Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz’s Anshel Pfeffer and ultra-Orthodox journalist and activist Pnina Pfeuffer to discuss the aftermath of the Mount Meron tragedy, in which 45 people were crushed to death at a Jewish festival. We ask: Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the incident? Will ultra-Orthodox Israelis respond to this disaster with anger – and in which direction? And could this tragedy be the catalyst for a change in the often fraught coexistence between secular and Haredi Israelis?

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz&rsquo;s Anshel Pfeffer and ultra-Orthodox journalist and activist Pnina Pfeuffer to discuss the aftermath of the Mount Meron tragedy, in which 45 people were crushed to death at a Jewish festival. We ask: Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the incident? Will ultra-Orthodox Israelis respond to this disaster with anger &ndash; and in which direction? And could this tragedy be the catalyst for a change in the often fraught coexistence between secular and Haredi Israelis?

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.

Why Bibi and his Haredi cronies won’t allow a meaningful probe into Israel’s deadly stampede

Israelis should expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "poison machine" to be working overtime with the coalition government attacking its own military leaders on a daily basis, says Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel on the Haaretz Podcast.

After a brief "honeymoon" period last week, following the IDF's daring rescue of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza, he said, "The hunt is on again. We'll see Netanyahu attacking them almost on a daily basis on the one hand, and also, what we call the poison machine run by his son and his supporters. We'll see more and more accusations pointed towards Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Ronen Bar, the head of the [Shin Bet security service]."

The goal of these attacks, Harel says, is to distract the Israeli public from Netanyahu's "dirty political trickery" and "the terrible, terrible price of the ongoing war."

"Netanyahu's interests are no longer in line with Israel's strategic interest," Harel asserts. What about the "Decisive victory" the prime minister keeps talking about? "It's absolute nonsense," He said, "and Netanyahu knows that better than anyone else."

Also on the podcast, French journalist Shirli Sitbon, a long time Haaretz contributor, reports on how French Jews, along with the rest of the country, were "shocked" by the snap elections declared by President Emmanuel Macron.

She said they are themselves caught between political blocs on the left and the right, and with the center weakened, now embrace extremist parties.

On the far left, she said, the bloc includes MPs "saying Israel is solely responsible" for the war in Gaza, who view Hamas as a legitimate resistance movement, support a full boycott and sanctioning of the country as well as arresting Israeli soldiers traveling in Europe and protesters carrying signs portraying French Jewish politicians as pigs. The alternative is a right-wing coalition led by Marine Le Pen's extreme xenophobic National Rally.

The polarization, she said, leaves many Jews frightened and confused, with indications that more than half might consider leaving the country if the far left or the far right win a decisive victory and the country "changes on a fundamental level."

Israelis should expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "poison machine" to be working overtime with the coalition government attacking its own military leaders on a daily basis, says Haaretz senior defense analyst Amos Harel on the Haaretz Podcast.
After a brief "honeymoon" period last week, following the IDF's daring <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-06-08/ty-article/.premium/israeli-army-forces-rescue-four-israeli-hostages-held-by-hamas/0000018f-f78b-d660-af9f-ffbfb2190000">rescue of four Israeli hostages</a> held in Gaza, he said, "The hunt is on again. We'll see Netanyahu attacking them almost on a daily basis on the one hand, and also, what we call the poison machine run by his son and his supporters. We'll see more and more accusations pointed towards Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Ronen Bar, the head of the [Shin Bet security service]."
The goal of these attacks, Harel says, is to distract the Israeli public from Netanyahu's "dirty <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-06-18/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-attacks-biden-inconceivable-to-hold-back-arms-shipments-to-israel/00000190-2c13-db38-adff-fcb344ab0000">political trickery</a>" and "the terrible, terrible price of the ongoing war."
"Netanyahu's interests are no longer in line with Israel's strategic interest," Harel asserts. What about the "Decisive victory" the prime minister keeps talking about? "It's absolute nonsense," He said, "and Netanyahu knows that better than anyone else."
Also on the podcast, French journalist Shirli Sitbon, a long time Haaretz contributor, reports on how French Jews, along with the rest of the country, were "shocked" by the <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2024-06-09/ty-article/frances-macron-calls-snap-elections-as-far-right-surges-in-european-elections/0000018f-fe85-de5e-a5ef-ff8742940000">snap elections</a> declared by President Emmanuel Macron.
She said they are themselves caught between political blocs on the left and the right, and with the center weakened, now embrace extremist parties.
On the far left, she said, the bloc includes MPs "saying Israel is solely responsible" for the war in Gaza, who view Hamas as a legitimate resistance movement, support a full boycott and sanctioning of the country as well as arresting Israeli soldiers traveling in Europe and protesters carrying signs portraying French Jewish politicians as pigs. The alternative is a right-wing coalition led by Marine Le Pen's extreme xenophobic National Rally.
The polarization, she said, leaves many Jews frightened and confused, with indications that more than half might consider leaving the country if the far left or the far right win a decisive victory and the country "changes on a fundamental level."

'Many Jews say they'll leave France if the far right or extreme left win the election'

If they ever imagined that they were dwelling in an ivory tower, the fierce and sometimes violent confrontations on their campuses have knocked academics who teach about Israel and the Middle East into a harsh new reality, Professor Dov Waxman, director of UCLA's Nazarian Center for Israel Studies told the Haaretz Podcast on the eve of a charged graduation week for his campus.

Waxman described the clash last month between pro-Palestinian protestors and Israel advocacy groups who came to confront them – and how he and other professors found themselves keeping the two sides apart with campus security nowhere to be found.

"I had felt like it was necessary to be there to observe and to try to be a witness and to provide an account, if that was needed. I didn't imagine that I'd be kind of brought into these protests or that I'd be required at all to keep protesters apart," Waxman said in a conversation with podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer.

"Ultimately," he said "being there on the campus, particularly in the hours before the big protest encampment was dismantled by the police and "see[ing] hundreds of heavily armed riot police lining up on what is normally the quad in the center of our campus where students hang out" and "the world's media converging on our campus" was a "disturbing' and "very, very surreal experience."

Also on the podcast, Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan recounts her reporting from campus protests at several California universities.

She said that it was impossible to paint a simple picture of the typical campus protester or generalize about their messaging. Some programming criticizing Israel was no more extreme than what one might find in an Israeli newspaper, she said. Other sessions contained inflammatory and even antisemitic content.

"I've gone to magnificently different events on the same campus at the same encampment with wildly different messaging," Dayan said.

If they ever imagined that they were dwelling in an ivory tower, the fierce and sometimes violent confrontations on their campuses have knocked academics who teach about Israel and the Middle East into a harsh new reality, Professor Dov Waxman, director of UCLA's Nazarian Center for Israel Studies told the Haaretz Podcast on the eve of a charged graduation week for his campus.
Waxman described the <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-05-01/ty-article/.premium/violent-clashes-erupt-at-ucla-between-pro-palestinian-pro-israel-protesters/0000018f-33ac-d8c4-afef-3ffc8d150000">clash last month</a> between pro-Palestinian protestors and Israel advocacy groups who came to confront them – and how he and other professors found themselves keeping the two sides apart with <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-05-23/ty-article/ucla-police-chief-reassigned-following-mob-attack-on-pro-palestinian-protesters/0000018f-a308-d8a2-a3cf-a78bc5ef0000">campus security nowhere</a> to be found.
"I had felt like it was necessary to be there to observe and to try to be a witness and to provide an account, if that was needed. I didn't imagine that I'd be kind of brought into these protests or that I'd be required at all to keep protesters apart," Waxman said in a conversation with podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer.
"Ultimately," he said "being there on the campus, particularly in the hours before the big protest encampment was dismantled by the police and "see[ing] hundreds of heavily armed riot police lining up on what is normally the quad in the center of our campus where students hang out" and "the world's media converging on our campus" was a "disturbing' and "very, very surreal experience."
Also on the podcast, Haaretz correspondent Linda Dayan recounts her <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-05-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/as-gaza-war-lingers-israel-studies-professors-on-u-s-campuses-throw-out-the-syllabus/0000018f-c985-d4da-a58f-ffdd73dc0000">reporting from campus protests</a> at several California universities.
She said that it was impossible to paint a simple picture of the typical campus protester or generalize about their messaging. Some programming criticizing Israel was no more extreme than what one might find in an Israeli newspaper, she said. Other sessions contained inflammatory and even antisemitic content.
"I've gone to magnificently different events on the same campus at the same encampment with wildly different messaging," Dayan said.

'It's striking how different Israel-Palestine discourse is in the classroom and out of it'

There is "an abyss" between how the U.S. and Israeli governments treat the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, says Prof. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui, 35, was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 while trying to protect his family and other residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Sagui Dekel-Chen's wife, Avital, gave birth to the couple's third daughter in January.

Speaking with Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer, the dual Israeli-U.S. citizen – who hasn't received new information about his son in eight months – compared the "inexplicably infuriating" behavior of members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government with their American counterparts.

Dekel-Chen said he has felt "privileged" to receive the attention and sympathy offered by U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration – along with the other dual citizens caught in the hostage nightmare. He also noted that he felt similar "wall to wall" support from members of Congress, "regardless of what their views are on the conduct of Israel's war."

In Israel, by contrast, "we've had no direct communication from senior ministers, nothing – it's unthinkable in a small intimate country like ours." He suggested that perhaps more sympathy and support would be forthcoming if those whose communities and lives were "destroyed" by the events of October 7 had come from the right-wing religious constituencies that make up Netanyahu's governing coalition.

While Biden has put another cease-fire and hostage deal on the table, urging Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to its terms, "Israel's government has a distorted view of what victory is," according to Dekel-Chen. "This war is more like a crusade ... its goals are dictated by the fringe, radical, far right."

On the podcast, Dekel-Chen also explains why, as a Hebrew University history professor, he feels that comparisons between October 7 and the Holocaust are inaccurate and dangerous. "Other than the death on that day, there are no real similarities," he says, "and it simply serves as a much too-easy-explanation for a horrific day and lets people off the hook who should be held accountable. It invokes some greater force that's so far beyond our control that it was almost inevitable. That's absolute nonsense."

There is "an abyss" between how the U.S. and Israeli governments treat the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, says Prof. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui, 35, was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 while trying to protect his family and other residents of <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-could-israels-army-abandon-this-kibbutz-for-seven-hours-on-october-7/0000018f-0076-db42-a99f-adff41440000">Kibbutz Nir Oz</a>. Sagui Dekel-Chen's wife, Avital, gave birth to the couple's third daughter in January.
Speaking with Haaretz Podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer, the dual Israeli-U.S. citizen – who hasn't received new information about his son in eight months – compared the "inexplicably infuriating" behavior of members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government with their American counterparts.
Dekel-Chen said he has felt "privileged" to receive the attention and sympathy offered by U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration – along with the other dual citizens caught in the hostage nightmare. He also noted that he felt similar "wall to wall" support from members of Congress, "regardless of what their views are on the conduct of Israel's war."
In Israel, by contrast, "we've had no direct communication from senior ministers, nothing – it's unthinkable in a small intimate country like ours." He suggested that perhaps more sympathy and support would be forthcoming if those whose communities and lives were "destroyed" by the events of October 7 had come from the right-wing religious constituencies that make up Netanyahu's governing coalition.
While Biden has put another <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-06-01/ty-article/.premium/bidens-proposal-offers-hope-to-hostage-families-but-falls-short-of-netanyahus-promises/0000018f-d4ef-dd44-a3ef-d7ef9eca0000">cease-fire and hostage deal</a> on the table, urging Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to its terms, "Israel's government has a distorted view of what victory is," according to Dekel-Chen. "This war is more like a crusade ... its goals are dictated by the <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-06-01/ty-article/.premium/biden-deal-was-coordinated-with-israel-u-s-fears-backlash-by-netanyahu-far-right-allies/0000018f-d416-d513-a9af-f67694290000">fringe, radical, far right</a>."
On the podcast, Dekel-Chen also explains why, as a Hebrew University history professor, he feels that <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024-01-30/ty-article-opinion/.premium/does-the-hamas-massacre-of-october-7-echo-the-holocaust/0000018d-5abf-d997-adff-dffffbc90000">comparisons between October 7 and the Holocaust are inaccurate</a> and dangerous. "Other than the death on that day, there are no real similarities," he says, "and it simply serves as a much too-easy-explanation for <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-explains/2023-11-09/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/what-hamas-meticulous-battle-plan-for-kibbutz-nir-oz-looked-like/0000018b-b4b7-dea2-a9bf-f4bf38970000">a horrific day</a> and lets people off the hook who should be held accountable. It invokes some greater force that's so far beyond our control that it was almost inevitable. That's absolute nonsense."

Why Bibi and his Haredi cronies won’t allow a meaningful probe into Israel’s deadly stampede

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