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

The decision by Israel’s top generals and intelligence chiefs not to put the IDF on high alert in the hours before October 7 was “the worst gamble in Israeli military history,” according to senior defense analyst Amos Harel, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast on the third anniversary of the attack by Hamas on southern Israel. 

“They terribly, tragically underestimated both Hamas’ capabilities and its actual intentions that night,” Harel said. 

Harel is the author of “6:29: Anatomy of a Failure,” the first and most complete account of the chain of mistakes by the country’s top military and political echelons leading up to the devastating events of that day.

On the podcast, Harel recounts the military and political mistakes that were made, pinning them on “arrogance” and a “condescending” misreading of Hamas’ capabilities and determination – and how their failures have shaken Israeli citizen’s belief that they are “in safe hands.” 

“We have the best air force in the region, one of the best in the world. We have the technology. We have the operational understanding, and so on, and yet we were taken by complete surprise,” he noted. 

Harel also discusses the legacy of October 7, including how it is shaping Israel’s upcoming election, and the narrative crafted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that has allowed him to maintain political viability as he runs a campaign that exploits fears of a repeat of the disaster, all while  blocking the formation of an October 7 commission of inquiry or any other comprehensive investigation, and fanning the flames of conspiracy theories.

Netanyahu, he said, is “fighting for his life by any means necessary. Everything is worth it in order to maintain power and stay out of jail.”

Read more:

Analysis by Amos Harel | Three Years After Hamas Attacked on October 7, Israel Has Yet to Start Reckoning With Its Failures

October 7: How Hamas Attacked Israel, Minute by Minute

Protests Across Israel Mark Third Anniversary of October 7

Israel's October 7 Leaders Mourned the Dead – and Celebrated Their Own Survival

Op-ed | My Mother Was a Peace Activist Killed on October 7. Don't Use Her Name to Justify Mass Killing

The decision by Israel&rsquo;s top generals and intelligence chiefs not to put the IDF on high alert in the hours before October 7 was &ldquo;the worst gamble in Israeli military history,&rdquo; according to senior defense analyst Amos Harel, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast on the third anniversary of the attack by Hamas on southern Israel.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They terribly, tragically underestimated both Hamas&rsquo; capabilities and its actual intentions that night,&rdquo; Harel said.&nbsp;
Harel is the author of &ldquo;6:29: Anatomy of a Failure,&rdquo; the first and most complete account of the chain of mistakes by the country&rsquo;s top military and political echelons leading up to the devastating events of that day.
On the podcast, Harel recounts the military and political mistakes that were made, pinning them on &ldquo;arrogance&rdquo; and a &ldquo;condescending&rdquo; misreading of Hamas&rsquo; capabilities and determination &ndash; and how their failures have shaken Israeli citizen&rsquo;s belief that they are &ldquo;in safe hands.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have the best air force in the region, one of the best in the world. We have the technology. We have the operational understanding, and so on, and yet we were taken by complete surprise,&rdquo; he noted.&nbsp;
Harel also discusses the legacy of October 7, including how it is shaping Israel&rsquo;s upcoming election, and the narrative crafted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that has allowed him to maintain political viability as he runs a campaign that exploits fears of a repeat of the disaster, all while&nbsp; blocking the formation of an October 7 commission of inquiry or any other comprehensive investigation, and fanning the flames of conspiracy theories.
Netanyahu, he said, is &ldquo;fighting for his life by any means necessary. Everything is worth it in order to maintain power and stay out of jail.&rdquo;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-10-07/ty-article/.premium/three-years-after-october-7-israel-has-yet-to-start-reckoning-with-its-failures/000001a1-12c3-dd49-a5ff-d2d3156c0000">Analysis by Amos Harel | Three Years After Hamas Attacked on October 7, Israel Has Yet to Start Reckoning With Its Failures</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-18/ty-article-static/.premium/what-happened-on-oct-7/0000018e-c1b7-dc93-adce-eff753020000">October 7: How Hamas Attacked Israel, Minute by Minute</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-10-07/ty-article/.premium/protests-across-israel-mark-third-anniversary-of-october-7/000001a1-147a-dd49-a5ff-d6fabcf60000">Protests Across Israel Mark Third Anniversary of October 7</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-10-06/ty-article/.premium/october-7-culprits-sit-ashen-faced-but-inwardly-celebrate-their-own-survival/000001a1-0d81-dbcb-a5e9-afd5a58e0000">Israel's October 7 Leaders Mourned the Dead &ndash; and Celebrated Their Own Survival</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-10-07/ty-article-opinion/.premium/my-mother-was-a-peace-activist-killed-on-october-7-dont-use-her-to-justify-war/000001a1-1279-d88d-aba1-defb5c3f0000">Op-ed | My Mother Was a Peace Activist Killed on October 7. Don't Use Her Name to Justify Mass Killing</a>

'The worst gamble in Israeli military history': Amos Harel on the failures of October 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handling of the crisis after the Flydubai attack demonstrated his “facility at dominating the news cycle and setting the agenda of the debate” in the crucial weeks ahead of the October 27 Israeli election, said Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer, speaking on the Haaretz Election Podcast. 


Netanyahu skillfully and quickly took the spotlight, basking in the reflected glory of the heroic pilot and passengers who saved the plane, while evading responsibility for the security failures as he did post-October 7. By doing so, he put his election rivals in a lose-lose position, Leifer noted. 


If his rivals for power publicly acknowledged that “we're living in a dangerous neighborhood and we have to step things up, then you know they end up backing him,” Leifer said. “But if the opposition comes out and starts blaming Netanyahu” for the oversights and negligence that led to the near-disaster, “they come out looking like they’re spoiling the party and they’re not loyal.”


Leifer’s fellow Election Podcast panelist Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin agreed and said given the situation, it is “smarter” for the opposition to “sit back and let the facts come out” in the media rather than go on the offensive. 


On the podcast, Leifer and Scheindlin joined host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss flydubai, along with the impact of the commemoration of three years since October 7 on the campaign, dueling interpretations of the current polls, and the Netanyahu opposition’s “horrifically mismanaged” campaign.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handling of the crisis after the Flydubai attack demonstrated his &ldquo;facility at dominating the news cycle and setting the agenda of the debate&rdquo; in the crucial weeks ahead of the October 27 Israeli election, said Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer, speaking on the Haaretz Election Podcast.&nbsp;
 Netanyahu skillfully and quickly took the spotlight, basking in the reflected glory of the heroic pilot and passengers who saved the plane, while evading responsibility for the security failures as he did post-October 7. By doing so, he put his election rivals in a lose-lose position, Leifer noted.&nbsp;
 If his rivals for power publicly acknowledged that &ldquo;we're living in a dangerous neighborhood and we have to step things up, then you know they end up backing him,&rdquo; Leifer said. &ldquo;But if the opposition comes out and starts blaming Netanyahu&rdquo; for the oversights and negligence that led to the near-disaster, &ldquo;they come out looking like they&rsquo;re spoiling the party and they&rsquo;re not loyal.&rdquo;
 Leifer&rsquo;s fellow Election Podcast panelist Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin agreed and said given the situation, it is &ldquo;smarter&rdquo; for the opposition to &ldquo;sit back and let the facts come out&rdquo; in the media rather than go on the offensive.&nbsp;
 On the podcast, Leifer and Scheindlin joined host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss flydubai, along with the impact of the commemoration of three years since October 7 on the campaign, dueling interpretations of the current polls, and the Netanyahu opposition&rsquo;s &ldquo;horrifically mismanaged&rdquo; campaign.

How the Flydubai midair attack gave Netanyahu an election boost

The most recent attempt at a show of unity by the Jewish Zionist parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was only partially successful.

With the election less than a month away, their leaders may have agreed not to campaign against each other and save their fire for Netanyahu – but they failed to explicitly commit to backing whichever party leader garners the most votes to head the bloc, said Haaretz correspondent Judy Maltz, speaking on the Haaretz Election Podcast.

"For most of the people who support the parties in the opposition bloc, it was a big disappointment that they couldn't say what seems so obvious to most people," Maltz said of the meeting between the four major parties opposed to Netanyahu.

"There was a lot of hope that they would emerge ... and say, 'We have a leader. It will be Eisenkot against Netanyahu,' but they could not reach an agreement on that."

Maltz was joined on the podcast by fellow Haaretz journalist Linda Dayan and host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss the fallout of the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify Arab parties along with individual members of the party, and the controversial decision by left-wing Democrats leader Yair Golan to support barring Balad party head Sami Abu Shehadah, who made comments following October 7 that were interpreted as supporting the Hamas attack.

"What he wrote is disgusting," Dayan said. "The question is whether it's actually illegal, and there are a lot of figures saying that it isn't," and noted that such votes to disqualify candidates is an "Israeli election tradition."

Maltz, who has been traveling across the country over the past months, reporting on the mood of Israeli voters, spoke on the podcast about her visit to Kibbutz Be'eri, where 132 people were massacred and 35 taken hostage on October 7, to find out how that trauma has affected their politics.

"Overall, most of them have moved to the right. But they will not vote for any parties in the current coalition, because much as they hate Hamas, they hate the current Israeli government even more, and blame them for October 7."

Read more: 

Opposition Leaders Agree to Decide Who Will Lead Next Government Only After Elections

Banned Arab Party Leader to Challenge Knesset Disqualification in Court Despite Internal Opposition

Israel's AG Urges Court to Disqualify Arab Party Leader Over Post-Oct. 7 Remarks

Eisenkot Says No Arab Party Meets Demands to Join Government Led by Him

'Not Once Did You Use the Word Peace': In English, Yair Golan Strikes a Centrist Tone

Did Kibbutz Be'eri Lose Faith in the Left?

The most recent attempt at a show of unity by the Jewish Zionist parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was only partially successful.
With the election less than a month away, their leaders may have agreed not to campaign against each other and save their fire for Netanyahu &ndash; but they failed to explicitly commit to backing whichever party leader garners the most votes to head the bloc, said Haaretz correspondent Judy Maltz, speaking on the Haaretz Election Podcast.
"For most of the people who support the parties in the opposition bloc, it was a big disappointment that they couldn't say what seems so obvious to most people," Maltz said of the meeting between the four major parties opposed to Netanyahu.
"There was a lot of hope that they would emerge ... and say, 'We have a leader. It will be Eisenkot against Netanyahu,' but they could not reach an agreement on that."
Maltz was joined on the podcast by fellow Haaretz journalist Linda Dayan and host Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss the fallout of the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify Arab parties along with individual members of the party, and the controversial decision by left-wing Democrats leader Yair Golan to support barring Balad party head Sami Abu Shehadah, who made comments following October 7 that were interpreted as supporting the Hamas attack.
"What he wrote is disgusting," Dayan said. "The question is whether it's actually illegal, and there are a lot of figures saying that it isn't," and noted that such votes to disqualify candidates is an "Israeli election tradition."
Maltz, who has been traveling across the country over the past months, reporting on the mood of Israeli voters, spoke on the podcast about her visit to Kibbutz Be'eri, where 132 people were massacred and 35 taken hostage on October 7, to find out how that trauma has affected their politics.
"Overall, most of them have moved to the right. But they will not vote for any parties in the current coalition, because much as they hate Hamas, they hate the current Israeli government even more, and blame them for October 7."
Read more:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-09-27/ty-article/.premium/opposition-leaders-agree-to-decide-who-will-lead-next-govt-after-elections/000001a0-df25-db4b-a7a5-df77362d0000">Opposition Leaders Agree to Decide Who Will Lead Next Government Only After Elections</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-09-28/ty-article/.premium/banned-arab-party-leader-to-challenge-knesset-disqualification-in-court/000001a0-e3e9-d259-a3b4-ebf9828a0000">Banned Arab Party Leader to Challenge Knesset Disqualification in Court Despite Internal Opposition</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-09-29/ty-article/.premium/attorney-general-to-top-court-bar-arab-israeli-party-leader-from-knesset-race/000001a0-ec1e-d9ab-abfd-ffbfded20000">Israel's AG Urges Court to Disqualify Arab Party Leader Over Post-Oct. 7 Remarks</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-09-26/ty-article/.premium/eisenkot-says-no-arab-party-meets-demands-for-government-led-by-him/000001a0-debc-d135-a1f7-fefc033a0000">Eisenkot Says No Arab Party Meets Demands to Join Government Led by Him</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-09-08/ty-article-magazine/.premium/not-once-did-you-say-peace-in-english-yair-golan-strikes-a-centrist-tone/000001a0-8013-d5e7-a7a0-a21742ae0000">'Not Once Did You Use the Word Peace': In English, Yair Golan Strikes a Centrist Tone</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-09-10/ty-article-magazine/.premium/devastated-on-october-7-did-kibbutz-beeri-lose-faith-in-the-left/000001a0-8600-dc67-a5f1-bedfdf060000">Did Kibbutz Be'eri Lose Faith in the Left?</a>

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

In 1 playlist(s)

Haaretz Podcast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips