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 getting high marks from the Israeli public regarding his performance leading the country in its war against Iran – but for now, these sentiments are not giving his coalition a significant boost in political polling, according to Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast. 

Scheindlin, a Haaretz columnist and political analyst, noted the war’s “overwhelming support” among Israeli Jews – reaching over 92 percent. 

Despite the “near consensus” supporting the war and high personal approval of Netanyahu as a war leader, she points out, “poll ratings for the Likud and for the coalition government have been flat and stuck at 40 percent, and Netanyahu does not have a majority,” which does not bode well for the election scheduled for October. 

While support for the war cuts across partisan lines in Israel, despite attitudes towards Netanyahu, Scheindlin says that surveys in the United States paint a different picture.

"If you look at the results of the question: ‘Do you approve or disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran?’ Scheindlin said, “it basically mirrors his approval ratings in general.”

She added that poll numbers point to the fact that the talk of a split among Trump’s base – especially “America First” Republicans – may be overly “hyped.”

Instead, she observed that U.S. opinion surveys reflected “overwhelming support from Republican voters… close to 80 percent."

Read more:

Analysis by Dahlia Scheindlin: Why Israelis Aren't Giving Netanyahu an Iran Bump in the Polls

Most Israelis Back Iran War but Support Low Among Arab Citizens, Poll Shows

Just One in Four Americans Supports U.S. Strikes on Iran, Poll Finds

Analysis by Joshua Leifer: The post-October 7 Wars in Iran and Lebanon Are Turning Into Netanyahu's Vietnam

Netanyahu's Likud Party Makes No Gains Amid Iran War, Poll Finds

A Billion Shekels a Day: The Number That May Decide When Israel's War With Iran Ends

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is getting high marks from the Israeli public regarding his performance leading the country in its war against Iran &ndash; but for now, these sentiments are not giving his coalition a significant boost in political polling, according to Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.&nbsp;
Scheindlin, a Haaretz columnist and political analyst, noted the war&rsquo;s &ldquo;overwhelming support&rdquo; among Israeli Jews &ndash; reaching over 92 percent.&nbsp;
Despite the &ldquo;near consensus&rdquo; supporting the war and high personal approval of Netanyahu as a war leader, she points out, &ldquo;poll ratings for the Likud and for the coalition government have been flat and stuck at 40 percent, and Netanyahu does not have a majority,&rdquo; which does not bode well for the election scheduled for October.&nbsp;
While support for the war cuts across partisan lines in Israel, despite attitudes towards Netanyahu, Scheindlin says that surveys in the United States paint a different picture.
"If you look at the results of the question: &lsquo;Do you approve or disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran?&rsquo; Scheindlin said, &ldquo;it basically mirrors his approval ratings in general.&rdquo;
She added that poll numbers point to the fact that the talk of a split among Trump&rsquo;s base &ndash; especially &ldquo;America First&rdquo; Republicans &ndash; may be overly &ldquo;hyped.&rdquo;
Instead, she observed that U.S. opinion surveys reflected &ldquo;overwhelming support from Republican voters&hellip; close to 80 percent."
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-03-13/ty-article/.premium/epic-anticlimax-why-israelis-arent-giving-netanyahu-an-iran-bump-in-the-polls/0000019c-e6ad-d02e-abdf-efafe1070000">Analysis by Dahlia Scheindlin: Why Israelis Aren't Giving Netanyahu an Iran Bump in the Polls</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-05/ty-article/.premium/most-israelis-back-iran-war-but-support-low-among-arab-citizens-poll-shows/0000019c-be5a-d7b3-affe-befbd9150000">Most Israelis Back Iran War but Support Low Among Arab Citizens, Poll Shows</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-03-02/ty-article/just-one-in-four-americans-supports-u-s-strikes-on-iran-poll-finds/0000019c-acac-d543-a3ff-fffd7d5f0000">Just One in Four Americans Supports U.S. Strikes on Iran, Poll Finds</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-17/ty-article/.highlight/the-post-october-7-wars-in-iran-and-lebanon-are-turning-into-netanyahus-vietnam/0000019c-fc3b-da5c-a3bc-fe3b5c430000">Analysis by Joshua Leifer: The post-October 7 Wars in Iran and Lebanon Are Turning Into Netanyahu's Vietnam</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-03-13/ty-article/netanyahus-likud-party-makes-no-gains-amid-iran-war-poll-finds/0000019c-e67b-dc1d-adbf-e7fb26a70000">Netanyahu's Likud Party Makes No Gains Amid Iran War, Poll Finds</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-19/ty-article/.premium/a-billion-shekels-a-day-the-hidden-clock-behind-israels-war-with-iran/0000019d-057b-df92-a9df-edfbc7660000">A Billion Shekels a Day: The Number That May Decide When Israel's War With Iran Ends</a>

Will the Iran war bring Netanyahu a triumph at the polls? | Dahlia Scheindlin on Israeli voters

U.S. President Donald Trump “needs to find an off ramp” from the war with Iran as soon as possible, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said on the Haaretz Podcast.

While Shapiro said the military results of the war – the decimation of Iranian military assets and elimination of top leaders – are “incredibly impressive,” the United States must recognize that “the weaker party has cards to play, and their cards grow more influential as this conflict drags on,” pointing to the choking of world oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz, draining of U.S. and Israeli anti-missile resources, and attacks by proxies and terrorist groups. 

Shapiro, who was ambassador from 2011–2017, said he wants regime change in Iran, but “not through a military campaign. That's not really something we're capable of at any acceptable cost.”

Additionally, he warns, a fall of the Iranian regime will spark “a great deal of chaos, a great deal of spillover of instability to neighboring countries, perhaps a civil war, waves of terror outside of Iran” and more.

“All of that has the potential to suck the United States in much further to the whole region. I could imagine that this is not a high concern for Israelis. Israelis could live with that set of concerns in ways that the United States and the American people will maybe feel differently about and certainly have not been prepared for.” 

Read more:

What a Difference 12 Days Make: Why This Israel-Iran War Is Different From the Last One

Trump 'Shocked' That Iran Attacked Gulf Neighbors in Retaliatory Strikes

House Democrats Urge Congressional Testimony by Trump Administration Officials on Iran War

Analysis by Amos Harel | IDF's Grandiose Plans for South Lebanon Ground Offensive Won't Topple Hezbollah

Netanyahu Isn't Dead. But Even His 'Proof of Life' Video Is Being Derided as AI

U.S. President Donald Trump &ldquo;needs to find an off ramp&rdquo; from the war with Iran as soon as possible, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said on the Haaretz Podcast.
While Shapiro said the military results of the war &ndash; the decimation of Iranian military assets and elimination of top leaders &ndash; are &ldquo;incredibly impressive,&rdquo; the United States must recognize that &ldquo;the weaker party has cards to play, and their cards grow more influential as this conflict drags on,&rdquo; pointing to the choking of world oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz, draining of U.S. and Israeli anti-missile resources, and attacks by proxies and terrorist groups.&nbsp;
Shapiro, who was ambassador from 2011&ndash;2017, said he wants regime change in Iran, but &ldquo;not through a military campaign. That's not really something we're capable of at any acceptable cost.&rdquo;
Additionally, he warns, a fall of the Iranian regime will spark &ldquo;a great deal of chaos, a great deal of spillover of instability to neighboring countries, perhaps a civil war, waves of terror outside of Iran&rdquo; and more.
&ldquo;All of that has the potential to suck the United States in much further to the whole region. I could imagine that this is not a high concern for Israelis. Israelis could live with that set of concerns in ways that the United States and the American people will maybe feel differently about and certainly have not been prepared for.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-15/ty-article-magazine/.premium/what-a-difference-12-days-make-why-this-war-with-iran-is-different/0000019c-f113-d82c-a1dd-f19bbeed0000">What a Difference 12 Days Make: Why This Israel-Iran War Is Different From the Last One</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-03-17/ty-article/.premium/trump-shocked-that-iran-attacked-gulf-neighbors-in-retaliatory-strikes/0000019c-f880-df16-a3dc-feb55e140000">Trump 'Shocked' That Iran Attacked Gulf Neighbors in Retaliatory Strikes</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-03-16/ty-article/.premium/house-democrats-urge-congressional-testimony-by-trump-officials-on-iran-war/0000019c-f78b-df50-a9de-f7bbf7e10000">House Democrats Urge Congressional Testimony by Trump Administration Officials on Iran War</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-17/ty-article/.premium/israels-plan-for-ground-op-in-southern-lebanon-wont-end-hezbollah-threat/0000019c-f874-d686-adbd-fc7e51c10000">Analysis by Amos Harel |&nbsp;IDF's Grandiose Plans for South Lebanon Ground Offensive Won't Topple Hezbollah</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-17/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-isnt-dead-but-even-his-proof-of-life-video-is-being-derided-as-ai/0000019c-fa95-df16-a3dc-feb580990000">Netanyahu Isn't Dead. But Even His 'Proof of Life' Video Is Being Derided as AI</a>

'Soon, Trump will have had enough’: Dan Shapiro on clashing Israel-U.S. war goals in Iran

Under the shadow of the Gaza war, even before the current conflict with Iran, Israeli filmmaker Hilla Medalia found it “very surprising” that her short film “Children No More: Were and Are Gone” was nominated for an Academy Award – but she was thrilled. 

Despite the atmosphere in Hollywood even before the U.S.-Israel military attack in Iran, with petitions to boycott Israeli filmmakers circulated, two Israelis are nominated to take home golden statues at the March 16 ceremony: Medalia's film, in the category of Best Documentary Short, along with Meyer Levinson-Blount’s “Butcher’s Stain,” which is nominated for Best Live Action Short Film. 

The nominations are “an incredible achievement of course for both Meyer and I, but also for the entire Israeli film community,” she said, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast. 

Medalia’s film follows a group of Israeli activists who in March 2025, after the second cease-fire between Israel and Hamas collapsed, learned that 139 Palestinian children had been killed in a single day by IDF attacks in Gaza. 

The small group decided to print out photographs of the children, and stand holding the images silently as an accompaniment to the raucous demonstrations taking place in Tel Aviv calling for a cease-fire that would bring back the Israeli hostages. 

Over time their action, Medalia explained, “slowly grew into this bigger vigil that had more than 1,000 people. On each poster there is a picture of a child, their name, their age, where they're from, the day that they were killed. That's it. No political slogans. And they stood in silence.”

She was inspired and impressed by the group’s commitment to remaining silent – even as passersby insulted and cursed them. 

Unlike the other films Medalia is competing against, “Children No More” did not make the rounds of the prestigious film festivals to increase its Oscar chances – its path from conception to filming to release was unusually rapid.  

“We felt that we could not wait to share with the local Israeli audience and the world.”

 

Read more: 

Oscar-nominated Israeli Filmmaker on Gaza: 'Focusing on Dead Children Does Not Diminish Our Pain'

Why Israel Fears the Faces of Dead Palestinian Children on Its Streets


It Looks Like a Memorial Day Ceremony: The Israelis Protesting With Photos of Dead Gazan Children
Student Oscar-winning Film 'Mirrors the Experiences of Palestinians in Israel'

Under the shadow of the Gaza war, even before the current conflict with Iran, Israeli filmmaker Hilla Medalia found it &ldquo;very surprising&rdquo; that her short film &ldquo;Children No More: Were and Are Gone&rdquo; was nominated for an Academy Award &ndash; but she was thrilled.&nbsp;
Despite the atmosphere in Hollywood even before the U.S.-Israel military attack in Iran, with petitions to boycott Israeli filmmakers circulated, two Israelis are nominated to take home golden statues at the March 16 ceremony: Medalia's film, in the category of Best Documentary Short, along with Meyer Levinson-Blount&rsquo;s &ldquo;Butcher&rsquo;s Stain,&rdquo; which is nominated for Best Live Action Short Film.&nbsp;
The nominations are &ldquo;an incredible achievement of course for both Meyer and I, but also for the entire Israeli film community,&rdquo; she said, speaking on the Haaretz Podcast.&nbsp;
Medalia&rsquo;s film follows a group of Israeli activists who in March 2025, after the second cease-fire between Israel and Hamas collapsed, learned that 139 Palestinian children had been killed in a single day by IDF attacks in Gaza.&nbsp;
The small group decided to print out photographs of the children, and stand holding the images silently as an accompaniment to the raucous demonstrations taking place in Tel Aviv calling for a cease-fire that would bring back the Israeli hostages.&nbsp;
Over time their action, Medalia explained, &ldquo;slowly grew into this bigger vigil that had more than 1,000 people. On each poster there is a picture of a child, their name, their age, where they're from, the day that they were killed. That's it. No political slogans. And they stood in silence.&rdquo;
She was inspired and impressed by the group&rsquo;s commitment to remaining silent &ndash; even as passersby insulted and cursed them.&nbsp;
Unlike the other films Medalia is competing against, &ldquo;Children No More&rdquo; did not make the rounds of the prestigious film festivals to increase its Oscar chances &ndash; its path from conception to filming to release was unusually rapid.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;We felt that we could not wait to share with the local Israeli audience and the world.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Read more: 
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/life/2026-02-28/ty-article-magazine/oscar-nominated-israeli-filmmaker-defends-focus-on-children-killed-in-gaza/0000019c-99b5-d26c-a79d-bfbdafd50000">Oscar-nominated Israeli Filmmaker on Gaza: 'Focusing on Dead Children Does Not Diminish Our Pain'</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/haaretz-today/2025-04-21/ty-article/.highlight/why-israel-fears-the-faces-of-dead-palestinian-children-on-its-streets/00000196-5985-d99b-a5ff-d9d7fa560000">Why Israel Fears the Faces of Dead Palestinian Children on Its Streets</a>
 <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-09/ty-article-magazine/.premium/like-a-memorial-day-ceremony-the-israelis-protesting-with-photos-of-dead-gazan-children/00000197-5575-ddae-a1ff-5f77290c0000">It Looks Like a Memorial Day Ceremony: The Israelis Protesting With Photos of Dead Gazan Children</a> <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/life/2025-09-01/ty-article-magazine/.premium/oscar-winning-student-film-mirrors-the-experiences-of-palestinians-in-israel/00000198-8412-d9db-a9be-871b5a2e0000">Student Oscar-winning Film 'Mirrors the Experiences of Palestinians in Israel'</a>

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

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