Gaza: a turning point?

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

Kate Adie presents stories from Gaza and Israel, the US, Lesotho, Taiwan and Peru.

This week the British government pledged to recognise a Palestinian state, unless Israel meets certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision rewarded 'Hamas's monstrous terrorism.' Jeremy Bowen reflects on this latest chapter in Britain’s long-standing influence in the region.

At the UN, Saudi Arabia and France co-hosted a summit to rekindle plans for a two-state solution as a means to find peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Dozens of countries were in attendance - others were notable for their absence. Tom Bateman reports from New York.

Donald Trump once claimed Lesotho was a country ‘nobody has heard of’ – but it has been feeling the pinch of his trade policy. While the White House rowed back on its threat of imposing 50 per cent tariffs, the uncertainty has already led to many job losses, finds Shingai Nyoka.

Taiwan's president William Lai suffered a major setback last weekend, in a recall vote that had been aimed at removing twenty-four opposition lawmakers - yet failed to unseat any of them. James Crabtree reflects on how Taiwan’s characteristically flamboyant campaigning style was markedly absent in this latest vote.

And finally, many of our staple foods are at risk because of increasingly frequent extreme weather - including the humble potato. But some farmers are tracing the crop’s ancient roots in search of solutions to help mitigate the risks, as Beth Timmins has been finding out in the Peruvian Andes.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, today we're in Lesotho, where garment workers are being hit hard by Donald Trump's tariffs.
0:12.2	In Taiwan, we hear about the long-standing tradition of fancy dress in politics and why it's on the wane.
0:19.9	At the UN in New York, there are notable empty seats at a
0:23.3	summit on the two-state solution. And finally, they come in all shapes, colours and sizes,
0:29.4	how potato farmers in Peru are combating climate change. But first to the war in Gaza. This
0:36.9	week the British government pledged to recognise a Palestinian state,
0:41.3	unless Israel meets certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza
0:46.2	and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
0:50.6	Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted furiously to the announcement,
0:55.9	saying the decision rewarded Hamas' monstrous terrorism.
1:00.7	It's the latest chapter in Britain's long-standing influence in the region.
1:05.3	Jeremy Bowen reflects on the key turning points in the region's fractured history.
1:11.2	I was in Ukraine when Hamas attacked Israel on the 7th of October 2023.
1:16.0	We packed up fast to head towards the war.
1:19.2	It took two days, so there was plenty of time to watch dozens of horrific videos on social media,
1:24.8	showing the war crimes that Hamas had perpetrated.
1:29.0	By the evening of the 7th, we'd only reached Poland, but it was clear that this was going to be a big war. Hamas was
1:34.7	still inside Israel. The Israeli military, the IDF, was bombing and shelling Gaza. Prime Minister
1:40.4	Benjamin Netanyahu went on television, vowing revenge.
1:50.2	I had no idea, of course, I don't think anyone did, that the war would last this long.
1:57.1	But the enormity of events on that day made it obvious that it was a seismic moment in this long conflict. The essence of the conflict has stayed the same. It's over possession of the
2:02.4	land between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, the area that makes up present-day Israel
	...

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