Israel, Gaza and the view from the Middle East

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 October 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

Kate Adie presents stories from Israel and Gaza, South Korea and Turkey. Three years ago the Gulf states of Bahrain and the UAE agreed to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel - and it was Joe Biden's hope that Saudi Arabia would soon join them. But where do the Arab nations stand today amid a new Israel-Gaza conflict, asks the BBC’s Security Correspondent Frank Gardner. Reporting on the Israel-Gaza conflict is a particular challenge, as so few journalists currently have access or permission to work in Gaza. As a former BBC correspondent in Gaza, Jon Donnison reflects on the current difficulties of reporting on the reality of life there today. The trauma of what happened on the 7th of October continues to reverberate in Israel, as those killed during Hamas’ attack are buried. Helping to ensure families are able to bid farewell to their loved ones, is a team of volunteers tasked with recovering the bodies of the dead – a job they see as a religious duty. Joel Gunter has been to meet them. This weekend marks a bleak anniversary in South Korea, as it was a year ago that revellers gathered in Seoul's party district to celebrate Halloween – only to never return home. A deadly crush that formed during the night, killed 158 people, and injured nearly 200 more. Jean Mackenzie returned to the streets she reported from last year, and meets survivors still looking for answers. The Republic of Turkey is 100 years old, and Misha Glenny has been recording a series for Radio 4 on the history of the formation of the state. He recounts an incident at Istanbul’s ornate Dolmabahce Palace – the former residence of Ottoman Sultans, and, in his final days, Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Attaturk.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts
0:05.2	Today, as Israel's ground offensive intensifies, our correspondent reflects on the current difficulties
0:12.6	of reporting from inside Gaza. In Israel, we meet the ultra-orthodox volunteers undertaking
0:20.8	the most difficult of tasks, recovering the bodies of those killed in the recent attacks
0:26.1	by Hamas. In so, in South Korea, survivors and relatives of those killed in the deadly
0:33.9	crush that occurred during last year's Halloween celebrations are still seeking answers to
0:40.0	those who should be held responsible. And this weekend marks 100 years since the foundation
0:47.2	of the Republic of Turkey, our correspondent takes a quick tour of its deep history.
0:54.6	First, we look at the impact the current Israel Gaza conflict is having on the wider
0:59.8	Middle East. It was just over three years ago that the Gulf states of Bahrain and the UAE
1:06.3	agreed to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel, signing the Abraham Accords, broken
1:11.8	by President Donald Trump. And it was President Joe Biden's aim that a similar deal could
1:17.7	also be agreed with Saudi Arabia. Some in diplomatic circles were even discussing a grand
1:24.3	bargain, which by time major Arab powers into a lasting pact for peace. Now though, everything
1:31.6	seems to have changed. So, where do the Arab nations stand today on the conflict? Ask
1:37.6	the BBC Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner.
1:42.1	The instruction from the Prime Minister's office came through well in advance. Our team
1:46.6	said should report to the PM's office two hours ahead of the interview for security checks.
1:52.0	As it was for TV, Mr Netanyahu would then require a hairstylest and makeup artist at our
1:57.8	expense. Amazingly, this was more than a quarter of a century ago in 1997, when BB, as
2:05.4	Israeli's sometimes called Benjamin Netanyahu, was already Prime Minister of Israel. I was
2:10.5	a producer back then on the BBC's Hard Talk programme, where we set out to interview
	...

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