From Guns to Keyboards

Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election. Yoav Gallant is fired from his position as Israeli Defense Minister. Anti-semitic mobs are hunting Jews in Amsterdam.

Déjà vu, anyone?

On day 400 of the War, Dillon and Michael discuss the future of the region at a time when history is set to repeat itself.

In Season 2, Episode 1, Dillon shares his experiences just days after coming back from war in Lebanon.

From receiving the initial call up and sleeping in an

*Michael's Note: The sound of liquid and clinking glass at

Episode 18 is recorded on the evening of September 11th, a day that "shall forever live in infamy" for the millions of Americans who lived through it.

As we approach the first anniversary of the October 7th attacks, the worst single attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Michael and Dillon discuss what lessons can be learned and what can be expected for Israel after living the last 23 years in a post 9/11 world.

This is a much darker and grimmer episode than usual, but beneath the layers of darkness also lie seeds of hope. One thing we can all agree on is that the future is far from certain.

More than 10 months have passed since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War. As the War is stuck in something of a bitter stalemate, the very fabric of Israeli society is undergoing nothing short of a revolution. Michael and Dillon meet to discuss and ask the simple yet profound question of whether Israel will be okay.

Muhammad Dief is confirmed dead. Fuad Shukar, Hezbollah's top military commander, is blown up by the Israelis in Beruit. Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, is assassinated in central Tehran during a daring operation while attending the inauguration of Iran's new president.

It reads like a Tom Clancey novel but it is very real and the fallout will likely change the course of the war in the Middle East. In this episode, Michael and Dillon discuss these major events and what they predict the fallout from them will be along with what dark political games the Israeli government is playing behind the scenes.

There's a powder keg in the Middle East all right, and one wrong move might ignite the whole thing.

Dillon and Michael report from Tel Aviv after the Houthis carry out a drone attack on their hometown. Was this a fluke attack from a rogue rebel organization, or a coordinated Iranian-led strike on Israel's commercial center?

From there Dillon and Michael discuss the assassination attempt on Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's military wing. Deif, one of the architects of October 7th, has already survived 7 targeted assassinations. Was the 8th time a charm?

The two then discuss the upcoming speech that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to deliver to a joint session of Congress. What does Bibi aim to achieve in Washington?

As they often do, Dillon and Michael deep dive into the situation in Gaza in light of recent developments. From the tactical incorporation of small drones into the battlefield to the strategic positions of both Netanyahu and the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, Dillon and Michael discuss the general direction of the war.

Finally, the two discuss former President Donald Trump, coming out strong from a failed assassination attempt on his life, and what he and Bibi have in common.

In this episode, Dillon and Michael take a step back from the day-to-day headlines and talk about everything from what we think a Trump presidency would look like to when and how the Gaza war will end and/if Lebanon will begin.

Unlike most episodes, Michael and Dillon have some strong debates about the issues leading to an interesting discussion about the future of Israel, the US, and the region at large.

This is a break from our typical episodes about Israel, Palestine, and the Hamas war and instead is a reading and analysis of the many intense comments we've received as writers on our Medium articles.

What begins as a benign conversation quickly evolves into intense discussion and debate about the various themes involved in these comments including morality, antisemitism, and the nature of warfare.

Despite this, we both manage to have some laughs while reading and analyzing the comments of our admiring (and many more not-so-admiring) fans.

Anyone interested in reading the articles we discussed can click here:

Dillon's articles:

https://medium.com/illumination/5-objectives-for-a-successful-israeli-counterinsurgency-a-new-path-forward-19ddc03cd138?sk=6526d70fee7f4b90280cb7cff85faebf

https://medium.com/@dillontelem/the-idfs-discipline-problem-goes-beyond-the-battlefield-55cea7299505?sk=0b396abd8d8d03e74996c16ff9c3206b

Michael's articles:

https://medium.com/predict/what-israels-successful-raid-in-rafah-taught-us-all-c45f51ff4cba?sk=a13a898849d52c638f4503efa8f622c0

https://medium.com/predict/three-reasons-why-israel-must-conquer-rafah-35028cde01dc?sk=ca4d3fdc1f62a97dcd91c5a3e6749a35

Recorded two days before the May 24th ICJ decision on halting Israeli military operations in Rafah, Episode 11 delves into the decision-making of a country willing to fight this war at any cost.