Israel Policy Pod

From tracking cell phones to curbing the activities of the Knesset, recent actions undertaken by Israel's caretaker government have critics alleging that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and allies like Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein are using the coronavirus as a pretext to consolidate authoritarian rule. Israeli officials counter that extreme circumstances are a legitimate basis for extreme measures. To better understand the legitimacy (or lack thereof) of these policies, host Evan Gottesman and former Israeli Deputy Attorney General Joshua Schoffman break down the question: is that legal?Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

After three Knesset elections, Israel's politicians are still locked in a stalemate. Add in coronavirus, and you have a recipe for real uncertainty. Hosts Evan Gottesman and Eli Kowaz discuss the different directions Israel could take after President Reuven Rivlin gave Benny Gantz the mandate to form a government over the weekend, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calculates his next move.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

With the Coronavirus crisis dominating the headlines, Netanyahu calls for an emergency unity government under his leadership while his court date looms and Labor-Meretz-Gesher's Orly Levy emerges as a potential ally.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Israel Policy Forum's new study, "In Search of a Viable Option," evaluates seven potential outcomes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this episode, hosts Evan Gottesman (who co-authored the study) and Margaux Nijkerk zoom in on one of those approaches, the Jordanian option, with Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik, who participated in secret talks between Israel and Jordan in the 1980s. What does the Jordanian option entail? How did a mainstream Israeli policy come to be seen as an existential threat to Jordan and its relationship with Israel? Who supports the Jordanian option today? Tune in to find out.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

If not two states, then what? Host Margaux Nijkerk breaks down this question with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel B. Shapiro, Dr. Shira Efron, and Evan Gottesman as they discuss a new report authored by Evan and Dr. Efron evaluating seven possible outcomes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.We appreciate your listenership and support of Israel Policy Pod, and value your thoughts and feedback on our programs. Please take a few minutes to complete our brief survey so that we can continue to improve the quality of the commentary and analysis we produce.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Is a Netanyahu right-wing majority within reach? Does Benny Gantz have a realistic path to form a coalition? Less than a week before Israelis head to the polls for a third consecutive time, host Eli Kowaz is joined by Independent Journalist Neri Zilber to break down the state-of-play in Israeli politics. Neri is an adjunct fellow of The Washington Institute and policy director at BICOM.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Host Eli Kowaz speaks with Tel Aviv-based analyst Dan Rothem about the new borders set out in the Trump administration's Peace to Prosperity proposal and their ramifications for Israel's secure, Jewish, and democratic future.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Amid Israel’s continuing political deadlock, the Trump administration has now unveiled its long-delayed Israeli-Palestinian plan. Upending decades of bipartisan policy, the proposal gives American endorsement to Israeli annexation of broad swaths of the West Bank and limits Palestinian territorial contiguity. What does the plan mean for Israel’s security and Jewish and democratic character? And how will this new American policy impact the future viability of a two-state solution? Listen in to Israel Policy Forum's video briefing unpacking these and other pressing questions, featuring Policy Advisor Shira Efron, Policy Director Michael Koplow, and Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik, in conversation with Executive Director David A. Halperin.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Over the past week, the Trump administration's perennially delayed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan has gone from the realm of fantasy to being just around the corner. Is this a serious proposal or a transparent political ploy to trap Benjamin Netanyahu's rival, Benny Gantz? What do the rumored elements of the plan mean for the future of the two-state solution? Hosts Evan Gottesman, Eli Kowaz, and Margaux Nijkerk discuss.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

In this week's episode Evan Gottesman, Eli Kowaz, and Margaux Nijkerk discuss the deadline drama as Wednesday marked the final day for parties to register for March’s election.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Hosts Evan Gottesman and Margaux Nijkerk talk to Aida Touma-Sliman, a member of Knesset for the Joint List. Tune in for a discussion on MK Touma-Sliman's advocacy for women's rights and Arab citizens of Israel, West Bank annexation and threats to a two-state solution, Israel's unprecedented third election, and how a leftist member of Knesset can find common ground with right-wing politicians.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Israel Policy Forum hosted a briefing on the death of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and its impact on American and Israeli security, with Ilan Goldenberg in conversation with Michael Koplow.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Hosts Evan Gottesman and Eli Kowaz discuss five issues that will shape Israeli politics, U.S.-Israel relations, and the future viability of a two-state solution in 2020.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Eli Kowaz and Margaux Nijkerk discuss Benjamin Netanyahu's convincing primary win over challenger Gideon Sa'ar.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

On this episode of Israel Policy Pod, hosts Evan Gottesman, Eli Kowaz, and Margaux Nijkerk talk about the Likud primary and how it could shape projections for the March Knesset election results.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Hosts Evan Gottesman and Eli Kowaz discuss the official launch of an unprecedented third Knesset election season in the span of twelve months. Will this election be different from the past two? And what factors are shaping the early stages of the campaign? Then, the program turns to events in Washington for a discussion with Israel Policy Forum Government Relations Manager Aaron Weinberg on the recently passed H.Res. 326 — covering American support for a two-state solution and opposition to West Bank annexation.As we approach the end of the year, we also ask you to support Israel Policy Forum to help us continue to offer valuable content like Israel Policy Pod in 2020.To read the text of H.Res. 326, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

For the second time in Israel's seemingly interminable election cycle, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deployed the possibility of Jordan Valley annexation as way to rally support — even if Israel's security and relationship with the neighboring Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan suffer because of it. All the while, the United States appears more deferential on annexation than ever before. Will Bibi really exploit this so-called "historic opportunity?" How will the Jordanians and Palestinians react? And will the Trump administration give the Israelis the coveted green light on formally absorbing the Jordan Valley? Hosts Evan Gottesman and Margaux Nijkerk explore these questions with Ofer Zalzberg, senior analyst in the International Crisis Group's Arab-Israel Project.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Hosts Evan Gottesman and Eli Kowaz discuss the biggest Israeli political news story of the past decade: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted in three corruption cases, with charges including fraud, breach of trust, and bribery. Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Hosts Evan Gottesman and Margaux Nijkerk are joined by Hagai Levy, co-creator of the the HBO hit series "Our Boys," to discuss the impact of the show.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.

Less than two weeks before his keynote address at Israel Policy Forum’s Annual Event in New York City, MK and former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan sits down with Eli Kowaz to talk about Israeli politics, Israel’s future with the Palestinians, and the legacy of Yitzhak Rabin.Support the showFollow us on Instagram and Twitter/X, and subscribe to our email list here.