Day 665 - Daniel Taub: Still mourning, Israel is not ripe to talk peace - yet

11 snips

Aug 1, 2025

Daniel Taub, an Israeli diplomat and author, engages in a profound discussion ahead of Tisha B'Av, exploring its significance in modern Israel. He highlights how mourning connects to contemporary societal issues, particularly the divisive debate on universal draft. Taub argues that constructive disagreement can enrich dialogue, advocating for empathy between secular and ultra-Orthodox communities. Drawing from his negotiation experiences, he underscores the need for a ripe moment in negotiation processes, emphasizing the complexities of Israeli-Palestinian relations amid historical narratives.

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INSIGHT

Tisha B'Av and Constructive Argument

Tisha B'Av symbolizes Jewish tragedy linked to internal 'causeless hatred' but also a shift to valuing constructive argument in Judaism.
Rabbis embraced argument as a collaborative tool to refine truth, opposing hateful divisions that led to destruction.

INSIGHT

Value of Machloket Disagreement

Machloket (disagreement) can be valuable as it reflects inherent differences like distinct faces and opinions.
Truth emerges through moral, collaborative exchange where parties clear their own biases to be truth channels.

ADVICE

Take Conversations Offline

Take difficult conversations offline from charged public or family settings to increase productivity.
Encourage sharing personal stories to expand understanding beyond superficial talking points.

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Ahead of the holiday of Tisha B'Av, we bring you this special What Matters Now podcast:

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with author Daniel Taub.

Taub is an Israeli diplomat, international lawyer and author born in Britain in 1962. He moved to Israel in 1989, later serving in the IDF as a combat medic and as a reserve officer in the international law division. He started his path in diplomacy in the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1991 where he held many legal and diplomatic posts, including as Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2011 to 2015.

In his new book, "Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish Art of Constructive Disagreement," Taub synthesizes his years spent at negotiating tables as a diplomat with his lifelong learning of Talmud.

Drawing on techniques from both spheres, Taub argues that disagreement can be even more constructive than easy consensus -- and is necessary for treaties to last.

We begin the program speaking about the Tisha B'Av holiday marked this weekend and how Israeli society today -- specifically, the painful ongoing debate over universal draft -- is coming close to the senseless hatred that tradition ascribes as a reason for the fall of the Temples.

We then hear how one must pick a ripe time for negotiations, and how Taub's experiences on negotiation teams with Palestinians and Syrians make him think that Israelis, at the very least, are not ready to discuss a practical peace -- yet.

And so this week, we ask Daniel Taub, what matters now.

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Author Daniel Taub (courtesy) / Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man pray as they gather for the mourning ritual of Tisha B'Av, in the Old City of Jerusalem, August 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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