7: The Arabic expert who predicted the October 7th war

Discussing the malign influence of Qatar in the Middle East and wider world, the complications of ceasefires and hostage deals, and the warning signs missed by Israeli intelligence and politicians before October 7th, Jonathan and Moataz interview Yigal Carmon, the President and founder of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). His organisation conducts deep research and translation of media material from multiple languages to help explain the Middle East (and beyond) to English speaking audiences. Born in Romania in 1946, Yigal immigrated to Israel at the age of four. Achieving native-level fluency in Arabic, he earned a degree in Orientalism from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and joined the IDF in 1968, serving in the Intelligence Corps until 1988, reaching the rank of Colonel. He served as an adviser on counterterrorism to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and also for one year to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. From 1991 to 1992 he was also a part of the Israeli delegation in the peace negotiations with Syria in Washington.