Beyond the Headlines: The chances of the Israel-Gaza conflict becoming a Middle East war

In September, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood in front of world leaders at the UN General Assembly and displayed two maps: one showing Israel’s isolation at the time of its creation in 1948, and another showing the Arab countries that have normalised relations with it. He referred to it as a “new Middle East”.

That came amid US-led talks aimed at Israel and Saudi Arabia establishing formal ties.

But today, as we record on October 18, we’re in a different reality. The Israel-Gaza war has created a dangerous potential turning point for the region – and the world – putting peace on the back burner.

On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Sulaiman Hakemy asks whether the Israel-Gaza war is the start of something much bigger – and even worse.

Updated: October 20, 2023, 2:00 AM