiences to Take Away6:27 Growing Up Jewish in Rural Hungary9:02 German Invasion and First Encounters with Soldiers15:02 Wearing the Yellow Star and Early Dehumanisation19:01 The Kasztner Train: Bargaining With the Nazis26:22 Bergen-Belsen: Hostages in a Camp of Death33:42 Life in Hiding: False Papers and Refugee Homes37:15 Budapest Under Siege: The Final Battle44:46 Memories of Escaping Bombed-Out Buildings48:20 Arrow Cross Atrocities and Hospital Massacres53:04 Liberation by Soviet Troops56:18 Returning Home: The Destruction of a Life1:02:01 A Missed Escape: Family Wiped Out in Auschwitz1:08:27 Sorting Her Parents’ Clothes at the Camps1:11:02 Family Reunited, Then Rebuilding Begins1:14:41 Postwar Public Health and Communist Party Life1:16:48 Anti-Semitism Returns in the 1956 Uprising1:21:04 Visiting Israel and Confronting Racism1:26:04 Leaving Hungary After 1956 and Settling in the UK1:30:32 Joining Labour, Momentum and Corbyn's Rise1:33:23 The Manufactured Antisemitism Crisis1:36:46 A Tense Confrontation with Keir Starmer1:42:00 Holocaust Survivors Against Gaza Genocide1:48:00 Israel’s Global Impunity and the Role of the Holocaust1:54:00 One-State Solution and Hopes for Justice

In this episode, historian Rudolph “Butch” Ware joins us for a conversation about the global system slavery built — and how its legacy still shapes the modern world.He breaks down the myths we’ve been taught about abolition, the spiritual legacy of resistance, and how white supremacy was not just a byproduct of history, but an architecture that still defines our institutions.We also talk about Gaza, the erasure of truth in public life, and how protest and free speech are being crushed in the U.S.Butch is running for governor of California, so we ask him if this is the best way to make change, considering that he is operating in a political system that often rewards self-promotion and aggrandizement over fundamental reform.UNAPOLOGETIC is Hosted by Ashfaaq CarimChaptersUNAPOLOGETIC is Hosted by Ashfaaq CarimChapters00:00 The hidden hands behind the slave trade  03:00 The scale of the Euro-American trade  06:15 Slavery and modern capitalism  09:05 Africa’s stagnation, Europe’s rise  11:50 Early African resistance: King Afonso  14:00 Commodifying African bodies as currency  16:15 How European slavery was different  19:00 Sexual violence and trauma under slavery  22:00 Destroyed families, lost spiritual legacies  24:40 Guns, warlords, and destabilized Africa  27:15 The myth of British abolition  30:05 African Muslims fought slavery first  33:30 Gaza and the legacy of colonial brutality  36:40 White supremacy: These aren’t people  39:30 End of empire: The extinction burst  42:00 Campus repression and the imperial boomerang  45:00 Malcolm X and the betrayal of liberalism  48:00 Why Butch joined the Green Party  52:15 From mobilizing to organizing  55:00 California 2026: Breaking the duopoly  60:00 A revolutionary political strategy  65:00 Truth-telling in political theater  70:00 Student resistance and corporate campuses  74:00 A generation that’s built different  77:00 The urgency of third-party power  80:00 A final word on faith and freedom  

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak with Eyal Weizman, architect, scholar, and founder of Forensic Architecture — a research agency that uses spatial investigation to expose state violence and human rights abuses.We dive deep into the ongoing genocide in Gaza, examining how Israel’s military campaign is not just a war of bombs, but one of deliberate spatial erasure. Eyal breaks down how architecture becomes both a target and a witness — revealing the design, intent, and systematic logic behind the destruction of homes, hospitals, and infrastructure.But this didn’t start on October 7th. We trace the roots of what Eyal calls an architecture of occupation and ethnic cleansing — a project stretching back to 1948 and unfolding across Gaza, the West Bank, and inside Israel itself. From settlements to bypass roads, from home demolitions to surveillance towers, we look at how space is used to control, fragment, and displace Palestinian life.We also explore the politics of documentation — how Forensic Architecture builds cases for truth and justice in a world that rewards impunity. And why, in the face of silence and suppression, bearing witness through spatial forensics becomes an act of resistance.This is a conversation about violence, memory, and the radical potential of architecture as a tool for liberation.UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim0:00 – The Architecture of Genocide1:10 – Meet Eyal Weizman & Forensic Architecture2:40 – Loss in Gaza: Partners, Friends, Colleagues5:00 – Is Documentation Enough? Facing Total Destruction7:40 – Gathering Evidence at Scale: A New Method10:10 – Destruction with Intent: Gaza as a Planned Kill Zone13:00 – Safe Zones That Kill: Al-Mawasi & Rafa15:00 – Ungrounding Gaza: Bulldozers & Memory Erasure18:00 – Rubble as Weapon: Sniper Towers, Earthworks & Traps21:30 – Making Gaza Uninhabitable: A Slow, Designed Death25:00 – Palestinian Resilience & Indigenous Survival28:30 – Architecture Against International Law30:30 – Ethnic Cleansing by Design: Since 194834:00 – The Gaza Envelope: Settler Fortresses as Siege Tools37:30 – The Tunnel Network: History, Ingenuity, Resistance42:00 – From Wells to Warfare: Indigenous Knowledge Reborn45:00 – Hollow Land: Origins of Eyal’s Work49:30 – Architecture as a Tool of Oppression53:00 – How Forensic Architecture Builds the Record57:00 – Rebuilding Gaza or Repeating Genocide?1:01:00 – The Only Just Future: Return, Equality, and One State

Helena Cobban is a journalist who has covered events in the Middle East for more than four decades. Through her reporting, she has interviewed senior leadership across Palestinian movements and political organisations and senior members of Israel’s government.Recently, she co-authored a book with Rami Khouri, an academic and journalist who has also been writing about the Middle East for decades. The book is largely a transcript of a series of conversations that the authors had with five experts who have a deep knowledge of who Hamas is, what it stands for, how it operates and what it is trying to achieve.We sat down with Helena Cobban in this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC to speak about who Hamas is, what it wants and why understanding it matters. This episode was filmed on March 12, 2025UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim00:00 Intro02:15 About the book07:15 Laws that make it difficult to speak about Hamas12:30 The genesis of Hamas20:00 Misconceptions around Hamas29:50 Introspection on their own actions34:00 Hamas beyond being a liberation movement41:00 Helena's journey covering the conflict51:00 Helena’s learnings from compiling the book56:30 How global power shifts change narratives01:04:30 Does Hamas introspect?01:12:30 What will happen to Gaza

“We have not even scratched the surface of the crimes Israel has truly committed”Former BBC journalist Karishma Patel left the BBC because of what she perceived as its editorial “double-standards” while reporting on Israel's military assault on Gaza.In this episode of Unapologetic, she takes us into the newsroom of the BBC and show’s us just how the BBC built an “Orwellian” atmosphere around coverage of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq CarimChapters01:01 Intro01:15 Welcome to unapologetic01:36 BBC an 'Orwellian' space03:20 Confronting management at the BBC08:05 Her role at the BBC09:47 Are BBC journalists ignoring or dismissing the evidence against Israel14:14 BBC coverage post October 202318:02 confrontational organising in the BBC19:41 journalists self censoring themselves25:19 her own self censoring30:56 embarrassment of the BBC's coverage36:45 the term 'Genocide'40:34 the bias of the BBC continuing until this day44:19 the BBC relying on 'authority sources'47:55 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel54:16 her aspirations when joining the BBC59:54 what she's learned the last 16 months01:03:18 Miss universe great britain01:04:46 how will history judge the BBC coverage / where will the BBC be in a decade01:10:28 outro

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak with Gideon Levy, one of Israel’s most outspoken and controversial journalists. A longtime Haaretz journalist and columnist, Levy has spent decades documenting the occupation and challenging dominant Israeli narratives. We discuss Israel’s latest assault on Gaza, Netanyahu’s political calculations, and how Israeli society has responded. We also explore how the media and culture has eroded Israeli Israel’s, the future of Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian leadership, and what a just resolution to the conflict might look like.Finally, Levy reflects on his own political transformation and what it has cost him to tell the truth in his society.UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim

Author, thinker and activist Iyad el-Baghdadi joins us on this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC to break down the impact of Israel’s war in Gaza and its wider consequences for the region.We explore Baghdadi’s hypothesis on whether Israel can survive as a Jewish supremacist state beyond the 2030s and whether a Palestinian state is still viable. We also discuss what the Arab response to Trump’s Gaza proposal reveals about regional politics. How has Israel’s genocide reshaped alliances, including Saudi-Iran relations, Egypt’s role and the UAE’s stance? What kind of normalisation is possible now, and how does it differ from the pre-Gaza war landscape?Baghdadi also reflects on his own exile from the UAE, the fragility of Arab regimes, and Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for Saudi Arabia. Is the crown prince building a new regional order, and what is the opportunity cost of his ambition?Baghdadi has also co-authored of The Middle East Crisis Factory and is the founder of the Kawaakibi FoundationUNAPOLOGETIC is Hosted by Ashfaaq Carim