Israel Policy Pod

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.

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Tal Shalev, political correspondent at Walla News. They discuss the third meeting this year between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu in Washington, the prospects for a new Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, what Netanyahu may want to accomplish now that the Iran war is over, the ultra-Orthodox military conscription crisis roiling the governing coalition, the fractured state of the Israeli opposition, and more. Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

On this episode of Israel Policy Pod, Alana Zeitchik—Israeli-American advocate, writer, and executive director of The Narrow Bridge Project based in Brooklyn, NY—joins Israel Policy Forum Director Strategic of Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman to share the harrowing story of her family members, who were kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. Most were released in the November 2023 hostage deal, though her cousin’s husband David Cunio and his brother, Ariel Cunio, remain held hostage in Gaza. Alana reflects on the personal toll of the past 21 months, the complex advocacy efforts she’s undertaken across two U.S. administrations, the disconnect between hostage families and much of the American Jewish community, the urgent need to center the hostages’ plight in policy debates, and more.Follow: @alanalindsay @bring.david.cunio.home @bring.ariel.homeSupport the efforts of The Hostages and Missing Families Forum here.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 The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Fellow and Research Director Shira Efron. The trio discuss the success of the Israel-Iran war, whether diplomacy with Iran can work in this new postwar era, the potential of further Israeli and U.S. military action against Iran, the prospect of Netanyahu agreeing to end the Gaza war in return for a Trump-led "grand bargain" in the Middle East, the current state of play in Israeli politics, 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 Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel to discuss the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the role of President Trump, Israel's success in the 12-day campaign, the murky state of Iran's nuclear program, Iran's lackluster performance during the war, the role of diplomacy and military action moving forward, what impact the conflict with Iran may have on Israel's war in Gaza, and more.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.

This is a recording of an Israel Policy Forum webinar held on Wednesday, June 18, at 1pm ET.Days into its military campaign against Iran, Israel has racked up an impressive series of achievements: decimating Iran’s top military echelon, setting back its nuclear program, taking out drones and rocket-launchers, and achieving freedom of operation in the skies above Tehran. Yet the war’s impact on the Israeli homefront has been costly, with at least two dozen casualties and unprecedented levels of destruction in central Israel. Israel’s endgame and Washington’s appetite to assist in eliminating Iran’s nuclear program remain unclear.Israel Policy Forum Washington Managing Director and Senior Fellow Rachel Brandenburg hosts Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran program at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, and Kenneth Pollack, vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute, to unpack the state of the war.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky, and subscribe to our email list here.