Alon Pinkas on challenging the idea of Netanyahu as a master strategist of the Middle East

Haaretz senior columnist and former diplomat Alon Pinkas says that for years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tacitly supported the continuation of the brutal dictatorship of Bashar Assad in Syria, and it is absurd for him to claim credit for helping to topple Assad’s rule by weakening the mainst…

Is Israel squandering a rare chance in Syria?

Israel, the United States, and European leaders are all missing a unique opportunity in their policy stance and behavior toward the new post-Assad regime in Syria, veteran Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom said on the Haaretz Podcast. Carlstrom, a journalist for The Economist currently bas…

The (deep) state vs. Benjamin Netanyahu: Inside the courtroom during the PM's testimony

In this episode of the Haaretz Podcast, host Allison Kaplan Sommer and Haaretz columnist Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin delve into the trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges while continuing to lead the country at wartime. From the demonstrations outside the courtroom where Netanyahu …

'They're no Zionists': How Syria's rebels toppled Assad and what it means for Israel

The rapid collapse of the Assad regime in Syria has left Israel concerned about the future of what has been its quietest border in an era of continual instability and war, as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that drove Assad out and has roots in Al-Qaeda and ISIS, takes charge. "I suspect the…

Settlement revival? military entrenchment? What are Israel’s long term plans for Gaza?

The evidence is mounting that Israel is entrenching itself militarily in Gaza for the long term. At the same time, Israel’s settler movements and far-right government are making no secret of their concrete plans to revive the Jewish settlements in the Strip. On the Haaretz Podcast. Avi Scharf, nat…

Netanyahu and Trump's 'creeping authoritarianism': 'It always begins and ends with women'

In both Israel and the United States, women's rights and their autonomy are under attack from the surging power of far-right religious political forces in the current Netanyahu government and future Trump White House.  In Israel, the “creeping theocracy” is out in the open and the debate is in the…

Netanyahu's war on the Israeli media and how it is already affecting press freedom

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s multi-front assault on the media - spearheaded by an economic boycott of Haaretz - is a blatant attempt to intimidate Israeli journalists into self-censorship and weaken press outlets that continue to dare to report critically on the behavior and policies of the na…

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

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 exper…

'We show up in places that some of the Jewish community has abandoned'

Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer welcomes Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, to discuss the challenges of leading progressive American Jews during Israel's Gaza war and ahead of a second Trump presidency. Rabbi Jacobs opens up about generational divides, love fo…

Is the 'Trump effect' preventing Iran from attacking Israel?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to include Russia in the process of negotiating a ceasefire with Hezbollah struck Middle East expert and former MK Ksenia Svetlova as "strange" given the strong Iran-Russia alliance and the countries' shared interests. As the Ukraine conflict has worn o…