The Benjamin Anthony Show from the MirYam Institute

Recorded on September 26th amid international pressure for a ceasefire with Hezbollah being applied to Israel, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin to discuss why a ceasefire is an absurd idea at this time.  We also discuss the state of Israel's politics and Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to the United Nations General Asembly.  Enjoy and please be sure to subscribe to the show!  Support t...

In this episode, I’m joined by Yaakov Lappin to discuss the recent wave of explosions in Hezbollah‘s communication devices as well as the machinations behind the mooted dismissal of Defense Minister Gallant. Yaakov and I also reflect on the tragic loss of four IDF soldiers in Rafah, including the first female soldier lost in this war, post October 7th.  Finally, we riff on Kamala Harris’s recent c...

In this episode, Yaakov and I delve into the implications and intentions of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s recent declaration to IDF soldiers that an incursion into southern Lebanon is very much in the offing. We then pivot to the statements made by Harris and Trump about Israel during the September 10th presidential debate and discuss the growing Jew-Hatred in America. Enjoy! Remember To Subscri...

In this episode, Yaakov and I debate the outcome of Israel’s preemptive strike against Hezbollah and the strategic and operational posture of the IDF at this time. We then discuss the complex operation undertaken to rescue Kaid Farhan Elkadi from captivity inside the tunnels of Gaza and we close by assessing the uptick in IDF operations inside Judea & Samaria.  Enjoy and please remember to sub...

In part two of my conversation with John Spencer, I ask him whether he believes that the global criticism against the actions of the IDF is the result of an anti-Israel, anti-Semitic bias and he compares and contrasts the strategic implications of Israel's casualty-averse approach to warfare vs. Hamas's readiness to sacrifice Gazan civilians in pursuit of their terror agenda. I also ask...

This episode features my in-person conversation with John Spencer, the Chair Of Urban Warfare Studies at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Recorded on July 28th, 2024, this in-person discussion was recorded just a few days after John's work was referenced by Benjamin Netanyahu in his speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, as the Israel premier pressed the case for Isr...

In this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin, in-house analyst at The MirYam Institute. We delve into the IDF's reutrn to Khan Yunis, the intensification of operations in Rafah and the emerging and potentially tightening alliance between Iran and Russia as Israel awaits Iran's declared attack on Israeli territory. We also discuss Yaakov's brilliant policy memo ou...

In this episode, I’m joined by Frank Sobchak (PhD), a retired Colonel with 26 years of military service that included leading Special Forces teams and companies, including in Iraq.  Frank is an alumnus of The MirYam Institute Israel Law & Policy tour (I-LAP) for graduate and doctoral students and was The MirYam Institute visiting professor to Reichman University in Israel this spring.  In this...

Every year, The MirYam Institute brings delegations of current and future military officers to Poland and then directly on to Israel for a 12 day tour of the country through the I-SAP tour initiative (Israel Strategy & Policy). This summer, The MirYam Institute created a delegation for future officers of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air-Force and Marine Corps to Poland, to visit the Nazi death camps,...

In this episode, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin to take a candid look at PM Netanyahu's address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, with a particular emphasis on the question of the PM's vision of the "day after" in Gaza.  We also then delve into the declining support for Israel within the U.S. Congress, The New State Solution, a policy position once presented to the neg...

In this episode, Benjamin and Yaakov discuss the attempted assassinations of Muhammad Deif and - in a completely different scenario - Republican nominee, President Donald Trump. We also outline some of the red-lines surrounding the hostage release negotiations and talk about the dismal and dangerous state of public discourse, particularly as it pertains to the media. Support the show The MirYam In...

In this episode, recorded on July 11th 2024, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin, In-House Analyst at The MirYam Institute.  He and I discuss the just released findings of the IDF's probe into the catastrophic events that took place in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7th, the public spats between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, and when and how the IDF will deal with the th...

In this episode, I interview Oren Shalom, a retired Sgt. in the IDF who used his background in the elite counter-terror force Duvdevan to establish civilian, rapid response units in Israel in order to react to security emergencies in the area between Gaza and Egypt. Here, in Poland, in front of a live audience of US military cadets brought to Poland and Israel by the MirYam Institute I-SAP program...

In this episode of the podcast, Yaakov Lappin and Benjamin discuss the implications of the IDF approval of operational plans to combat Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and whether or not now is the time to combat Iran’s proxy.  They then discuss the pitfalls of the demand for a hostage deal and the intertwining of that with the call for new elections in Israel, before we finish off with the alarming...

In this episode, I’m joined by in-house analyst Yaakov Lappin to discuss the dangerous and steep escalation of fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon into northern Israel.  Yaakov and I discuss whether or not the US is likely to come to Israel’s aid in the event of a direct conflict with Iran and we pay tribute to the heroic hostage rescue mission that freed four of our hostages from Gaza.  We finish by h...

This interview of Izhar Lifshitz took place in front of a live audience of US military cadets, in Poland. The delegates had traveled to Poland as part of the annual Israel Strategy & Policy (I-SAP) tour, 2024, a flagship initiative of The MirYam Institute. All of the delegates will serve as officers in the U.S army, navy, air-force and marine corps.  Izhar Lifshitz is the son of the oldest Isr...

In this episode, I'm joined by in-house analyst, Yaakov Lappin.  We discuss the recent MirYam Institute delegation to the Polish death camps with the cadets of the U.S. military as part of the annual Israel Strategy & Policy tour (I-SAP), the latest in the hostage release negotiations, the viability of the war cabinet and the need for Israel's Prime Minister to communicate with the I...

In this episode of the podcast, Benjamin is joined as he often is by MirYam Institute's in-house analyst, Yaakov Lappin.  Before turning to the appalling ruling of the ICJ, they begin by discussing the nature of the Hamas terrorists against whom Israel is fighting, based on statements made by detained Hamas operatives under Israeli questioning.  They also discuss PM Netanyahu’s rumoured speec...

For this episode, Benjamin takes a different direction and asks Yaakov Lappin, in-house analyst at The MirYam Institute, to talk about how he manages the tumult of war in his professional role as an analyst, and also as a husband and father.  The guys also discuss the stresses upon the soldiers in the field and the challenges of the home front.   Support the show The MirYam Institute. Israel'...

In this episode,  Benjamin is joined by regular podcast partner, MirYam’s in-house analyst, Yaakov Lappin to discuss Defense Minister Gallant’s recent press briefing, which reflected a public dispute with Prime Minister Netanyahu; including the politics that may be at the base of Gallant’s decision to speak out.  We also touch upon the tragic loss of 5 IDF soldiers as a result of a ‘friendly fire’...

In this episode, MirYam Institute's In-House Analyst, Yaakov Lappin sits down with Col. David Hacham, former advisor on Arab affairs to seven Israeli Ministers of Defense to discuss what Gaza might look like the day after the war ends.  It's a candid conversation recorded just prior to Defense Minister Gallant's explosive press briefing to the Israeli media about his vision of the &...

In this episode of the podcast, Benjamin is joined by Aviram Meir, uncle of Almog Meir-Jan.  Almog was kidnapped on October 7th and remains in Hamas captivity to this day. Almog will turn 22 this week.  Aviram tells me about the impact Almog's captivity is having on Orit, Almog's mother, and on him, as well as the initiatives the family are undertaking to maintain and generate awareness...

In this episode, Yaakov Lappin joins Benjamin to discuss the latest on the campus of UCLA, Israel’s lack of strategy fighting the media war, the urgent need to propose an alternative to the two-state solution and the latest on the hostage deal currently being negotiated.  During the discussion, Benjamin suggested that Israel should disseminate the unedited footage of what took place on October 7th...

Following Iran’s massive attack against Israel, Benjamin is joined as always, by The MirYam Institute’s In-House-Analyst, Yaakov Lappin to discuss how Israel should respond and when. Benjamin and Yaakov also discuss the response of Western powers to the attack and the durability of the air-defense alliance that performed so ably in the face of the Iranian barrage.  Also, the NYC delegation of form...

In this episode, Benjamin is joined by Yaakov Lappin, In-House analyst at The MirYam Institute.  They discuss the forthcoming briefing in New York City by Lt. General Aviv Kohavi (Res.), the immediate IDF Chief of the General Staff.   Tickets to that event can still be purchased here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-7th-israels-war-against-hamas-tickets-871796114647?mc_eid=UNIQID&mc_cid=...