World

Democracy doesn’t exist in the United States: Chris Hedges

Friday, January 31, 2025
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, many are raising concerns about the possible decline of liberal democracy.

What then would a second Trump term mean for the next four years for the United States? And what impact will the president's foreign policy have on the Middle East?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill discusses these issues with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and former war correspondent Chris Hedges.

Marwan Bishara on meaning of the prison in Palestinian life, literally and metaphorically

Friday, January 31, 2025
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara highlights how Israeli prisons have served as both places of education and sites of immense suffering for Palestinians.

He emphasizes that while many detainees pursued higher education and even learned Hebrew through distance learning, they also endured torture, which profoundly affected their lives and their families.

Bishara suggests that these prisons are not just physical confinement spaces but part of a broader metaphorical prison that has encompassed Palestine for the past 75 years. Whether locked inside Gaza and the West Bank or locked out as refugees forbidden from returning home, Palestinians live in a state of perpetual confinement.

He underscores that, for all Palestinians—whether imprisoned or under occupation—their ultimate aspiration remains freedom.

Exchange deal: Eight captives released for 110 Palestinian prisoners

Friday, January 31, 2025
Hamas has released three Israeli and five Thai captives in Gaza and Israel began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process after crowds swarmed one of the captive handover points.

Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, was the first to be released on Thursday as she emerged from under rubble at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, which has repeatedly been targeted by Israeli forces throughout more than 15 months of war.

Al Jazeera’s Michael Appel reports.

Hamas’s theatrical projection of confidence carries with it risks: Marwan Bishara

Friday, January 31, 2025  
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara highlights the intense emotional and psychological dimensions surrounding the ongoing conflict.

He emphasizes the stark contrast between public emotions -ranging from joy and relief to anger and despair - amid the release of captives on both sides.

Bishara also suggests that beyond the emotional outpouring, there is a calculated strategic element at play, with both Israel and Hamas engaging in psychological warfare. Hamas seeks to project an image of resilience and defiance, while Israel underscores the necessity of its actions despite the broader implications.

He further notes that such displays of power risk escalating tensions, potentially provoking further responses. Ultimately, Bishara reflects on the remarkable endurance of Hamas, as it continues to operate despite relentless Israeli military pressure.

We will work on forming an inclusive transitional government: Syria's President Sharaa

Friday, January 31, 2025
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa will work on forming an inclusive transitional government, he said on Thursday in his first speech after being declared president. "A preparatory committee for the national dialogue conference will be announced in the coming days," Sharaa added.

Palestinian prisoners released: Israeli forces open fire to disperse crowds along the route

Thursday, January 30, 2025
Israel has released 110 Palestinian prisoners, as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
 
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered Beitunia, in the occupied West Bank to welcome them home.
 
Around 30 children are among the prisoners released. At least 32 of them were serving life sentences.
 
And Israeli forces opened fire as the Red Cross convoy carrying the Palestinian prisoners travelled through the occupied West Bank.
 
Israeli soldiers used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds along the route of the heavily-protected convoy.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud is in Gaza City, Tareq Abu Azzoum in Khan Younis and Hamdah Salhut in Jordanian capital, Amman, because the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority have banned Al Jazeera from reporting inside Israel and in the occupied West Bank.

How Israel tests military tech on Palestinians? | The Palestine Laboratory E1 | Featured Documentary

Thursday, January 30, 2025
Uncovering how Israel profits from surveillance technologies using occupied Palestinian territories as a testing ground.

Israel punches way above its weight when it comes to arms sales. The 97th country by population, it is the ninth largest arms dealer in the world with a $13bn military-industrial complex.

"Plenty of countries sell weapons," says award-winning journalist Antony Loewenstein, "but what makes Israel's industry unique is the mix of weapons, surveillance technology and architectural techniques that combine to create a comprehensive system for controlling 'difficult' populations and are based on years of experience in Palestine."

In this two-part series, Loewenstein goes on a journey to investigate how these weapons and surveillance technologies are used to control and repress Palestinians in Palestine before being sold all over the world.

Antony Loewenstein is a Jewish, Australian journalist and author who for more than 20 years has written unflinchingly about Israel and its relationship with the Palestinians, even though it has often put him at odds with many in the Jewish diaspora and Israel.

In Episode 1, Loewenstein returns to Israel to investigate how cutting-edge military and surveillance technology is being used on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, before being marketed to international clients as "field-proven" and "battle-tested".

Hearing from Palestinians and Israelis, he uncovers how a pipeline of personnel and research from the Israeli army feeds into semi-private arms companies which form a crucial part of Israel's exports to the world. He also investigates the Israeli army's use of targeting systems that utilise artificial intelligence during the Gaza war after October 7, 2023.

Gaza ceasefire deal: Israeli female soldier released in Jabalia

Thursday, January 30, 2025
Israeli captive Agam Berger has been handed over to the Red Cross in the Jabalia refugee camp.

Dressed in a military uniform, she appeared walking, escorted by Palestinian fighters, through the rubble of a wrecked building in the camp.

She then appeared on a stage and waved to onlookers, before getting into a car belonging to the Red Cross.

Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif reports from Jabalia in northern Gaza.

US air collision: Plane collides with helicopter midair in Virginia

Thursday, January 30, 2025
A plane and helicopter collision has sparked a desperate search and rescue operation in the US state of Virginia.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late on Wednesday that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet collided with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to the airport in Arlington County.

News agencies are citing the US Army saying three soldiers were on board the helicopter.

At least two bodies have been recovered.

All takeoffs and landings have been stopped at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Emergency services are at the scene.

Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi joins us now live from Arlington, Virginia.
 
Keith Mackey is an aircraft accident investigator and aviation consultant. He is also a retired pilot who has flown into Reagan National Airport many times. He joins us live from Ocala in Florida to discuss the latest developments. 

US President Trump signs Laken Riley act, in Washington

Thursday, January 30, 2025
US President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act, legislation requiring the detention of immigrants living in the US illegally who are accused of theft.

Al Jazeera's White House correspondent Kimberly Halkett joins live from Washington.