Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Haviv Rettig Gur, political analyst at The Times of Israel and former IDF combat medic, discusses the Israeli government's motivations and actions towards Gaza, the challenges of providing aid to Gaza, the aftermath of war in Israel and potential threats from Hezbollah and Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of Hamas, the need for a new Israeli security doctrine, and the importance of achieving a decisive victory over Hamas.

Avi Issacharoff, journalist and analyst, discusses the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, comparing past and present ground operations in Gaza. The podcast explores Israel's negotiation strategy, the potential for casualties, and the psychological warfare tactics used by Hamas. The speaker also reflects on the impact of recent events and the need for unity in Israeli society.

Today's guest is Dr. Matthew Levitt, the Director of the Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. They discuss the history and potential threats of Hezbollah, including their connection to Hamas and the ongoing conflict with Israel. They also delve into Israel's cautious approach, the celebration of death, and the significant capabilities of Hezbollah, such as their extensive arsenal and number of operatives.

Topics include anti-Semitism, the distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, the life and sacrifice of Israeli soldier Omar Balva, personal journey and advocacy for Israel, the growing power of the Democratic Socialists of America, the connection between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, and the documentation and spread of Hamas atrocities.

Haviv Rettig Gur returns for our weekly conversation from Israel to provide real-time reporting and analysis on the war, and invaluable historical context. We wanted to check in with Haviv on increasing questions we are hearing from within Israel and the U.S. about -- as it relates to the call-up of reserves and the deployment along Israel's southern border - why 'hurry up and wait'? In this conversation we explore the 'known knowns' of equities that Israeli decision-makers must be balancing. Haviv, who is the political analyst at The Times of Israel. He was a long time reporter for the Times of Israel. He’s also working on a book. Haviv was also a combat medic in the IDF where he served in the reserves.

This episode will be the first of a few conversations in which we touch on the range of directions this October 7th war could go (especially when considering comparisons to Israel's previous wars, including those with Hamas and also the 1973 Yom Kippur War). Michael Oren is the author of numerous books, including: “Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East” and “Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present”. Micahel also served in the paratroopers in the IDF after moving to Israel. Later on, he served as Israel ambassador to the United States, and as a Member of Knesset and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. He is a graduate of Princeton and Columbia, and was a visiting professor at Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown.

Matt Waxman, Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, discusses the laws of war, proportionality in Israel's response, and the complexities of urban warfare in the ongoing conflict with Hamas. He highlights the challenges of distinguishing between military and civilian targets, the higher standards imposed on Israel, and the need to educate society on the actual meaning of the law to counter violators like Hamas.

Political analyst Haviv Rettig Gur discusses Israeli public sentiment and changing perceptions in the Israeli Arab community. They explore the escalating tension in Israel, updates on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the ideologies of Hamas. They also discuss the varying perspectives on the legitimacy of a Jewish state, Palestinian Israelis' reactions to the conflict, and understanding Hamas and Israel's determination.

Today, we consider to what to expect when the IDF enters Gaza. Avi Issacharoff has been an analyst and journalist for The Times of Israel, Walla, and Haaretz. In these roles, he reported extensively on the inner workings and leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza and the West Bank — Avi has extensive networks in the Israeli security services and the Palestinian Territories. He is also the co-creator and writer of the Netflix original series “Fauda”, and other television series for Netflix and Showtime. A fluent Arabic speaker, Avi was also the Middle East Affairs correspondent for Israeli Public Radio, covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Iraq, and the Arab world between the years 2003-2006. In 2004, together with Haaretz’s Amos Harel, he authored the book "The Seventh War - How we won and why we lost the war with the Palestinians." In 2008, they co-wrote "34 Days - The Story of the Second Lebanon War”. Born in Jerusalem, he graduated cum laude from Ben Gurion University with a B.A. in Middle Eastern studies. He then earned his M.A. from Tel Aviv University on the same subject, also cum laude.

In this episode with Elliott Abrams, we provide additional detail on the history of Israel-Gaza/Hamas — this time from a White House insider on U.S.-Middle East policy during a critical period in Hamas’s takeover of Gaza — what were leaders in Washington and Jerusalem thinking at the time? Elliott takes us into the Situation Room: What did they get right and what did they get wrong? This part of the discussion is a good complement to our conversation last week with Jonathan Schanzer on this history of Hamas. Elliott also considers all that has changed for Israel, the region (especially the Sunni Gulf and Iran), and the Diaspora-Israel relationship as a result of this war. Elliott is senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George W. Bush, where he supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East for the White House, and as Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela in the administration of Donald Trump. Elliott was educated at Harvard College, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Law School. After serving on the staffs of Senators Henry M. Jackson and Daniel P. Moynihan, he was an assistant secretary of state in the Reagan administration and received the secretary of state's Distinguished Service Award from Secretary George Shultz. Elliott is the author of five books, including “Tested by Zion: The Bush Administration and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”, which is most relevant to today’s discussion.