Haaretz Podcast

In this engaging discussion, journalist Rachel Fink delves into the controversy surrounding Avner Netanyahu’s extravagant wedding amidst ongoing conflict in Gaza. She explains how anti-war protesters plan to disrupt the celebration, viewing it as an insensitive act during a humanitarian crisis. While some argue against protesting personal events, fearing backlash, Fink illustrates the deep divisions in Israeli society regarding the balance between public dissent and private joy. The wedding becomes a symbol of broader societal tensions and emotional turmoil.

Nir Hasson, a journalist for Haaretz covering humanitarian issues, delves into Israel's controversial actions in Gaza. He argues that the new aid initiatives are politically motivated to help Netanyahu maintain power. Hasson reveals the dire conditions in Gaza, where evacuation warnings fail to protect civilians, and voices the growing discontent among Israelis about the ongoing violence. Their conversation uncovers the moral complexities of aid distribution and the unprecedented suffering experienced by the population.

Dahlia Scheindlin, a Haaretz columnist and public opinion expert specializing in Israeli politics, discusses the striking disconnect between the ongoing trial of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the urgent concerns of the Israeli public amidst the Gaza conflict. She highlights widespread frustration over Netanyahu's situation and the trivialization of serious issues, exemplified by courtroom antics. Additionally, Scheindlin addresses the brewing political crisis as ultra-Orthodox tensions could lead to new elections, reflecting the precarious balance of Israeli governance.

Ben Samuels, Haaretz's Washington D.C. correspondent, shares insights on the escalating fears within the American Jewish community following violent attacks in Washington and Boulder. He notes a united front among Jewish organizations focused on safety, citing the urgent need for government support. The conversation dives into the widening diplomatic rift between the U.S. and Israel, especially regarding Trump's controversial approach to Iran's nuclear negotiations, highlighting a critical moment in U.S.-Israel relations.

Brandon Kramer, a filmmaker known for his award-winning documentary "Holding Liat," and Libby Lenkinski, a producer and Vice President at the New Israel Fund, discuss the gripping story of the Beinin-Atzili family. They explore the family's diverse reactions to the trauma of kidnapping juxtaposed with their political views. Kramer highlights the complex dynamics within the family, showing how personal crises reflect broader societal debates. They also examine the ethical responsibility of filmmakers in authentically representing these deeply emotional experiences.

Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee and former U.S. Congressman, tackles pressing concerns about safety in the Jewish community following recent violence. He expresses the alarming reality of needing checkpoints and armed guards just to gather peacefully. Deutch calls for stronger political alliances and moral accountability from leaders, emphasizing that rhetoric can lead to real-world violence. He insists on the vital need for solidarity and support in combating rising antisemitism while advocating for a return to normalcy and safety.

Dror Mishani, an acclaimed Israeli crime novelist and screenwriter, discusses the profound impact of the ongoing Gaza conflict on his writing. He highlights how the tragedy makes fiction feel impossible and emphasizes the need for writers to engage with the harsh realities around them. Mishani shares his journey from writing crime stories to keeping a candid diary as a form of historical documentation. He advocates for empathy and understanding in storytelling, recognizing the complexities of the conflict while urging for peaceful coexistence.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fancies himself as Israel's Winston Churchill, when in fact, the Gaza war has demonstrated he is exactly the opposite of Great Britain's storied leader, asserted Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent for The Economist, former Haaretz analyst and a Netanyahu biographer, on the Haaretz Podcast. "We shouldn't be making this World War II – the Nazis against everybody else, and comparing that to Israel's war with Hamas. But that's being almost forced upon us by Netanyahu and his supporters," said Pfeffer in conversation with host Allison Kaplan Sommer. Pfeffer, who recently published a column in Haaretz about Netanyahu's repeated slogan of achieving "total victory" over Hamas and his misguided identification with Churchill in the second world war, said "Churchill was a brilliant wartime leader. He managed to bring the British together at that crucial point in history, uniting a country at a time of a terrible war. Yet, he didn't have the ability to win elections. Netanyahu is the opposite. As we've seen so clearly, he is totally useless at uniting Israel at a time of war, but he's very, very good at winning elections and clinging onto power." Pfeffer also pointed out that the "scorched earth" victory model that Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners are pursuing in Gaza hews closer to former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and Russian President Vladimir Putin than Churchill and the other Western allies. Netanyahu should be reminded, Pfeffer said, that the U.K. and the U.S. were "magnanimous and benevolent" victors who poured millions into rebuilding a de-Nazified Germany. "That is a very, very different vision of victory."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was clear during U.S. President Donald Trump's tour of the Gulf states that his foreign policy is in a very "different place" than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's, Washington-based veteran diplomatic journalist Laura Rozen said on the Haaretz Podcast, pointing to the growing divergence in interests between the White House and Israel's ruling coalition, both on Gaza and Iran. In his second term in office, Trump "wants to make peace deals and trade deals," Rozen said, as Netanyahu, "for his own political reasons, wants to continue the Gaza war indefinitely." From his behavior, it seems that Netanyahu "may be missing the signals that Trump is going in such a different direction," she said, pointing to Trump's agreement to cease U.S. attacks on the Houthis, his meeting with Syria's leader during his stay in Riyadh, his statements favoring a diplomatic nuclear deal with Iran over military confrontation, and his willingness to negotiate directly with Hamas for the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. Netanyahu's decision to sit on the sidelines, she said, and failure to make a gesture that could have moved Trump to include a stop in Jerusalem on his Middle East visit, was something that not only the Trump administration but "a lot of pro-Israel Americans" found disappointing. Many of the changes in Trump's Middle East policies – particularly regarding Iran – since his first term, Rozen noted, can be attributed to a power shift in the Republican Party. The increasingly strong "America First, MAGA wing of the GOP is not interested in wars of choice in the Middle East," she said, and thus far, in the second Trump term "the neoconservative element, the hawkish element, is definitely getting battered." As a result, "strangely, you see MAGA people who are almost with the more traditional progressive Democrats when it comes to looking for a diplomatic solution on Iran, which is not something we saw in Trump's first term. It feels a little bit disorienting, even here in Washington."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Announcing the release of Edan Alexander – the last living Israeli hostage in Gaza with U.S. citizenship – U.S. President Donald Trump did something he never did before, Haaretz columnist Amir Tibon said on the Haaretz podcast.  “Trump has spoken before releasing hostages, but this is the first time that he explicitly called to end the 'brutal war' to bring back 'ALL of the hostages,'" Tibon said. It is a hopeful sign, he explained, because without new determination by the U.S. president to apply “massive pressure” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “this nightmare will not end.” In Tibon’s view, “Netanyahu is determined to continue the war, and he's determined to abandon the remaining hostages who are not lucky enough to be American citizens like Edan Alexander.” The fact that only Alexander was freed, while the non-American hostages remain in captivity, is a difficult pill to swallow for both the hostage families and the wider Israeli public, he added. While Alexander’s rescue is being celebrated, at the same time “it’s shocking that he is being saved because of his American citizenship, while the other hostages – including soldiers, including civilians – are left behind by the Israeli government.”  Noting reports that Qatar would be gifting President Trump with a luxury airliner during the U.S. leader’s visit to the Gulf, Tibon made a tongue-in-cheek appeal to the Qataris. “Please give a second plane to Sara Netanyahu in return for ending the war and saving all the hostages. What is one airplane for the lives of so many people, after all. If you hear me, Qatari Government – Sara Netanyahu also needs a 747 – and we need the war to be over.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.