Israel Policy Pod

On this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Director of Policy Research Shira Efron to reflect on Israel's 75th Independence Day. They discuss the recent anti-government protests at Diaspora Jewish conferences being held in Israel, the possible fate...

Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber to break down all the major security events of this tumultuous holiday period, including the recent multi-front escalation in Jerusalem, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank; the chances for a real war breaking out soon; the IDF's relationship to the ongoing protest...

After three months of mass demonstrations against his plan to undermine Israel's judicial system—and after an outpouring of anger in the wake of the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Galant—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally relented and said he was suspending the legislative blitz until after Passover. To discuss the significance of this dramatic development, IPF Atid Director Shanie Re...

On this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Director of Policy Research Shira Efron for a wide-ranging conversation about the escalating crisis in Israel over the government's judicial overhaul plans, growing concerns in Washington and the American J...

Amir Mizroch, tech journalist and consultant, joins Neri Zilber, policy advisor at Israel Policy Forum and Tel Aviv-based journalist, to discuss the Israeli tech sector's role in the protest movement against the Netanyahu government's judicial overhaul. Amir also provides an overview of the origins of Israel as the "start-up nation," the tech sector’s concerns if the judicial p...

Amid escalating violence in the West Bank between Israelis and Palestinians, Nimrod Novik (Israel Fellow, Israel Policy Forum) and Ibrahim Eid Dalalsha (Director, Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach) join host Neri Zilber (Policy Advisor, Israel Policy Forum and Tel Aviv-based journalist) to assess the deadly events of the past week and the chances for de-escalation on both sid...

As the judicial and constitutional crisis in Israel deepens, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Tal Schneider, chief political correspondent for the Times of Israel, to analyze the politics of the current moment. They discuss the first judicial overhaul bills passed in preliminary and first readings in the Knesset this week, the prospects for a negot...

On this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israeli Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Director of Policy Research Shira Efron for a wide-ranging conversation about this week's tragic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the recent escalation in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the Netanyahu governm...

**Note: This episode was recorded before the events of January 26 in the Jenin refugee camp. Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber for a wide-ranging conversation on Israeli security policy under the new Netanyahu government. They assess the blurred lines of control between several ministers in the West Bank, th...

With the new Israeli government barely two weeks old, a major crisis is looming over its intention to completely overhaul the country's judicial and legal system. Dan Meridor, a former Likud justice minister and deputy prime minister, joins Neri Zilber (Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum policy advisor) to discuss the fateful consequences of these plans for Israeli democracy, w...

Most years in Israel are described as "historic," but for 2022 it happens to be very true. The year began with Benjamin Netanyahu in the opposition and considering a plea deal in his corruption trial, and is now ending with Netanyahu marking a dramatic return to power at the head of a far-right government. Between these two events, we witnessed the demise of the Bennett-Lapid government,...

It’s a challenging moment for the Palestinian Authority. INSS researcher and Israeli-Palestinian Research Program Coordinator Noa Shusterman joins IPF Atid Director Shanie Reichman to assess several worrying trends in the West Bank that have weakened the PA, including the rise of new Palestinian militant groups and IDF incursions into Area A. Looking forward, they also discuss the Israeli security...

Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Prof. Suzie Navot, the vice president for research at the Israel Democracy Institute, for a deep dive into the incoming Israeli government's intentions to "reform" the country's judicial and legal system. They discuss the plan to pass an override clause for Supreme Court decisions, the role of th...

In the wake of the recent Israeli election, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Amir Tibon, a senior editor and writer at Haaretz, to assess the fallout and analyze the implications of Benjamin Netanyahu's dramatic comeback, likely at the head of a far-right governing coalition. They discuss the future of the Israeli left, the reasons for the far...

As Israelis go to the polls once again on November 1, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Tal Schneider, chief political correspondent for The Times of Israel, to preview what might happen. They discuss the campaign run by Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the difficulties for the rest of the anti-Netanyahu camp, the prospects for Benjamin Netanyahu to get o...

Mohammad Darawshe, an expert on Arab-Jewish relations in Israel, joins host Neri Zilber for a deep dive into the current state of Arab-Israeli politics ahead of the November 1 Israeli election. They discuss reasons behind the expected low turnout in Arab society, the divisions amongst Arab political parties, how Mansour Abbas is viewed after his historic move to join a governing coalition, and why...

The West Bank is facing an uptick in violence, with clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants becoming increasingly commonplace in major Palestinian cities. To assess this period of unrest, Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Shira Efron (Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Director of Policy Research, Israel Policy Forum) and Dan Rothem (Senior Policy Advisor, Herbert Kelm...

Dr. Gilad Malach of the Israel Democracy Institute joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber to analyze the important but poorly understood world of Israel's ultra-Orthodox ("Haredi") community. They discuss the rapidly growing ultra-Orthodox population, their complex relationship with education, employment, and military service, the reasons...

Dr. Naysan Rafati, Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Pod host Neri Zilber for a deep dive into the negotiations over a renewed Iran nuclear agreement. They discuss the history of the original deal signed under President Barack Obama, the U.S. withdrawal under President Donald Trump, and the prospects and challenges of President Joe Bi...

Walla News Chief Political Correspondent Tal Shalev joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber to assess the state of play of the upcoming Israeli election, the polarizing issues determining voting patterns, and the political performances of Israel’s most recent prime ministers: Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Benjamin Netanyahu, and one almost (and possibly fu...

Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel joins Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber for an in-depth conversation on the recent Israel-Palestinian Islamic Jihad conflict, Operation Breaking Dawn. They assess the impact of the operation on Israel’s relations with Gaza and Hamas, PIJ’s military capabilities compared to other terrorist organizations, PM Lapid’s...

In this episode, Ksenia Svetlova, Director of the Israel-Middle East Program at Mitvim and an expert on Russia and Ukraine, joins Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber for a deep dive into the current state of the Ukraine conflict, growing tensions between Moscow and Jerusalem, what Russia and Iran may want from each other, how the war looks from Israel, and...

In this episode, Ehud Yaari, longtime Middle East commentator for Israel’s Channel 12 and international fellow of The Washington Institute, joins Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber for a wide-ranging conversation assessing President Biden's visit to the Middle East: the prospects for Saudi normalization with Israel, the budding regional defense archit...

With President Biden set to travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia next week, Ambassador Martin Indyk (Israel Policy Forum Board Member and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel) joins Neri Zilber on Israel Policy Pod. Recalling previous presidential visits to Israel, they discuss Biden’s upcoming trip and its implications for U.S.-Israel relations, the two-state solution, and regional devel...

Note: This episode is the audio recording from a special Israel Policy Forum video briefing held on Wednesday, June 22.  With the passage of a preliminary vote in the Knesset today, the Bennett-Lapid coalition has begun the process of dissolving the Knesset and sending Israel back to elections. This marks the end of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's yearlong his...