Eyewitnesses report Israeli tanks are moving in on central Rafah for the first time since the assault on the city began in early May. This comes after a deadly airstrike there that killed at least 45 people and injured more than 200, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “a tragic error." Global condemnation was swift: France, the EU and other governments call on Israel to immediately halt all Rafah operations. Correspondent Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem to discuss the latest from Rafah.  Also on today's show: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg; Songezo Zibi, Leader, Rise Mzansi party; Beeban Kidron, Member of the House of Lords; author Luis Miranda

May 28, 2024

A "brutal attack." That's how Ukrainan President Volodymyr Zelensky described a deadly strike that killed at least 18 people in a busy shopping centre in Kharkiv this weekend. Russian troops continue their advance in the east, stepping up their bombing campaign and leaving a trail of destruction. Latvia shares a border with Russia, and the country's President Edgars Rinkēvičs joins Christiane in London.  Also on today's show: Matthew Hollingworth / WFP Palestine Country Director; Jelani Cobb / Dean, Columbia Journalism School

May 27, 2024

Survivors, not statistics: We start with the persistent and pernicious violence against women, and the lack of action and accountability to protect them. This week two more women accused rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexual assault. This comes after CNN obtained sickening video of Combs attacking his girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. Christiane speaks with a transatlantic panel of women: attorney Gloria Allred, along with Lejla Dauti and April Hernandez Castillo, who are both survivors and advoc...Show moreates.  Then, how journalists “operate in a disinformation ecosystem” is a “defining issue,” as the world heads into a wave of critical elections, says Columbia Journalism School Dean Jelani Cobb.  Meantime, Former US State Department Senior Advisor and historian Vali Nasr discusses the succession crisis in Iran after the sudden death of its president. “Moving towards the middle gives more room for the US to engage Iran,” he says.  From the Amanpour Archive this week: When ex-Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic became the first sitting head of state to be tried by an international criminal tribunal.   And, in our Letter from London, the best-selling Israeli author and historian Yuval Noah Harari asks whether the Middle East can ever escape the "Israeli-Palestinian trap."

May 25, 2024

As Ukraine pleads for weapons, Russia has again struck Kharkiv with missiles, killing at least seven civilians. Kharkiv and the surrounding region is now the centre of this war. President Volodymyr Zelensky blames Western hesitation for the country's weakness, restricting where and how Kyiv can use NATO weapons. According to the New York Times, a debate is raging in the White House over allowing Ukraine to fire US weapons into Russia and after a “sobering” trip, US Secretary of State, Anthony Bl...Show moreinken, plans to change US policy. Earlier this month the United Kingdom gave Kyiv permission to target Russia with its weapons. Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director at the Center for a New American Security, joins Bianna Golodryga to discuss the potential ramifications of these decisions.  Also on today's show: Susan Glasser, Staff Writer, The New Yorker; best-selling author Amor Towles; Meryl Streep & Tom Hanks (from the archives)

May 24, 2024

Diplomatic isolation is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This week began with the ICC seeking indictments for him and his defense minister. That was followed by Ireland, Norway and Spain formally recognizing Palestine as a state. Christiane speaks to the Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris on his nation’s policy and the intractable Israel-Palestinian catastrophe.  Also on today's show: Mustafa Barghouti, President, Palestinian National Initiative; Avner Gvaryahu, Executive Director, Breaking The Silence; Aaron Tang, Professor of Law, UC Davis

May 23, 2024

Three European leaders today made a major diplomatic move, to recognize Palestinian statehood. Spain, Norway and Ireland say the decision is an important step toward peace. Israel reacted right away, recalling its ambassadors from all three countries. Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares joined the program from Madrid.  Also on today's show: attorney Gloria Allred, survivor/advocate Lejla Dauti, survivor/advocate April Hernandez Castillo; author Aisha Beliso-De Jesus

May 22, 2024

Yesterday's action by the ICC action targeting both Israeli and Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity has prompted furious condemnation from Israel and the United States, but France and Belgium have broken with these allies by supporting the court. Bestselling Israeli author and historian Yuval Noah Harari has been thinking deeply on his homeland and the possibility of peace between Israelis and Palestinians even now, asking in a Financial Times op-ed "Is there a way out of th...Show moree Israeli-Palestinian trap?." He joins the show in London.   Also on today's show: Chef Fadi Kattan, Author, "Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food"; Steven Johnson, Author, "The Infernal Machine"

May 21, 2024

Today, the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan told Christiane he is seeking warrants for three Hamas leaders for crimes committed during the October 7th attacks on Israel. The ICC is also seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing the subsequent war in Gaza. Karim Khan explains his decision to Christiane in an exclusive interview.  Also on today's show: Geoffrey Nice, lead prosecutor at the trial of Slobodan Milošević; Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the US

May 20, 2024

Supported by China, armed by North Korea and Iran, Putin tightens his anti-America alliance. A former NATO chief says the West should make sure Ukraine doesn’t just hang on, but win the war. Plus, caught between Russia and the West, the president of Georgia says Putin is using Soviet-era subterfuge to pull her country back into the Kremlin’s orbit. Also, a Bethlehem-born chef on celebrating Palestinian food but struggling to cook while his people are starved in Gaza.

May 18, 2024

Today, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced that the Israeli army found the bodies of three hostages in tunnels in Gaza. It is thought over a hundred hostages are still held by Hamas. Correspondent Nic Robertson joins the show to tell us more. While the world’s attention is focused on the war in Gaza, there’s been a spike in violence in the occupied West Bank. Since October 7, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded at least 800 Israeli settler att...Show moreacks against Palestinians in the West Bank that resulted in casualties or property damage. Now, a years-long investigation by the New York Times finds that violent factions within the Israeli settler movement have come to pose a threat to Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, and to Israel’s democracy. Journalist Ronen Bergman helped to lead the investigation, spending years investigating extremist violence. He joins the show from Tel Aviv.  Plus, Walter Isaacson talks with author Kristin Hannah and more.

May 17, 2024