Episodi
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Since October 7th, Israel has been grappling with the immense economic toll of a prolonged, multi-front war. While the countryâs economy has weathered crises before, the past 11 months have pushed its resilience to the limit. Soaring military expenditures, plummeting tourism, and the costs of compensating reserve soldiers and displaced citizens have all taken a toll on economic growth. How much of this turbulence stems from the war itself, and to what extent have policy missteps worsened the situation? More importantly, what does the path to economic recovery look like?
In this episode of Decision Points, David Makovsky is joined by Karnit Flug, Vice President of Research at the Israel Democracy Institute and former Governor of the Bank of Israel. Karnit led the central bank from 2013 to 2018, earning recognition as one of the worldâs top central bankers. Together, they discuss Israelâs wartime economy, the challenges ahead, and the resilience of the Israeli people.
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In the wake of rising campus tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, Jewish students have faced increasing hostility, with a reported 700% spike in antisemitic incidents since October 7. As colleges reopen for the fall, we dive into the complexities of these protests. A recent Brandeis University survey found that almost one-third of college students feel hostility towards Israel. How can we put the Brandeis survey in context? What drives the unique animosity toward Israel? And how do some controversial academic theories play a role in shaping and informing these movements?
On this episode of Decision Points, Leonard Saxe and Uriel Abulof join David Makovsky to bring a layer of data driven insights and research analysis to the conversation. Leonard Saxe is the Director of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University and one of the authors of the recent Cohen Center report on campus antisemitism that we will explore today. Uriel Abulof is an Associate Professor at Tel-Aviv University and a visiting professor at Cornell University. His recent books include The Mortality and Morality of Nations and Living on the Edge: The Existential Uncertainty of Zionism, which received the prestigious Israeli Bahat Prize.
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Episodi mancanti?
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On October 7th, 2023, Hamas launched the most significant and deadliest terror attack against Israel in the history of the state. Formed in the late 1980s, Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist military and socio-political movement. Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel, and the organization has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2006. How has Hamas evolved over the last few decades, and how can we understand the organization and its leadership?
On this episode of Decision Points, Ghaith al-Omari and Ehud Yaari join David Makovsky to discuss the evolution of Hamas, the rise of its top leader, Yahya Sinwar, and the future of the terror organization. Al-Omari is the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute. He previously served as the executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine, and he has held numerous high-level positions within the Palestinian Authority. Yaari is the Lafer International Fellow at the Washington Institute and a leading Israeli commentator, most recently with Israel's Channel 12 television network.
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The Middle East is at a crucial moment. Dual retaliatory attacks by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel threaten to tip the region into total war. However, a breakthrough in the hostage-for-ceasefire negotiations in Doha, initiated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, may delay or eliminate the attacks and could be a pivotal turning point in the Israel-Hamas war. In any scenario, this crisis moment will test the resolve of the US-Israel security relationship.
Will crisis create opportunity? On this episode of Decision Points, Dana Stroul and Amos Gilead join David Makovsky to discuss the implications of this key moment for the US-Israel security partnership and the wider region. Stroul is the Director of Research at the Washington Institute and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, the Pentagonâs top civilian official with responsibility for the region. Gilead is the Executive Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University and the former Head of Research for IDF Military Intelligence and Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs at Israelâs Ministry of Defense.
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The Gaza War is Israelâs longest battle since its War of Independence in 1948. Wartime demands have put an outsized strain on Israelâs army, reopening the debate over the ultra-orthodox (Haredi) draft and the broader secular-religious fault line in Israeli society. While the Haredim have historically enjoyed a blanket exemption from military service, a June 25th decision by the High Court of Israel overturned that status quo. In the weeks since, nearly 3,000 draft orders have been sent out to members of the Haredi community.
Will crisis create opportunity? On this episode of Decision Points, two unique voices from the secular and Haredi communitiesâYohanan Plesner and Rabbi Yehoshua Pfefferâjoin David Makovsky to discuss how the Gaza war could narrow the secular-Haredi divide in Israeli society, finding points of divergence and common ground. Plesner is the President of the Israel Democracy Institute and former member of the Knesset with the Kadima Party. Rabbi Pfeffer is the Editor in Chief of Tzarich Iyun, a Haredi thought magazine, and former head of the Haredi division at the Tikvah Fund.
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Israeli society underwent a massive shock on October 7 that upended deeply held convictions about the army and the state. The horrors of 10/7 and the immediate demands of war unified Israelis at a time of deep division, but the 300+ days since Hamasâ assault have tested societal cohesion. How have 10/7 and the ensuing months of war changed Israeli society? What is needed to carry Israel through the challenging period ahead and rebuild a stronger, more integrated society?
On this episode of Decision Points, David Makovsky is joined by Yossi Klein Halevi, a renowned author and journalist, to discuss the state of Israeli society and chart the path forward. Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and the author of several books, including Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, a New York Times bestseller. He co-hosts For Heavenâs Sake, a podcast on political and social trends in Israel, diaspora relations, and the collective consciousness of being Jewish.
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In recent weeks, the mid-intensity conflict on Israelâs northern border with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite terror group, has threatened to explode into all-out war. With Israel ramping up its targeted killings of top Hezbollah military commanders and Hezbollah launching rockets and drones ever further into Israel, is total war inevitable? What will it take to deliver peace and/or stability in the long-term and restore a sense of security to border residents? In this episode, Amos Harel and Hanin Ghaddar join David Makovsky to discuss the state of play on Israel's northern border, the probability of all-out war with Hezbollah, and options for diplomacy and de-escalation. Harel is a seasoned military analyst for Haaretz and a leading expert on Israelâs defense and security issues. Ghaddar, a native of Al-Ghazieh in Lebanon, is the Instituteâs Friedmann Senior Fellow and an expert on Hezbollah and Lebanese politics.
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The ten months since October 7th have revealed both the profound strengths and strains of the U.S.-Israel partnership. Are current tensions a temporary consequence of the Israel-Hamas war, or do they represent a new and enduring divide between the two allies? In this episode, Dennis Ross joins David Makovsky on the eve of Prime Minister Netanyahuâs record fourth address to Congress to discuss the history of the U.S.-Israel relationship and possible future trajectories for the alliance. Ross is the Counselor and William Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute, worked for every president between Reagan and Obama, and was the point man for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in the Clinton and H.W. Bush administrations. David and Dennis have co-authored two books on Israel: Myths, Illusions, and Peace and Be Strong and of Good Courage.
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Host David Makovsky is joined by Prof. Yedidia Stern, president of the Jewish People Policy Institute and former dean of the law faculty at Bar-Ilan University, and Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, Israelâs former attorney-general and the recently retired deputy president of its Supreme Court. After breaking down the history and structure of Israelâs judiciary, they discuss the serious implications that Justice Minister Yariv Levinâs radical reform package could have for the future of Israeli democracy.
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In the season finale, David is joined by Ben Caspit, columnist and author of The Netanyahu Years, and David Horovitz, the founding editor of The Times of Israel, to discuss Israel's returning prime minister and his controversial right-wing government. David and the guests break down the keys to Binyamin Netanyahu's long-lasting political career, the evolution of his public persona, and try to understand the trajectory of the new government.
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David is joined by acclaimed historian Deborah Lipstadt, appointed by President Biden as the State Department's Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism. The two discuss the state of contemporary anti-Semitism, reflect upon the role of the Holocaust in Israel, and draw takeaways from Lipstadt's travels to the Gulf and Morocco.
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In this episode, host David Makovsky welcomes Yehudah Mirsky, professor of Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University, faculty member of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, and author of Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution. The two discuss the ideology of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, founder of Religious Zionism, and how his teachings are being subverted by certain members of the modern movement.
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Yossi Klein Halevi, Shalom Hartman Institute fellow and author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, joins the podcast to discuss Israeli-Palestinian coexistence with Yousef Bashir, Director of Research & Operations for the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace and author of The Words of My Father. Halevi and Bashir share personal experiences, common public perceptions among Israelis and Palestinians, and potential steps to narrow the societal divide amid difficult times.
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David Makovsky hosts veteran diplomat Stuart Eizenstat, who served as Jimmy Carterâs chief domestic policy advisor and whose book President Carter: The White House Years provides an unparalleled view of the administrationâs Middle East decisionmaking. In this episode, David and Stuart discuss the Camp David Accords, U.S.-led negotiations with Syriaâs Hafiz al-Assad, an Egyptian-Israeli field trip to Gettysburg, and more.
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David Makovsky hosts Martin Indyk, Washingtonâs former peace envoy and ambassador to Israel, to discuss his recent book Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy. The conversation will focus on Kissingerâs Middle East strategy from the 1973 war to the beginnings of the peace process.
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Hillel Halkin, author of Jabotinsky: A Life, joins host David Makovsky to discuss Russian Zionist thinker Zeev Jabotinsky and the origins of the Revisionist movement, which has shaped a great deal of Israelâs political thought over the decades.
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David Ben-Gurion's term as Israel's prime minister marked not only a new era for the Jewish people, but a starkly different chapter in his own life. Anita Shapira, the author of Ben-Gurion: Father of Modern Israel, joins the podcast to discuss the challenges and accomplishments of this time, from immigration and Labor party politics to German reparations and nuclearization.
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Shlomo Avineri, the author of Herzl's Vision: Theodor Herzl and the Foundation of the Jewish State, discusses the father of modern Zionism and his legacy. Avineri is director of the Institute for European Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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Walter Russell Mead, the author of The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People, discusses the centuries-long history of Zionism in America, the hurdles Truman overcame to recognize the state of Israel, and the evolution of Israelâs role in U.S. domestic politics. Mead is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a scholar at Hudson Institute.
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This season of Decision Points will mark the upcoming 75th anniversary of Israelâs founding by highlighting some of the finest and most cutting-edge books on Zionism, the U.S.-Israel relationship, and Arab-Israeli relations. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews with a group of authors that includes key diplomats and distinguished historians. The first episode premieres on October 31st with Walter Russell Mead discussing his new book The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People.
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