Christiane Amanpour on Israel-Gaza: 'Trump is getting tired of the forces of war'
Veteran CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour reflects on decades of war reporting, challenging Gaza media restrictions and why Trump must have ‘lost faith’ on finding peace in the Middle East.
Listen to this article
Read time: 3 minutes
In brief:
- Christiane Amanpour, CNN's Chief International Anchor with over 30 years of experience, has launched a new podcast called "Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files with Jamie Rubin," focusing initially on the Gaza-Israel conflict.
- Amanpour compares current reporting restrictions in Gaza to her experience in Bosnia, expressing concern that Israel won't allow journalists into Gaza, which she calls "unacceptable”.
- The podcast discusses potential paths to peace amid recent developments, and Trump's diplomatic tour to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE that notably excludes Israel.
Christiane Amanpour knows a thing or two about global affairs.
A correspondent for CNN for more than 30 years, now working as the channel’s the Chief International Anchor, she has covered wars in Iran-Iraq and Bosnia. Today, she reports on the conflicts in Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza.
The veteran reporter is now bringing those decades of experience and expertise to the world of podcast-ing, something The News Agents know a thing or two about, as she launches a brand new podcast with Global; Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files with Jamie Rubin.
The first episode, out today, focuses on the latest in the Gaza-Israel conflict - one day after Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander was freed from Hamas captivity, and on the day President Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia as part of a diplomatic tour.
“We decided to take on what is possibly the most controversial issue in our foreign policy and in our politics and culture,” Amanpour tells Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall on The News Agents.
In the podcast, Amanpour says, her and her ex-husband Jamie Rubin, a former US diplomat, will talk about “now” but will also search for “hope”.
She recounts reporting on the Oslo accords - a moment Emily says seems a long time ago now.
“It does, but it doesn't mean to say it's impossible.”
Peace in the region will take “brave leadership” and “convincing people on the ground,” she says.
Amanpour says the conflict in Israel-Gaza is reminiscent of her time reporting in Bosnia, with the distinct difference that Israel won’t let journalists into Gaza to report, something she says is “unacceptable”.
“In Bosnia, every single day, we showed what one side was doing to the other side, and we showed the unacceptability of the slaughter of innocent civilians.
“We need to be able to tell the truth… I asked the deputy Israeli Foreign Minister on my show last week on CNN. I said, we need to go there. We need you to help us get there and tell this story. But I was rebuffed.”
Her new podcast discusses ways the Middle East could emerge from the war; “We have to have the kind of leadership that has to change this drama.”
The release of hostage Edan Alexander reportedly came about through indirect talks between Trump and Hamas, behind Benjamin Netanyahu’s back.
It is “interesting”, Amanpour says, that during his diplomatic tour to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE, Trump is not paying Israel a visit.
“Trump is showing in public that he seems to be getting tired of the forces of war,” she says.
“His envoy to the Israel Palestinian issue, Steve Whitaker, according to the Times of Israel, is quoted as telling the families of the hostages that Israel is extending this war beyond what's needed. Trump has lost faith.
“I don't know if he has. I don't know what happens behind closed doors, but he's not going to Israel.
“Listen to our podcast. Maybe it's, ‘carry on and you do what you have to do and finish the war’. Maybe there's nothing to talk about.”
Listen to the full interview on The News Agents
Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files with Jamie Rubin is available now on Global Player and all major podcast platforms.