Podcasts

Although extensive attention is devoted to the military aspects of the war between Israel and Hamas, much less focus is given to one of the most burning issues on the agenda: the well-being of Israeli society after the horrific massacre of October 7 on Israeli soil. This massacre is cast as Israel’s deadliest and most traumatic attack, particularly given its large scale: this was the deadliest event the Jewish world has ever experienced since the Holocaust. What can be said about the resilience of Israelis today, three months into the war? Are there already signs of recovery after this trauma, or it is still too soon to tell? What is needed for a society in trauma to recover and return somehow to what is known in the research as “functional continuity”? What does it really mean to ‘”function” after an event of this sort, and is it even possible? In today’s podcast, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Brig. Gen. (ret.) Dr. Meir Elran, a senior researcher at INSS and head of the research cluster on domestic issues at the Institute, and with Anat Shapira, Neubauer Research Associate in the Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict Program at INSS and a PhD candidate in the Philosophy Department at Tel Aviv University. Together they discuss the issue of national resilience, taking Israeli society as a case study.

INSS Executive Director Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg and Col. (res.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit Baruch deliberate the implications of the revocation of the reasonableness standard in judicial decisions. What is the significance of yesterday’s Knesset legislation? Is this indeed “the end of democracy”? And what does the near future look like – in the security, economic, political, social and judicial realms? What are the main challenges facing Israel? And are they joined by emerging opportunities?

In this podcast, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with three INSS senior researchers: Brig. Gen. (ret.) Dr. Meir Elran, head of the INSS program on Israel’s Civilian Front and Societal Resilience; Dr. Chuck Freilich, former Deputy National Security Adviser in Israel’s National Security Council; and Col. (res.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit Baruch, head of the INSS Law and National Security Program. Together they discuss worrying developments in the Israeli social-political crisis, in light of the government’s proposed judicial overhaul and the implications for Israel’s “special relations” with the United States. What are the main concerns from the side of the protesters regarding the judicial overhaul? Is there still a chance to reach a compromise? How do the domestic events in Israel shape the public discourse in the US? Is there a similarity between the crisis in Israel and the deep political polarization in American society? How essential are the “special relations” to Israel and its national security interests? And what can Israel do in order to ensure these relations remain firm and stable in the long run?

Nearly ten days into Operation Guardian of the Walls, Dr. Sarah Feuer sat down with INSS colleagues Dr. Kobi Michael, Col. (ret.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit Baruch, and Dr. Meir Elran to discuss the current state of affairs – from Hamas’s aims and Israel’s achievements in Gaza, to Israel’s battle for legitimacy in the international arena, to the causes and potential consequences of unrest between Israeli Jews and Arabs.

INSS Deputy Director Itai Brun hosts a special podcast following the update of the Institute’s strategic assessment for 2020, in the wake of both the coronavirus pandemic and the establishment of Israel’s new government after more than a year of political deadlock. INSS Managing Director Udi Dekel, together with INSS researchers Sima Shine, Assaf Orion, Orna Mizrahi, Meir Elran, Sarah Feuer, and Carmit Valensi provide a comprehensive review on the international system and the Middle East, which have been rocked by the virus, and will offer their recommendations to the new government.