Podcasts

After more than a year of conflict, Israel is facing a critical decision point regarding the Gaza Strip. With Hamas still in control and ongoing security challenges, what are Israel’s strategic options? Should it pursue a full military takeover, work towards establishing a moderate Palestinian Authority, encourage voluntary migration, or maintain the current strategy of containment? In this episode of The National Security Podcast, host Nicole Zedeck discusses the complex choices facing Israel, from military operations to political initiatives. Joining the conversation is Dr. Ofer Guterman, a senior researcher at INSS, who breaks down the potential outcomes and the role of regional partners.

Hostage negotiations in Gaza have hit a deadlock after phase 1 of the ceasefire deal ended on March 2. Israel wants an extension, but Hamas insists on moving to phase 2, demanding an Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war. With Hamas refusing to disarm and Israel unwilling to leave, what’s next? Professor Kobi Michael joins Nicole Zedeck on The National Security Podcast to discuss the uncertain path forward.

On Saturday, July 27th, Hezbollah fired a missile that killed 12 innocent Israeli children of the Druze community and injured more than 30 others while they were playing during the afternoon hours in a local soccer field in the town of Majdal Shams. While Israel mourns the massacre, the defense system is now working on a response. Is there a scenario for a severe Israeli response that will still keep Israel below the threshold of a total war? What are the current scenarios vis-a-vis Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon? What is the US position regarding the scale and dimensions of the planned Israeli response, and what should Israel do in the event of further escalation after Hezbollah responds back? In this program, researcher Adi Kantor sits down with INSS senior researchers Orna Mizrahi, former Deputy National Security Adviser for Foreign Policy, and Professor Chuck Freilich, who served for over 20 years in Israel’s national security establishment as a senior analyst and deputy national security adviser. Together, they discuss recent developments on the Israeli northern border and their implications on both internal and external fronts.

Mohammed Deif, the military chief of Hamas, was undoubtedly its most symbolic leader, even reaching the level of sainthood among his followers. On July 13, 2024, an attempt was made to assassinate him in the city of Khan Yunis, in a combined operation between the IDF and the Israel Security Agency. What are the consequences for an upcoming hostage deal between Israel and Hamas after this assassination attempt, if it was successful? How will the war in Gaza be affected? What impact does this event have on additional battle fronts with which Israel must cope? In this program, Adi Kantor an INSS researcher, sits down with Yohanan Tzoreff, a senior researcher at INSS and former head of the Palestinian-Arab Division in the Ministry of Intelligence and Strategy. Together they discuss the implications of the assassination attempt and analyze possible future scenarios for the “day after” in Gaza and the Israel–Hamas war.

Since October 8, 2023, Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in an intense war of attrition, which seems to have accelerated in recent weeks and is accompanied by increasing expressions of threats by both sides. These threatening declarations make clear that in a case of an “all-out war,” the Israeli home front will indeed find itself facing a new, unprecedented challenge. In this program, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Dr. Carmit Valensi, a senior researcher at INSS and the head of the Northern Arena Program. Together they discuss how close is Israel to an “all-out war” in the north. What scenarios should be taken under consideration, and what are the implications of such a war to the Israeli home front? Is there still a chance of reaching a diplomatic solution, one that will bring back the security to tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from the north and will finally enable them to return home? And what is the role of Syria in the ongoing escalation between Israel and Lebanon?

Since October 7 and during the eight months of the war in Gaza, Israel–US relations have known moments of true partnership, as well as moments of crisis. President Joe Biden is reportedly one of only two US presidents to have seriously considered a defense treaty with Israel. In a new memorandum titled “A US–Israeli Defense Treaty: The Time Has Come,” INSS senior researchers Prof. Chuck Freilich and Col. (res.) Eldad Shavit analyze the pros and cons of a bilateral defense treaty from both the Israeli and American perspectives and propose ways of addressing the concerns of both sides. In this program, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Prof. Chuck Freilich, co-author of the publication and a former deputy national security advisor in Israel. Together they discuss the feasibility of such an alliance between Israel and the United States under the current conditions. They ask: Why is it important and even crucial to consider a defense treaty with Israel precisely now, and what are the main advantages as well as disadvantages for both the United States and Israel when considering such a treaty?

At the end of January 2024, four months into the Israel–Hamas war, an Israeli official report was published accusing more than a dozen employees of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) for allegedly participating in the Hamas massacre against Israelis on October 7, with some actively involved in the kidnappings into Gaza as well. What exactly is the nature of relations between UNRWA and Hamas? How has it been characterized in the last years? How antisemitic are its educational programs? Does Israel need UNRWA in Gaza on “the day after” the war, or can it be dismantled? In this case, which other organization could be relevant to replace it? In this show, INSS Researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Arik Agassi, COO and head of Global Partnerships at the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) and an expert in the field of global policy and education, and with Prof. Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at INSS and a visiting professor at the International Center for Policing and Security, University of South Wales. Together they discuss UNRWA’s active role in Hamas’s murder of Israelis, its incitement, and its antisemitism over the years as well as opportunities for “the day after’ in Gaza and the option of dismantling the organization.

More than three months into the war against Hamas, IDF forces are now deepening their combat in the Gaza Strip. In the north, Hezbollah continues to launch rockets against Israeli military and civilian targets, but this activity currently remains below the threshold of war. On other fronts, the Houthis in Yemen and the Iranians have interfered with cargo ships in the Red Sea, and weapons smuggling from Syria to Jordan continues. In addition, more than 120 Israelis (men and women, babies, elderly, and soldiers) remain in Hamas captivity. Is Israel headed toward an ongoing war with no end in sight? What are its plans for the “day after,” and are they in line with the current principles and conditions of the Biden administration? How can Israel reach its war goals and maintain the support of the United States, its greatest ally? And how are the upcoming elections in the US related to this? INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with INSS senior researcher Prof. Chuck Freilich, who served for over 20 years in Israel’s national security establishment, as a senior analyst and then as deputy national security adviser. Together they discuss current US-Israel relations and future perspectives regarding the war in Gaza.

After seven days of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the return of 114 hostages to Israeli territory, most of them Israeli women and children, Hamas violated the agreement and renewed the fire and launch of rockets toward Israel. Israel is now continuing in the next phase of its war against Hamas, attacking not only the northern part of the Gaza Strip, but also cities and neighborhoods in southern areas. In this podcast INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Ofer Shelah, senior researcher at INSS and former member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Together they discuss the current situation in Gaza and consider: Where is Israel headed vis-à-vis its goals concerning the war? What are the scenarios and parameters for the “day after”? What are the US conditions for continuing the fighting, and do they suit the Israeli objectives? And what is known at this point regarding Israel’s biggest failure in its 75 years of independence in protecting its own citizens against the October 7 massacre?

في هذة الحلقة- مع الباحث الكبير في المعهد بروفيسور محمد وتد- نلقي الضوء على ردود الأفعال عند المجتمع العربي في إسرائيل، على الهجوم الإرهابي الذي حدث في السابع من أكتوبر والحرب في غزة نتطرق الى ردود الافعال على المجزرة في وسائل الاعلام المحلية، في تصريحات القادة الدينيين والسياسيين، وفي الرأي العام لدى المجتمع العربي. لماذا لم يتكرر سيناريو التصعيد الداخلي بين مواطنين عرب ويهود، كالذي حدث خلال عملية حارس الأسوار (٢٠٢١)، بل على العكس تماما؟ كيف ينعكس هذا الحدث على هواجس الجمهور العربي والرغبة في العيش المشترك وكيف يتم التعبير عن ذلك ضمن مبادرات للمساعدة والتضامن المدني مع ضحايا المجزرة؟