Haaretz senior defense columnist Amos Harel joins the Haaretz Podcast to discuss Trump's latest U-turn on Iran, from threatening to bomb the country's infrastructure to once again negotiating with the Islamic Republic over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Does the president have a plan, or is he just responding to pressure from different directions? How likely is a resumption of full-scale war between Tehran and Jerusalem? And is there truly a lack of interceptors protecting Israel from Iranian missiles? Amos answers all these questions, as we await the president's next step.

Meanwhile in Gaza, a new agreement has been announced by the Board of Peace, the international body overseeing the coastal enclave's painfully slow recovery. On paper, it looks great: Hamas will voluntarily disarm, Israel will then withdraw from the areas it occupied after October 7, and reconstruction will move ahead at a faster pace. There's just one problem: No one believes the deal will actually be implemented, and the two sides are already disagreeing over its content and interpretation.

Harel and guest host Amir Tibon will discuss the chances for success there, and also the growing danger of escalation in the West Bank after another wave of violent attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinian villages. At what point will the Palestinian population, and perhaps some of the Palestinian Authority's security forces, respond in kind to those attacks and throw the whole region into another round of fighting? And is such a scenario a foregone conclusion, or can it still be avoided?

Read more on Haaretz.com

The Art of the Deal – or the Art of Bullshit? Trump's Wariness of Another Iran War

Hormuz Deal Would Hand Iran an Unprecedented Geopolitical Victory

How Much Longer Can Lebanon Withstand Israeli and Hezbollah Obstruction?

How Netanyahu Convinced Trump's Board of Peace to Rewrite Its Gaza Deal With Hamas

Haaretz senior defense columnist Amos Harel joins the Haaretz Podcast to discuss Trump's latest U-turn on Iran, from threatening to bomb the country's infrastructure to once again negotiating with the Islamic Republic over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Does the president have a plan, or is he just responding to pressure from different directions? How likely is a resumption of full-scale war between Tehran and Jerusalem? And is there truly a lack of interceptors protecting Israel from Iranian missiles? Amos answers all these questions, as we await the president's next step.
Meanwhile in Gaza, a new agreement has been announced by the Board of Peace, the international body overseeing the coastal enclave's painfully slow recovery. On paper, it looks great: Hamas will voluntarily disarm, Israel will then withdraw from the areas it occupied after October 7, and reconstruction will move ahead at a faster pace. There's just one problem: No one believes the deal will actually be implemented, and the two sides are already disagreeing over its content and interpretation.
Harel and guest host Amir Tibon will discuss the chances for success there, and also the growing danger of escalation in the West Bank after another wave of violent attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinian villages. At what point will the Palestinian population, and perhaps some of the Palestinian Authority's security forces, respond in kind to those attacks and throw the whole region into another round of fighting? And is such a scenario a foregone conclusion, or can it still be avoided?
Read more on Haaretz.com
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-08-02/ty-article/.premium/the-art-of-the-deal-or-of-bullshit-trumps-wariness-of-another-iran-war/0000019f-c27e-de7a-afff-cffeb4b60000">The Art of the Deal &ndash; or the Art of Bullshit? Trump's Wariness of Another Iran War</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-08-07/ty-article/.premium/hormuz-deal-would-hand-iran-an-unprecedented-geopolitical-victory/0000019f-d8c8-d315-a1df-fbeebfb60000">Hormuz Deal Would Hand Iran an Unprecedented Geopolitical Victory</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/lebanonnews/2026-08-06/ty-article/.premium/hezbollah-has-no-seat-the-table-but-could-very-well-derail-lebanon-israel-talks/0000019f-d55f-d310-a3df-d55f51800000">How Much Longer Can Lebanon Withstand Israeli and Hezbollah Obstruction?</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-08-05/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-convinced-trumps-board-of-peace-to-rewrite-its-gaza-deal-with-hamas/0000019f-ceec-d7cc-a99f-effc7ba60000">How Netanyahu Convinced Trump's Board of Peace to Rewrite Its Gaza Deal With Hamas</a>

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Your audio guide to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Haaretz Podcast

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer. 

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.