On Israel with Ben Caspit, an Al-Monitor podcast

This week Ben Caspit speaks with former Israeli envoy to the UN Ron Prosor. The veteran ambassador argues that the normalization deal with the United Arab Emirates transforms Israel from a 'secret mistress' into a 'legitimate wife'. For Prosor, the UAE is telling the Palestinians: We are engaging with Israel so that we can change its policy, instead of sitting on the balcony and shouting "it’s a lousy show."

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Ben Caspit, publisher of the bestselling book "The Netanyahu Years," talks to journalist Anshel Pfeffer, who in 2018 published "Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu." Pfeffer says that by reaching the agreement with the UAE, Netanyahu has reached the peak of his political career as a leader. In his opinion the premier has finished his role and should now let go. However, Pfeffer predicts that Netanyahu is incapable of stepping back. 

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Ben Caspit speaks with former National Security Expert Maj. Gen. (ret.) Giora Eilad about the behind-the-scenes details of the historic agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. For Eiland, by signing an agreement with Israel, the United Arab Emirates turned its back on the 2002 Arab Initiative, which conditions advancement of ties with Israel on advancing on the Palestinian file. The UAE might be expecting now to purchase sophisticated, Israeli-made weapons.

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Ben Caspit talks this week with Science and Technology Minister Izhar Shay of the Blue and White party on the current budget crisis, which is shaking Israeli politics. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz traded shouts at the weekly corona cabinet meeting on Sunday. For Shay, the country’s nine million citizens are all against new elections, with one exception only: citizen Benjamin Netanyahu, who follows his personal interests. 

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Ben talks with former Finance Minister and head of the opposition Yesh Atid Party in the Knesset, Yair Lapid. Lapid explains why he blames Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for incitement against demonstrations and why Israel’s political salvation won’t be coming from Blue and White Leader Benny Gantz.

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This week Ben talks with Professor Karine Nahon, an associate professor of information science at the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzliya, the president of the Israel Internet Association and chairwoman of the National Committee of Ethics, Regulation and Artificial Intelligence. Prof. Nahon says that while Israeli democracy isn’t dead yet, there are reasons to worry about its stability and future. The combination of mounting political pressure on Israel's gatekeepers, the use of the Shin Bet’s strategic tools to track Israeli citizens and the general feeling of emergency amid the coronavirus crisis are all pushing Israel’s fragile democracy to the brink.

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In this week’s episode, Ben discusses the Israeli government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, the threat of Iranian retaliation on Israel, and potential for Tehran and Washington renegotiating the nuclear deal with Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, executive director of Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and a former chief of military intelligence.

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In this week’s episode of On Israel, Ben speaks with Erel Margalit, the founder and executive chairman of the Jerusalem-based venture capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners and a former lawmaker from the Labor Party from 2013-2017. Margalit offers a sharp and focused critique of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, and says that while he believes Israel is at the end of the Netanyahu era, exactly when the current PM will leave and who comes next remain unknown.

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This week, Ben talks with former chief of staff of the IDF and Knesset Member Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Yair Golan. The left-wing lawmaker, a member of the Meretz Party, said that he is opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the West Bank, expressing his fears that annexation will endanger the Zionist dream and turn Israel into an apartheid state. Golan argues that Israelis don’t need a deal with the US administration, rather they need a deal with the Palestinians. The retired general also revealed that he wants to one day be prime minister of Israel. 

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In this week’s episode, former defense minister and head of the right-wing Yamina party Naftali Bennett calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare full annexation of parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, while expressing his confidence that Israel is winning the war against Iran in Syria.

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