While much of the world’s attention remains fixed on Gaza, the security situation in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank is escalating. In January, the IDF launched Operation Iron Wall, a major campaign aimed at dismantling terror networks. The operation began in Jenin—a long-standing hub for terrorist activity – and has since expanded into nearby towns.

To understand what’s happening on the ground, Aviva Klompas speaks with retired Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, one of the most respected voices on Middle East security.

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Guest Bio:

Jonathan Conricus is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on the Middle East. He served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for 24 years as a combat commander in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. He also served as a military diplomat, foreign relations expert, and international spokesperson. He recently retired as lieutenant colonel. Jonathan was the first Israeli officer to be seconded to the United Nations (UN), during which he provided military and strategic analysis for UN peacekeeping forces. He has directed social media and public diplomacy efforts and has extensive on- and off-camera experience from his years as a spokesperson. 

For months, world leaders have been asking: What comes next for Gaza once the war ends?

President Trump stirred controversy by suggesting an unconventional approach—relocating Palestinians from Gaza to other countries while the Strip undergoes reconstruction. The backlash was swift.

Now, Arab states are rallying around a counterproposal. Leading the charge is Egypt, which is promoting a plan to rebuild Gaza without relocating its residents and to establish a new governing authority.

Can this new plan succeed where so many others have failed? Host Aviva Klompas sits down with Dr. Michael Oren—former Israeli ambassador to the U.S.—to unpack the latest developments.

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This week, Israel laid to rest four murdered hostages—Oded Lifshitz, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas—all from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their names are now etched into the heart of a grieving nation.

Oded Lifshitz was an 83-year-old peace activist, a man who dedicated his life to coexistence. On October 7, he was shot in the hand, dragged into Gaza, and murdered in captivity. At his funeral, his wife spoke of the deep betrayal she felt—how after years of championing peace with Palestinians, they were attacked by the very people they had tried to help.

The Bibas family has become the face of national heartbreak. The world watched the footage of Shiri Bibas clutching her young sons, Ariel and Kfir, as they were taken hostage. Her face—frozen in terror is an image burned into collective memory.

When Yarden Bibas was released after 16 months in captivity, many held onto a desperate hope that his family would also emerge alive. Instead, this week, he was forced to bury them. His grief and loss are incomprehensible.

On today’s episode, Aviva Klompas and Dr. Michael Oren sift through the heartache and discuss the deeper national reckoning that this tragedy has set in motion.

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 Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/

Since October 7, it has felt like we’ve been trapped in an unending nightmare. That horror deepened when Hamas staged a grotesque spectacle in Gaza, parading the coffins of hostages through the streets.

The scene was chilling: a stage draped with propaganda banners, celebratory music blaring, and crowds—including Palestinian children—cheering as the coffins were handed over to the Red Cross. Even the UN, an organization rarely sympathetic to Israel, condemned the display as "cruel and degrading."

To unpack the significance of these events, Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States and historian. Together, they confront the reality of evil, explore how Israel might respond, and discuss the search for moral clarity in a world increasingly muddled by false equivalencies and moral relativism.

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Since the horrific attacks of October 7, the absence of moral courage has been glaring. In a time when speaking the truth comes with real consequences—risking careers, reputations, and even personal safety—many have chosen silence over principle. But what does it truly mean to stand up for what’s right? Why do some rise to the occasion while others retreat into the background? And how can we cultivate the strength to act, even when the cost is high?

In this episode, Aviva Klompas is joined by Bret Stephens, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist known for his intellectual clarity and willingness to challenge prevailing narratives, no matter how uncomfortable. Together, they examine today’s crisis of moral courage—why it’s so scarce, what forces discourage people from speaking out, and what it will take to foster a culture where standing up for truth and justice isn’t the exception, but the expectation.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others.

Guest Bio

Bret Stephens is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and editor-in-chief of Sapir (sapirjournal.org), a new quarterly dedicated to exploring issues of Jewish concern. He has previously worked as foreign-affairs columnist and deputy editorial-page editor for The Wall Street Journal and as editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. Among his many prizes and distinctions are the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and three honorary doctorates. His 2014 book, "America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder" correctly predicted many of the events of our day. In 2022 he was permanently banned by the government of Russia from visiting that country.

Bret was raised in Mexico City and educated at the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics He and his wife, Corinna, have three children and live outside of New York City.

In this special episode of Boundless Insights, guest host Dr. Rachel Fish speaks with award-winning author and scholar Dr. Dara Horn about the shortcomings of Holocaust education. Too often, it emphasizes universal moral lessons while overlooking Jews themselves and disregarding Jewish life before and after the Holocaust. They explore the concept of the “null curriculum”—the lessons schools leave out—and reveal how a narrow focus on the Holocaust can mislead students into seeing Jews solely as historical or symbolic victims rather than as a thriving, evolving people. Dara also unpacks the “big lie,” the false accusation that portrays Jews as a collective threat to society, and underscores the urgent need to teach a broader, richer view of Jewish history and culture to challenge these dangerous misconceptions.

Guest Bio

Dara Horn is an award-winning author, including People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present and the novels Eternal Life and The World to Come. Named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists, she has won three National Jewish Book Awards, and her work has been recognized as a New York Times Notable Books and translated into 13 languages. Her essays have appeared in leading outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal. A Harvard-trained scholar of Yiddish and Hebrew, she has taught at institutions like Sarah Lawrence and Harvard, and lectures internationally. Dara is also the founder of Mosaic Persuasion, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the American public about Jewish civilization.

More from Dara Horn
Dara Horn's website: darahorn.com
One Little Goat by Dara Horn
Why the Most Educated People in America Fall for Anti-Semitic Lies in The Atlantic by Dara Horn
Is Holocaust Education Making Anti-Semitism Worse in The Atlantic by Dara Horn
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn

We’re diving into one of the most contentious and emotional debates in Israeli society: Haredim and military service.

For decades, ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students have been exempt from Israel’s mandatory draft to focus on Torah study. But with Israel’s security stretched thin after October 7, the debate over Haredi participation in the military has taken on new urgency.

Host Aviva Klompas is joined by Eli Paley, a leading voice in the Haredi world, to explore this issue from a deeply informed perspective. We discuss how the Haredi community views military service and why full-time Torah study is central to their identity; the heated debate over fairness, national security, and shared responsibility in Israeli society; and what solutions could balance Israel’s security needs with respect for Haredi values.

This is an eye-opening and essential conversation about one of the defining issues shaping Israeli society today.

Guest Bio:

Eli Paley is a Haredi-Israeli philanthropist, businessman, and social entrepreneur. In his philanthropic role, Paley chairs The Paley Family Foundation. He is also the owner and publisher of "Mishpacha," the largest media group in the Haredi world. As a social entrepreneur, Paley is the chairman of the Paley family foundation and President and founder of the Institute for Strategy and Haredi Policy

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others. Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/

Donald Trump has upended global politics with a radical new proposal. He’s floated the idea of the U.S. taking control of Gaza and relocating the Palestinian population, calling it an opportunity to build a “Riviera of the Middle East.”

His proposal marks a dramatic shift from decades of U.S. foreign policy and the longstanding belief that a Palestinian state is essential for regional peace. But is Trump serious? Is this even remotely feasible?

To break it all down, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Oren, historian, diplomat, and former Israeli ambassador to the United States. We discuss whether Trump’s idea is a trial balloon or a serious policy shift and America’s evolving role in the region.

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President Donald Trump stunned the world when he announced that the United States should take over Gaza, clear the rubble, rebuild it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” and relocate its population to other countries. Is this a serious policy proposal, a negotiation tactic, or something else entirely? And what does it mean for Israel, the hostages, and the broader Middle East?

I’m joined by Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to break down Trump’s stunning announcement and its far-reaching implications. Is Trump’s plan bold or reckless? Could it change the course of the Middle East? Dr. Schanzer brings his expert analysis.

Guest Bio

Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is the executive director at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he oversees the work of the organization’s experts and scholars.

Jonathan previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he followed and froze the funding of Hamas and al-Qaeda. Jonathan has held previous think tank research positions at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum. He has written hundreds of articles on the Middle East and U.S. national security.

His most recent book is Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War (FDD Press 2021). His other books are State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State (Palgrave Macmillan 2013), Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine (Palgrave Macmillan 2008), and Al-Qaeda’s Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror (Washington Institute for Near East Policy 2004).

Jonathan testifies often before Congress and appears on television channels such as CNN, Fox News, BBC, and MSNBC.

It has been almost 500 days since Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250 hostages into Gaza. In recent weeks, a hostage deal has held, bringing some hostages home—but with it comes an emotional rollercoaster of relief, fear, and the devastating reality that some will never return.

This episode takes a hard look at where things stand. The release of hostages has been met with the simultaneous release of Palestinian prisoners, including convicted murderers, raising urgent questions about what this signals for the future. From Hamas’s perspective, hostage-taking has proven to be an effective strategy, forcing Israel to confront difficult decisions moving forward.

To help make sense of the good, the bad, and the painful, I’m joined by historian, diplomat, and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Michael Oren.

If you found this episode insightful, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others. Learn more about Boundless: https://boundlessisrael.org/