In this episode, Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer explores the fallout from the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant. Joined by Haaretz diplomatic correspondent Amir Tibon and international law expert Aeyal Gross, the discussion covers how these developments impact Israel’s global standing, the legal and moral debates around the Gaza war, and the the explosive BibiLeaks scandal.

In this episode, Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer explores the fallout from the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant. Joined by Haaretz diplomatic correspondent Amir Tibon and international law expert Aeyal Gross, the discussion covers how these developments impact Israel’s global standing, the legal and moral debates around the Gaza war, and the the explosive BibiLeaks scandal.

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.

Could the International court’s arrest warrants break Netanyahu’s grip on power?

Reports of U.S. anger with Israel for targeting Iran’s oil fields in the intensifying conflict have been “massively exaggerated,” said Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel on the Haaretz Podcast.

While the American president “probably felt that Israel took this a step too far,” Harel said, “the truth of the matter is that the Israelis and the U.S. military are deeply coordinated.”

Regarding the entrance of Hezbollah into the expanding war, Harel said that the Lebanese group is “still quite capable of creating damage” to Israel, which is why the IDF has deployed large-scale force against them with airstrikes across Lebanon. Still, he said, “most of the effort and most of the focus remains on Iran.”

Despite the disruption to life in Israel, he pointed out that in the first 12 days of this war, there has been far less actual damage and loss of life in Israel during the two weeks of war last June.

Also on the podcast, Haaretz Jewish World Editor Judy Maltz visits an underground parking lot tent city populated by Tel Aviv residents without adequate overnight protection from missiles - many of whom were second-time refugees.

“Most of the people I met had been there in June” she said. “When Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, they just packed their bags and came back. They knew the drill already.” 

 

Read more:

Israel Focuses on Hitting Iran's Regime After Exceeding Military Target Expectations

Trump Signals Iran War Nearing End Amid Oil Fears as Hezbollah Surprises Israel

'Priciest Real Estate in Town': Tel Avivians Ride Out the War Deep Underground

Sleepless in Tel Aviv: Iranian Missile Barrages Trigger All-night Sirens in Central Israel

Reports of U.S. anger with Israel for targeting Iran&rsquo;s oil fields in the intensifying conflict have been &ldquo;massively exaggerated,&rdquo; said Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel on the Haaretz Podcast.
While the American president &ldquo;probably felt that Israel took this a step too far,&rdquo; Harel said, &ldquo;the truth of the matter is that the Israelis and the U.S. military are deeply coordinated.&rdquo;
Regarding the entrance of Hezbollah into the expanding war, Harel said that the Lebanese group is &ldquo;still quite capable of creating damage&rdquo; to Israel, which is why the IDF has deployed large-scale force against them with airstrikes across Lebanon. Still, he said, &ldquo;most of the effort and most of the focus remains on Iran.&rdquo;
Despite the disruption to life in Israel, he pointed out that in the first 12 days of this war, there has been far less actual damage and loss of life in Israel during the two weeks of war last June.
Also on the podcast, Haaretz Jewish World Editor Judy Maltz visits an underground parking lot tent city populated by Tel Aviv residents without adequate overnight protection from missiles - many of whom were second-time refugees.
&ldquo;Most of the people I met had been there in June&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;When Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, they just packed their bags and came back. They knew the drill already.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-11/ty-article/.premium/israel-pleased-by-scale-and-pace-of-attacks-on-iran-focuses-on-regime-targets/0000019c-d9be-d9b7-a5fd-dffe5e7d0000">Israel Focuses on Hitting Iran's Regime After Exceeding Military Target Expectations</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-10/ty-article/.premium/wary-of-an-oil-crisis-trump-tells-americans-that-the-iran-war-is-nearly-over/0000019c-d4a0-d3be-a7fd-fff0d3a80000">Trump Signals Iran War Nearing End Amid Oil Fears as Hezbollah Surprises Israel</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-11/ty-article-magazine/.premium/priciest-real-estate-in-town-tel-avivians-ride-out-the-war-deep-underground/0000019c-dc7f-d3be-a7fd-ffffc2d40000">'Priciest Real Estate in Town': Tel Avivians Ride Out the War&nbsp;Deep Underground</a> <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-11/ty-article/sleepless-in-tel-aviv-iranian-missiles-trigger-consecutive-overnight-sirens/0000019c-dbb3-d3be-a7fd-fff339a00000">Sleepless in Tel Aviv: Iranian Missile Barrages Trigger All-night Sirens in Central Israel</a>

Iran war update: Amos Harel on Hezbollah entering the fray, Judy Maltz on Tel Aviv’s underground bomb shelters

Recalling the first day of the war with Iran is still traumatic for journalist and activist Anat Saragusti, whose apartment building in central Tel Aviv began to shake as she ran to seek shelter from Iranian missiles targeting the city following the U.S.-Israel attack that morning. 

"I didn't believe my eyes," she says of what awaited her when she returned. "The whole living room was covered with broken glass - the carpets, the sofa, the chairs - all over. It was really so scary."

Matching the shattering of the glass in her home, said Saragusti, who monitors press freedom at the Union of Journalists in Israel, is the ongoing shattering of her trust in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government as the war continues, and her dissatisfaction with what she views as an overly-compliant media. 

Most Israelis, Saragusti said on the Haaretz Podcast, are "glued to television screens" where retired IDF generals spout military facts and statistics. "There is no room for alternative voices, questions or doubts" regarding the war and "what the end game will be."

"They promised us in the last war in Iran in June that we destroyed the majority of the infrastructure for the ballistic missiles and the nuclear plan of Iran. Then in nine months, [Iran rebuilt] everything from scratch? I don't understand that. I feel that they are lying to us."

Read more:

Op-ed by Anat Sargusti: Israeli Broadcasters Don Uniforms as the Media Becomes an Arm of the Military

Follow the latest updates from Haaretz on the U.S.-Israel war on Iran

One Killed, Two Wounded in Central Israel Following Iranian Missile Barrage, Emergency Services Say

'You Can't Live by the Sword': Israeli TV's Tel Aviv Street Interview Backfires

Iran's Cluster Missiles: What You Need to Know About the Controversial Weapon Targeting Israel

Recalling the first day of the war with Iran is still traumatic for journalist and activist&nbsp;Anat Saragusti, whose apartment building in central Tel Aviv began to shake as she ran to seek shelter from Iranian missiles targeting the city following the U.S.-Israel attack that morning.&nbsp;
"I didn't believe my eyes," she says of what awaited her when she returned. "The whole living room was covered with broken glass - the carpets, the sofa, the chairs - all over. It was really so scary."
Matching the shattering of the glass in her home, said Saragusti, who monitors press freedom at the Union of Journalists in Israel, is the ongoing shattering of her trust in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government as the war continues, and her dissatisfaction with what she views as an overly-compliant media.&nbsp;
Most Israelis, Saragusti said on the Haaretz Podcast, are "glued to television screens" where retired IDF generals spout military facts and statistics. "There is no room for alternative voices, questions or doubts" regarding the war and "what the end game will be."
"They promised us in the last war in Iran in June that we destroyed the majority of the infrastructure for the ballistic missiles and the nuclear plan of Iran. Then in nine months, [Iran rebuilt] everything from scratch? I don't understand that. I feel that they are lying to us."
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-03-09/ty-article/.premium/news-studios-have-become-a-war-room-and-its-broadcasters-don-uniforms/0000019c-cece-d8f8-a9de-ffdf66460000">Op-ed by Anat Sargusti: Israeli Broadcasters Don Uniforms as the Media Becomes an Arm of the Military</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/ty-tag/2026-israel-iran-war-0000019c-a52b-d3e2-af9f-efbbc44f0000">Follow the latest updates from Haaretz on the U.S.-Israel war on Iran</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-09/ty-article/.premium/one-killed-two-wounded-in-central-israel-following-iranian-missile-barrage/0000019c-d23e-d3f0-afbc-de7fba840000">One Killed, Two Wounded in Central Israel Following Iranian Missile Barrage, Emergency Services Say</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/leisure/2026-03-09/ty-article/.premium/you-cant-live-by-the-sword-israeli-tvs-tel-aviv-street-interview-backfires/0000019c-cc88-dbba-ad9c-cdfa92190000">'You Can't Live by the Sword': Israeli TV's Tel Aviv Street Interview Backfires</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-explains/2026-03-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/what-are-cluster-missiles-irans-controversial-weapon-in-war-with-israel/0000019c-b409-db60-a7dd-f6399a620000">Iran's Cluster Missiles:&nbsp;What You Need to Know About the Controversial Weapon Targeting Israel</a>

'They're lying to us': Why Israel's media isn't challenging Netanyahu’s narrative on the Iran war

While the Iranian regime “by and large, needed to be punished” and “did not deserve any mercy,” according to former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, it is possible that “a little bit more flexibility” in the negotiations for a nuclear agreement leading up to the U.S.-Israel assault might have meant they “would have resulted in a different way.” 

Olmert made his remarks in a dialogue with Haaretz Global Editor Noa Landau, featured in a plenary at the J Street Convention in Washington D.C. – and coinciding with the initial days of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. 

Olmert expressed satisfaction that U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back on remarks from prominent Republicans that Israel pushed the US into the war and “did not pretend to say that he was fighting for us. He said in the most explicit manner: ‘They are American enemies. This is an American war. I'm fighting for America, and I had to do it for America.’ No one saved Israel, or no one got mixed up in a war in order to save Israel.”

In his dialogue with Landau, Olmert also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative he is pursuing with former Palestinian Authority foreign minister Dr. Nasser al-Kidwa to “move forward into entirely new realities on the basis of cooperation and mutual respect and compromise and compassion.” He harshly condemned the ongoing and record-setting settler violence in the West Bank as “obnoxious” and “heartbreaking.” 

Speaking out against such actions, he added, "is essential if you want, as a Jew, not to be linked to these actions. You have to speak up.”

Read more:

'I Might Have Forced Israel's Hand': Trump Denies Israel Dragged U.S. Into Iran War After Rubio Comments Draw Ire

As Israeli Defense Officials Push for a Long Offensive, Trump Still Has Doubts

'Both Sides Are Tired of War': Former PM Ehud Olmert Makes Two-state Proposal With Former Palestinian Minister

Police Report Average of Four Daily Incidents of West Bank Settler Violence in Early 2026

The latest reporting on West Bank settler violence

While the Iranian regime &ldquo;by and large, needed to be punished&rdquo; and &ldquo;did not deserve any mercy,&rdquo; according to former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, it is possible that &ldquo;a little bit more flexibility&rdquo; in the negotiations for a nuclear agreement leading up to the U.S.-Israel assault might have meant they &ldquo;would have resulted in a different way.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Olmert made his remarks in a dialogue with Haaretz Global Editor Noa Landau, featured in a plenary at the J Street Convention in Washington D.C. &ndash; and coinciding with the initial days of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.&nbsp;
Olmert expressed satisfaction that U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back on remarks from prominent Republicans that Israel pushed the US into the war and &ldquo;did not pretend to say that he was fighting for us. He said in the most explicit manner: &lsquo;They are American enemies. This is an American war. I'm fighting for America, and I had to do it for America.&rsquo; No one saved Israel, or no one got mixed up in a war in order to save Israel.&rdquo;
In his dialogue with Landau, Olmert also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative he is pursuing with former Palestinian Authority foreign minister Dr. Nasser al-Kidwa to &ldquo;move forward into entirely new realities on the basis of cooperation and mutual respect and compromise and compassion.&rdquo; He harshly condemned the ongoing and record-setting settler violence in the West Bank as &ldquo;obnoxious&rdquo; and &ldquo;heartbreaking.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Speaking out against such actions, he added, "is essential if you want, as a Jew, not to be linked to these actions. You have to speak up.&rdquo;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-03-03/ty-article/.premium/trump-denies-israel-forced-u-s-into-iran-war-after-rubio-comments-draw-ire/0000019c-b4b3-db60-a7dd-f6b3f7fc0000">'I Might Have Forced Israel's Hand':&nbsp;Trump Denies Israel Dragged U.S. Into Iran War After Rubio Comments Draw Ire</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-03/ty-article/.premium/as-israeli-defense-officials-push-for-a-long-offensive-trump-still-has-doubts/0000019c-b066-df64-a59c-fa76f1da0000">As Israeli Defense Officials Push for a Long Offensive, Trump Still Has Doubts</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-09-09/ty-article/.premium/both-sides-are-tired-of-war-ex-pm-olmert-makes-two-state-proposal-with-ex-pa-minister/00000191-d7ae-d233-a5d3-ffbf31530000">'Both Sides Are Tired of War': Former PM Ehud Olmert Makes Two-state Proposal With Former Palestinian Minister</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-02-04/ty-article/.premium/west-bank-settler-violence-averaged-four-incidents-daily-in-early-2026-police-say/0000019c-2926-d663-a39c-3daecf1c0000">Police Report Average of Four Daily Incidents of West Bank Settler Violence in Early 2026</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/west-bank">The latest reporting on West Bank settler violence</a>

Could the International court’s arrest warrants break Netanyahu’s grip on power?

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