The enthusiastic reception among the Israeli public for Donald Trump's Gaza takeover plan - that includes emptying the Strip of almost 2 million Palestinians - has offered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a political boost that he is likely to take full advantage of. Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn said on the Haaretz Podcast that "very sadly, the transfer idea is extremely popular within Israeli Jewish society," though the fear of international condemnation was always there. Now, the fact th...
Feb 13, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 378
Moshe Lavi , the brother-in-law of Israeli hostage Omri Miran, was one of the activists for the release of the hostages who traveled to Washington D.C. last week during the visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In conversation with Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer, he says he was disappointed by Netanyahu's refusal to meet with the families in the U.S. capital. Netanyahu extended his stay in Washington, enjoying his time alongside Donald Trump as the U.S. president announced a pl...
Feb 10, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 377
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's supporters on the Israeli right may be celebrating after President Donald Trump unveiled his "Mar-a-Gaza" vision following the two leaders White House meeting. But Haaretz columnist Alon Pinkas , analyzing the meeting behind the optics, believes Netanyahu has little to celebrate. Speaking on the Haaretz Podcast following the meeting, Pinkas told host Allison Kaplan Sommer that the firestorm over Trump's desire to "own" and "take control" of Gaza and relocate i...
Feb 05, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 376
The lives of Palestinians in West Bank refugee camps and surrounding villages have become a "nightmare" as a result of the intensified military campaigns by the IDF against militant groups operating there, says Haaretz West Bank correspondent Hagar Shezaf on the Haaretz Podcast. Two days after the Gaza cease-fire went into effect, Israel began operation "Iron Wall" - an aggressive campaign targeting Palestinian militant groups. It is focused on the Jenin refugee camp, and includes air strikes an...
Feb 04, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 375
After months in Hamas captivity, the release of some Israeli hostages has brought moments of relief - but also difficult questions. While the public sees smiling faces and embraces, the reality behind the scenes is far more complex. In this episode, Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer speaks with Professor Hagai Levine , head of the health team for the Hostages Family Forum and chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physician. What happens to a person’s body and mind after b...
Jan 31, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 374
At the moment, Israelis may think they have U.S. President Donald Trump's unconditional support when it comes to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon - but that is not the case, according to Haaretz Washington correspondent Ben Samuels . Reviewing Trump’s first weeks in office and their impact on the Middle East, amid reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be visiting the White House in coming days, Samuels noted on the Haaretz Podcast that Trump took dramatic steps with executive order...
Jan 28, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 373
This week, phase one of the long-awaited cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect. As part of the deal, three Israeli hostages - Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher – were freed from Hamas captivity after 471 days. Israelis were glued to their televisions, and thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, to watch as the women finally came home. But there are 94 more hostages in Hamas' hands, to be released in phases as part of the deal. Prime Minister Benja...
Jan 22, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 372
For the first time in over a year, a deal to free the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and end the devastating war there seems imminent. The first stage of the deal will reportedly see 33 people held captive by Hamas return to Israel and a temporary cease-fire. But much of it is still up in the air – even after it becomes final. Many factors can sabotage the deal in its planning stages or during its implementation . Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan spoke to Haaretz's senior security analyst Amos H...
Jan 15, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 371
Israelis have long prided themselves on their ability to face war and conflict with strength and resilience. But the tragedy of October 7, and the ongoing war in Gaza and attacks by Iranian proxies have challenged this ethos, says Karen Zivan , a psychologist who works in schools alongside her private practice, and the mother of five sons who have served in reserve duty during the current war. On the podcast, Zivan talks to host Allison Kaplan Sommer about the different ways the war has taken it...
Jan 13, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 370
This week, Israel was rocked by the story of a young man who served in Gaza that went on a trip to Brazil – and found himself wanted for questioning for war crimes. He managed to flee the country before he was arrested, but questions remained: What does this mean for soldiers and reservists who fought in the war and want to travel abroad? Is this the new normal? Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan spoke to Amir Tibon , a senior writer and columnist for the Haaretz English edition, about efforts by...
Jan 08, 2025•14 min•Season 1Ep. 369
A year has come and gone, and Israel has worn down Hamas and Gaza and decimated the leadership and manpower of Hezbollah, achieving many of its stated objectives since the war began. But one of the most – if not the most – pressing issue has yet to be solved. One hundred people kidnapped by Hamas and other militants in Gaza remain in captivity, over 450 days later. Each week, their families and supporters protest for their release, pleading for a deal that will see their loved ones come home and...
Jan 03, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 368
The turbulent events of 2024 in Israel had a significant impact around the world. The ongoing war in Gaza and other fronts had a particularly deep and emotional effect on the lives of Diaspora Jews, who coped with angry protests against Israel on campuses and in city centers, and with soaring rates of antisemitic violence. The new and disturbing environment ignited “a feeling of vulnerability and exile that came back to us,” said Paris Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur , one of the important voices from...
Dec 31, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 367
In this special year-end episode, we take an in-depth look at the seismic events that shaped Israel in 2024 through the conversations on the Haaretz Podcast. It was a year in which the shadow of October 7, 2023 and its aftermath - the death and destruction in Gaza, the hostages still held by Hamas, unprecedented fighting between Israel and Hezbollah - loomed large with the nation grappling with its most devastating multi-front war in decades. Featuring excerpts from interviews with newsmakers an...
Dec 29, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 366
On this episode of the Haaretz Podcast, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Noa Landau talks to host Allison Kaplan Sommer about how Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to stay in power since the colossal failure of October 7, 2023. Landau explains how Netanyahu’s aggressive shaping of the narrative of October 7 and the war in Gaza and Lebanon has helped him retain his grip, with the help of the “poison machine” smearing his enemies, an issue that has been in the spotlight this week following a televis...
Dec 25, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 365
Haaretz senior columnist and former diplomat Alon Pinkas says that for years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tacitly supported the continuation of the brutal dictatorship of Bashar Assad in Syria, and it is absurd for him to claim credit for helping to topple Assad’s rule by weakening the mainstays of Iranian power in the region. “He might as well claim credit for the invasion of Normandy or the fall of the Berlin Wall or the surrender of Japan,” said Pinkas on the Haaretz Podcast. “He had no...
Dec 22, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 364
Israel, the United States, and European leaders are all missing a unique opportunity in their policy stance and behavior toward the new post-Assad regime in Syria, veteran Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom said on the Haaretz Podcast. Carlstrom, a journalist for The Economist currently based in Dubai, said that the leader of the Islamist faction that led the toppling of Bashar Assad’s regime has made it clear that he has no hostile intentions towards Israel. And yet, Israel has attacked ...
Dec 17, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 363
In this episode of the Haaretz Podcast, host Allison Kaplan Sommer and Haaretz columnist Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin delve into the trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges while continuing to lead the country at wartime. From the demonstrations outside the courtroom where Netanyahu took the stand this week, to the calculated strategies inside, they unpack the layers of drama, history, and legal maneuvering on display. This trial isn’t just about one man - it’s about the integrity...
Dec 12, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 362
The rapid collapse of the Assad regime in Syria has left Israel concerned about the future of what has been its quietest border in an era of continual instability and war, as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that drove Assad out and has roots in Al-Qaeda and ISIS, takes charge. "I suspect they will probably send signals to Israel directly or indirectly, that they're not interested in igniting anything there," Haaretz Podcast guest Hassan Hassan , editor-in-chief of New Lines Magazine, said....
Dec 09, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 361
The evidence is mounting that Israel is entrenching itself militarily in Gaza for the long term. At the same time, Israel’s settler movements and far-right government are making no secret of their concrete plans to revive the Jewish settlements in the Strip. On the Haaretz Podcast. Avi Scharf , national security and open source intelligence editor at Haaretz reviews the findings of his investigation into the establishment of military installations and uprooting of Gaza civilians based on satelli...
Dec 06, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 360
In both Israel and the United States, women's rights and their autonomy are under attack from the surging power of far-right religious political forces in the current Netanyahu government and future Trump White House. In Israel, the “creeping theocracy” is out in the open and the debate is in the public square, while in the U.S. there is less of an understanding that “disassembling American constitutional democracy is part of a theological effort,” said Dahlia Lithwick , a journalist at Slate an...
Dec 04, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 359
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s multi-front assault on the media - spearheaded by an economic boycott of Haaretz - is a blatant attempt to intimidate Israeli journalists into self-censorship and weaken press outlets that continue to dare to report critically on the behavior and policies of the nation’s leaders, media critic and journalist Oren Persico said on the Haaretz Podcast. The sanctions imposed on Haaretz, and the new bill introduced this week aimed at defunding Kan, Israel’s public bro...
Nov 29, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 358
In this episode, Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer explores the fallout from the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant. Joined by Haaretz diplomatic correspondent Amir Tibon and international law expert Aeyal Gross , the discussion covers how these developments impact Israel’s global standing, the legal and moral debates around the Gaza war, and the the explosive BibiLeaks scandal. See omnystudio.co...
Nov 27, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 357
Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer welcomes Rabbi Rick Jacobs , president of the Union for Reform Judaism, to discuss the challenges of leading progressive American Jews during Israel's Gaza war and ahead of a second Trump presidency. Rabbi Jacobs opens up about generational divides, love for Israel despite government policies, and the urgency of Jewish unity in the face of rising antisemitism. From engaging young members of the community to addressing political polarization, this candid...
Nov 21, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 356
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to include Russia in the process of negotiating a ceasefire with Hezbollah struck Middle East expert and former MK Ksenia Svetlova as "strange" given the strong Iran-Russia alliance and the countries' shared interests. As the Ukraine conflict has worn on, she explained on the Haaretz Podcast, the Russians have become dependent on Iran's support and weapons supplies - and maintain a "close association" with Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, to help prop up the ...
Nov 19, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 355
On this episode of the Haaretz Podcast, Dutch journalist David de Jong and host Allison Kaplan Sommer discuss the violence against Israeli soccer fans on the streets of Amsterdam last weekend, and the media coverage of the events in Israel and the Netherlands, characterized by conflicting narratives and a flurry of viral videos that were often misleading. De Jong, a financial journalist who has covered the Gaza War over the past year, said the streets of Amsterdam were the last place he expected...
Nov 14, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 354
What do Donald Trump’s team choices signal about future policies on Iran, Gaza and Israel? How is the isolationist wing in Trump’s circle already influencing his decisions? And why is the U.S. Jewish community caught in a battle of narratives over the number of Jews who voted for Trump for president? In this episode of the Haaretz Podcast, host Allison Kaplan Sommer and Haaretz Washington correspondent Ben Samuels delve into Trump’s upcoming return to the White House and its potential impact on ...
Nov 10, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 353
**The sound of a siren warning of rocket fire is heard in this episode of the Haaretz Podcast** Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "gamble" on extending the war in Gaza in anticipation of Donald Trump winning the U.S. election seems to have paid off, according to Haaretz senior military analyst Amos Harel . In conversation with Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer, Harel said that Netanyahu "kept promising total victory, what he actually had was sort of a Forever War. It was not forever, ...
Nov 06, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 352
Normally, foreign policy doesn't play a major role in presidential politics, but the 2024 race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has been an exception. Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon have become hotly debated issues. Susan Glasser , a staff writer at The New Yorker and co-author of “The Divider,” which chronicled the first Trump term, spoke to Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer on the eve of one of the closest elections is U.S. history. Glasser dis...
Nov 04, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 351
In a special edition of the Haaretz Podcast ahead of Tuesday’s 2024 U.S. presidential election, Halie Soifer , CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and Peter Deutsch , a former Florida congressman, faced off in a heated exchange of views, debating whether a victory by Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House would best serve the interests of Israel and the American Jewish community. The debate was moderated by Haaretz Podcast host A...
Oct 30, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 350
No one in Israel will ever forget where they were at 6:29 A.M. on Saturday October 7 , when Hamas attacked Israel. For Haaretz journalists, it was a day that the personal and professional collided, whether they were trying to survive the assault on their own home, reporting from the south under a hail of bullets, editing news about massacres at their parents' kibbutz, filing amid ceaseless rocket fire or contacting friends in Gaza, knowing the coming war would destroy the fabric of their lives. ...
Oct 20, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 349
