Decision Points

By David MakovskyNews News Commentary Politics

Decision Points episodes

August 05, 2024 How Has Israeli Society Changed After 300+ Days of War?
Israeli society underwent a massive shock on October 7 that upended deeply held convictions about the army and the state. The horrors of 10/7 and the immediate demands of war unified Israelis at a time of deep division, but the 300+ days since Hamas’ assault have tested societal cohesion. How have 10/7 and the ensuing months of war changed Israeli society? What is needed to carry Israel through the challenging period ahead and rebuild a stronger, more integrated society?

On this episode of Decision Points, David Makovsky is joined by Yossi Klein Halevi, a renowned author and journalist, to discuss the state of Israeli society and chart the path forward. Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and the author of several books, including Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, a New York Times bestseller. He co-hosts For Heaven’s Sake, a podcast on political and social trends in Israel, diaspora relations, and the collective consciousness of being Jewish.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
50 min
July 29, 2024 A New Calculus for War? Understanding Israel-Hezbollah Dynamics
In recent weeks, the mid-intensity conflict on Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite terror group, has threatened to explode into all-out war. With Israel ramping up its targeted killings of top Hezbollah military commanders and Hezbollah launching rockets and drones ever further into Israel, is total war inevitable? What will it take to deliver peace and/or stability in the long-term and restore a sense of security to border residents? In this episode, Amos Harel and Hanin Ghaddar join David Makovsky to discuss the state of play on Israel's northern border, the probability of all-out war with Hezbollah, and options for diplomacy and de-escalation. Harel is a seasoned military analyst for Haaretz and a leading expert on Israel’s defense and security issues. Ghaddar, a native of Al-Ghazieh in Lebanon, is the Institute’s Friedmann Senior Fellow and an expert on Hezbollah and Lebanese politics.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
59 min
July 22, 2024 Allies Under Pressure: The Gaza War and U.S.-Israel Relations
The ten months since October 7th have revealed both the profound strengths and strains of the U.S.-Israel partnership. Are current tensions a temporary consequence of the Israel-Hamas war, or do they represent a new and enduring divide between the two allies? In this episode, Dennis Ross joins David Makovsky on the eve of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s record fourth address to Congress to discuss the history of the U.S.-Israel relationship and possible future trajectories for the alliance. Ross is the Counselor and William Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute, worked for every president between Reagan and Obama, and was the point man for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in the Clinton and H.W. Bush administrations. David and Dennis have co-authored two books on Israel: Myths, Illusions, and Peace and Be Strong and of Good Courage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
54 min
February 09, 2023 The Judiciary Debate and the Future of Israeli Democracy
Host David Makovsky is joined by Prof. Yedidia Stern, president of the Jewish People Policy Institute and former dean of the law faculty at Bar-Ilan University, and Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, Israel’s former attorney-general and the recently retired deputy president of its Supreme Court. After breaking down the history and structure of Israel’s judiciary, they discuss the serious implications that Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s radical reform package could have for the future of Israeli democracy.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 11 min
January 23, 2023 Grappling with the Direction of the New Netanyahu Government
In the season finale, David is joined by Ben Caspit, columnist and author of The Netanyahu Years, and David Horovitz, the founding editor of The Times of Israel, to discuss Israel's returning prime minister and his controversial right-wing government. David and the guests break down the keys to Binyamin Netanyahu's long-lasting political career, the evolution of his public persona, and try to understand the trajectory of the new government.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 5 min
January 16, 2023 Combating Anti-Semitism in the Middle East and Beyond
David is joined by acclaimed historian Deborah Lipstadt, appointed by President Biden as the State Department's Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism. The two discuss the state of contemporary anti-Semitism, reflect upon the role of the Holocaust in Israel, and draw takeaways from Lipstadt's travels to the Gulf and Morocco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
40 min
January 09, 2023 Rabbi Kook: Founding Religious Zionism and Those Who Seek to Subvert His Legacy Today
In this episode, host David Makovsky welcomes Yehudah Mirsky, professor of Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University, faculty member of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, and author of Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution. The two discuss the ideology of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, founder of Religious Zionism, and how his teachings are being subverted by certain members of the modern movement.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
55 min
December 19, 2022 Too Much History and Too Little Geography: A Conversation Across the Israeli-Palestinian Societal Divide
Yossi Klein Halevi, Shalom Hartman Institute fellow and author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, joins the podcast to discuss Israeli-Palestinian coexistence with Yousef Bashir, Director of Research & Operations for the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace and author of The Words of My Father. Halevi and Bashir share personal experiences, common public perceptions among Israelis and Palestinians, and potential steps to narrow the societal divide amid difficult times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
49 min
December 12, 2022 An Insider's View of the Carter White House: Negotiations with Sadat, Begin, and Assad
David Makovsky hosts veteran diplomat Stuart Eizenstat, who served as Jimmy Carter’s chief domestic policy advisor and whose book President Carter: The White House Years provides an unparalleled view of the administration’s Middle East decisionmaking. In this episode, David and Stuart discuss the Camp David Accords, U.S.-led negotiations with Syria’s Hafiz al-Assad, an Egyptian-Israeli field trip to Gettysburg, and more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
57 min
December 05, 2022 Kissinger’s Middle East: Limiting Moscow and Starting a Road to Peace
David Makovsky hosts Martin Indyk, Washington’s former peace envoy and ambassador to Israel, to discuss his recent book Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy. The conversation will focus on Kissinger’s Middle East strategy from the 1973 war to the beginnings of the peace process.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
48 min

About Decision Points

From the publisher's feed

Decision Points is the podcast that gets beyond the noise on tough choices in the Middle East. Hosted by David Makovsky of The Washington Institute, the show brings together top policymakers and…