S3 E12. Knesset Brawl, IDF Oct 7 Reports and… more War?

The pace of events here is impossible. I’m keen to keep you updated and for now that means more podcasts than usual. Today I was lucky to catch a regular State of Tel Aviv guest and a man with deep knowledge of security and military issues… politics too…Ya’akov Katz. My head has been spinning from the pace of reports being made public by the IDF into the total failure of October 7 and I turned to Ya’akov to make it make sense. He did his best. We discuss the reports, which confirm what we already knew – but in writing. And then there was the unseemly brawl that broke out in the Knesset halls yesterday when bereaved family members were banned from entering the Visitor’s Gallery for a plenary session of Parliament. This was done at the direction of the Knesset Speaker, Likud MK Amir Ohana. Finally, we touch on the breakdown of the ceasefire with Hamas and the uncertain fate of the remaining hostages.

Thanks for being here. As always, we’d love your feedback. Have a listen.

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Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American author and journalist. Between 2016 and 2023, Yaakov was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post where he continues to write a popular weekly column.

He is the author of three books: “Shadow Strike – Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power”, “Weapon Wizards—How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower” and “Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War.”

Prior to taking up the role of editor-in-chief, Yaakov served for two years as a senior policy adviser to Naftali Bennett during his tenure as Israel’s Minister of Economy and Minister of Diaspora Affairs.

In 2013, Yaakov was one of 12 international fellows to spend a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

Originally from Chicago, Yaakov has a law degree from Bar Ilan University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Chaya and their four children.

Find Yaakov Katz on X @yaakovkatz

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