In this episode, Ksenia Svetlova, Director of the Israel-Middle East Program at Mitvim and an expert on Russia and Ukraine, joins Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber for a deep dive into the current state of the Ukraine conflict, growing tensions between Moscow and Jerusalem, what Russia and Iran may want from each other, how the war looks from Israel, and more. 

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What Does Putin Want From Israel?

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On this episode of Israel Policy Pod, Neri Zilber hosts Yair Zivan, chief foreign policy advisor to former Israeli prime minister and current opposition leader Yair Lapid, and the author of the forthcoming anthology The Center Must Hold: Why Centrism Is the Answer to Extremism and Polarization. They discuss the meaning of centrism as a distinct political movement, its increasing importance worldwide, the experience of working in the Bennett-Lapid government, and the current moment in Israeli politics and the Gaza war. Finally, they delve into the question on everyone's mind: when will there be elections in Israel?  --

Join Israel Policy Forum for our virtual Summer Learning Series on key issues and concepts related to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, led by Israel Policy Forum experts and guest educators. Every session will be preceded by the distribution of recommended readings and resources to enhance the experience. Held on four Mondays over the course of the summer, beginning July 1, these one-hour sessions are offered at no cost. Learn more and register here.

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The Center Must Hold

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and IPF Atid Director Shanie Reichman discuss Saturday's heroic hostage rescue operation, the landmark speech by President Biden laying out a Gaza hostage-and-ceasefire deal, the implications of Benny Gantz's resignation from the emergency wartime government, the prospects of war breaking out with Hizballah in Lebanon, and more. 

At this critical juncture in the war in Gaza, Israel Policy Forum experts are providing timely, clear-headed, and sober analysis on Israeli politics and Israeli-Palestinian affairs.In this Tuesday's Koplow Column, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow unpacks the potential implications of Benny Gantz’s decision to quit the emergency wartime government with Netanyahu. Read here.Our Israel fellow and former advisor to Shimon Peres, Nimrod Novik, was interviewed on CBC News to discuss how Israel’s daring rescue of four hostages on June 8 could impact the Israeli political arena and the possibility of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Watch here.Shira Efron, Jess Manville, and Alex Lederman recently published a policy report on how to advance a viable path forward for UNRWA given its essential role and deep, systemic flaws. Explore the report here.If you rely on Israel Policy Forum for credible and thoughtful analysis, please make a gift today so our work can continue to have an impact. Donate now. Support the Show.

Rescues, Resignations, Negotiations, and the North

October 7 and the war in Gaza have cast a spotlight on UNRWA’s deep-seated and longstanding flaws. On this episode of Israel Policy Pod, Israel Policy Forum's Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Director of Policy Research Dr. Shira Efron, Senior Policy and Communications Associate Alex Lederman, and Policy Advisor Jess Manville discuss their new policy report charting a path toward incremental and meaningful UNRWA reform to align the agency with realistic future outcomes to the conflict, guarantee dignified service provision for Palestinian refugees, and account for Israel’s legitimate security needs. 

 
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UNRWA at a Crossroads: Charting a Course to Meaningful Reform

On this episode of Israel Policy Pod, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Samer Sinijlawi, a Palestinian activist from East Jerusalem and a member of the Fatah party 'shadow leadership,’ to discuss his unique story from rock-throwing youth to peace activist, the need for true reform in Palestinian politics, building bridges and empathy between Israelis and Palestinians in the wake of October 7, what the day after in Gaza could look like, and more. 

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Inside Palestinian Politics and the Day After

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and IPF Atid Director Shanie Reichman discuss this year's Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut under the pall of October 7, the state of U.S.-Israel relations, the ongoing Rafah operation amid the wider war in Gaza, Israel's lack of a day-after strategy, growing dissent in the war cabinet, anti-Israel campus protests, and more.

Read Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Sr. Director of Policy Research Shira Efron's recent op-ed in The New York Times here.

Read this week's Koplow Column here.

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What Does Putin Want From Israel?

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