On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel to discuss the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the role of President Trump, Israel's success in the 12-day campaign, the murky state of Iran's nuclear program, Iran's lackluster performance during the war, the role of diplomacy and military action moving forward, what impact the conflict with Iran may have on Israel's war in Gaza, and more. Suppo...
Jun 25, 2025•58 min
This is a recording of an Israel Policy Forum webinar held on Wednesday, June 18, at 1pm ET. Days into its military campaign against Iran, Israel has racked up an impressive series of achievements: decimating Iran’s top military echelon, setting back its nuclear program, taking out drones and rocket-launchers, and achieving freedom of operation in the skies above Tehran. Yet the war’s impact on the Israeli homefront has been costly, with at least two dozen casualties and unprecedented levels of ...
Jun 18, 2025•59 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel. They discuss the prospects for a new nuclear deal with Iran, the utility of the U.S. and Israel threatening military action, how close a Saudi-Israel normalization deal was before October 7, the truth behind the Biden administration's weapons shipments to Israel, the current state of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and more. Watch Obama's full eu...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 3 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the recent terror attacks against Jews in America, the safety of the American Jewish community, the controversial new humanitarian aid plan for Gaza and competing narratives over chaos and violence at the aid distribution hubs, growing international pressure on Israel, the latest Israeli domestic politi...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Fellow and Research Director Shira Efron. The trio discuss the launch of Israel’s new offensive in Gaza, growing international pressure on Israel to end the war, concerns over the grim humanitarian situation inside the strip, what President Trump actually wants, and more. This podcast was recorded before...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 5 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Ambassador Dennis Ross, lead Middle East peace process negotiator in the H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations and current counselor and William Davidson distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to unpack President Trump's trip to the Middle East. They provide a high-level overview of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration and discuss the U.S.-Israe...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 2 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Col. (res.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, former head of the Palestinian arena in Israeli Military Intelligence. They discuss the looming new Israeli military offensive in Gaza, the huge danger it entails not just for the Palestinians but also for Israelis, what will happen to the hostages, the need for a full ceasefire-hostage deal, the prospect that President Trump is able to broker a new truce ...
May 08, 2025•51 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the resignation of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the legal and political battle over Bar’s firing by Prime Minister Netanyahu, the prospects for a new hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza, the growing concern over the humanitarian situation inside the strip, reflecting on Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut in the se...
Apr 30, 2025•46 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Naysan Rafati, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. They discuss the current alarming state of Iran's nuclear program, the new diplomatic push by President Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to make a deal with Iran, how this time could be different due to Iran's weakness after 18 months of regional war, the major challenges to actually getting a deal done, the poss...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Director Shanie Reichman interviews Yotam Cohen, whose brother, Nimrod, remains in captivity in Gaza. A 20-year-old IDF soldier from Rehovot, Nimrod was serving as a tank gunner on the Gaza border on October 7 when Hamas attacked and dragged him into Gaza. Yotam reflects on the fight to free his brother, his perspective on the Gaza war, and Israel’s responsibility to prioritize bringing the hostages home. Follow @bring.nimrod.hom...
Apr 17, 2025•25 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Tal Shalev, political correspondent at Walla News. They discuss Benjamin Netanyahu's rather unsuccessful meeting with Donald Trump in Washington this week, the Israeli government's war against the so-called “deep state,” the Qatargate scandal, the Netanyahu government’s priorities after Passover, the political fortunes of Yair Golan and Naftali Bennett, and more. Support the show Follow us ...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 2 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Barbara Leaf, the former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. They discuss the Biden administration on October 7 and during the Gaza war, the evolving U.S.-Israel relationship during the conflict, reflections of the prior ceasefire-hostage deal talks, the prospects for a new hostage deal an...
Apr 03, 2025•59 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the Netanyahu government going after the judiciary, the dual firings of the Shin Bet chief and the attorney general, Israel's looming constitutional crisis, the status of the renewed military offensive in Gaza, the protests against Hamas in Gaza, and more. Support the show Follow us on Instagram , Twitt...
Mar 28, 2025•43 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts former Israeli minister Dan Meridor, who held a handful of high-ranking cabinet positions over multiple decades. They discuss the collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza and renewed Israeli airstrikes against Hamas, the precarious fate of the hostages, the upcoming dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and the legal hurdles Benjamin Netanyahu will have to overcome to push it through, the future o...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel to discuss the new IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. They cover his first week in the post and future plans for the army, the state of the IDF now 17 months into this war, the threat of a renewed Israeli military offensive into Gaza, the prospects of the ceasefire-hostage talks succeeding, the IDF inquiries into the failures surrounding Hamas' October ...
Mar 11, 2025•56 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the national trauma and mood in Israel after last week’s return of four deceased hostages, the joyful return of six living hostages on Saturday, the potential for the hostage-and-ceasefire deal in Gaza to be extended, the U.S.’ role in the ongoing talks, growing tensions and violence in the northern Wes...
Feb 26, 2025•46 min
On this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was just freed from Hamas captivity after 498 days. They discuss the joyful reunion between Sagui and his wife and three young daughters, Sagui's road to recovery, the months of campaigning to get this hostage deal done, the role of the Trump administration and Netanyahu government, the prospects for the ceasefire to be extended and for a...
Feb 20, 2025•52 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Fellow Shira Efron. The trio discusses Prime Minister Netanyahu's trip to Washington last week, President Trump's plan to turn Gaza into the riviera of the Middle East, the status of the Gaza ceasefire deal, dimming prospects for Israel-Saudi normalization, possible reform in the Palestinian Authority, a...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 7 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Aziz Alghashian, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. They discuss how the past 16 months have looked from Riyadh and the Gulf, the prospects of Israel-Saudi normalization, the demand for a viable pathway towards Palestinian statehood, how Benjamin Netanyahu has misled the Israeli public, the Trump effect on Middle East diplomacy, and more. Policy Recommend...
Jan 28, 2025•51 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Director of Policy Research Shira Efron. The trio discuss the release of the first three female hostages from Hamas captivity, the surprising (for some) Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, the re-emergence of Hamas fighters and the lack of a day after plan for the strip, the prospects of the ceasefire being continu...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 1 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the terms of the ceasefire-hostage deal and how it will be implemented, how many hostages are set to come home and if the deal will actually end the war, why the long-awaited deal was finalized now, criticisms of the deal from both the right and left, the political implications for the Netanyahu governm...
Jan 16, 2025•43 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Tal Shalev, political correspondent at Walla News. They discuss Prime Minister Netanyahu's political strength at the dawn of a new year, the state of play inside his coalition government, Itamar Ben Gvir's waning influence, the fraught issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription, the return of the judicial overhaul, Trump's potential impact, and more. Support the show Follow us on Instagram , Twit...
Jan 09, 2025•56 min
On the last Israel Policy Pod episode of 2024, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Director of Policy Research Shira Efron. The trio discuss the past year of war across all of Israel's battlefields and fronts, the upheaval in Syria and the fall of the Assad regime, the renewed prospects for a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza, Netanyahu's increasing political strength h...
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 9 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts military affairs analyst Yaakov Lappin. They discuss the demise of the Assad regime, how the rebel takeover of Damascus is being viewed from Israel, the IDF ground incursion into southern Syria, the far-reaching air campaign against the Syrian Arab Army, what the future may hold for the fragmented country, the dismantling of the Iran-led axis of resistance, the status of Israel's multi-fron...
Dec 12, 2024•52 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Assaf Orion, international fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and senior researcher at INSS. They assess the Israel-Hezbollah war over the past 14 months, and discuss the reasons why the ceasefire was concluded last week, what the agreement entails, how it differs from the one that ended the last Lebanon war, the prospects that it is successfully implemented, and more. ...
Dec 05, 2024•53 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Tal Schneider, political correspondent at The Times of Israel. They discuss the return of Israeli politics during wartime, the defection of Gideon Sa’ar, the firing of Yoav Gallant and the rumors regarding who may be next, the resumption of the judicial overhaul, the impact Donald Trump may already be having on internal Israeli affairs, and more. View our latest explainers on critical issue...
Nov 21, 2024•56 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Natan Sachs, director of the Brookings Institution Center for Middle East Policy. They discuss Donald Trump's impending return to the White House, what his early foreign policy appointments could mean for Israel and the Middle East, inherent contradictions between Trump’s goals and the current policies of the Netanyahu government, what the Biden administration may seek to achieve before Jan...
Nov 14, 2024•56 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Director of Policy Research Shira Efron. The trio discusses the upcoming U.S. election and the debate over Israel policy, Israel's strikes on Iran this past weekend, the implications of Israel banning UNRWA, renewed diplomacy to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and more. Support the show Follow us on Instag...
Oct 31, 2024•58 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum CEO David A. Halperin hosts Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber to discuss the violent life and death of Yahya Sinwar, where Hamas goes from here, future prospects for a hostage-and-ceasefire deal in Gaza, the linkage being made by Israel between the various war fronts, Prime Minister Netanyahu's likely rising political fortunes, and more. Support the show Follow us on Instagram , Twitter/X , and Bluesky , and subscribe to our emai...
Oct 23, 2024•41 min
On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel to discuss the state of the Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, how far this campaign will go, lessons from past Israeli wars in Lebanon, the potential Israeli strike options against Iran, the bleak state of the Gaza front, how long Israel can keep up this multi-front war of attrition, and more. Support the show Follow us...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 2 min
