time after it and see and welcome to going underground the team and i will be back with a brand new season starting on my birthday january 13th but until then we will be showing some of your favorite shows from this season. this is part one of a 2 part special looking into what trump so called abraham accord signed between the leaders of the united states israel the united arab emirates and bahrain mean for the future of the middle east the accords normalize relations between israel and the tube arab autocracies the 3rd and 4th arab countries to open diplomatic relations with israel to egypt and jordan the agreement is seen by u.s. president trump as the dawn of the new middle east and the beginning of a new era of peace but others see it as the building of a stronger front against iran and a potential end to any chance of

a future for the palestinian people in wednesday's show i'll be speaking to the palestinian ambassador to the u.k. has a lot and later in this program we'll be hearing from the editor in chief of the jerusalem post jack of caps but 1st joining me now from tel aviv is the 10th prime minister of israel ehud barak who also served as defense minister for 27 to 2013 former presidents effects so much for coming on before we talk about anything i suppose we must talk about the lockdown in israel perhaps the 1st 2nd lockdown in the world your prime minister netanyahu saying that your country is on the edge of an abyss what do you make of the situation every major critic of of the prime minister of police is on this issue we have went through the 1st 2 a very effectively but then. we gave both posed for half a year and nothing had been done to improve the capacity that will probably the cup by. an. to deploy them urgency plan of israel which is therefore for

13 years now emergency plan for a war may jaw else quake or a pandemic and instead of implementing these. emergency plan the prime minister chose to loosen all the all the constraints and now we are paying the price for it the chances of these locked down to very low and. economic oh i see the suffering of millions of people is a devastating. it's still not too late to do the right things but they need political will and the capacity to make decisions namely to concentrate on the place where there are ups and these are really hot it made me out of a concentration in they all told to go concentration and manage it in a way that will minimize the damage to economy in fact for. old people while

empowering the healthy thing this is not done so i am very critical and i think that it's a major failure of that and the oh well he won you lost in the end actions and netanyahu supporters would say not only has he secured massive us subsidy to israel a $142000000000.00 to 2019 but we more coronavirus later on he secured this so-called abraham accords with some arab or talk or sees he's secured the moving of the us embassy to jerusalem something you strongly supports sour grapes for you on this look here deception achievement i'm glad that the. went out of the closure to no it did to foam allies relationship with us and i hope that others will follow it

positive development. of course it's not a we have peace it's not a major breakthrough we know these people for 25 years. and we have a very very intense even relationship with them on many of enough but still it's good news to see them away to to meet with us in public after the chief and his way of moving go from buffy both of those former television to jill's it was also welcomed here but nothing can cover these major. defeat by the corner viable from one hand and the damage to economy which goes now about to well for 17 percent of g.d.p. and our grand gunned children will have to pay for weight in a future there may be back in full. and not to mention that he loses

the last of the people because he cannot give a personality sample a need for really concentrated on the series of. cold cases about corruption well obviously he denies corruption even though he's been indicted for it and as for this is an abraham accords you claim then not some of the greatest developments in the middle east will donald trump seeking election in november says their huge step forward what do you mean there have been relations before between israel and the united arab emirates and bahrain the u.a.e. didn't recognize israel they would raise the word israel from atlases in libraries in dubai i happen to be many still far foreign affairs of is where 25 years ago and i met with the but. in sherman hundreds of pieces of president mubarak at the time we met several times with a delegate they. was over there were on the south lawn of the white house

reason ateneo heal a ship between israeli business easier relationship between our governments i was there for some 20 years and they still i do not deny it's very positive development that they are now ready to sign a more formal agreement with south and open embassy than normalization debt good good news for the middle east it's a blow to the palestinians but i hope that we'll find a way to make it. so also. paid with full the prospect of. contacts with the palestinians not the other wife not the old bloke to be with the palestinians i should say the leaders of met with israeli leaders they certainly don't recognize israel diplomatically you mention the palestinians they completely reject the abraham accords and the deal of the century coming out of the white

house is it worse now than it ever has been since camp david and biffle for the palestinians i hope not you know it showed the world out a way can you go forward from this blind hatred. and lead a throwaway duple standing in front of their own publics and tell them if there is an old model state we have to have a relationship with them that's very positive and tells the palestinian or shows them that they were action which is negotiation and. compromise if not now go for it oh if he's determined to fight though whatever he takes and we do whatever the means but they are the same time i strongly believe that 2 state solution is the only solution and i already stated many times that even to take $515.00 or 50 of the after camp david where

a breakthrough will be achieved you will need magnifying glass to feed the differences between what was on the table the camp david what will be agreed to hamas in gaza completely rejects this deal of the century what do you think they're going to do next i understand that obviously israel was financing hamas you'd know that israel am best moshi iran's he knew you when you were deputy i.d.f. chief what has happened with hamas from israeli financing to hamas now. lead. the struggle some palestinians would say against illegal israeli occupation you know we cannot replace the palestinians it's somehow we to help and that are we we were ready to go ahead to even though we dismantled israeli settlements in gaza and pulled out every israeli settler or soldier and

looked forward to cope with a deal with the palestinian. authority and then the amassed took over and since then they accumulate to me look at which cover half of israel wide now. follow me every every several years where. a higher profile clash with them for some time and then the poles fall for some time with small exchanges or clashes it's not good but it's up to the palestinians the opportunities there we are ready to concede support the infrastructure as long as it doesn't go and. we allow the qataris bait mainly the qataris to help them financially and it's up to the palestinian people we will never settle with still we will never accept always something acceptable and we are

strong enough to fight it but i think that the the a berm accords showed tells the palestinians that the time poor billy had come to have a 2nd sort about the whole paradigm to developing and to i to come to terms to israel it would be better for them and i cannot deny it's better for. well i don't need to remind you the gross human rights violations by israel when you were in leadership positions whether in the army or in the political as a political leader i should just ask you why did you finance a mouse in the 1st place you're saying you're against terrorism but why was i must being financed by israel anyway no we are not financing from us we just we allowed the qataris to finance them and we of course because we supply the electricity all we cannot afford it in our neighbors

a major humanitarian crises we. we don't have. big gardens in faith we have the cool weather and we've come us with their political leaders and in god they leave 2000000 people which has the day of rights to have no my life. suffering because of their own leadership and we are ready to put an end to it but it's not up to us it's up to the. well israel has financed hamas israel's ambassador to washington moshe rounds the deputy actually back then in back then was netanyahu himself brigadier general hugh checks again israel's military governor of gaza claim that israel finances hamas what i'm trying to get to as to the relevance today is is israel financing islam ists terrorism throughout the middle east we saw netanyahu accused of supporting isis dyin in syria against president assad we even know about israel's role with iran in the iran contra scandal why does israel

support islam is violence. i think that you are totally longview you mentioned the shower and an attorney out of his deputy it was still 2 years ago failed to you to go a generation ago. we were involved in. directly in. contrast. mao denial of vote and we see in iran porthcawl made me iran. not to. encourage any terrible israeli probably d. most determined state in fighting against i mean israel obviously was part of the iran contra deal allowing weapons to be exported to iran and as you say these are historical details but how many years ago but how many

is it hurted how many years ago did netanyahu meet with a legit isis diasur al qaeda sympathizers in the nato back to war against president assad of syria. i should admit they don't understand the open fictional story we are talking we are facing major injuries right now and you are talking about. you describe in them where i gave you the but these are the events to you the gold totally irrelevant. now in the middle east for prime minister also be there more from israel's former prime minister and defense minister after this break. 2020 has been a year like you no wonder you know it's

a coming crisis changed our lives how we look continue to shape our lives meet. one of many long things you know that may never reach or. join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guests of the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then. welcome back i'm still here with the 10th prime minister of israel ehud barak president rouhani of iran claims that there are forces supporting islam mystic stream ism he obviously said the united states but he also says israel has been supporting that and many believe the abraham records are the preamble to a war on iraq i would not take a president or honey or was going to where the judge for these these metro as

a kind of phony liable this whole thing's of information about. iran is that totally biased and. there's no basis for it and the album called could be described as a defensive step against iranian expansion east. regional intentions but not as they put the. kind of creep for fall of friends of friends of steps against iran iran of course denies it has any regional ambitions did you support donald trump's assassination of general kasim sulaimani the iranian general who up until recently had been working with u.s. troops to defeat isis diane syria it's an american operation it's up to them i respect their right to act upon due judgment. of their

interest in their fighting against. global terror all and if you ask me whether the world is a little bit safer place after suliman leave now to ease our thought i would tell you yes my answer is affirmative general sulaimani was working with united states troops against isis day as netanyahu is pictured with islam ists who. thanks to isis. newness and the b.b.c. here in britain found out that british support was ending up with islam ists in syria what i'm getting at is where is the support for islam is coming from in your region you know i don't know you and never met you but i can tell you judging from your question you have. a huge

misperception of what willy happens in the middle east and i'm not sure to what extent it could be of value have been interviewed we continue to have to listen to your claims which i found totally disconnected from reality even here all day of the named and they events you have mentioned probably had happened i'm not sure of this give believe iran a bluffing about retaliation for the assassination of customs and their money i don't see a value for continue to continue these we owe you know your right to frame the situation or the perception of the viewers of the situation upon your judgment and to ask me just to give moral kind of what if it caved into it i do not accept your framing so i don't think that there is any value to continue doing. 2 but all i was asking about was how big is the iranian

threat to israel now that the united states assassinated one of their top generals i think that my english is not as good as yours but in plain english and very clear i don't believe you did do a way to continue an interview where in your own question you are too right to put an ansel. i'm used to. tell me different interviews than i with all due respect i will ask you in this interview will i have to ask you i mean i'm talking about regional security and the threats to israel you did want to be prime minister of israel up until a few months ago i'm asking you about how secure israel is given the abraham accords given the assassination of cousin silly money given the u.a.e.

and bahrain becoming friends with israel you know i repeat it always with all due respect you have your opinion you have don't like where you are i'm asking for your opinion idea we're in the old friend and i know it's going to i don't understand no no you don't ask my opinion i must go and ask for my you don't ask for my. you discuss. form of a minister i think you are to respect my white to fully uncertain your question i'm asking for your opinion about where israel situation deeply embedded deeply deeply embedded in your goal or pinions you have your wife or having your opinions but i am not i do not intend to cooperate or collaborate with this and thank you i really thank you very much for your the

opportunity to talk to you but i think these. days i'm not sure why. we came to it in. former israeli prime minister ehud barak decided to end the interview there well joining me now for more is the editor in chief of the jerusalem post yaakov katz deck of thanks for coming back and we just spoke to former prime minister barak before he left is a shadow strike do you think being prepared on iran. the one you wrote about on syria when barak was defense minister well i think that israel is always preparing for the possibility there might be military action against iran's nuclear facilities there's no doubt that if you were 20000 you. would pose a threat of an extension of nature to the fact that i told this don't hate their readiness or or desire to want to equate this or lost the match so israel would

have to have the capability in place but i don't think we're there yet because i suppose the context of why iran might want to retaliate is assassination because i'm still a money they may ram accords all manner of different geopolitical developments obviously iran denies any military nuclear capability do you think and i know you've been really critical of netanyahu he's actually become quite a good prime minister in your country he's succeeding in getting us support for the arguably alleged violations of international law many resolutions he succeeded in getting golan israeli the embassy to jerusalem the j.c.b. away and massive subsidy from the u.s. to tackle covered a virus. well i think that there are treatments and he hopes i think that there is the new 10 you know it was the statesman and you know it was diplomat and you know who knows how to work very well with other countries around the world and

especially has cultivated particularly close ties and if special relationship an alliance with the current u.s. president donald trump and as a result has been able to achieve for israel a long list as some of them you mentioned strategic benefits i would say for israel but then there's another nixon you know the one who are more critical of who is i find to be a bit of a divisive politician i find his rhetoric to be sometimes anti-democratic i find some moves that he's made and the knesset israel's parliament against the attorney general against our courts against the judicial system and principally and most recently has management of the coronavirus crisis in this country has been a complete failure sadly i say that and i wonder at times if it's not as a result of the fact that the prime minister is very preoccupied with his own trial that is about to restart in january we'll see him sitting inside a courtroom 3 days a week for hours on end that is something that he definitely doesn't want to be it

but this is a situation that needs a full time prime minister who's completely focused on the health and welfare of his citizens and i don't think that israel has that. always and then you know denies the corruption charges he also deny that he's handled coronavirus pull income come given your editorials they you accuse netanyahu of wanting total chaos you sound like an iranian politician in some of your editorial for the jury surely that's a that's a bit of a stretch i don't think i'm a reagan politician i think that what i'm doing and aren't tauriel what we're doing is we are holding what journalism is meant to be journalism is meant to be a watchdog for democracy that the real issue at. and you just have to look at the numbers right and you know they pretty much speak for itself israel today has a high school actually recruit after much from a country that appeared in the 1st week i respect march and april very tough luck i

should say one of the highest it's not the highest more seriously is or went from a country to do very well the 1st rate for a country and now it's locking down the 1st western countries locking down its just for a 2nd time with with draconian measures economy again which is already predicted by the o.e.c.d. to be taking a 6 percent drop after years of growth is going to continue more businesses will close down more people get sick where people sadly die this is not good management well you have a death rate in israel which is better but capita than the one here in britain i should add and i suppose some might ask you to me more patriotic of course you gave a very good defense of what journalists as opposed to do that but i think one element to the abraham. accords is palestinians have nowhere to go now they've called it a stab in the back from the u.a.e.

and bahrain what's your view as to whether saudi arabia was basically behind this deal involving theoretically trump netanyahu with bahrain in the u.a.e. . well i mean he threw a lot out of me right there so the let me just say firstly about the saudis involvement with the u.a.e. it seemed that they might have had a hand in it because it would be difficult to see the crown prince of the united arab emirates commitments i make a move this kind without the crown prince's approval from saudi arabia and yes let me just say about the palestinians for a moment in my personal opinion israel now should be reaching out to the palestinians because we're reaching out from point straight sadly there intransigent they're stuck in their old ways they're they're missing another they don't miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity as op even our famous diplomat once said many years ago but still pertinent today with regard to the palestinians but i would hope that maybe they'll come around to it and i hope that maybe through

the arab world the palestinians will recognize that now is actually the time to come back to the table to negotiate to try to reach a deal with israel well we're going to speak about him asked london on wednesday his program we invite the iranian u.a.e. ambassador to deny the saudi a dictatorial power that you just allege that and what i think i'm getting at is and i should tell you the palestinians have no interest whatsoever in fairness to israel israel has sought opinion from palestine is clearly not happening. it's not happening but i think that you know the palestinians have to be a decision what it is that exact rights israel has always said the door negotiations israel was the one that embraced peace for prosperity planned donald trump and built a general which calls for a 2 state solution this is a perfect opportunity for the palestinians there get an extension off the table israel if he embraced a 2 state solution let's come let's start talking but they're not there given the

amount of un resolutions violated by the treaties you mention there i have to ask you though and i asked prime former prime minister barak about previous israeli financing for hamas hamas presumably seeking other people to get money from as it rules in the gaza strip iran its general because i'm still a money has asked unaided by donald trump you don't see any existential crisis that israel now faces because of the abraham accords and the actions of all trump. it's essential crisis on the contrary i think with the abraham accords and with the targeted killing that qassam tsunami has done is made the world a safer place or because i'm superman he was a terrorist who was responsible for generating the largest terrorist attacks the most terrorism not just against israel but against great britain the countries you're but i learned he did work with against the united states against countries in europe taking him off the map and removing him makes the world a better place undermines you hons capability to entrench insult further in syria

and sickens you build up his blog about and just about the interim courts what they have done when it comes to extension threat you mention is that is they created a larger plot that can take out or the uranium threat that's against israel against the stability of the middle east for too long people have said that israel and the palestinians are the source of instability in the sources and that conflict is what everyone today not recognizing abraham cortes is part of that new news for the world israel is a pillar of stability if you have courts in trenches that simply because those arab states which refused intel to recognize israel are now because they understand that working with israel will keep them safer against the true threats which is the iranians yack of cats thank you that's ever want to go favorite shows of the last season we will be back with a brand new season of going on the ground on january the 13th until then subscribe to the john on you tube to catch all the other interviews from this eason and for

online exclusive content merry christmas and a better 2021. response is nothing like. that it's not a money spinner but it is expensive. and it's dangerous. this is. the brakes that's. the problem here some people.

headlines on r t international as intensive care units in california fill up during the pandemic clinics are forced to set up makeshift wards outside one nurse tells us just how bad the situation has become. we're stuck now we were running low on oxygen on supplies of patients in overflow overflow overflow areas. and in russia people 60 and over start receiving this put make a v. vaccine after the health ministry said it was safe to do so. and vaccinations are rolling out across europe as well but people are divided on the issue.