Is Gaza's Hunger Crisis Driving the World to Recognize a Palestinian State?
Ertharin Cousin joins Deep Dish to unpack the unfolding hunger crisis in Gaza and explains how calls for Palestinian statehood recognition could reshape the conflict.
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About the Episode
Starvation is spreading in Gaza—not because of a lack of aid, but because humanitarian access is being blocked. Former UN World Food Programme Executive Director and Council Distinguished Fellow Ertharin Cousin joins Deep Dish to analyze how the crisis is fueling a broader diplomatic reckoning, with more nations moving toward recognition of a Palestinian state.
About the Experts
Distinguished Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture
Prior to joining the Council, Ertharin Cousin served as executive director of the UN World Food Programme where she led the world’s largest humanitarian organization from 2012 to 2017. She also previously served as US ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. Cousin is founder and CEO of Food Systems for the Future.
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She brings more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of international affairs, research, policy, and public engagement.
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