Israel Policy Pod

Walla News Chief Political Correspondent Tal Shalev joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber to assess the state of play of the upcoming Israeli election, the polarizing issues determining voting patterns, and the political performances of Israel’s most recent prime ministers: Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Benjamin Netanyahu, and one almost (and possibly future) prime minister, Benny Gantz.Support the show

Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber for an in-depth conversation on the recent Israel-Palestinian Islamic Jihad conflict, Operation Breaking Dawn. They assess the impact of the operation on Israel’s relations with Gaza and Hamas, PIJ’s military capabilities compared to other terrorist organizations, PM Lapid’s handling of the escalation, and more.Read our overview of Operation Breaking Dawn here.Support the show

In this episode, Ksenia Svetlova, Director of the Israel-Middle East Program at Mitvim and an expert on Russia and Ukraine, joins Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber for a deep dive into the current state of the Ukraine conflict, growing tensions between Moscow and Jerusalem, what Russia and Iran may want from each other, how the war looks from Israel, and more.Support the show

In this episode, Ehud Yaari, longtime Middle East commentator for Israel’s Channel 12 and international fellow of The Washington Institute, joins Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber for a wide-ranging conversation assessing President Biden's visit to the Middle East: the prospects for Saudi normalization with Israel, the budding regional defense architecture, growing Iran-Russia military ties, the Palestinians’ diplomatic standing, West Bank stability after Mahmoud Abbas, and more.Click here to receive updates featuring our content and analysis on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, U.S.-Israel relations, Israeli politics, Israeli-Arab regional integration, and the future of the two-state solution. Support the show

With President Biden set to travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia next week, Ambassador Martin Indyk (Israel Policy Forum Board Member and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel) joins Neri Zilber on Israel Policy Pod. Recalling previous presidential visits to Israel, they discuss Biden’s upcoming trip and its implications for U.S.-Israel relations, the two-state solution, and regional developments. They also discuss Amb. Indyk’s recent book, Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy. Support the show

Note: This episode is the audio recording from a special Israel Policy Forum video briefing held on Wednesday, June 22. With the passage of a preliminary vote in the Knesset today, the Bennett-Lapid coalition has begun the process of dissolving the Knesset and sending Israel back to elections. This marks the end of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's yearlong historic political experiment that united eight parties from across the political spectrum. As soon as next week, Lapid will rotate in as acting prime minister, a position he will hold until a new government is formed.In this Israel Policy Briefing, Amir Tibon (Journalist, Haaretz) and Michael Koplow (Chief Policy Officer, Israel Policy Forum) discuss the impending end of the Bennett-Lapid government and what to expect in the coming months as Israel prepares for its fifth elections in four years.Support the show

Amid strained U.S.-Palestinian relations and political uncertainty in Israel, President Biden is set to visit Israel and the West Bank next month. Nimrod Novik (Israel Fellow, Israel Policy Forum and former Israeli diplomat) and Ibrahim Eid Dalalsha (Director, Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach) join host Neri Zilber (Policy Advisor, Israel Policy Forum and Tel Aviv-based journalist) for a discussion on expectations for Biden’s visit, why the PA’s relations with the U.S. and Israel have reached a low point, what happened to Prime Minister Bennett’s mantra of “shrinking the conflict,” and what is in store for the PA after Mahmoud Abbas exits the stage.Support the show

Diane and Guilford Glazer Family Foundation Director of Policy Research Shira Efron and Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow join host Tel Aviv-based journalist and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber for a conversation on the state of U.S.-Israel relations amid the reported downgrading of the U.S. Security Coordinator in Jerusalem and the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. They also unpack the significant challenges facing the Bennett-Lapid coalition after it failed to pass the law extending Israeli civil and criminal law to West Bank settlers.Support the show

This week's episode takes a deep dive into the last two tumultuous months in Israel and Palestine, which included a deadly wave of terror attacks, a major Israeli military operation in the West Bank, the tragic death of Shireen Abu Akleh, and tensions and violence in Jerusalem. Are we now past the worst of it? Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts journalist Adam Rasgon, most recently of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, to get an on-the-ground perspective regarding the state of play in the Palestinian arena. Support the show

What happens in the Holy Land doesn’t just impact Israelis and Palestinians; it reverberates across the Middle East. Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Hesham Youssef, a retired Egyptian diplomat and U.S. Institute of Peace senior fellow, and Farah Bdour, the programs director at the Amman Center for Peace and Development in Jordan, for a wide-ranging conversation about the key roles Egypt and Jordan play in the Israeli-Palestinian arena. Both Hesham and Farah are contributors to a new collection of analysis by an Israel Policy Forum task force entitled "Critical Neighbors: Egypt, Jordan, and the Israeli-Palestinian Arena," which offers Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, and Jordanian perspectives on recent developments in Jerusalem.Explore the full collection of analysis online here.Or download a PDF version here.Support the show

After the shock of losing its parliamentary majority, and with the Knesset coming back from a holiday break next week, what does the future hold for the Bennett-Lapid government? Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Walla News Chief Political Correspondent Tal Shalev for a deep dive into the chances of the government surviving, the prospects of yet another election, Bibi Netanyahu eyeing a comeback, and who really is the most powerful person in Israeli politics today.Support the show

In this episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber, Diane and Guilford Glazer Family Foundation Director of Policy Research Shira Efron, and Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow catch up on the major events of the past month, including clashes at Jerusalem's holiest site, the surprising diplomatic response, renewed rocket fire from Gaza, and the staying power (or lack thereof) of the Bennett-Lapid government.Support the show

Violence continues to plague Israel, with another terror attack in Tel Aviv last week killing three Israelis. In this episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber is joined again by Amos Harel, Haaretz's military analyst, to assess the ongoing escalation and how the Israeli security forces and public have responded. They also discuss how Israel views both the looming Iran nuclear deal and the Russian army’s military failures in Ukraine.Support the show

Violence has escalated in Israel, with three terror attacks in the span of a week leaving 11 Israelis dead. In this episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber speaks with Col. (res.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, the former head of the Palestinian arena at Israeli Military Intelligence, to analyze why such attacks are occurring now, what the Israeli government is doing to prevent them while heading into a highly sensitive holiday period, and why the future of the conflict will be determined by the Palestinian young generation.Support the show

In this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber speaks with Knesset Member Prof. Yossi Shain of the Yisrael Beitenu party about many of today’s pressing issues, including Israel's Ukraine policy, refugees and the Law of Return, and Israel-Diaspora relations, as well as his new book, The Israeli Century: How the Zionist Revolution Changed History and Reinvented Judaism, and what it was like leaving academia for the bruising world of Israeli politics.Support the show

In this episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber, Research Director Shira Efron, and Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow discuss Israel's delicate balancing act in the Ukraine war, as well as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's surprise mediation efforts. They also delve into the state of Israel-Turkey ties in the wake of President Isaac Herzog's state visit and provide a status update on Israeli-Palestinian relations.Support the show

The Israeli intelligence services like to operate in secret, but one journalist has made a career by bringing them out of the shadows: Ronen Bergman of The New York Times and Yediot Ahronot. In this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber talks with Ronen about why he chose to focus on this specific beat, how he goes about his work, the stories behind his bestselling book, Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations, and his recent reporting on the Israeli cyberweapon firm NSO Group.Ronen Bergman's recent New York Times article on NSO Group: The Battle for the World's Most Powerful CyberweaponRise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman Support the show

The crisis in Ukraine is drawing the entire world's attention, and Israel is no exception. In this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Washington Institute Senior Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya, author of Putin's War in Syria: Russian Foreign Policy and the Price of America's Absence. Anna and Neri contextualize the escalating standoff between Russia and the West and assess how it impacts Israel, which must walk a tightrope in order to maintain good relations with both its U.S. ally and an increasingly Middle East-focused Russia—all while hoping that world attention remains on the Iranian threat.Support the show

Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum policy advisor Neri Zilber hosts Jerusalem Post military correspondent Anna Ahronheim and Times of Israel military correspondent Judah Ari Gross to discuss their recent trip to Bahrain with Defense Minister Benny Gantz, the historic defense agreement signed, Israel-Gulf security ties more generally, lasers (yes, lasers), and the fallout from the death of 78-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad in the West Bank. Anna and Judah also describe what it's like to cover the unforgiving military beat in Israel. Support the show

Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel in 1949, shortly following Israel’s independence, and the countries shared close ties for decades. Yet recent years have seen a deterioration in the Israel-Turkey relationship, and President Isaac Herzog is set to visit Turkey soon in a bid to repair it. Tel Aviv-based journalist and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Policy Director Michael Koplow and INSS Senior Research Fellow Gallia Lindenstrauss to explain how the friendship between Jerusalem and Ankara soured, the prospects for real reconciliation, and the role of the Palestinian issue in both strengthening and straining this important relationship.Support the show