Israel Policy Pod

Note: This episode of Israel Policy Pod is an audio recording of a webinar Israel Policy Forum hosted today on Zoom. Yesterday, President Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a deal to end the war in Gaza, which will reportedly see all hostages freed in the coming days. In this Israel Policy Briefing, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow, Washington Managing Director and Senior Policy Analyst Rachel Brandenburg, Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik, and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber shed light on the factors that contributed to this diplomatic breakthrough, the contours of the reported agreement, what we can expect to see in Gaza in the coming weeks, and the impact of the deal for both Israelis and Palestinians.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

Note: This episode of Israel Policy Pod is an audio recording of a webinar Israel Policy Forum hosted today (9/30) on Zoom.Amid mounting international pressure on Israel and growing determination from the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza, a hostage-ceasefire deal appears to be within reach. As the impact of yesterday's White House visit by Prime Minister Netanyahu comes into focus, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Washington Managing Director and Senior Policy Analyst Rachel Brandenburg join Policy Advisor and Israel Policy Pod host Neri Zilber to shed light on Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, Netanyahu’s current political calculus, the role of various regional players, and what to expect in Gaza in the coming weeks.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron. The trio discuss last week's Israeli strike on the Hamas headquarters in Doha, whether Donald Trump knew of the attack ahead of time, the start of the Israeli offensive into Gaza City, the fate of the Israeli hostages, next week's meetings at the U.N. on Palestinian statehood, reasons for optimism heading into a new Jewish year, and more.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik and Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center think tank in Ramallah. They discuss the Israeli government's negative policies towards the West Bank, economic and political instability inside the Palestinian Authority, the benefits and pitfalls of the upcoming Palestinian statehood recognition bid in New York later this month, the latest proposal by Donald Trump for a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, various day-after postwar scenarios, strained Israel-Egypt ties, and more. Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

On this episode, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron join Tel Aviv-based journalist and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber to discuss the current juncture in the Gaza war, including Israel's impending Gaza City offensive, prospects for a deal, Israel's mass demonstrations on Sunday, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the role of the Trump administration, and more.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Col. (ret.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, former head of the Department for Palestinian Affairs in Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate. They discuss the Netanyahu government's decision last week to expand the offensive against Hamas by re-invading Gaza City, the number of Israeli forces and time needed to prepare for such a major operation, what is left of Hamas to destroy, and the potential costs of the operation to Israel, as well as the lack of any realistic day after planning, the prospects for a ceasefire deal, and more. Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Jeremy Issacharoff, Israel’s former ambassador to Germany. They discuss the growing "diplomatic tsunami" facing Israel, how Israel's current international standing compares to years and wars past, why and how Israel got to this low point, what can be done to remedy the situation, the craft of Israeli diplomacy, Iran's nuclear program after the 12-day war, and more.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

LTC (res.) Or Elrom, a former COGAT Senior Officer, and Shira Efron, Research Director at the Israel Policy Forum, dive deep into the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They discuss the drastic conditions on the ground, the significant barriers to aid delivery, and the complexities of logistics amidst political tensions. The duo emphasizes the necessity for reevaluated humanitarian strategies and international cooperation to address the crisis, highlighting the urgent need for both immediate and long-term solutions.

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 crisis inside the Netanyahu governing coalition over the ultra-Orthodox military draft issue, the chances of a snap election being called early next year, the status of the Gaza ceasefire talks, the escalation last week between Israel and Syria over spiraling inter-ethnic violence in the largely Druze part of southern Syria, American Jewish perceptions of Israel and the ongoing war, and more.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

In the wake of the 12-day war against Iran and with the campaign in Gaza still ongoing, Israel’s regional outlook is characterized by both deepening challenges and emerging opportunities. Israel Policy Forum and ROPES—The Regional Organization for Peace, Economics & Security—present a webinar on the state of Israel’s regional integration featuring Ksenia Svetlova (Executive director, ROPES), Farah Bdour (Jordanian policy analyst), and Aziz Alghashian (Saudi policy analyst) in conversation with Rachel Brandenburg (Washington Managing Director and Senior Fellow, Israel Policy Forum). Ksenia, Farah, Aziz, and Rachel unpack the wider regional environment and its implications for Israel, including the aftermath of the Israel-Iran war, the new government in Syria, the new status quo in Lebanon, the state of the Israeli-Palestinian arena, and more.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.