For Heaven's Sake

What does it mean to fight a just war justly—and who decides when we’ve crossed a moral red line? What began as a just war of self-defense has evolved into something more morally ambiguous, raising questions about Israel's tactics, humanitarian concerns, and international standing. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi confront their differing "red lines" regarding Israel's condu...

As Israel enters a perilous new stage of the Gaza war—authorizing indefinite occupation of captured territory—Netanyahu’s pledge of “complete victory” over Hamas is deepening societal rifts and threatening to further fracture Israeli unity, pitting nat...

As Israel enters a perilous new stage of the Gaza war—authorizing indefinite occupation of captured territory—Netanyahu’s pledge of “complete victory” over Hamas is deepening societal rifts and threatening to further fracture Israeli unity, pitting nationalist agendas against calls for restraint. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the cascading consequences of occupati...

This Yom Ha’atzmut carries an apt but concerning metaphor for the State of Israel: as a brushfire burns along Route 1, the annual Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony has been canceled and the connection between Israel’s cultural and ideological po...

This Yom Ha’atzmut carries an apt but concerning metaphor for the State of Israel: as a brushfire burns along Route 1, the annual Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony has been canceled and the connection between Israel’s cultural and ideological poles, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, is literally blocked.   In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi test the limits of their gratitude to t...

In the wake of the Holocaust, the Jewish people defied history. We restored sovereignty in our homeland and established the State of Israel, vowing that such victimization would never befall us again. Then came the massacre on October 7. Though Israel ...

In the wake of the Holocaust, the Jewish people defied history. We restored sovereignty in our homeland and established the State of Israel, vowing that such victimization would never befall us again.   Then came the massacre on October 7. Though Israel has successfully fought back against Hamas and its allies, the war is still being waged, hostages remain in captivity, and the evil that motivated...

A shadow lingers over Passover this year: 59 hostages still languish in Hamas captivity, Netanyahu continues his efforts to mold Israel into an authoritarian state, and Gazans once again live with the dangers of war. How can we celebrate freedom when s...

A shadow lingers over Passover this year: 59 hostages still languish in Hamas captivity, Netanyahu continues his efforts to mold Israel into an authoritarian state, and Gazans once again live with the dangers of war. How can we celebrate freedom when so many in and around Israel are figuratively—and literally—not free?   This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on the Pesach seder...

The Shin Bet, IDF, and Israel’s judiciary should serve the nation regardless of the government’s political leanings. But Prime Minister Netanyahu seems determined to bend these institutions to serve his will and that of his right-wing coalition. Despit...

The Shin Bet, IDF, and Israel’s judiciary should serve the nation regardless of the government’s political leanings. But Prime Minister Netanyahu seems determined to bend these institutions to serve his will and that of his right-wing coalition. Despite his visibly corrupt behavior, he may already be succeeding at instilling autocracy into Israel’s highest public institutions.   This week, Donniel...

With the return to war in Gaza, a wave of fresh recruits would relieve the intense pressure on Israel’s fatigued fighting force and struggling economy. But those potential new recruits—Ultra-Orthodox young men—are refusing or ignoring their conscriptio...

With the return to war in Gaza, a wave of fresh recruits would relieve the intense pressure on Israel’s fatigued fighting force and struggling economy. But those potential new recruits—Ultra-Orthodox young men—are refusing or ignoring their conscription orders, often at the behest of their rabbis and leaders.   This week, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi untangle the enigma of Haredi draft r...

In the early hours of Tuesday, March 18, the IDF resumed airstrikes on Gaza, breaking the two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Israel’s decision to return to war can be debated, but what is harder to understand is why Netanyahu, after promising to fire the ...

In the early hours of Tuesday, March 18, the IDF resumed airstrikes on Gaza, breaking the two-month ceasefire with Hamas.   Israel’s decision to return to war can be debated, but what is harder to understand is why Netanyahu, after promising to fire the chief of the Shin Bet—Israel’s counter-terrorism agency—and with a new Haredi draft exemption in the works, has chosen this moment to thrust Israe...

As pressure mounts to move forward with further ceasefire negotiations, Israel finds itself beset with national scandals and crises, including a new Haredi draft exemption bill, threats to fire the Attorney General and Shin Bet Chief, and allegations t...

As pressure mounts to move forward with further ceasefire negotiations, Israel finds itself beset with national scandals and crises, including a new Haredi draft exemption bill, threats to fire the Attorney General and Shin Bet Chief, and allegations that Netanyahu’s office took money from Qatar, while a looming budget deadline threatens to topple the government.   In this episode, Donniel Hartman...

Over the past year, Israel has shared a certain kinship with Ukraine; both countries are locked in existential wars started by their neighbors and backed by the U.S. administration. But in a shocking foreign policy turnaround, the Trump administration ...

Over the past year, Israel has shared a certain kinship with Ukraine; both countries are locked in existential wars started by their neighbors and backed by the U.S. administration. But in a shocking foreign policy turnaround, the Trump administration is stonewalling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, demanding mineral wealth from his country in exchange for further military support. In a wo...

Hamas has released each round of hostages amid increasingly cruel and theatrical public displays, going as far as returning a stranger’s body in place of Shiri Bibas, who was abducted with her two young children and killed in captivity. With stage two ...

Hamas has released each round of hostages amid increasingly cruel and theatrical public displays, going as far as returning a stranger’s body in place of Shiri Bibas, who was abducted with her two young children and killed in captivity. With stage two of ceasefire negotiations due to begin, Netanyahu, and many Israelis, are instead gearing up for a return to war. Is this the response Hamas is aimi...

Today, Thursday, February 20, Hamas is returning to Israel the bodies of Oded Lifshitz, Shiri Bibas, and her young children Kfir and Ariel, all slain in captivity. A fresh outcry of rage is expected from the Israeli public, not just over Hamas’s brutal...

Today, Thursday, February 20, Hamas is returning to Israel the bodies of Oded Lifshitz, Shiri Bibas, and her young children Kfir and Ariel, all slain in captivity. A fresh outcry of rage is expected from the Israeli public, not just over Hamas’s brutality, but against the government’s failure to gain release of these and other hostages sooner. In a conversation recorded yesterday, Donniel Hartman...

It seems that every country around the world has condemned Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, and understandably so. The permanent relocation of Gazans would amount to an act of ethnic cleansing. Why, then, is Israel the only nation other...

It seems that every country around the world has condemned Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, and understandably so. The permanent relocation of Gazans would amount to an act of ethnic cleansing. Why, then, is Israel the only nation other than the U.S. to take Trump’s morally questionable proposal seriously?   In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi consider the fact...