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

While the polls in Israel have been relatively stagnant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal standing has faltered. “The minute that Netanyahu's stock seems weak, people will start selling it, and that has begun to happen,” said Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.

Joining Leifer on the podcast, Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan observed that in her conversations with mainstream Israelis who “don’t identify as leftists,” they see a real alternative leader in challenger Gadi Eisenkot. 

“People have said of Netanyahu in the past that there's no one who can replace him, who has the experience and the gravitas that we need. Now, for the first time in a very long time, people are saying it looks like there's someone who can actually do it.”

The two panelists joined host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss the debut of new right-wing parties who eschew Netanyahu and their “machinations” attempting to engineer a government coalition that would include the anti-Netanyahu center-right – while excluding Yair Golan’s Democrats Party, and, of course the Arab parties. 

"There is maybe a hope or a fantasy of finding some way of creating a government that excludes Yair Golan and the Democrats, and that closes the door definitively on having a potential Arab party in the coalition,” said Leifer, referring to the right’s growing fear of the prospect of an Eisenkot-led government that includes Mansour Abbas’ United Arab List.

Read more: 

How to Actually Read the Israeli Election Polls

Israel's Opposition Parties Are Courting New Immigrants With a New Set of Priorities

In Haifa, the 'Putin Aliyah' and Despairing Arab Citizens Warn of A Dire Future

Analysis by Joshua Leifer | Eisenkot Keeps Running Away From What Everyone Knows He Believes

Most Israelis Fear Upcoming Election Could Be Compromised, New Poll Finds

While the polls in Israel have been relatively stagnant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s personal standing has faltered. &ldquo;The minute that Netanyahu's stock seems weak, people will start selling it, and that has begun to happen,&rdquo; said Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.
Joining Leifer on the podcast, Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan observed that in her conversations with mainstream Israelis who &ldquo;don&rsquo;t identify as leftists,&rdquo; they see a real alternative leader in challenger Gadi Eisenkot.&nbsp;
&ldquo;People have said of Netanyahu in the past that there's no one who can replace him, who has the experience and the gravitas that we need. Now, for the first time in a very long time, people are saying it looks like there's someone who can actually do it.&rdquo;
The two panelists joined host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss the debut of new right-wing parties who eschew Netanyahu and their &ldquo;machinations&rdquo; attempting to engineer a government coalition that would include the anti-Netanyahu center-right &ndash; while excluding Yair Golan&rsquo;s Democrats Party, and, of course the Arab parties.&nbsp;
"There is maybe a hope or a fantasy of finding some way of creating a government that excludes Yair Golan and the Democrats, and that closes the door definitively on having a potential Arab party in the coalition,&rdquo; said Leifer, referring to the right&rsquo;s growing fear of the prospect of an Eisenkot-led government that includes Mansour Abbas&rsquo; United Arab List.
Read more:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-08-09/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-to-read-the-polls-if-you-really-want-to-get-israels-elections/0000019f-d7ff-dc86-a59f-d7ffe2b80000">How to Actually Read the Israeli Election Polls</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-08-07/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israels-opposition-parties-are-courting-new-immigrants-with-new-priorities/0000019f-d6df-d09d-a59f-f6df60970000">Israel's Opposition Parties Are Courting New Immigrants With a New Set of Priorities</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-06-30/ty-article-magazine/.premium/in-haifa-the-putin-aliyah-and-despairing-arab-citizens-warn-of-a-dire-future/0000019e-ee93-d514-a9bf-fefb2fab0000">In Haifa, the 'Putin Aliyah' and Despairing Arab Citizens Warn of&nbsp;A Dire Future</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-07-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/eisenkot-keeps-running-away-from-what-everyone-knows-he-believes/0000019f-b7ca-de01-a5bf-f7cacc350000">Analysis by Joshua Leifer | Eisenkot Keeps&nbsp;Running Away From What Everyone Knows He Believes</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-08-09/ty-article/.premium/most-israelis-fear-upcoming-election-could-be-compromised-new-poll-finds/0000019f-e62a-deab-afdf-eeaf63160000">Most Israelis Fear Upcoming Election Could Be Compromised, New Poll Finds</a>

'Right-wing but not Netanyahu': Will Israel's new mini-parties save Bibi or bury him?

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>

'Trump started a war with no plan. Now he doesn't know how to end it'

Gadi Eisenkot "hasn't finished his rise" in the polls after his party, Yashar, has overtaken Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party for several weeks in a row, while the potential coalition of opposition parties is soaring past that of the current government, said Haaretz columnist Dahlia Scheindlin, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.

Scheindlin, a veteran political strategist and analyst, noted that even the right-wing pollsters, who are heavily biased in favor of Netanyahu's coalition, are showing numbers that point to "a decline ever since the ceasefire and the war with Iran," reflecting perceptions among supporters who once "saw him as a great global statesperson."

The podcast panel, including Haaretz correspondent Nagham Zbeedat and host Allison Kaplan Sommer, reviewed the noteworthy political events of the past week, most prominently the intriguing news that could shake up the coalition mathematics: the Arab Islamist Ra'am Party's plans to invite a former senior police officer and centrist Jewish politician to claim the number two position on its list.

"Having a Jewish Israeli politician join an Arab party, especially an Islamist political party," would represent a "significant milestone," Zbeedat said, predicting that the move would boost support for Ra'am and increase the chances that an anti-Netanyahu coalition would invite the party into a coalition, which could well be its key to winning power.

Zbeedat herself, however, is not lending her vote to Ra'am or any other political party. She explained on the podcast why, like many other Palestinian citizens of Israel, she chooses not to participate in elections. She does not believe, she said, in taking part in a "performance" of democracy and granting "legitimacy" to a government that "enables the daily occupation struggles" and "doesn't accept my existence."

Read more: 

Game Changer? What if This Jewish Lawmaker Joins an Israeli Arab Party

Why I, a Palestinian Citizen, Don't Vote in Israeli Elections

Arab Parties Are Talking Unity. Their Voters Have Much Bigger Issues

With Confidence, Conviction and Even Talking Occupation: The Democrats Are a New Sight in Israeli Politics

How Arab Party Leader Mansour Abbas Changed Israel's Political Game

Gadi Eisenkot "hasn't finished his rise" in the polls after his party, Yashar, has overtaken Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party for several weeks in a row, while the potential coalition of opposition parties is soaring past that of the current government, said Haaretz columnist Dahlia Scheindlin, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.
Scheindlin, a veteran political strategist and analyst, noted that even the right-wing pollsters, who are heavily biased in favor of Netanyahu's coalition, are showing numbers that point to "a decline ever since the ceasefire and the war with Iran," reflecting perceptions among supporters who once "saw him as a great global statesperson."
The podcast panel, including Haaretz correspondent Nagham Zbeedat and host Allison Kaplan Sommer, reviewed the noteworthy political events of the past week, most prominently the intriguing news that could shake up the coalition mathematics: the Arab Islamist Ra'am Party's plans to invite a former senior police officer and centrist Jewish politician to claim the number two position on its list.
"Having a Jewish Israeli politician join an Arab party, especially an Islamist political party," would represent a "significant milestone," Zbeedat said, predicting that the move would boost support for Ra'am and increase the chances that an anti-Netanyahu coalition would invite the party into a coalition, which could well be its key to winning power.
Zbeedat herself, however, is not lending her vote to Ra'am or any other political party. She explained on the podcast why, like many other Palestinian citizens of Israel, she chooses not to participate in elections. She does not believe, she said, in taking part in a "performance" of democracy and granting "legitimacy" to a government that "enables the daily occupation struggles" and "doesn't accept my existence."
Read more:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-08-03/ty-article/.premium/game-changer-what-if-this-jewish-lawmaker-joins-an-israeli-arab-party/0000019f-c52f-d3b5-a99f-edefdd2d0000">Game Changer? What if This Jewish Lawmaker Joins an Israeli Arab Party</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/haaretz-today/2026-01-07/ty-article/.highlight/why-i-a-palestinian-citizen-dont-vote-in-israeli-elections/0000019b-9916-dd67-a9ff-9b17f9340000">Why I, a Palestinian Citizen, Don't Vote in Israeli Elections</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-06-16/ty-article-magazine/.premium/arab-parties-are-talking-unity-their-voters-have-much-bigger-issues/0000019e-cf4a-d142-a19e-ffcbfa0c0000">Arab Parties Are Talking Unity. Their Voters Have Much Bigger Issues</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-07-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/talking-about-the-occupation-the-democrats-are-a-new-sight-in-israeli-politics/0000019f-7eb8-dc5f-ad9f-febbf6ed0000">With Confidence, Conviction and Even Talking Occupation:&nbsp;The Democrats Are a New Sight in Israeli Politics</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-07-26/ty-article-opinion/.premium/how-arab-party-leader-mansour-abbas-changed-israels-political-game/0000019f-9a90-db22-a5df-ff929d620000">How Arab Party Leader Mansour Abbas Changed Israel's Political Game</a>

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

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