The Take: Josh Paul resigned over Gaza. What comes next?
Josh Paul, the first US official to resign over Israel's war on Gaza, joins The Take to explain why he stepped down, his new efforts lobbying in Washington, DC, and why he believes that US support for Israel's war fuels conflict abroad and makes Americans less safe at home.
In this episode:
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sonia Bhagat, and Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Remas Al Hawari, Kisaa Zehra, and Mariana Navarette, and our host, Natasha Del Toro. It was edited by Kylene Kiang.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
30 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
What's behind the Trump-Musk break-up?
The big break-up: The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has parted ways with the richest man in the world, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Once their friendship reaped rewards for both: Musk donated around hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump's re-election campaign and the president created a role for Musk in his government. But political, or fiscal, differences soured the relationship, and what was once a mutually beneficial alliance deteriorated into an exchange of insults on social media. So, did Elon Musk's position undermine US democracy? And do Donald Trump's friendships and interests influence US policy? Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam Guests: Niall Stanage – Political analyst and White House columnist for The Hill newspaper Dan Ives – Technology analyst and managing director of Wedbush Securities Faiz Siddiqui – Author of, Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Yemen's al-Qaeda leader threatens Trump, Musk over Israel's war on Gaza
The leader of al-Qaeda's Yemen branch has targeted US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk over United States backing for Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and its besieged Palestinian population. 'There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our people in Gaza,' said Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki in a half-hour video message that was spread online Saturday by supporters of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni branch of the armed group. 'Reciprocity is legitimate,' he said. Al-Awlaki's video message also included calls for so-called lone wolves to assassinate leaders in Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states over the war, which has decimated Gaza, killing at least 54,772 Palestinians over the past 20 months. The message featured images of Trump and Musk, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, as well as logos of Musk's businesses – including electric carmaker Tesla. Born in 2009 from the merger of al-Qaeda's Yemeni and Saudi factions, AQAP is completely distinct from Yemen's Houthi rebel group, which controls most of the country and agreed to a ceasefire with the US earlier this month. AQAP grew and developed amid the chaos of Yemen's war, which has pitted the Houthis against a Saudi-led coalition backing the government since 2015. Al-Awlaki became the group's leader in 2024, replacing predecessor Khalid Batarfi, who died that year. He already has a $6m US bounty on his head, having, as Washington puts it, 'publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies'. Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders, the group had been considered the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda still operating since the US killing of founder Osama bin Laden in 2011. United Nations experts estimate AQAP has between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members, claiming that it raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as by smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and conducting ransom operations. The Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, though the latter's targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years, while its fighters keep attacking the Saudi-led coalition forces. Now, with its focus on Israel's war on Gaza, AQAP appears to be following the lead of the Houthi group, which has launched missile attacks on Israel and targeted commercial vessels moving through the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli fire. 'As the Houthis gain popularity as leaders of the 'Arab and Muslim world's resistance' against Israel, al-Awlaki seeks to challenge their dominance by presenting himself as equally concerned about the situation in Gaza,' said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert with the Basha Report risk advisory firm. 'For a national security and foreign policy community increasingly disengaged from Yemen, this video is a clear reminder: Yemen still matters,' he said.
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Syria confirms closure of civil war-era desert camp, displaced return home
The notorious Rukban displacement camp in the Syrian desert, a dark emblem of the country's civil war, has closed, with the last remaining families returning to their hometowns. Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said on Saturday on X that with the dismantlement of the camp, 'a tragic and sorrowful chapter of displacement stories created by the bygone regime's war machine comes to a close'. 'Rukban was not just a camp, it was the triangle of death that bore witness to the cruelty of siege and starvation, where the regime left people to face their painful fate in the barren desert,' he added. The camp, established in 2014 at the height of the country's ruinous civil war, was built in a deconfliction zone controlled by the United States-led coalition forces fighting against ISIL (ISIS). The camp was used to house those fleeing ISIL fighters and bombardment by the then-government of President Bashar al-Assad, seeking refuge and hoping to eventually cross the border into Jordan. But al-Assad's regime rarely allowed aid to enter the camp as neighbouring countries also blocked access to the area, rendering Rukban isolated for years under a punishing siege. About 8,000 people lived in the camp, staying in mud-brick houses with food and basic goods smuggled in at high prices. But after al-Assad was toppled following a lightning offensive led by the current president of Syria's interim government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in December, families began leaving the camp and returning home. Al-Sharaa has promised to unite Syria following the fall of al-Assad and rebuild the country at home and rejoin the international fold abroad. Last month, al-Sharaa met with world leaders, including United States President Donald Trump, who announced that sanctions on Syria would be removed in a decision that would allow the country a 'chance at greatness'. The European Union followed suit and also lifted sanctions. Both moves have given Syria a critical lifeline to economic recovery after nearly 14 years of war and economic devastation. Yasmine al-Salah, who returned to her home after nine years of displacement in the Rukban camp and marked the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha, told The Associated Press news agency on Friday that her feelings are a 'happiness that cannot be described'. 'Even though our house is destroyed, and we have no money, and we are hungry, and we have debts, and my husband is old and can't work, and I have kids – still, it's a castle in my eyes,' al-Salah said. Her home in the town of al-Qaryatan in the eastern part of the Homs province was damaged during the war. Syrian Minister for Emergency Situations and Disasters Raed al-Saleh said on X said the camp's closure marks 'the end of one of the harshest humanitarian tragedies faced by our displaced people'. 'We hope this step marks the beginning of a path that ends the suffering of the remaining camps and returns their residents to their homes with dignity and safety,' he added. According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.87 million Syrians have returned to their homes since al-Assad's fall.
