Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz's Amira Hass to discuss the recent demonstrations in the Palestinian territories and the Palestinian Authority's violent repression of those protests. We ask: What role does the Israeli occupation play in Mahmoud Abbas' ability to crush dissent? How is the Palestinian national struggle also a struggle for democracy? And why are Palestinian security forces targeting women?

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz's <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/misc/writers/WRITER-1.4968114">Amira Hass</a> to discuss the<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-confident-of-support-from-the-west-the-pa-suppresses-protests-violently-1.9946744"> recent demonstrations</a> in the Palestinian territories and the Palestinian Authority's <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/.premium-death-of-an-abbas-opponent-in-palestinian-detention-stokes-revulsion-toward-his-rule-1.9941098">violent repression</a> of those protests. We ask: What role does the Israeli occupation play in Mahmoud Abbas' ability to crush dissent? How is the Palestinian national struggle also a struggle for democracy? And why are Palestinian security forces <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-as-palestinians-protest-death-of-an-abbas-opponent-women-are-assaulted-in-response-1.9966244">targeting women</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.

How Israel, Fatah and the PA join forces to silence Palestinian protest: LISTEN to Amira Hass

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "extremely disappointed" by the terms of the temporary cease-fire hammered out between Donald Trump's White House and Iran, but has little choice but to accept it and try to spin it as a victory, said Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.

With none of Israel's declared goals of the war achieved - defeat of the regime and elimination of Iran's missile and nuclear threat, Netanyahu still "has to keep up appearances," said Harel. "He has to tell his public, his voters, that this was an enormous success. But this is not the way things actually happened. What we have is massive operational success, which - as we knew in advance - did not translate into a strategic victory."

Israel's leadership is concerned the clock may be ticking, Harel predicted, on Trump's position allowing Israel to continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is why Israel hit targets intensively immediately following the cease-fire announcement.

"It's quite clear that Netanyahu wants to keep the Lebanon front open," he noted. "It's beneficial for him to keep striking Hezbollah, to hit them and do damage, and also create the notion among Israelis that the war still goes on."

Read more: 

Israel Botched the Iran War – and Shattered Its Standing in the U.S.

Fragile U.S.–Iran Cease-fire May Collapse Within Days, Even as Tehran Pushes to End War, Israeli Officials Say

As U.S. Retreats, Iran Seeks to Sway Cease-fire to Establish New Regional Order

Iran: Sanctions Relief, Reparation, Control of Hormuz to Be Discussed in Talks With U.S.

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "extremely disappointed" by the terms of the temporary cease-fire hammered out between Donald Trump's White House and Iran, but has little choice but to accept it and try to spin it as a victory, said Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.
With none of Israel's declared goals of the war achieved - defeat of the regime and elimination of Iran's missile and nuclear threat, Netanyahu still "has to keep up appearances," said Harel. "He has to tell his public, his voters, that this was an enormous success. But this is not the way things actually happened. What we have is massive operational success, which - as we knew in advance - did not translate into a strategic victory."
Israel's leadership is concerned the clock may be ticking, Harel predicted, on Trump's position allowing Israel to continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is why Israel hit targets intensively immediately following the cease-fire announcement.
"It's quite clear that Netanyahu wants to keep the Lebanon front open," he noted. "It's beneficial for him to keep striking Hezbollah, to hit them and do damage, and also create the notion among Israelis that the war still goes on."
Read more:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2026-04-08/ty-article/.premium/israel-botched-the-iran-war-and-shattered-its-standing-in-the-u-s/0000019d-6c6c-d759-ab9d-7dfd89320000">Israel Botched the Iran War &ndash; and Shattered Its Standing in the U.S.</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-04-09/ty-article/.premium/fragile-u-s-iran-cease-fire-may-collapse-within-days-israeli-officials-say/0000019d-71c8-db3c-a3df-f9cd812b0000">Fragile U.S.&ndash;Iran Cease-fire May Collapse Within Days, Even as Tehran Pushes to End War, Israeli Officials Say</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2026-04-09/ty-article/.premium/as-u-s-retreats-iran-seeks-to-sway-cease-fire-to-establish-new-regional-order/0000019d-6e80-db3c-a3df-ef857a280000">As U.S. Retreats, Iran Seeks to Sway Cease-fire to Establish New Regional Order</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-04-08/ty-article/.premium/this-is-irans-proposal-for-a-cease-fire-to-end-the-war-with-the-u-s/0000019d-6be8-d23d-a59d-fffc50300000">Iran:</a><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-04-08/ty-article/.premium/this-is-irans-proposal-for-a-cease-fire-to-end-the-war-with-the-u-s/0000019d-6be8-d23d-a59d-fffc50300000"> Sanctions </a><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-04-08/ty-article/.premium/this-is-irans-proposal-for-a-cease-fire-to-end-the-war-with-the-u-s/0000019d-6be8-d23d-a59d-fffc50300000">Relief, Reparation, Control of Hormuz to Be Discussed in Talks With U.S.</a>
&nbsp;

Iran war cease-fire update with Amos Harel: 'Trump wants out and Netanyahu is extremely disappointed'

As the war with Iran drags on and the conflict with Hezbollah intensifies, a growing number of Israelis are “losing faith” in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promises of a decisive victory, Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel said on the Haaretz Podcast. 

IDF senior officers admitted this week that Israel underestimated Hezbollah’s remaining capabilities following the November 2024 cease-fire, Harel said.

At the moment, he said, “It's clear to anybody watching this carefully that it's hard to reach a final victory again against Hezbollah. Hezbollah may no longer be the army of terror that it was in 2023, but it is capable of launching 100 rockets a day,” while coordinating their attacks with their Iranian sponsors, in a conflict that has now surpassed the length of the second Lebanon war. 

In his conversation on the podcast, Harel noted that Israel’s enemies – Iran, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – now share a common war philosophy: “You win by not losing.” 

“At one point, Hamas assumed that it could defeat Israel. So did Iran. Now, after getting knocked so hard by Israel and the U.S., Iranian ambitions are different. What they're talking about is surviving, suffering blows and remaining on their feet.”

U.S. President Donald Trump fails to understand this, Harel said, which is why he continues to fail to get the deal he seeks to end the conflict. “They're not interested in long-term deals. It's about surviving through chaos; surviving through resistance.”

Read more:

Analysis by Amos Harel: Trump Ramps Up Threats Against Iran, and Braces for Longer War Than Planned

Despite the Netanyahu Government's Promises, the IDF Admits It Can't Disarm Hezbollah

How Hezbollah Turned Into Israel's Main Front in Its War With Iran

Without Evidence, IDF Claims Again That Hezbollah Is Extensively Using Ambulances for Military Purposes

Why Israelis Are Losing Faith in the Iran War

Haaretz Explains: How Does the Israeli Military Censor Work?

As the war with Iran drags on and the conflict with Hezbollah intensifies, a growing number of Israelis are &ldquo;losing faith&rdquo; in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s promises of a decisive victory, Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel said on the Haaretz Podcast.&nbsp;
IDF senior officers admitted this week that Israel underestimated Hezbollah&rsquo;s remaining capabilities following the November 2024 cease-fire, Harel said.
At the moment, he said, &ldquo;It's clear to anybody watching this carefully that it's hard to reach a final victory again against Hezbollah. Hezbollah may no longer be the army of terror that it was in 2023, but it is capable of launching 100 rockets a day,&rdquo; while coordinating their attacks with their Iranian sponsors, in a conflict that has now surpassed the length of the second Lebanon war.&nbsp;
In his conversation on the podcast, Harel noted that Israel&rsquo;s enemies &ndash; Iran, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon &ndash; now share a common war philosophy: &ldquo;You win by not losing.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;At one point, Hamas assumed that it could defeat Israel. So did Iran. Now, after getting knocked so hard by Israel and the U.S., Iranian ambitions are different. What they're talking about is surviving, suffering blows and remaining on their feet.&rdquo;
U.S. President Donald Trump fails to understand this, Harel said, which is why he continues to fail to get the deal he seeks to end the conflict. &ldquo;They're not interested in long-term deals. It's about surviving through chaos; surviving through resistance.&rdquo;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-04-06/ty-article/.premium/trumps-aggressive-threats-signal-u-s-escalation-in-iran-but-may-backfire/0000019d-5f26-db3c-a3df-dfa77ec90000">Analysis by Amos Harel:&nbsp;Trump Ramps Up Threats Against Iran, and Braces for Longer War Than Planned</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-04-05/ty-article/.premium/despite-netanyahu-governments-promises-idf-admits-it-cant-disarm-hezbollah/0000019d-59f0-db3c-a3df-d9f5236c0000">Despite the Netanyahu Government's Promises, the IDF Admits It Can't Disarm Hezbollah</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-04-05/ty-article/.premium/lebanon-emerges-as-israels-new-main-front-while-iran-war-persists/0000019d-5ad3-d68a-a39d-5bf3607d0000">How Hezbollah Turned Into Israel's Main Front in Its War With Iran</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/without-evidence-idf-reiterates-hezbollah-uses-ambulances-for-military-purposes/0000019d-445e-d068-a19f-4c5e60550000">Without Evidence, IDF Claims Again That Hezbollah Is Extensively Using Ambulances for Military Purposes</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-04-03/ty-article/.premium/why-israelis-are-losing-faith-in-the-iran-war/0000019d-4f55-d9f7-a1dd-ffd5ecce0000">Why Israelis Are Losing Faith in the Iran War</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-explains/2026-03-21/ty-article-magazine/.premium/is-israel-censoring-what-you-see-about-the-iran-war/0000019d-0c57-d46f-affd-9cdff9260000">Haaretz Explains: How Does the Israeli Military Censor Work?</a>

What Trump got wrong about Iran, what the IDF got wrong about Hezbollah: Amos Harel on wars with no exit strategy

With a high-profile conflict between IDF soldiers and a CNN crew, the establishment of five new Israeli settler outposts on territory meant to be under Palestinian Authority control in a single night, and skyrocketing settler violence aimed at erasing Palestinians from their land, the situation in the West Bank has “definitely worsened” during the Iran war, Haaretz West Bank correspondent Matan Golan told the Haaretz Podcast.

Golan joined her colleague, Yarden Michaeli, for a podcast conversation focused on what is unfolding in the West Bank and Gaza while the world’s attention is diverted to the major regional conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States. 

“It’s hard to count how many incidents of cars set on fire, and raids of settlers on Palestinian villages” have occurred over the past month, Golan said. 

What the West Bank and Gaza have in common, Michaeli noted, is a situation in which steps designed to be interim measures – such as the Yellow Line separating Gaza – don’t appear to be temporary. 

Since last autumn’s cease-fire, the IDF has maintained control of more than half of the Gaza Strip, and, as Michaeli explained, a Haaretz investigation has revealed the construction of military outposts and infrastructure that point to plans for an entrenched long-term presence. 

“All of this is happening in the context of the government pushing in a certain direction,” he explained, “and what makes us so concerned about it is the experience we have from the West Bank.”

In the rest of the Strip, which remains under Hamas’ control, he said, the humanitarian crisis continues. 

“We have 2.1 million people now in Gaza that are crammed to less than half the size of the land that they had prior to the war” with hundreds of thousands living in tents or makeshift shelters amid destroyed buildings with no access to power, fuel or running water – and over 18,000 severely ill people who have been denied entry to the West Bank and Jerusalem to receive medical care by Israeli authorities, Michaeli explained. 

Read more:

32 Outposts, 10 Miles of Ground Barrier: IDF Builds New Border Line Inside Gaza. Here's How It Looks

Gaza Aid Reduced by 80 Percent Since Start of Iran War as Food Prices Surge

IDF Suspends Reserve Battalion Whose Soldiers Detained CNN Crew in West Bank

Palestinian Man Shot Dead, 14 Wounded in West Bank Settler Raids as Five New Outposts Established in One Night

Analysis by Dahlia Scheindlin | Don't Buy the Israeli Right's Sudden Concern for Settler Violence

Who Gets to Decide What Counts as an Accident in the West Bank?

With a high-profile conflict between IDF soldiers and a CNN crew, the establishment of five new Israeli settler outposts on territory meant to be under Palestinian Authority control in a single night, and skyrocketing settler violence aimed at erasing Palestinians from their land, the situation in the West Bank has &ldquo;definitely worsened&rdquo; during the Iran war, Haaretz West Bank correspondent Matan Golan told the Haaretz Podcast.
Golan joined her colleague, Yarden Michaeli, for a podcast conversation focused on what is unfolding in the West Bank and Gaza while the world&rsquo;s attention is diverted to the major regional conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to count how many incidents of cars set on fire, and raids of settlers on Palestinian villages&rdquo; have occurred over the past month, Golan said.&nbsp;
What the West Bank and Gaza have in common, Michaeli noted, is a situation in which steps designed to be interim measures &ndash; such as the Yellow Line separating Gaza &ndash; don&rsquo;t appear to be temporary.&nbsp;
Since last autumn&rsquo;s cease-fire, the IDF has maintained control of more than half of the Gaza Strip, and, as Michaeli explained, a Haaretz investigation has revealed the construction of military outposts and infrastructure that point to plans for an entrenched long-term presence.&nbsp;
&ldquo;All of this is happening in the context of the government pushing in a certain direction,&rdquo; he explained, &ldquo;and what makes us so concerned about it is the experience we have from the West Bank.&rdquo;
In the rest of the Strip, which remains under Hamas&rsquo; control, he said, the humanitarian crisis continues.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have 2.1 million people now in Gaza that are crammed to less than half the size of the land that they had prior to the war&rdquo; with hundreds of thousands living in tents or makeshift shelters amid destroyed buildings with no access to power, fuel or running water &ndash; and over 18,000 severely ill people who have been denied entry to the West Bank and Jerusalem to receive medical care by Israeli authorities, Michaeli explained.&nbsp;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2026-03-26/ty-article-magazine/.premium/32-outposts-10-mile-barrier-idf-builds-new-border-in-gaza-heres-how-it-looks/0000019d-1f59-d9d3-a5df-3f5d54440000">32 Outposts, 10 Miles of Ground Barrier:&nbsp;IDF Builds New Border Line Inside Gaza.&nbsp;Here's How It Looks</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/gaza/2026-03-19/ty-article/.premium/humanitarian-aid-trucks-entering-gaza-falls-80-percent-as-food-prices-surge/0000019d-0251-df92-a9df-ebd16eda0000">Gaza Aid Reduced by 80 Percent Since Start of Iran War as Food Prices Surge</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-30/ty-article/idf-suspends-reserve-battalion-whose-soldiers-detained-cnn-crew-in-west-bank/0000019d-3bdb-dc64-a3df-fbffda880000">IDF Suspends Reserve Battalion Whose Soldiers Detained CNN Crew in West Bank</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-27/ty-article/.premium/palestinian-man-from-east-jerusalem-shot-dead-by-israeli-near-bethlehem/0000019d-2cdc-d088-afdf-eede52e60002">Palestinian Man Shot Dead, 14 Wounded in West Bank Settler Raids as Five New Outposts Established in One Night</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-30/ty-article-magazine/.premium/fake-news-dont-buy-the-israeli-rights-sudden-concern-for-settler-violence/0000019d-3ec6-defb-a59d-becebb400000">Analysis by Dahlia Scheindlin | Don't Buy the Israeli Right's Sudden Concern for Settler Violence</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-03-30/ty-article-opinion/.premium/who-gets-to-decide-what-counts-as-an-accident-in-the-west-bank/0000019d-39bc-d17e-a9bd-f9bfab9a0000">Who Gets to Decide What Counts as an Accident in the West Bank?</a>

How Israel, Fatah and the PA join forces to silence Palestinian protest: LISTEN to Amira Hass

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