Can mediation cut through conflict in the Middle East?

Can mediation cut through conflict in the Middle East?

In Gaza, a fragile ceasefire comes with great uncertainty for the future. In Yemen, the Houthis are abducting humanitarian workers and journalists in a witch hunt for alleged spies. And in Syria, a new and unstable political landscape could go either way.

“It's not easy to build peace. It's much easier to stop a war,” says Martin Griffiths, executive director of Mediation Group International.

The former under secretary general for humanitarian affairs at the UN speaks to The National’s editor-in-chief Mina Al-Oraibi in this special episode of Beyond the Headlines.

They discuss the instrumental role of mediation, not only to resolve conflicts in the Middle East, but to ensure peace will follow. Mr Griffiths draws insights from his decades-long career in the humanitarian field to reflect on current events in the region. He talks about the diplomacy model set by Gulf countries and about opportunities to reform a UN in crisis.

Episoder(478)

How can anyone feel safe in Lebanon after the deadly pager attacks?

How can anyone feel safe in Lebanon after the deadly pager attacks?

Thousands in Lebanon were injured and at least 32 people were killed this week in a double attack believed to have been conducted by Israel. On Tuesday, thousands of pagers in the possession of Hezbol...

20 Sep 202415min

What is left after decade of conflict in Yemen?

What is left after decade of conflict in Yemen?

Ten years ago, on September 21, 2014, Yemen’s Houthi rebels took over the capital city of Sanaa from government rule. Months later, a Saudi-led coalition intervened to support the internationally reco...

13 Sep 202415min

What is the future of Gaza’s children living without education?

What is the future of Gaza’s children living without education?

It is back to school for children all around the world, but not in Gaza. Eleven months of war in the strip have devastated lives, homes, hospitals and infrastructure. Education has been virtually eras...

6 Sep 202423min

What stands in the way of a Gaza ceasefire agreement?

What stands in the way of a Gaza ceasefire agreement?

The cycle of Gaza ceasefire talks has started to become predictable. Headlines initially spark hope with announcements of progress, only for other regional incidents to derail negotiations, leading to...

30 Aug 202417min

The challenges in containing a looming polio outbreak in Gaza

The challenges in containing a looming polio outbreak in Gaza

Children’s lives in Gaza are riddled with uncertainty. They don’t know when the next bomb will fall, where their next meal will come from or even if their families and friends are still alive. Now, an...

23 Aug 202422min

How Israeli prisons became 'a network of torture camps'

How Israeli prisons became 'a network of torture camps'

In recent weeks, human rights organisations and media investigations have documented the worsening conditions in Israeli prisons over the past 10 months. They reveal beatings and other forms of brutal...

16 Aug 202419min

France’s racial gap between the Olympics and reality

France’s racial gap between the Olympics and reality

Olympic fanfare has swept across Paris in recent weeks, but there is an elephant in the room that’s difficult to ignore – the glaring disparity between France hosting one of the most multicultural eve...

10 Aug 202424min

The weight of Israel and Hezbollah’s warfare on life in Lebanon

The weight of Israel and Hezbollah’s warfare on life in Lebanon

On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier in the skies over Lebanon, a stunt timed to coincide with Hassan Nasrallah’s speech amid a series of threats by Hezbollah towards Israel and vice ...

8 Aug 202422min

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