Complexities of Jewish Identity and Political Discourse

Tommy and Ben discuss the anniversary of the October 7th attack in Israel and how the war has expanded across the Middle East in the year since, they play reflections from a Palestinian journalist in Gaza and an Israeli woman whose relatives were taken hostage, and discuss the heavy fighting this week in both Northern Gaza and Lebanon. Then they talk about how the war has become a major issue on the campaign trail, Trump’s bizarre claim to have visited Gaza and support for Israel attacking Iranian nuclear infrastructure, Kamala Harris’s frosty comments about Benjamin Netanyahu on 60 Minutes, Macron’s call to stop arming Israel, and Netanyahu’s ominous message to the Lebanese people. They also talk about Bob Woodward’s new book, the Tunisian election and the end of the Arab Spring, the dangers of the far-right surge in Austria, and a Qantas Airlines experience of in-flight entertainment gone horribly wrong. Then, Ben speaks to Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new book, “The Message”, that digs into the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and how victims can become victimizers.

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