The Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren - Gaza, Iran, Anti-Semitism, Obama and more.
Historian, Member of Knesset, Ambassador, and Author Michael Oren joins us for an interview analyzing the current conflict.
Takeaways
Israel faces challenges in responding to Iran's strike while avoiding triggering a regional conflagration and alienating allies.
The concern of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and the potential risks involved.
The changing policies of the United States towards Israel and the impact on the Israeli response.
The psychological impact of the conflict and the rise of anti-Semitism. The conversation highlights the cultural struggle surrounding the terms 'Israel' and 'Palestine', which encompass a wide range of meanings and ideologies.
The Obama administration's worldview and misrepresentation of historical events, particularly regarding the Arab-Israeli negotiations, are discussed.
The conversation explores the challenges and complexities of the settlements in Israel and the need for creative thinking to achieve peace.
Michael Oren emphasizes the importance of recognizing the rights and identities of both Israelis and Palestinians in order to move towards a resolution.
Sound Bites
"Courage, a little luck would help at this point."
"If they are humiliated or shown to be impotent, that might lead them to the conclusion that we can't put up with this anymore."
"If Iran were to break out and have a nuclear weapon, then we might as well just pack our bags and move somewhere."
"This war has given us clarity on a lot of issues. One of them is on the nature and extent of antisemitism."
"When people say Palestine in America today, they mean many things. They mean socialism. They mean LGBT rights, strangely, because there are no LGBT rights in Palestine, or women's rights. They mean anti-colonialism. They mean anti-nationalism."
"His worldview was a democratic worldview, which included respect for international institutions, a strong feeling about Palestinians, a reticence to use military force, and unfamiliarity with military force."