Misgav Mideast Horizons Podcast

What does the UAE understand about Iran, Muslim Brotherhood, and extremism that much of the West still refuses to see? In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons , host Asher Fredman is joined by Rauda Altenaiji , an Emirati political commentator, geopolitical analyst, author, and motorsport endurance racer, for a powerful conversation on the new Middle East, the Iranian regime, the Muslim Brother...

While Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas attack Israel on the battlefield, a vast and often hidden network of NGOs seeks to demonize and delegitimize Israel in the international arena. How does this network operate - and how does it fuel sanctions campaigns, violent protests, ICC cases, and high-profile media libels, including Nicholas Kristof’s recent op-ed in The New York Times? In this episode of Misga...

What is the Arab case for Israel — and how did the Iranian regime distort Shia Islam? In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons , hosts Asher Fredman and Lahav Harkov are joined by Hussain Abdul-Hussain , Research Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and author of The Arab Case for Israel , for a wide-ranging conversation on Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Shia Islam, and the futur...

Is Israel becoming a regional superpower, or is it facing an internal ideological crisis? In this episode of Mideast Horizons , hosts Lahav Harkov and Asher Fredman are joined by Member of Knesset Dan Illouz (Likud) for a candid discussion on the campaign to end UNRWA’s operations, the impact of the Iran war on UAE-Israel ties, the polarizing debate over the ultra-Orthodox draft, and the struggle...

In this deeply moving episode of Mideast Horizons , recorded on the eve of Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day), hosts Asher Fredman and Lahav Harkov are joined by Rabbi Doron Perez. Rabbi Perez - President of the World Zionist Organization, Chair of World Mizrachi, and father of Captain Daniel Perez z”l, who fell on October 7 - offers profound insights on the...

In this episode of Mideast Horizons , Robert Greenway provides a rare insider’s perspective on President Trump’s decision-making on Iran, U.S.-Israel military cooperation, and the reshaping of the Middle East. Greenway, Director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation and former Senior Director for MENA at the U.S. National Security Council, discusses:  The "Epi...

In this powerful and inspiring episode of Mideast Horizons , hosts Asher Fredman and Lahav Harkov are joined by Sana Ebrahimi , a prominent Iranian activist and AI researcher, to discuss the current state of the Islamic Republic, the Iranian opposition, and the growing momentum for regime change. Sana shares her remarkable personal journey, from growing up in a religiously conservative family in T...

Is Operation Epic Fury a regional conflict, or a testing ground for a new global order? In this episode of Mideast Horizons, hosts Asher Fredman and Lahav Harkov are joined by Zineb Riboua to discuss the hidden layers of Operation Epic Fury and its role in U.S.-China global competition. Zineb, a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute, reveals how Beijing has helped build Iran’s missile arsenal an...

Former Israeli National Security Adviser and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Prof. Jacob Nagel , joins Mideast Horizons for a wide-ranging conversation on the war with Iran, unprecedented US-Israel cooperation, and the future of the Middle East. With Asher Fredman and Lahav Harkov, he discusses how Israel and the United States are coordinating across intelligence, air p...

Can the UN be repaired - or should it be defunded and replaced? In this episode of Mideast Horizons, former Israeli Minister and Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan joins Asher Fredman for a candid, no-holds-barred conversation about the failure of the UN system, the future of Gaza, and the historic opportunity now facing the U.S. and Israel in Iran. Ambassador Erdan pulls back the curtain on his fou...

In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons, hosts Asher Fredman and Lahav Harkov sit down with Dr. Ariel Admoni - one of Israel’s leading experts on Qatar - for a deep dive into the most controversial actor in the Middle East today. Is Qatar merely a mediator between warring sides - or something far more strategic and dangerous? Dr. Admoni, a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy a...

In this powerful episode of Mideast Horizons, recorded on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, hosts Asher Fredman and Lahav Harkov sit down with Arsen Ostrovsky , Misgav Institute Senior Fellow and Head of the Sydney Office of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC). Arsen shares his harrowing firsthand account of surviving the Bondi Beach terror attack, which cla...

In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons , we sit down with Isaac “Yitz” Applbaum - one of the most experienced investors in Israeli technology and a key figure at the intersection of Israeli, American, Saudi, and Emirati innovation - for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of defense tech, regional cooperation, and the U.S.–Israel relationship. Yitz, Chair of Kinetica Partners and Senior...

Is it time for Israel to wean itself off of American military aid? According to former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, the answer is a resounding yes. In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons , hosts Lahav Harkov and Asher Fredman are joined by Dr. Michael Oren —historian, diplomat, and former deputy minister—for a provocative conversation on the future of the U.S.-Israel alliance,...

As we kick off 2026, the Iranian regime finds itself at its most vulnerable point in 47 years. Following the devastating "12-Day War" that exposed the regime's military weakness, and amidst a crushing economic collapse, the Iranian people are rising up with renewed courage. In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons, hosts Lahav Harkov and Asher Fredman are joined by Mehrdad Marty Yousefiani , an...

Following Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, the world is asking: What really happens when the cameras turn off and the doors close? In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons , hosts Lahav Harkov and Asher Fredman are joined by Ari Harow , former Chief of Staff and diplomatic advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu. Drawing on his years of experie...

Is a new war between Israel and Iran approaching—and what could trigger it? In this episode of Misgav Mideast Horizons, Asher Fredman speaks with Dr. Yossi Mansharof , one of Israel’s leading experts on Iran, about the growing risk of an Iran–Israel war and the possibility of wider regional conflict. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, Dr. Man...

In the wake of the horrific antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney—and amid a global surge in anti-Jewish violence— Lahav and Asher speak this week with former Israeli Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh about the “eighth front” of the war that Israel and the Jewish People are facing. Cotler-Wunsh—now CEO of the International Legal Forum—delivers a bracing, no-...

In this episode of Mideast Horizons, Lahav Harkov and Asher Fredman speak with Dr. Yuval Steinitz , former cabinet minister and now chairman of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, about how Israeli technology has shaped the multi-front war of the past two years. Steinitz discusses how Iron Dome, developed by Rafael, has prevented mass casualties and national paralysis by maintaining an exceptionally...

In this episode of Mideast Horizons, Lahav Harkov speaks with Haras Rafiq , Vice President of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, about ISGAP’s new report on the Muslim Brotherhood’s strategic expansion into the West. Rafiq traces the Brotherhood’s evolution from Hassan al-Banna to Yusuf al-Qaradawi and outlines Tamkeen, its long-term doctrine for gaining institutional i...

Former Israeli Chief of Staff, Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz joins Mideast Horizons for one of his most candid and comprehensive interviews since October 7. In this wide-ranging conversation with Asher Fredman, Gantz lays out his new security doctrine, insists that Hamas will be disarmed, and discusses Israel’s evolving strategy toward Iran, the Palestinian Authority, a...

In this episode of Mideast Horizons, Lahav Harkov speaks with Dr. David Wurmser , who served as senior advisor to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and special assistant to Under Secretary of State John Bolton. Wurmser offers a rare, behind-the-scenes portrait of Cheney during the Iraq War, recalling his frustration with policymakers who distanced themselves from the conflict when it became politica...

In this episode of Mideast Horizons, Lahav Harkov speaks with Jonathan Greenblatt , CEO of the Anti-Defamation League about the rise of antisemitism and political extremism in the U.S. following Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York. Greenblatt calls Mamdani’s victory historic but troubling, highlighting his record as an anti-Zionist activist who has celebrated convicted terrorists and pr...

In this powerful episode of Mideast Horizons, Lahav Harkov and Asher Fredman speak with Josh Hammer , senior editor-at-large at Newsweek, syndicated columnist, and author of Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West. Hammer dissects the growing ideological rift inside the MAGA movement—between conservatives who see America and Israel as joint pillars of Jud...

In this gripping episode of Mideast Horizons, Asher Fredman speaks with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib , a Gazan analyst and reform advocate now based in Washington, DC, whose family has lived through every stage of Gaza’s tragedy. Ahmed shares his deeply personal story of loss, survival, and determination to speak truth about Hamas’s rule and the grim reality facing ordinary Gazans after the ceasefire. He...