Podcasts

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.

While Israel’s attention is focused on Iran’s proxies in the Middle East (the most recent example being Israel’s aerial attack on the Houthis in Yemen in response to the Tel Aviv drone attack), it seems that Tehran has been expanding its activities in Africa and increasing the threat to Israeli interests on the continent. In a new INSS insight titled “Iran in the Continent of Africa,” Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow in the Iran Program at INSS, elaborates on the threats to Israel’s fundamental political, security, and economic interests in this region. In this program, Adi Kantor, an INSS researcher, sits down with Citrinowicz to discuss Iran’s fundamental interests in Africa. What is new in relation to Iranian activity in Africa in recent years? Why is Sudan a significant Iranian destination for the transfer of military equipment, and what does it indicate about Iranian intentions in the future? Is the election of a new president in Iran supposed to change Iranian policy? What should Israel do to prevent the growing Iranian influence in Africa?

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.

On the morning of October 7th, Israeli citizens faced a tragic and monstrous attack, the dimensions of which had not been seen nor imagined in its 75 years of existence. The massacre of Israeli civilians in the Gaza-border communities by Hamas and civilian accomplices—defined as the deadliest atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust—and the subsequent Israel–Hamas war resulted in an unprecedented increase in Jew hatred worldwide. Specifically, on campuses of elite universities across the United States and Europe, antisemitic and anti-Israel demonstrations have been widespread, creating an environment of fear among Jewish students. In this program, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Dr. Charles Asher Small, founding director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). Together they discuss the relationship between academia and antisemitism. Who is behind the mass antisemitic demonstrations on campuses? Who supports and funds them? What is the connection to Qatari money? And finally, what can be done to combat this rising hatred toward Jews?

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?

It has been 79 years since the darkest chapter in Jewish history, the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jewish men, women, and children perished in the largest and most monstrous genocide in human history. This year presents an even greater challenge in addressing Holocaust remembrance and the singularity of this tragedy, following the massacre of over 1,200 Israeli men, women, children, and elderly and the kidnapping of over 240 people on October 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists and their accomplices. On the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Israel’s Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh. Together they discuss how to address the issue of Holocaust memory in the shadow of the October 7 massacre. Where do these two tragic and traumatic historical events in Jewish history meet, and where do they differ? Why is it so important to see and acknowledge the differences between the events and to be aware of dangerous comparisons? And how do Jews around the world feel at a time of such an alarming rise in antisemitism after the events of October 7?

After Iran’s leadership repeatedly threatened to retaliate for the assassination of its senior officer in Damascus, their reaction indeed finally came. On the night of April 13, a total of 320 missiles and UAVs carrying 60 tons of explosives were fired for the first time from Iran toward Israel. Their objective was clear: to destroy numerous targets in Israel, including military facilities. Israel successfully managed to intercept and destroy 99% of the weapons fired, thanks in large part to its strong alliance and cooperation with the United States, France, Great Britain, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. In today’s show, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Professor Chuck Freilich, a senior researcher at INSS, and Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow in the Iran Program at INSS. Together they discuss the implications of this historic event on all fronts and actors. Will there be an Israeli response to Iran’s unprecedented attack? If so, what are the possible scenarios for such a response? What is the current position of the United States toward an Israeli response, and how will it affect US–Israeli relations? How are Iran’s proxies in the region expected to react? And what are the complications arising from the Israel–Hamas war?

Six months ago, on the morning of October 7th, Israel and the Jewish world faced the most tragic and monstrous attack against Israelis and Jews since the Holocaust. In a special program, INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with Senior Researchers Prof. Chuck Freilich from the Israel–US Relations program, Prof. Kobi Michael from the Israeli–Palestinian Relations program, Dr. Yoel Guzansky from the Regional System—Peace Accords program, and Research Fellow Danny Citrinowicz from the Iran program to discuss their assessments in their fields of research regarding the current situation and its future implications. Is Israel about to face a total war? What plans are in place for “the day after” in Gaza, and can the war’s objectives still be achieved?

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.