Is Israel becoming more hawkish, religious, and tribal -- or just more “Middle Eastern”? Trying to understand the latest elections, Robert sits down with Canadian-Israeli journalist Matti Friedman to talk about culture in the Holy Land: what it is, what it's perceived to be, how it's changing, and what those changes might mean for the future. What do Israeli pop songs tell us about the zeitgeist? How does Itamar Ben Gvir's family roots in Iraq help explain his politics? Which experience better forecasts relations between Arabs and Israelis: the Abraham Accords of 2020, or the violent riots committed by Arab-Israeli citizens just a few months later?

Matti Friedman is a prominent Canadian-Israeli journalist and award-winning author. He previously served as an Associated Press (AP) correspondent and has written op-eds and essays for a number of notable publications including the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Atlantic. He is the author of four non-fiction books on Israel, including his newest work, Who by Fire, the story of Leonard Cohen's concert tour to the front lines during the Yom Kippur War. Matti currently writes a monthly feature for Tablet Magazine and resides in Jerusalem with his family.