Israel Policy Pod

From tracking cell phones to curbing the activities of the Knesset, recent actions undertaken by Israel's caretaker government have critics alleging that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and allies like Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein are using the coronavirus as a pretext to consolidate authoritarian rule. Israeli officials counter that extreme circumstances are a legitimate basis for extreme measures. To better understand the legitimacy (or lack thereof) of these policies, host Evan Gottesman and former Israeli Deputy Attorney General Joshua Schoffman break down the question: is that legal?

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After three Knesset elections, Israel's politicians are still locked in a stalemate. Add in coronavirus, and you have a recipe for real uncertainty. Hosts Evan Gottesman and Eli Kowaz discuss the different directions Israel could take after President Reuven Rivlin gave Benny Gantz the mandate to form a government over the weekend, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calculates his next move.

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With the Coronavirus crisis dominating the headlines, Netanyahu calls for an emergency unity government under his leadership while his court date looms and Labor-Meretz-Gesher's Orly Levy emerges as a potential ally.

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Israel Policy Forum's new study, "In Search of a Viable Option," evaluates seven potential outcomes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this episode, hosts Evan Gottesman (who co-authored the study) and Margaux Nijkerk zoom in on one of those approaches, the Jordanian option, with Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik, who participated in secret talks between Israel and Jordan in the 1980s. What does the Jordanian option entail? How did a mainstream Israeli policy come to be seen as an existential threat to Jordan and its relationship with Israel? Who supports the Jordanian option today? Tune in to find out.

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If not two states, then what? Host Margaux Nijkerk breaks down this question with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel B. Shapiro, Dr. Shira Efron, and Evan Gottesman as they discuss a new report authored by Evan and Dr. Efron evaluating seven possible outcomes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Is a Netanyahu right-wing majority within reach? Does Benny Gantz have a realistic path to form a coalition? Less than a week before Israelis head to the polls for a third consecutive time, host Eli Kowaz is joined by Independent Journalist Neri Zilber to break down the state-of-play in Israeli politics. Neri is an adjunct fellow of The Washington Institute and policy director at BICOM.

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Host Eli Kowaz speaks with Tel Aviv-based analyst Dan Rothem about the new borders set out in the Trump administration's Peace to Prosperity proposal and their ramifications for Israel's secure, Jewish, and democratic future.

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Amid Israel’s continuing political deadlock, the Trump administration has now unveiled its long-delayed Israeli-Palestinian plan. Upending decades of bipartisan policy, the proposal gives American endorsement to Israeli annexation of broad swaths of the West Bank and limits Palestinian territorial contiguity. What does the plan mean for Israel’s security and Jewish and democratic character? And how will this new American policy impact the future viability of a two-state solution? Listen in to Israel Policy Forum's video briefing unpacking these and other pressing questions, featuring Policy Advisor Shira Efron, Policy Director Michael Koplow, and Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik, in conversation with Executive Director David A. Halperin.

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Over the past week, the Trump administration's perennially delayed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan has gone from the realm of fantasy to being just around the corner. Is this a serious proposal or a transparent political ploy to trap Benjamin Netanyahu's rival, Benny Gantz? What do the rumored elements of the plan mean for the future of the two-state solution? Hosts Evan Gottesman, Eli Kowaz, and Margaux Nijkerk discuss.

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In this week's episode Evan Gottesman, Eli Kowaz, and Margaux Nijkerk discuss the deadline drama as Wednesday marked the final day for parties to register for March’s election.

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