the grand tour land rover reef

• NURBURGRING WEBCAMS
• WORK FOR US

Will This As-New Hypersonic Gray Z06 Tempt You To Blow Your Budget?

GM’s American Plug-In Hybrids Won’t Arrive Until 2027

Should The VW Scirocco Return As An Electric Sports Car?

Editor's picks.

There’s A Rumor The 2025 Porsche 911 Turbo Will Be Manual And RWD, But Does It Make Any Sense?

Remember When Clarkson And Hammond Cut May’s Oxygen While Diving In Barbados?

The Grand Tour trio headed to Barbados during the show's first season

by Brad Anderson

As we eagerly await the next episode of The Grand Tour , a particularly hilarious clip from one of the show’s best episodes has been posted to YouTube.

This clip comes from the 10th episode of The Grand Tour’s first season when Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond headed to Barbados to construct an artificial coral reef using the bodies of five cars. It was an excellent episode and this video shows one of the most entertaining segments.

After dropping two car bodies into the ocean, the trio had to anchor the cars to the ocean floor so they didn’t float away in the currents. To make this happen, James May had to dive down. Unfortunately for him, Clarkson and Hammond were left with the task of supplying him with oxygen while he was under the water.

Watch Also: Jeremy Clarkson Says The Grand Tour’s Scotland Special Is Coming This Year

This required manual labor and as we all know, Clarkson doesn’t like manual labor. As such, they decided to unplug May’s air and attach it to a generator to do the work for him. While Clarkson and Hammond enjoyed the sunshine and crystal clear water of Barbados, May is left on the ocean floor. Before long, Clarkson decides to take things into his own hands and dives down with a welder to secure the cars in place. It doesn’t go well.

A couple of months ago, James May confirmed that the trio recently finished filming a new episode of The Grand Tour in Scotland. This new episode will be released later in the year. The trio are also said to have started filming another episode in April and are hopeful that they can head overseas later this year for another episode.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories

The Grand Tour episode 12 is the best in the series so far

By Ally Heath

The Grand Tour episode 12, coming again from the shores of Loch Ness , focused its attention on a three-way comparison between a trio of British SUVs. An excellent film consisting of the new Jaguar F-Pace, the huge Bentley Bentayga and the ever-present Range Rover .

They weave their way between Austria and Germany, enjoying a route through sleazy towns whose names they might struggle with during their BBC reign, but under their own license, they relish in being naughty. Their lustful journey starts at "Wank" which Jeremy pronounces dutifully using the German enunciation, of "Vank" and they head onto the town of "Fucking". You can sense the teenager still living in all of them – trying not to chuckle, like the day in the back of the classroom when they discovered there was a place in France called "Brest".

Read more: Clarkson stands up for women in the Grand Tour episode 11

It's an interesting trio of cars and they are happy partners in a joyous combined test. The film is enjoyable, the company is entertaining, and the final race between them is stunningly shot and invigorating to watch.

Each of the three cars are fascinating cars in their own way and seeing them on the same scale makes them all the more intriguing. It's worth noting that the top spec F-Pace Hammond drives is cheaper than the extras alone on James' Bentayga.

Read more: The Bentley Bentayga is a £140,000 luxury dune smasher

The engine of the mighty Bentayga is a almighty 6.0 W12 complete with twin turbos. Despite weighing well over two tonnes, it builds speed at a remarkable rate. Slice that engine in half and you have the dimensions of the Jaguar, a 3 litre V6 growler with a supercharger. With aluminium weight saving applied to the Jag’s chassis, it's seriously quick and nimble too. Power and speed is one thing, but little prepares you for seeing these beasts fly and achieve air during their wonderful racing laps.

The Bentayga at first seemed like a clumsy accident, but as GQ accurately predicted at the time of its launch, the Bentley seems to have grown into it.

Read more: The ultimate weekend getaway: Polo at Coworth Park with a classic Range Rover

However, the other two wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the success of the old Range Rover. Let’s not forget, the Range Rover wasn’t designed to attractive a wealthy elite and footballers who wanted chic, understated luxury and prowess on the road – it just happened that those audiences decided to love it anyway. And so all the competitors followed, trying to get a slice of the same audience, now they knew what that audience liked.

This is why the Range Rover is the real winner. It was designed not for a target audience, but for a purpose. To climb any mountain and ford any stream, without sacrificing any comfort or ability on the road. It’s the original. It’s stayed true to its ethos and really can achieve anything off-road, as the Grand Tour trio demonstrated.

Read more Grand Tour episode reviews

By Owen Gough

By Jack King

By Sam Moore

By Daisy Jones

By Simon Parkin

By Adam Cheung

By Calum Marsh

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Dumb Fight at the O.K. Coral

The grand tour.

• The Grand Tour travelling tent arrives in Nashville, Tennessee from where Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond and James May introduce their attempt to save the world's coral reefs using only a selection of car body shells and some extremely inept boat driving. Also in this show, Jeremy finally indulges his series-long Alfa Romeo obsession with a test of the new, 500 horsepower Giulia Quadrifoglio and AC/DC singer Brian Johnson comes to the tent to try his hand at Celebrity Brain Crash. — Carlo
• The Grand Tour travelling tent arrives in Nashville, Tennessee from where Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond and James May introduce their attempt to save the world's coral reefs. In the interests of conservation, the three travel to Barbados and begin an earnest attempt to establish a new reef using only some car bodyshells as a foundation. Their efforts start badly and then get worse, involving inept crane driving, useless boat steering, and an embarrassing moment with a local hotel. Also in this show, Jeremy finally indulges his series-long Alfa Romeo obsession with a test of the new, 500 horsepower Giulia Quadrifoglio. Meanwhile, AC/DC and genuine rock legend Brian Johnson comes to the tent to try his hand at Celebrity Brain Crash.
• The trio host their next episode at Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville is named after General Nash, who kicked the British out. The best-selling cars in US are all Hondas and Toyotas. Detroit has women with armpit hair growing Kale. Coal rolling is a sport where people test their pickup trucks to see who can roll the heaviest load. To get power up from the engine, they tweak the ECU, but it produces more smoke, hence the word Coal rolling. There is a loud banter with the crowd between football and American football. To help save dying coral reefs off the coast near Barbados, the trio attempt to shore them up by dumping the shells of five car bodies to help them rebuild. May and Hammond get the cars and the crane. Clarkson gets a boat, which is very small, underwhelming, and ugly. They soon face issues from losing most of the bodies they bring, leaving them to attempt to complete their job with the body of a Land Rover. The first car goes into the harbor, when Hammond accidentally pulls the crane release string early, before the car is in position over the boat. The 2nd car gets on the boat but takes it down with it. After sinking 2 cars, the port authorities chased them away. They take the remaining cars to a nearby Marina and hire a boat crane to load them onto a handmade float. Miraculously, they get 2 cars onto the float and drop them where scientists have told them that a reef can form. Now May, a certified diver, goes down to anchor the cars. Hammond and Clarkson are on oxygen pumping duty, but they hook it to a generator and go skiing. But May could not anchor the cars as the boat he was tethered to, drifted while Hammond and Clarkson were busy water sporting. Clarkson goes down in a scuba to weld the cars. But Clarkson didn't do it properly and next day the currents had carried both cars to the beach. The trio must retrieve the cars from the beach. But May removes a central string on the float, and it comes apart. So, May proposes to tow the cars back to the Marina and build a new float to start over. He brings a JCB to the beach. May fails, so Clarkson proposes to use the boat crane to tow the cars to their correct spot in the ocean. But the boat crane rope also breaks and the cars drop near the beach. The hotel (to whom the beach belongs) order them off as they have ruined the beach and all the furniture in it. The next day, the boat crane owner takes his crane back, so the trio only have a land rover left. They tie big tube tires to it and Clarkson tows the car into position using a ski. They sink the car at the location. Meanwhile, Clarkson travels between Wales and the Eboladrome, as he gives an extensive review of the new 500 horsepower Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (turbo charged 2.9 L V6, 191 mph, Bp 60,000). Competitor to the BMW M3 (440 BHP) and the Jaguar ES (330 BHP). The car isn't easy to get out of. engineered by the same man who designed the Ferrari 458. Heavy on carbon fiber, slip disk differential, responsive steering, and a great gearbox. The Ferrari (which is part of the own company that owns Alpha Romeo) is at pains to point that the Giulia engine is not the same as theirs and that any resemblance to their own engine is only coincidental. The race mode in the Alpha is good. It does 1:27.1 on the Eboladrome and is 13th. Conversation street. Alpha Romeo Stelvio is launched. Ford Pick Up truck is the bestselling car in Nashville. The trio wonder why people don't steal stuff when it is kept in the open back of a pickup truck. May offers that's because they shoot them here in US for that. Today's car museums have beautiful cars such as the Impala, Cadillac, Buick, a 70's corvette (driven by all the astronauts) because design was an art in the 70's, but the same brands are churning out boring looking cars now, which means the museums wont have anything to show in another 40 years. May talks about how car brands create cars for setting lap times around the Nürburgring, but aren't good at anything else, such as BMW M4 GTS, Nissan GTR, SEAT Leon Cupra 280 (hatchback). AC/DC singer Brian Johnson comes to the tent to try his hand at Celebrity Brain Crash.

Contribute to this page

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore.

Recently viewed

• Hybrids & EVs
• Motorsports
• Tips, Tricks & Trends

‘The Grand Tour’: Five Moments To Cherish as the Curtain Closes

If you’re a fan of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, you’ll know that the trio has decided to end “The Grand Tour.” It’s bittersweet news for the show’s fanbase. On the one hand, enthusiasts won’t have any more content from the beloved celebrities. However, we can revel in the fact that Clarkson and company have logged over 20 years of automotive shenanigans for viewers to enjoy. 

The Amazon Prime Video show reunited the three world-famous petrolheads after a falling out forced them off the BBC set of “Top Gear” in 2015. The trio didn’t stay off-camera for long, though. The three were back to reviewing cars in a year. Well, with the show ending, we look back at some of our favorite moments beyond the beautifully crafted shots of the latest cars. 

“The Excellent”

• Creating a coral reef
• Racing supercars from the past, present, and future
• Breaking a speed record with an amphibious car
• Creating a path through the Highlands

In Season 1, Episode 9 of “The Grand Tour,” Jeremy Clarkson “sympathetically marries” the chassis and drivetrain of a Mk 1 Land Rover Discovery with the admittedly lovely body of an R107 Mercedes-Benz SL. “The Excellent,” as Clarkson deemed it, is an exciting prospect. I’m afraid it was less than spectacular in execution. 

Creating a coral reef didn’t go so well for the ambitious trio at ‘The Grand Tour’

Season 1, Episode 10 pits Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May against the clear, aquamarine waters of Barbados. They had a bizarre mission: sink bare-metal husks of popular cars to jumpstart a coral reef ecosystem. As expected, everything goes wrong, and the team ends up accomplishing very little of their mission.

‘The Grand Tour’ had no shortage of supercars, but these three demonstrate diversity

“The Grand Tour” starts with a hypercar holy trinity in the pilot. However, season 2, episode 1 begins with an automotive juxtaposition: a strictly gas-powered Lamborghini Aventador S, a hybrid Honda NSX, and a fully-electric Rimac Concept One. It’s a delightful dichotomy, right up until Hammond tragically crashes the million-dollar Rimac. Unfortunately, it isn’t the first time Hammond has had a potentially deadly crash .

‘The Grand Tour’ broke a speed record on the water

In the ninth episode of season 2, Clarkson, Hammond, and May cannibalize several vehicles to create an amphibious car. Not only that, but the trio have to take their creation to Coniston Water in England’s lake district. The site is itself famous; it’s where Donald Campbell died attempting to break a speed record in 1967. Luckily, the team emerged victorious, if also silly-looking.  

Carving a path through the Highlands is a gorgeous scene

In season 3, episode 7, the team heads to the Scottish Highlands to attempt the North Coast 500. Instead, they decide to turn the trip into a lesson in laziness and shorten their route. Still, it’s breathtaking views from start to finish, and Clarkson’s Alfa Romeo GTV6 prompts you to stifle your common sense. 

It’s understandable, though. I have to advise against attempting the NC500 without ample time. I took to the Highlands aboard a 750cc Suzuki motorcycle without factoring in weather and time. Rookie mistake. That said, the parts of the NC500 that I traversed were nothing short of stunning.

GT: What It Means and Why You Should Want One

Can You Legally Drive a Golf Cart Down the Road?

The Best Used Three-Row SUV Under $15,000 Will Last Forever

Is Roadside Assistance Worth It in 2024?

Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).

• Entertainment
• The Grand Tour

What you’ll see in Episode 12 of The Grand Tour

The Grand Tour Series 1 Episode 12 will be available tomorrow, with the tent staying firmly in Scotland, on the shores of Loch Ness for a second episode.

The main segment of the show will revolve around three SUVs – the Bentley Bentayga, Range Rover Autobiography and the new Jaguar F-Pace. For this episode, the boys will review the three vehicles in the only way they know how – by travelling to central Europe and driving through some iconic venues and no doubt some amazing scenery.

Up until now, The Grand Tour tent has visited the Californian desert, Johannesburg, Whitby, Rotterdam, Lapland, Stuttgart, Scotland and Nashville – and after leaving Loch Ness we’ll rejoin the boys for the series finale at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

7 things The Grand Tour team need to fix for Series 2

The grand tour is giving away free heads to uk residents, related posts, ‘funeral for a ford’ – the grand tour series 3 episode 14 preview, ‘survival of the fattest’ – the grand tour series 3 episode 13 preview, ‘legends and luggage’ – the grand tour series 3 episode 12 preview, james may is our man in…japan, ‘sea to unsalty sea’ – the grand tour series 3 episode 11 preview, ‘the youth vote’ – the grand tour series 3 episode 10 preview.

So there in Dubai next week !? , I thought this weeks was the last one hence it’s episode 12. So they’re classing the Africa special as 1 , I would class it as 2 but hey bonus episode is good by me

The episode 12 are actually, the second part of the epsode 11.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Dnipro Tourism
• Dnipro Hotels
• Dnipro Bed and Breakfast
• Dnipro Vacation Rentals
• Flights to Dnipro
• Dnipro Restaurants
• Things to Do in Dnipro
• Dnipro Travel Forum
• Dnipro Photos
• All Dnipro Hotels
• Dnipro Hotel Deals
• Last Minute Hotels in Dnipro
• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Vacation Rentals
• Travel Stories
• Rental Cars
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travelers' Choice
• Help Center

Visiting Dnipropetrovsk for a Canadian - Dnipro Forum

• Europe    
• Ukraine    
• Dnipropetrovsk Oblast    
• Dnipro    

Visiting Dnipropetrovsk for a Canadian

• United States Forums
• Europe Forums
• Canada Forums
• Asia Forums
• Central America Forums
• Africa Forums
• Caribbean Forums
• Mexico Forums
• South Pacific Forums
• South America Forums
• Middle East Forums
• Honeymoons and Romance
• Business Travel
• Train Travel
• Traveling With Disabilities
• Tripadvisor Support
• Solo Travel
• Bargain Travel
• Timeshares / Vacation Rentals
• Dnipropetrovsk Oblast forums
• Dnipro forum

Does anyone know if it is safe for a Canadian to visit Dnipropetrovsk now for two weeks as a tourist? I am planning to visit between December 20 and January 3. Any tip would be appreciated.

It's safe if you stay downtown.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

• About Dnipro Jun 30, 2023
• is it safe to travel Mar 05, 2020
• 220-110 converter Oct 26, 2019
• nighttrain dnpro odesa Jul 19, 2019
• Dnipropetrovsk May 11, 2019
• Quality Medical Care In Dnipro May 11, 2019
• Laser Lipolysis Feb 15, 2019
• crazy question Sep 06, 2018
• Booking an apartment in Dnipropetrovsk Aug 30, 2018
• traveling to Kiev - Dnipropetrovsk in January Dec 28, 2017
• purchasing a tram ticket Dec 25, 2017
• Visiting Dnipropetrovsk for a Canadian Nov 14, 2017
• Visiting dnipro Oct 19, 2017
• Club Rio restaurant Oct 04, 2017
• Travel to Dnipropetrovsk 8 replies
• Dnipropetrovsk and people who visited it. 13 replies
• zhovtneva hotel 3 replies
• Why do older ladies yell at you in the park? 3 replies
• Getting to and Around Dnipropetrovsk

• Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

A Plan to Remake the Middle East

While talks for a cease-fire between israel and hamas continue, another set of negotiations is happening behind the scenes..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From New York Times, I’m Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

Today, if and when Israel and Hamas reach a deal for a ceasefire fire, the United States will immediately turn to a different set of negotiations over a grand diplomatic bargain that it believes could rebuild Gaza and remake the Middle East. My colleague Michael Crowley has been reporting on that plan and explains why those involved in it believe they have so little time left to get it done.

It’s Wednesday, May 8.

Michael, I want to start with what feels like a pretty dizzying set of developments in this conflict over the past few days. Just walk us through them?

Well, over the weekend, there was an intense round of negotiations in an effort, backed by the United States, to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

The latest ceasefire proposal would reportedly see as many as 33 Israeli hostages released in exchange for potentially hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

US officials were very eager to get this deal.

Pressure for a ceasefire has been building ahead of a threatened Israeli assault on Rafah.

Because Israel has been threatening a military offensive in the Southern Palestinian city of Rafah, where a huge number of people are crowded.

Fleeing the violence to the North. And now they’re packed into Rafah. Exposed and vulnerable, they need to be protected.

And the US says it would be a humanitarian catastrophe on top of the emergency that’s already underway.

Breaking news this hour — very important breaking news. An official Hamas source has told The BBC that it does accept a proposal for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

And for a few hours on Monday, it looked like there might have been a major breakthrough when Hamas put out a statement saying that it had accepted a negotiating proposal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the ceasefire proposal does not meet his country’s requirements. But Netanyahu says he will send a delegation of mediators to continue those talks. Now, the terms —

But those hopes were dashed pretty quickly when the Israelis took a look at what Hamas was saying and said that it was not a proposal that they had agreed to. It had been modified.

And overnight —

Israeli troops stormed into Rafah. Video showing tanks crashing over a sign at the entrance of the city.

— the Israelis launched a partial invasion of Rafah.

It says Hamas used the area to launch a deadly attack on Israeli troops over the weekend.

And they have now secured a border crossing at the Southern end of Gaza and are conducting targeted strikes. This is not yet the full scale invasion that President Biden has adamantly warned Israel against undertaking, but it is an escalation by Israel.

So while all that drama might suggest that these talks are in big trouble, these talks are very much still alive and ongoing and there is still a possibility of a ceasefire deal.

And the reason that’s so important is not just to stop the fighting in Gaza and relieve the suffering there, but a ceasefire also opens the door to a grand diplomatic bargain, one that involves Israel and its Arab neighbors and the Palestinians, and would have very far-reaching implications.

And what is that grand bargain. Describe what you’re talking about?

Well, it’s incredibly ambitious. It would reshape Israel’s relationship with its Arab neighbors, principally Saudi Arabia. But it’s important to understand that this is a vision that has actually been around since well before October 7. This was a diplomatic project that President Biden had been investing in and negotiating actually in a very real and tangible way long before the Hamas attacks and the Gaza war.

And President Biden was looking to build on something that President Trump had done, which was a series of agreements that the Trump administration struck in which Israel and some of its Arab neighbors agreed to have normal diplomatic relations for the first time.

Right, they’re called the Abraham Accords.

That’s right. And, you know, Biden doesn’t like a lot of things, most things that Trump did. But he actually likes this, because the idea is that they contribute to stability and economic integration in the Middle East, the US likes Israel having friends and likes having a tight-knit alliance against Iran.

President Biden agrees with the Saudis and with the Israelis, that Iran is really the top threat to everybody here. So, how can you build on this? How can you expand it? Well, the next and biggest step would be normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

And the Saudis have made clear that they want to do this and that they’re ready to do this. They weren’t ready to do it in the Trump years. But Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has made clear he wants to do it now.

So this kind of triangular deal began to take shape before October 7, in which the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia would enter this three way agreement in which everyone would get something that they wanted.

And just walk through what each side gets in this pre-October 7th version of these negotiations?

So for Israel, you get normalized ties with its most important Arab neighbor and really the country that sets the tone for the whole Muslim world, which is Saudi Arabia of course. It makes Israel feel safer and more secure. Again, it helps to build this alliance against Iran, which Israel considers its greatest threat, and it comes with benefits like economic ties and travel and tourism. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been very open, at least before October 7th, that this was his highest diplomatic and foreign policy priority.

For the Saudis, the rationale is similar when it comes to Israel. They think that it will bring stability. They like having a more explicitly close ally against Iran. There are economic and cultural benefits. Saudi Arabia is opening itself up in general, encouraging more tourism.

But I think that what’s most important to the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is what he can get from the United States. And what he has been asking for are a couple of essential things. One is a security agreement whose details have always been a little bit vague, but I think essentially come down to reliable arms supplies from the United States that are not going to be cut off or paused on a whim, as he felt happened when President Biden stopped arms deliveries in 2021 because of how Saudi was conducting its war in Yemen. The Saudis were furious about that.

Saudi Arabia also wants to start a domestic nuclear power program. They are planning for a very long-term future, possibly a post-oil future. And they need help getting a nuclear program off the ground.

And they want that from the US?

And they want that from the US.

Now, those are big asks from the us. But from the perspective of President Biden, there are some really enticing things about this possible agreement. One is that it will hopefully produce more stability in the region. Again, the US likes having a tight-knit alliance against Iran.

The US also wants to have a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia. You know, despite the anger at Mohammed bin Salman over the murder of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, the Biden administration recognizes that given the Saudis control over global oil production and their strategic importance in the Middle East, they need to have a good relationship with them. And the administration has been worried about the influence of China in the region and with the Saudis in particular.

So this is an opportunity for the US to draw the Saudis closer. Whatever our moral qualms might be about bin Salman and the Saudi government, this is an opportunity to bring the Saudis closer, which is something the Biden administration sees as a strategic benefit.

All three of these countries — big, disparate countries that normally don’t see eye-to-eye, this was a win-win-win on a military, economic, and strategic front.

That’s right. But there was one important actor in the region that did not see itself as winning, and that was the Palestinians.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

First, it’s important to understand that the Palestinians have always expected that the Arab countries in the Middle East would insist that Israel recognize a Palestinian state before those countries were willing to essentially make total peace and have normal relations with Israel.

So when the Abraham Accords happened in the Trump administration, the Palestinians felt like they’d been thrown under the bus because the Abraham Accords gave them virtually nothing. But the Palestinians did still hold out hope that Saudi Arabia would be their savior. And for years, Saudi Arabia has said that Israel must give the Palestinians a state if there’s going to be a normal relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Now the Palestinians see the Saudis in discussions with the US and Israel about a normalization agreement, and there appears to be very little on offer for the Palestinians. And they are feeling like they’re going to be left out in the cold here.

Right. And in the minds of the Palestinians, having already been essentially sold out by all their other Arab neighbors, the prospect that Saudi Arabia, of all countries, the most important Muslim Arab country in the region, would sell them out, had to be extremely painful.

It was a nightmare scenario for them. And in the minds of many analysts and US officials, this was a factor, one of many, in Hamas’s decision to stage the October 7th attacks.

Hamas, like other Palestinian leaders, was seeing the prospect that the Middle East was moving on and essentially, in their view, giving up on the Palestinian cause, and that Israel would be able to have friendly, normal relations with Arab countries around the region, and that it could continue with hardline policies toward the Palestinians and a refusal, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said publicly, to accept a Palestinian state.

Right. So Michael, once Hamas carries out the October 7th attacks in an effort to destroy a status quo that it thinks is leaving them less and less relevant, more and more hopeless, including potentially this prospect that Saudi Arabia is going to normalize relations with Israel, what happens to these pre-October 7th negotiations between the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel?

Well, I think there was a snap assumption that these talks were dead and buried. That they couldn’t possibly survive a cataclysm like this.

But then something surprising happened. It became clear that all the parties were still determined to pull-off the normalization.

And most surprisingly of all, perhaps, was the continued eagerness of Saudi Arabia, which publicly was professing outrage over the Israeli response to the Hamas attacks, but privately was still very much engaged in these conversations and trying to move them forward.

And in fact, what has happened is that the scope of this effort has grown substantially. October 7th didn’t kill these talks. It actually made them bigger, more complicated, and some people would argue, more important than ever.

We’ll be right back.

Michael, walk us through what exactly happens to these three-way negotiations after October 7th that ends up making them, as you just said, more complicated and more important than ever?

Well, it’s more important than ever because of the incredible need in Gaza. And it’s going to take a deal like this and the approval of Saudi Arabia to unlock the kind of massive reconstruction project required to essentially rebuild Gaza from the rubble. Saudi Arabia and its Arab friends are also going to be instrumental in figuring out how Gaza is governed, and they might even provide troops to help secure it. None of those things are going to happen without a deal like this.

Fascinating.

But this is all much more complicated now because the price for a deal like this has gone up.

And by price, you mean?

What Israel would have to give up. [MUSIC PLAYING]

From Saudi Arabia’s perspective, you have an Arab population that is furious at Israel. It now feels like a really hard time to do a normalization deal with the Israelis. It was never going to be easy, but this is about as bad a time to do it as there has been in a generation at least. And I think that President Biden and the people around him understand that the status quo between Israel and the Palestinians is intolerable and it is going to lead to chaos and violence indefinitely.

So now you have two of the three parties to this agreement, the Saudis and the Americans, basically asking a new price after October 7th, and saying to the Israelis, if we’re going to do this deal, it has to not only do something for the Palestinians, it has to do something really big. You have to commit to the creation of a Palestinian state. Now, I’ll be specific and say that what you hear the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, say is that the agreement has to include an irreversible time-bound path to a Palestinian state.

We don’t know exactly what that looks like, but it’s some kind of a firm commitment, the likes of which the world and certainly the Israelis have not made before.

Something that was very much not present in the pre-October 7th vision of this negotiation. So much so that, as we just talked about, the Palestinians were left feeling completely out in the cold and furious at it.

That’s right. There was no sign that people were thinking that ambitiously about the Palestinians in this deal before October 7th. And the Palestinians certainly felt like they weren’t going to get much out of it. And that has completely changed now.

So, Michael, once this big new dimension after October 7th, which is the insistence by Saudi Arabia and the US that there be a Palestinian state or a path to a Palestinian state, what is the reaction specifically from Israel, which is, of course, the third major party to this entire conversation?

Well, Israel, or at least its political leadership, hates it. You know, this is just an extremely tough sell in Israel. It would have been a tough sell before October 7th. It’s even harder now.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is completely unrepentantly open in saying that there’s not going to be a Palestinian state on his watch. He won’t accept it. He says that it’s a strategic risk to his country. He says that it would, in effect, reward Hamas.

His argument is that terrorism has forced a conversation about statehood onto the table that wasn’t there before October 7th. Sure, it’s always in the background. It’s a perennial issue in global affairs, but it was not something certainly that the US and Israel’s Arab neighbors were actively pushing. Netanyahu also has — you know, he governs with the support of very right-wing members of a political coalition that he has cobbled together. And that coalition is quite likely to fall apart if he does embrace a Palestinian state or a path to a Palestinian state.

Now, he might be able to cobble together some sort of alternative, but it creates a political crisis for him.

And finally, you know, I think in any conversation about Israel, it’s worth bearing in mind something you hear from senior US officials these days, which is that although there is often finger pointing at Netanyahu and a desire to blame Netanyahu as this obstructionist who won’t agree to deals, what they say is Netanyahu is largely reflecting his population and the political establishment of his country, not just the right-wingers in his coalition who are clearly extremist.

But actually the prevailing views of the Israeli public. And the Israeli public and their political leaders across the spectrum right now with few exceptions, are not interested in talking about a Palestinian state when there are still dozens and dozens of Israeli hostages in tunnels beneath Gaza.

So it very much looks like this giant agreement that once seemed doable before October 7th might be more important to everyone involved than ever, given that it’s a plan for rebuilding Gaza and potentially preventing future October 7th’s from happening, but because of this higher price that Israel would have to pay, which is the acceptance of a Palestinian state, it seems from everything you’re saying, that this is more and more out of reach than ever before and hard to imagine happening in the immediate future. So if the people negotiating it are being honest, Michael, are they ready to acknowledge that it doesn’t look like this is going to happen?

Well, not quite yet. As time goes by, they certainly say it’s getting harder and harder, but they’re still trying, and they still think there’s a chance. But both the Saudis and the Biden administration understand that there’s very little time left to do this.

Well, what do you mean there’s very little time left? It would seem like time might benefit this negotiation in that it might give Israel distance from October 7th to think potentially differently about a Palestinian state?

Potentially. But Saudi Arabia wants to get this deal done in the Biden administration because Mohammed bin Salman has concluded this has to be done under a Democratic president.

Because Democrats in Congress are going to be very reluctant to approve a security agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

It’s important to understand that if there is a security agreement, that’s something Congress is going to have to approve. And you’re just not going to get enough Democrats in Congress to support a deal with Saudi Arabia, who a lot of Democrats don’t like to begin with, because they see them as human rights abusers.

But if a Democratic president is asking them to do it, they’re much more likely to go along.

Right. So Saudi Arabia fears that if Biden loses and Trump is president, that those same Democrats would balk at this deal in a way that they wouldn’t if it were being negotiated under President Biden?

Exactly. Now, from President Biden’s perspective, politically, think about a president who’s running for re-election, who is presiding right now over chaos in the Middle East, who doesn’t seem to have good answers for the Israeli-Palestinian question, this is an opportunity for President Biden to deliver what could be at least what he would present as a diplomatic masterstroke that does multiple things at once, including creating a new pathway for Israel and the Palestinians to coexist, to break through the logjam, even as he is also improving Israel’s relations with Saudi Arabia.

So Biden and the Crown Prince hope that they can somehow persuade Bibi Netanyahu that in spite of all the reasons that he thinks this is a terrible idea, that this is a bet worth taking on Israel’s and the region’s long-term security and future?

That’s right. Now, no one has explained very clearly exactly how this is going to work, and it’s probably going to require artful diplomacy, possibly even a scenario where the Israelis would agree to something that maybe means one thing to them and means something else to other people. But Biden officials refuse to say that it’s hopeless and they refuse to essentially take Netanyahu’s preliminary no’s for an answer. And they still see some way that they can thread this incredibly narrow needle.

Michael, I’m curious about a constituency that we haven’t been talking about because they’re not at the table in these discussions that we are talking about here. And that would be Hamas. How does Hamas feel about the prospect of such a deal like this ever taking shape. Do they see it as any kind of a victory and vindication for what they did on October 7th?

So it’s hard to know exactly what Hamas’s leadership is thinking. I think they can feel two things. I think they can feel on the one hand, that they have established themselves as the champions of the Palestinian people who struck a blow against Israel and against a diplomatic process that was potentially going to leave the Palestinians out in the cold.

At the same time, Hamas has no interest in the kind of two-state solution that the US is trying to promote. They think Israel should be destroyed. They think the Palestinian state should cover the entire geography of what is now Israel, and they want to lead a state like that. And that’s not something that the US, Saudi Arabia, or anyone else is going to tolerate.

So what Hamas wants is to fight, to be the leader of the Palestinian people, and to destroy Israel. And they’re not interested in any sort of a peace process or statehood process.

It seems very clear from everything you’ve said here that neither Israel nor Hamas is ready to have the conversation about a grand bargain diplomatic program. And I wonder if that inevitably has any bearing on the ceasefire negotiations that are going on right now between the two of them that are supposed to bring this conflict to some sort of an end, even if it’s just temporary?

Because if, as you said, Michael, a ceasefire opens the door to this larger diplomatic solution, and these two players don’t necessarily want that larger diplomatic solution, doesn’t that inevitably impact their enthusiasm for even reaching a ceasefire?

Well, it certainly doesn’t help. You know, this is such a hellish problem. And of course, you first have the question of whether Israel and Hamas can make a deal on these immediate issues, including the hostages, Palestinian prisoners, and what the Israeli military is going to do, how long a ceasefire might last.

But on top of that, you have these much bigger diplomatic questions that are looming over them. And it’s not clear that either side is ready to turn and face those bigger questions.

So while for the Biden administration and for Saudi Arabia, this is a way out of this crisis, these larger diplomatic solutions, it’s not clear that it’s a conversation that the two parties that are actually at war here are prepared to start having.

Well, Michael, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

On Tuesday afternoon, under intense pressure from the US, delegations from Israel and Hamas arrived in Cairo to resume negotiations over a potential ceasefire. But in a statement, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear that even with the talks underway, his government would, quote, “continue to wage war against Hamas.”

Here’s what else you need to know today. In a dramatic day of testimony, Stormy Daniels offered explicit details about an alleged sexual encounter with Donald Trump that ultimately led to the hush money payment at the center of his trial. Daniels testified that Trump answered the door in pajamas, that he told her not to worry that he was married, and that he did not use a condom when they had sex.

That prompted lawyers for Trump to seek a mistrial based on what they called prejudicial testimony. But the judge in the case rejected that request. And,

We’ve seen a ferocious surge of anti-Semitism in America and around the world.

In a speech on Tuesday honoring victims of the Holocaust, President Biden condemned what he said was the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in the United States after the October 7th attacks on Israel. And he expressed worry that too many Americans were already forgetting the horrors of that attack.

The Jewish community, I want you to know I see your fear, your hurt, and your pain. Let me reassure you, as your president, you’re not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will.

Today’s episode was produced by Nina Feldman, Clare Toeniskoetter, and Rikki Novetsky. It was edited by Liz O. Baylen, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Dan Powell, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for The Daily. I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

• May 17, 2024   •   51:10 The Campus Protesters Explain Themselves
• May 16, 2024   •   30:47 The Make-or-Break Testimony of Michael Cohen
• May 15, 2024   •   27:03 The Possible Collapse of the U.S. Home Insurance System
• May 14, 2024   •   35:20 Voters Want Change. In Our Poll, They See It in Trump.
• May 13, 2024   •   27:46 How Biden Adopted Trump’s Trade War With China
• May 10, 2024   •   27:42 Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand
• May 9, 2024   •   34:42 One Strongman, One Billion Voters, and the Future of India
• May 8, 2024   •   28:28 A Plan to Remake the Middle East
• May 7, 2024   •   27:43 How Changing Ocean Temperatures Could Upend Life on Earth
• May 6, 2024   •   29:23 R.F.K. Jr.’s Battle to Get on the Ballot
• May 3, 2024   •   25:33 The Protesters and the President
• May 2, 2024   •   29:13 Biden Loosens Up on Weed

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Michael Crowley

Produced by Nina Feldman ,  Clare Toeniskoetter and Rikki Novetsky

Edited by Liz O. Baylen

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Elisheba Ittoop and Dan Powell

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

If and when Israel and Hamas reach a deal for a cease-fire, the United States will immediately turn to a different set of negotiations over a grand diplomatic bargain that it believes could rebuild Gaza and remake the Middle East.

Michael Crowley, who covers the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The Times, explains why those involved in this plan believe they have so little time left to get it done.

On today’s episode

Michael Crowley , a reporter covering the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The New York Times.

Background reading :

Talks on a cease-fire in the Gaza war are once again at an uncertain stage .

Here’s how the push for a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia looked before Oct. 7 .

From early in the war, President Biden has said that a lasting resolution requires a “real” Palestinian state .

Here’s what Israeli officials are discussing about postwar Gaza.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Michael Crowley covers the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The Times. He has reported from nearly three dozen countries and often travels with the secretary of state. More about Michael Crowley

Advertisement

Jeremy Clarkson Confirms The Grand Tour’s Final Episode on Amazon Prime

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has confirmed the end of The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime after next year. This announcement marks the conclusion of a series beloved by fans since its inception in 2016.

Key Takeaways:

• End of The Grand Tour: Jeremy Clarkson, along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May , will no longer film new series of The Grand Tour after next year, following a decision by Amazon Prime’s executives. This marks the end of a popular show that started in 2016 and quickly garnered a devoted fanbase.
• Fan Reactions and Future Prospects: Fans expressed their disappointment and gratitude on social media, reflecting on the impact the show had on their lives. Despite the end of this era, there’s speculation that Amazon Prime may revive The Grand Tour with new hosts, a move reportedly welcomed by the current presenters.
• Clarkson’s Future Endeavours: Clarkson mentioned a focus on his other project, ‘Clarkson’s Farm’, and there are two more special episodes of The Grand Tour slated for release, featuring travels to Mauritania and Zimbabwe.

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, renowned for his role in the popular car show The Grand Tour alongside Richard Hammond and James May, has recently spoken about the future of the series. The show, which began on Amazon Prime in 2016, has been a fan favourite but will see no further series after next year. This decision, made by the streaming platform’s bosses, brings an end to a series that has been both entertaining and influential for car enthusiasts.

Clarkson shared his thoughts on Instagram, stating:

“Been a busy day. No more Grand Tour after next year but a LOT more Clarkson’s Farm. Which, this evening, is looking extremely lovely.”

This post quickly became a hub for fans to express their feelings about the series ending. The emotional reactions ranged from sadness over the show’s conclusion to appreciation for the years of entertainment it provided.

One fan commented:

“Please start a podcast with the three of you, it can just be called the news and you rant for an hour about cars.”

Others expressed their gratitude:

“The end of Clarkson, Hammond and May in whatever it’s called is a sad day. Thank you for everything you did for petrolheads. And now farmheads!”

The influence of the trio was evident in another fan’s words:

“It’s really nice coming to the comments and seeing how these 3 impacted the lives of so many. These lads got me through countless dark times with laughter and endless banter. We all knew the day was coming, and the truest of fans will wish you, Hammond, May, and indeed all of the crew that made the magic happen the absolute best in the next stage. Thank you for inspiring countless enthusiasts around the world.”

Despite Clarkson’s announcement, there’s talk that Amazon Prime might continue The Grand Tour with new hosts. An insider revealed:

“It’s a surprising decision and everyone realises it very much marks the end of an era for the three presenters.”

This potential revival aligns with the presenters’ acceptance of passing the torch to a new generation.

“The Grand Tour is one of Prime Video’s most watched shows and Jeremy, James and Richard have a devoted following. But the guys have made no bones about the fact they’re all advancing in years and they have lots of other projects to pursue,” a source informed The Sun. “They just felt like the time was right and wanted to go out on a high when the show remained popular.”

As fans prepare to bid farewell to this iconic trio, they can look forward to two more special episodes of The Grand Tour, showcasing the team’s adventures in Mauritania and Zimbabwe. This farewell follows their departure from Top Gear in 2015, after a disagreement with producers.

Alex Harrington

Jeremy clarkson's health fears: "my body doesn't work anymore" amid dementia concerns, haas f1 team embraces new fia regulations for enhanced 2024 car testing, related articles.

Jeremy Clarkson Announces Tragic Clarkson’s Farm Death At Diddly Squat Farm After Heatwave

Jeremy Clarkson: Investigation Launched Into His Controversial Column On Meghan Markle

Clarkson’s Farm Season 2 Trailer Released – Watch It Now

Jeremy Clarkson News: MP Says Grand Tour Host “Shouldn’t Be Censored” After Meghan Markle Column

Grand Hotel Ukraine

View prices for your travel dates

Reviews we perform checks on reviews. tripadvisor’s approach to reviews before posting, each tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. if the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines , the review is not published. when the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines . learn more about our review moderation..

• Excellent 33
• Very Good 41
• All languages ( 99 )
• English ( 52 )
• Russian ( 26 )
• German ( 5 )

" Higher floor is better "

" Rooms not facing the central thoroughfare are more quiet. "

" Rooms facing Karl Marx seem to be the best laid out. "

" Rooms facing inwards and higher up "

" Rooms at end of hallway are very quiet. "

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

GRAND HOTEL UKRAINE - Updated 2024 Prices, Reviews, and Photos