Israel Policy Pod

The new Israeli government passed a state budget last week for the first time in over three years—a crucial milestone for the Bennett-Lapid coalition. In this episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Israeli political reporter Tal Schneider (Times of Israel) to discuss the significance of the budget approval, the coalition’s challenges ahead, post-budget U.S.-Israel relations, and what to expect from Benjamin Netanyahu. Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

In a region already marred by conflict, the threats posed by climate change are particularly immense. In this episode, Shanie Reichman and Max Webb of IPF Atid host EcoPeace Founder and Israel Director Gidon Bromberg, who recently attended the COP26 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow as part of Israel’s delegation. They discuss the roles that climate security and environmental concerns, from water insecurity to wildfires, play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how they will shape prospects for a future two-state solution.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has recently returned to the headlines, but it has been prominently on-screen for several years thanks to the hit Israeli television show, Fauda. In this episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Israeli journalist and Fauda co-creator Avi Issacharoff for a wide-ranging conversation on the show's origins, his career path, what he thinks about the new Israeli government's strategy of "shrinking the conflict," Palestinian politics after Mahmoud Abbas, and the state of play in Gaza.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal are sputtering, and Israel is pushing the Biden administration for a credible plan B. What are the prospects for a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis? And can renewed economic pressure bring Iran back to the negotiating table? Finally, what is China's role in all of this? In this episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Iran and China expert Kevjn Lim to discuss the state of play for this significant geopolitical challenge.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

With the release of Israel Policy Forum's report on Arab-Israeli Normalization and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict earlier this week, The New Normal co-authors Michael Koplow, Shira Efron, and Evan Gottesman examine six recommendations to leverage the Abraham Accords to advance a future two-state outcome, as well as the obstacles those proposals face.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

The Bennett-Lapid government is just over 100 days old. How have things gone so far? Where are things headed? What could unravel a governing coalition that even Prime Minister Bennett called a "political accident"? In today's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Walla News Political Correspondent Tal Shalev to discuss the state of play in Israeli politics after the long holiday break. Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Rounding out the Israel Policy Forum-Terrestrial Jerusalem partnership series, Evan Gottesman and Danny Seidemann discuss the status quo governing access to the holy sites on Jerusalem's Temple Mount.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

What happened in the U.S. Congress this week? In today’s episode, Israel Policy Forum’s Policy Director Michael Koplow gets the inside scoop from Government Relations Director Aaron Weinberg. This Thursday, the House overwhelmingly passed a standalone bill to provide $1 billion in new funding to replenish Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. The final vote was 420-9-2, showing that support for Israel's security is still a firmly bipartisan position in Congress. This came after several progressive Democrats refused to vote in favor of the continuing resolution (emergency spending) bill on Tuesday if it included Iron Dome funding. Party leadership yielded to this demand, as there was no Republican support for the CR and the progressives’ votes were necessary for it to pass. Now that the additional Iron Dome funding has been approved, what does this story say about how fault lines within the Democratic party around Israel are shaping politics in Washington and public discourse? Support the showFo

As the United States completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan, some Israelis hear echoes of their own experiences in Southern Lebanon and Gaza. What lessons can be learned from these parallels? And does the collapse of the Afghan government and military portend a similar fate for the Palestinian Authority and its security forces, as politicians and pundits on the Israeli right have suggested? Israel Policy Forum's Evan Gottesman and Neri Zilber discuss.Israelis Watch Afghanistan and Remember Lebanon - Neri Zilber (Newlines Magazine)State with No Army, Army with No State - Neri Zilber and Ghaith al-Omari (The Washington Institute)Support the show

In the latest installment of the Israel Policy Forum-Terrestrial Jerusalem podcast series, Evan Gottesman and Danny Seidemann discuss this month's court proceedings over Sheikh Jarrah evictions, the compromise put forth by the Israeli justices, and why neither the Palestinian residents nor the settler-linked company Nahalat Shimon are rushing to accept the proposed arrangement.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Israel Policy Forum Executive Director David A. Halperin joins hosts Evan Gottesman and Shanie Reichman to reflect on the past five years of the organization's work and exciting changes and growth coming down the pipeline.We're hiring for Deputy Policy Director, Director of Public Engagement, Development Manager, IPF Atid Leadership Engagement Associate, and Staff Associate. Come join our growing team!Apply for the IPF Atid Charles Bronfman Conveners SummitSupport the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

With the Palestinian Authority in crisis and Hamas's popularity on the rise, is it too late to improve Israel-PA relations? Ksenia Svetlova (IDC Herzliya, Mitvim) joins host Evan Gottesman to break down the relationship and steps the new Israeli government is taking to change the state of affairs across the Green Line.Read Ksenia in The Jerusalem Post/The Media Line: "Israeli reconsideration of PA ties may be too little, too late."Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Host Evan Gottesman checks in with Israel Policy Forum Fellow Nimrod Novik for an evaluation of the new Israeli government's performance since its inauguration in June.Read Nimrod Novik in Just Security: "As Israeli Leader Bennett Prepares to Visit the White House, Biden’s Message Might Prove Formative"Support the show

The new Israeli government seems intent on turning the page in its relations with the country with which it shares its longest border: Jordan. Will the effort be successful? How will Israel-Jordan ties affect (and be affected by) developments in Jerusalem and with the Palestinians? Haaretz journalist Noa Landau and Middle East analyst Aaron Magid discuss.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Host Evan Gottesman joins Terrestrial Jerusalem's Danny Seidemann to discuss issues that could impact Jerusalem in the coming weeks and months, from potential court decisions on  evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan to a public hearing on settlement building in the contentious E1 area east of the city.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Palestinians are protesting across the West Bank. In major cities like Ramallah and Hebron, people have been turning out to demonstrate against the Palestinian Authority after anti-corruption activist Nizar Banat died in PA custody; Banat was reportedly brutally beaten by security forces during his arrest last week. Host Evan Gottesman speaks with Ibrahim Eid Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center, a Ramallah-based think tank, about the situation.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Correspondent Lahav Harkov joins Israel Policy Forum's latest briefing from the UAE to provide a breakdown on Yair Lapid's inaugural overseas trip as foreign minister and how the new Bennett-Lapid government's foreign policy compares with the approach taken by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Shira Efron and Alon Pinkas, a senior writer for Haaretz and former consul general of Israel in New York, discuss the implications of the new Bennett-Lapid government in Israel, U.S.-Israel relations, events in Jerusalem, and how Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu figures into things.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

In the latest installment of the Israel Policy Pod-Terrestrial Jerusalem partnership series, host Evan Gottesman and TJ's Daniel Seidemann look at the major developments shaping events in Jerusalem over the past month, including pending eviction cases against Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, plus, how Israel's prospective new government could affect the all-important city.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Tal Schneider (Times of Israel) and Barak Ravid (Axios/Walla! News) discuss the latest political developments in Israel, including what's next for Benjamin Netanyahu and a prospective coalition poised to unseat him.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.