Today’s guest is Yaakov Katz, a journalist, author, and senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute. His newest book, co-authored with Amir Bohbot, is While Israel Slept – How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East.

In this episode, Alon and Yaakov discuss Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza and the “Trump factor” that has emerged in the peacemaking process; the need for a political, not just military, process in finding an end to the Gaza war and ultimately the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; how to bring both peoples back toward a mindset where peace could be possible; and the lack of leadership on both sides in being willing to make concessions to make real change possible.

Full bio

Yaakov Katz is an author, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute & the co-founder of MEAD, the premier Middle East-America policy forum. Between 2016 and 2023, Yaakov was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post where he continues to serve as a columnist.

Yaakov also writes for the Jewish Chronicle, is the host of the JPPI podcast & appears regularly on CNN and BBC as an Israel analyst.

Yaakov’s newest book (co-authored with Amir Bohbot) “While Israel Slept – How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East” is a national bestseller in the US. His previous three books are “Shadow Strike – Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power”, “Weapon Wizards - How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower” and “Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War”.

Prior to taking up the role of editor-in-chief, Yaakov served for two years as a senior policy adviser to Naftali Bennett during his tenure as Israel’s Minister of Economy and Minister of Diaspora Affairs.

Originally from Chicago, Yaakov has a law degree from Bar Ilan University and spent a year as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Chaya and their four children.