On June 13th, the Israeli Occupation Forces launched Operation Rising Lion, a massive military escalation targeting over 100 sites in Iran. Justified under the familiar yet questionable guise of “self-defense,” Israel claimed that failing to strike Iran would endanger the very existence of the Zionist entity.

In this emergency episode of the Let’s Talk Palestine Podcast, we unpack the critical context behind the latest Israeli act of aggression. We trace the collapsing nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, Israel’s long-standing obsession with regime change in Iran, and the broader geopolitical motives driving this moment.

As the episode unfolds, we begin to analyse who stands to benefit, the regional consequences, and what this could mean for the future of both Iran and Israel. Crucially, we tie it all back to the ongoing genocide in Gaza—because as long as Israel insists on the domination and submission of its neighbors, the entire region remains at risk.

In early April, the proscribed Palestinian resistance movement Hamas instructed UK-based lawyers to submit an application to the UK government seeking the removal of its political wing from the UK's list of designated terrorist organisations. One of the lawyers involved in the case, Franck Magennis, joins us in this episode of the Let's Talk Palestine Podcast to break down the legal complexities for listeners unfamiliar with the workings of the legal system.

From the practical implications of the proscription on the ground in Gaza, to the legal arguments underpinning the application and the broader aims of the case, Mr Magennis also sheds light on the colonial-era legislation that enabled such designations in the first place.

This episode is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand how legal systems intersect with foreign policy, resistance movements, and the legacies of empire.

From repeated Israeli ceasefire violations, to Trump's 'Gaza Riviera' plan, the future of Gaza and the rest of Palestine appears to hang in the balance. In this episode, we take a step back to go through multiple factors individually, piecing them together to paint a full picture of what the future holds for Palestinians. Palestinian analyst Rami Khouri joins us to give his insights for this episode of the Let's Talk Palestine Podcast.