Afleveringen
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Israelis watched the video on October 7, 2023 in shock. A teenage girl, bloodied and terrified, was being pulled by her long hair from the trunk of a jeep by a heavily armed Hamas terrorist. Naama Levy, a newly conscripted IDF soldier, had been brutalized, and the short clip of her went viral globally. When they first saw it even her parents did not recognize their daughter. In a dramatic few weeks leading up to last Saturday, the fate of Na’ama—as well as four other female IDF soldiers also kidnapped on that dark day by Hamas—hung by a thread. Negotiations were so tense. So much was and is at stake. And Israel is forced to negotiate with one of the most barbaric terror groups in the world. Hamas is ISIS is al-Qaeda. Qatar, a backward country that supports Islamist terror financially and diplomatically, is the “neutral” mediator. It’s all like a bad hallucination, but true. Until the last moment on Saturday morning, there were so many snags that arose. Miraculously, they were overcome, and four of the five girls are home. Still to be saved are 90 hostages remaining in Hamas hell. Some are alive; many are not. We will get into the minefield that lies ahead in due course, but today we focus on the joy of the return of Naama, Daniela, Karina, and Liri. And what the return of all the hostages means for the people and state of Israel. It’s always enriching and interesting speaking with Yossi Klein Halevi, our fabulous guest today.
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This interview with Karnit Flug was on January 2, shortly after the Government of Israel released all manner of economic statistics and announced some rather significant tax tweaks. Based on my anecdotal conversations with people in the professional, VC and tech sectors, there is growing concern that the new tax measures will have the most deleterious—and disproportionate—impact on small independent businesses in Israel. Karnit Flug, as you will hear, thinks otherwise. So, I will keep an eye on how this develops. And in the coming months I intend to publish more podcasts and YouTube videos focusing on the economy. It’s amazing how overlooked this critical topic has been throughout the war. Then again, our Minister of Finance is Bezalel Smotrich. He has a lot to say about annexing various territories, but he seems far less engaged when it comes to financial and economic matters.
We have included in the podcast notes links to two previous podcasts with Karnit Flug, from back in the days when judicial reform was seen to be the key economic threat. Then—and perhaps more so now—Flug is very concerned with the emigration of Israel’s most talented citizens to Europe, North America, anywhere but here. The pressure of serving most of the year in reserve duty, the huge stress this puts on families—and all that compounded by deep concerns with the political direction of the country and how that is impacting our economic power—well, many are voting with their feet. That trend is among the top economic issues and threats facing Israel today, in her view. Always enlightening to speak with Karnit Flug.
I had intended to publish this interview in the second week of January, but then all hell broke loose, as President Trump would say. His repeated warnings that the hostage issue had better be resolved by Inauguration Day made everything else seem less urgent. This entire country was on 24/7 hostage alert. The good news is that my discussion with Karnit was very macro, so the podcast remains as relevant today as it was a few weeks ago. Tune in.
Podcast Notes:
Two previous State of Tel Aviv podcasts with Karnit Flug:
Prof. Karnit Flug completed her five-year term as Governor of the Bank of Israel in November 2018. In March 2019 she joined the Department of Economics at the Hebrew University.
As Governor, Prof. Flug oversaw the design and implementation of Israel's monetary policy and served as the Economic Advisor to the government. She was widely credited for maintaining stability and supporting growth in the Israeli economy.
Prior to her appointment as Governor, Prof. Flug was the Bank of Israel’s Deputy Governor from July 2011. Between July 2013 and November 2013, she served as Acting Governor.
Previously, Prof. Flug became Director of the Research Department and Chief Economist of the Bank of Israel in June 2001 – a position she held for 10 years. She published numerous papers on macroeconomic policies, the labor market, balance of payments and social policies. In 1984, Prof. Flug started as an economist at the International Monetary Fund, before returning to Israel to join the Research Department of the Bank of Israel in 1988. In 1994–96, while on leave from the Bank of Israel, she worked at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington D.C. as a Senior Research Economist.
Prof. Flug‘s contribution to social and economic policies in Israel has been significant. She served on a number of public and government committees, including the Committee on Increasing Competitiveness in the Economy, the Committee for Social and Economic Change ("the Trajtenberg Committee"), the Defense Budget Prof. Flug received her M.A. (cum laude) in Economics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1980, and her Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University in 1985.
In 2018, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University in recognition of her “exceptional stewardship of Israel’s monetary policy and economy.” In March 2019, Prof. Flug received the “Governor of the Year" Award for 2018 by the Central Banking Publication.
In each of her five years as Governor of the Bank of Israel, Prof. Flug was ranked among the top 10 central bankers in the world by Global Finance magazine.
Prof. Flug is married with two children.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Ya’akov Katz is back to discuss the wild week we’ve had here. I caught up with him on Wednesday evening, Israel time, and had intended to focus on the resignation the day before of IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. But, of course, we spent more than half our time discussing the terrible hostage deal that we agree was absolutely necessary. And we get into how the deal might unfold in the coming weeks. Then, we got into the Halevi thing. Herzi Halevi was in office on October 7, and shortly after the disaster, he said he was responsible and would resign. Soon. More recently he had indicated he’d step down in June, but that was suddenly moved up. It’s no secret that PM Netanyahu wants Halevi gone—and he has made it very clear that he assigns blame for October 7 to the IDF and Shin Bet. When it comes to his own government and the fact that he is the man at the top of the pyramid, Netanyahu balks. So. Halevi is going—but not until the first stage of this hostage deal is done. Minister of Defense, Yisrael Katz, is regarded as Bibi’s guy. He is also not taken terribly seriously by the defense establishment. That may or may not be fair, but it is a fact. The replacement for Halevi will be chosen by Netanyahu. Not Katz. And that person faces an unenviable challenge: restore public trust in the IDF and take a hard look at the army’s entrenched bureaucracy and how that needs to be revamped. As always, Yaakov and I spare no one and seem to agree on pretty much everything this week! Listen to the podcast here or watch on YouTube….link below.
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Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American author and journalist. Between 2016 and 2023, Yaakov was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post where he continues to write a popular weekly column.
He is the author of three books: “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.
In 2013, Yaakov was one of 12 international fellows to spend a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.
Originally from Chicago, Yaakov has a law degree from Bar Ilan University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Chaya and their four children.
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We begin with a clip of the Hamas chief in Gaza—Khalil al-Hayya, speaking Wednesday night in Doha after Hamas signed off on the proposed hostage deal. We have included a link to the video with English subtitles in the Podcast Notes, below. What he is saying, in short, is that October 7 was a glorious beginning and that Hamas will continue the struggle until all occupied lands and Jerusalem are liberated. Meaning, of course, that Hamas will continue to fight until it destroys Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet has not yet convened to vote on the proposed agreement and may never do so. Things are looking precarious as I write this at 3:20 pm on the afternoon of Thursday, January 16. This podcast interview was recorded late this morning with State of Tel Aviv regular Jonathan Conricus, senior FDD fellow, former IDF spokesperson, and sought-after speaker and media commentator. We get into the nuts and bolts of this proposed deal as we wait to see what transpires. Listen in.
We also have a full audiovisual version of this podcast available on our YouTube channel. Here’s the link if you would prefer to watch and listen there.
Wherever you choose to watch or listen, please like our work, ring the bell on YouTube, comment, and do the works. We’re a feisty little independent outlet, and your support helps us with the algorithms. This is the way of the world now.
Thanks for tuning in.
Podcast Notes
Video clip of Hamas Chief in Gaza recorded on Wednesday night, January 15, shortly after Hamas signed off on the hostage agreement.
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President-elect Donald Trump threatens that if the 100 hostages held by Hamas since October 7 aren’t freed by January 20, there will be “all hell to pay!” What does that actually mean? Jonathan Conricus and I get into the political and military complexities embedded in the issue, which also enrage us. Because we both feel that the hostages should never have been seized in the first place. Of course. But they were. Fifteen months later we reflect on the very widespread rage, despair, and frustration among Israelis. How can it be that they remain in Hamas hell 15 months on? Children, the elderly, women, soldiers, and men. We know that many have been murdered. We know that they have been tortured, sexually abused, humiliated, starved, denied medical attention, and treated with a level of cruelty and sadism that is simply incomprehensible. Within Israel, discussion of the fate of the hostages has intensified in recent weeks for several reasons: Hamas has been releasing more videos of hostages—a form of mass psychological torture that generates global attention; they have been disseminating information on Telegram channels; and there has been a growing willingness by all parties to return to the negotiating table in Doha. What has changed? The explicit threats uttered repeatedly by Donald Trump and repeated yesterday. We have just under two weeks until he is sworn into office. If the hostages are not released by then, what exactly is Trump contemplating doing? You can either listen to the podcast version here or click on the link to our YouTube post, which is below. Our YouTube channel is new, and we’d really appreciate it if you’d check it out. Please subscribe. Like. Algorithms. It matters.
You’ll decide which you prefer, from post to post—the full AV experience or audio only. Love to have your feedback on both.
This week is full-on hostage coverage. With freedom comes responsibility. We have a voice. As we have done since October 7, we are highlighting the desperate plight of the hostages. Please. Share this widely. If not us, then who?
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Jonathan Conricus is a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. He served in the IDF for 24 years, four of them as spokesman during the intense 11 days of the Guardian of the Walls Operation between Israel and Hamas. Now a reserve officer with the rank of Lt. Col., he is a sought-after speaker internationally and is frequently seen on major television news shows. Jonathan was born in Jerusalem to a Swedish father and an Israeli mother and spent his formative years in Sweden.
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Today we continue to deconstruct the rise and spread of antisemitism in Canada during the tenure of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We concentrate on the environment from October 7, 2023, when things really spiraled out of control. And there is good reason for that. Institutional foundations that supported antisemitic bias—particularly in the highest lev…
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This two-part podcast is long and intense. It has been in-the-making now since early November. Initially, I wasn’t sure about how to approach it. Because the reality is overwhelming. But the “how” happened organically, as events unfolded. When Ezra Levant—a well-known Canadian journalist/lawyer/provocateur—was arrested by Toronto police on Sunday, November 24, 2024, for allegedly “breaching the peace,” I understood that this was a nodal point. That the police would even consider doing what they did that day—and for the “reasons” they provided—was a ginormous red flag. There had been more than a year of constant antisemitic agitation (how’s that for a catch-all euphemism?) on the streets of Toronto, and the violence and frequency were only intensifying. The conduct of the police has been deeply concerning throughout, as is the rather nonchalant attitude of all levels of leadership: federal, provincial, and municipal. And, in Canada, of all places. How did this happen? Well, in plain sight. To suggest that this underbelly of Canadian society was not present before October 7 ignores reality. It has always been there. But much has changed in the last decade, during which time Justin Trudeau has been Prime Minister. He sets the tone, and this deliberate deconstruction of Canadian society and norms is his legacy. In Part I of this podcast, we explore the breakdown of the social and public norms that prevailed in Canada until recent years and how and why this has transpired. In Part II, we get into the institutional issues and “culture” that are encouraging the surge of open, public, and violent antisemitism. We look at the approach of Toronto Police, in particular, the sensibility in key institutions—like the senior federal bureaucracy in Ottawa and more. There are reasons for this toxic surge in Canada. It did not just “happen.” Canada is home to the fourth largest Jewish community in the world, after Israel, the U.S., and France. The majority of its 375,000-member community are concentrated in the Toronto and Montreal areas. And according to recent news reports, a significant number of Canadian Jews have been thinking seriously about leaving the country of their birth. A recent survey of Ontario-based Jewish physicians revealed that 30% were thinking of jumping ship. You can read about that here in The National Post (where I write a regular column). The Jews. Are alway the canaries in the mineshaft. All of Canada should be on heightened alert.
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Podcast Notes
1. Post on State of Tel Aviv website, November 24, 2024, “Canada is Done,” with two articles about escalating antisemitic violence as well as video clips from the night of violence in Montreal on Friday, November 22.
2. Video of the Montreal riot, Friday, November 22, 2024—showing snippets of street violence, the burning of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in effigy, and Justin Trudeau getting down at the Taylor Swift concert in Toronto that night. Video from Dahlia Kurtz on X.
3. PM Justin Trudeau on “X” commenting on the Montreal riots:
4. Leader of the Opposition in Canada and likely the next PM (but don’t want to jinx it), Pierre Poilievre’s reply to Justin Trudeau on “X”:
5. Photo showing Toronto Police Sergeant (Canadian/British spelling—indulge me this once) Jeffrey MacDuff joking around with one of the main organizers of regular pro-Hamas, antisemitic events in Toronto. This photograph was taken at Bathurst St. and Sheppard Ave. on the morning of Sunday, November 24, shortly before Ezra Levant was arrested.
* A pro-Hamas man dressed and acting as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in his final moments before he was killed in a gunfight with the IDF in the Gaza Strip. Masked and wounded, the Sinwar wannabe threw wooden sticks at a drone sent into a building. He was seated in a chair stained with blood before dying. Not until the body was retrieved and the mask covering his face removed did the IDF soldiers realize who the stick-throwing man was. In real life - the identity of the actor is well-known. He owns a shwarma join in a strip plaza in Mississauga, a Toronto suburb with a very large Muslim population
* An “X” post showing Ezra Levant being handcuffed by Toronto Police on Sunday, November 24, at Bathurst and Sheppard.
* Ezra Levant doing the “perp walk” at Bathurst and Sheppard Sunday November 24, 2024. He is escorted by Toronto Police officers on either side, wearing black toques.
* Pro-Hamas and “progressive” allies “occupy” Union Station in downtown Toronto, a large transportation hub for the city and surrounding area. This has been a regular occurrence in Toronto during the past 15 months.
Video: Melissa Rogers on X
* November 6, 2024. Business district in downtown Toronto. Pro-Hamas Islamists block major downtown streets and pray. This “pop up” mosque phenomenon has become a regular occurrence in Toronto, Montreal and elsewhere in Canada. In Toronto, police have routinely protected those blocking public transit and roads and sidewalks. There has been no attempt to enforce bylaws or any other relevant laws and standards that exist to maintain public order.
* Article by Vivian Bercovici published in Sapir Journal in the Winter 2024 edition, entitled: “Foreign Ministries: what to do when diplomats subvert elected officials.”
* Article by Vivian Bercovici published in State of Tel Aviv on May 20, 2022, entitled: “On Being a Jewish Diplomat in Israel.”
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Michael Starr has served more than 200 days of reserve duty with the IDF since October 7, 2023. Within hours of the Hamas attack, he was summoned to join his colleagues and begin preparations for war. Michael recently wrote about his experiences in The Jerusalem Post, where he is the Diaspora Affairs reporter. It is a remarkable piece. Starr writes it a…
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Theodor Herzl is the father of the modern political Zionist movement, but the centrality of his vision to the founding of the state of Israel is less understood than it might be. Herzl was living an assimilated life in late 19th-century Vienna but continually came up against brick walls blocking his professional advancement. Because he was Jewish. He quickly formed the view that the Jewish people must transform from victims to masters of their fate. Putting pen to paper, he wrote essays, plays, and even one or two novels. His writing is turgid but important as it articulates a bold and modern political ideology that, in turn, became the spark for the organized Zionist movement. Herzl’s spirit animal is David Matlow, who I am proud to call a friend. A Toronto lawyer, Matlow has amassed the largest collection of Herzl-related “stuff” in the world over decades. His fascination with Herzl began when he was a young boy visiting his grandparents every summer in Israel. The objects he has found over decades bring to life the man and his extraordinary legacy. Oy. And the stories. Matlow’s collection fetish really took off with the advent of the internet—which also coincided with a remarkable find in a garbage bin in Jerusalem. Matlow has a gift for telling a good tale, and he has done wonders portraying the work, life, and legacy of Theodor Herzl. Until January 23, a small selection of his collection is featured in an exhibition at the Temple Emanu-El in New York. If you can get there, it is well worth attending. Our discussion is not only informative but, like David Matlow, engaging and fun. It is the perfect indulgence for this time of year.
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Podcast Notes
* The cardboard portrait of Herzl that was framed in the living room of David Matlow’s grandparents’ home in Ramat Gan.
* Cards from the first seven Zionist Congress meetings held annually, beginning with the Basel meeting in 1897, when the iconic photo of Herzl on the balcony was taken.
* We’re Canadian. Herzl. Hockey. Because - why not? David was even kind enough to give me two pairs of socks with a hockey playing Herzl print. This figurine did not make it into the Exhibit.
* The Norwegian sardines branded “Dr. Herzl.”
* The locket notebook signed by “Benjamin”, as Herzl was known to his close friends.
* The poster for the “All About Herzl” Exhibit at the Bernard Museum, Temple Emanu-El, New York City.
* A few photographs from the exhibition.
* David Matlow on one of many visits - I assume - to Herzl’s grave in Jerusalem. If you look closely you will see that he is wearing the Herzl hockey socks.
His brief bio is below.
David Matlow practices law at Goodmans LLP in Toronto. He owns the world's largest collection of Theodor Herzl memorabilia (over 6,000 items), and his Herzl Project is designed to inform people about Herzl's work to inspire them to work to complete Herzl's dream. He is the chairman of the Ontario Jewish Archives and a director of the Center for Israel Education. In David’s weekly Treasure Trove column in the Canadian Jewish News he showcases one historical item from his collection, which all together tell the story of Israel through “stuff". More information about the Herzl Project is available at www.herzlcollection.com
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I met Igal Hecht, an independent Canadian-Israeli documentary filmmaker, in late September in Toronto. We sat on the patio of one of the many locations of Israeli-owned Landwer Cafe, and spoke about his very intense film, The Killing Roads. It was a glorious early fall day, strong sun, perfect temperature, too many bees. But we were elsewhere in our conversation, talking about the roads of southern Israel on October 7, 2023. You will find the link to Igal Hecht’s film – which is just under two hours – in the podcast notes. We have also included some photographs provided by Hecht. Shortly after returning to my new home in southern Israel - and after October 7, 2024 had passed - Igal and I connected online to record this interview. I encourage you to listen to our exchange before watching the film. It provides important background and context. This. Is the story of the roads on October 7, 2023..
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Podcast Notes
* Link to the movie: www.thekillingroads.com
* “Israel Says Documents Found in Gaza Show Hamas’s Attack Planning, Iran Ties.”, Wall Street Journal, October 12, 2024.
* STLV podcast published on October 11, 2024
A story of a young couple escaping Nova and ambushed on 232 is told, in words, visuals and song. In the podcast notes to that episode we have included various video clips from the grassroots commemoration ceremony organized in Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park on the evening of October 7, 2024. One clip is of Israeli music star, Ivri Lider, singing an absolutely beautiful song that he wrote that just breaks the heart. He memorializes the tragic story of Yuval Tabelsi, who was trapped in a car on 232, with her husband and friends. All but Yuval were massacred. She “played” dead in the car and miraculously escaped murder. Hers is one of so many stories that we will never know, because of what happened that day on the killing roads.
* Clip of Israeli music legend, Ivri Lider, singing "I Had a Chance to Love", inspired by Yuval's love story, so tragically cut short. Ivri is joined on stage towards the end of the performance by Yuval. The Hebrew lyrics are subtitled in English; and
The Killing Roads Poster
In 1999, Igal Hecht founded Chutzpa Productions Inc., establishing himself as a filmmaker known for bold, thought-provoking content. His award-winning films explore a wide spectrum of subjects, from urgent human rights issues to pop culture phenomena, consistently sparking important discussions and debate. With a career spanning more than two decades, Igal has produced over 70 documentary films and 20 television series, many of which have reached global audiences. His work has been featured on prominent platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC, Documentary Channel, CBC, YES-TV in both Israel and Canada, HBO Europe, Vice TV, and more, earning him national and international recognition. Igal's most recent film, The Killing Roads, has received widespread critical acclaim and garnered over 3 million viewers on social media, further solidifying his reputation as a filmmaker unafraid to tackle difficult and uncomfortable realities head-on.
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It’s wonderful to have Ya’akov Katz back to discuss domestic Israeli politics and leadership. We jump into the discussion using his superb piece published last Friday in The Jewish Chronicle. (The link is set out in podcast notes, below.) On the one hand, Ya’akov writes, we have a very Machiavellian leader who is constantly calculating where and how to achieve an advantage, which, I suppose, is the mark of any successful politician. With Bibi, though, it’s about degree. And then there is the Bibi who has led Israel through these dreadful 15 months since October 7 and is taking credit for having redrawn the map of the Middle East. That’s where it gets complicated. How much is because of Bibi, how much is because of a strong collective effort, and how much is, well, just serendipitous? You can listen to the podcast version—link at the top of this note—or check out our YouTube channel, where you get to watch us too!
As you may be aware, we launched our YouTube channel last week with a long interview with Professor Gad Sa’ad, author international bestseller, The Parasitic Mind, and among the most influential public intellectuals.
I’m working hard to put the finishing touches on a long, in-depth podcast about the virulent antisemitism that has gripped Canada and is now the focus of a lot of negative international attention. And we’ve got some more excellent holiday content coming. Thanks, as always, for being here.
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Podcast Notes:
Link to article published in Jewish Chronicle on Friday, December 20, by Ya’akov Katz.
Link to Weekend Interview article by Elliot Kaufman in Wall Street Journal, published Saturday, December 21.
Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American author and journalist. Between 2016 and 2023, Yaakov was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post where he continues to write a popular weekly column.
He is the author of three books: “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.
In 2013, Yaakov was one of 12 international fellows to spend a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.
Originally from Chicago, Yaakov has a law degree from Bar Ilan University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Chaya and their four children.
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I am thrilled to bring you this fascinating chat with Professor Gad Sa’ad, an iconic intellectual figure who helps us to make sense of this seemingly mad moment in history. Sharp, brilliant, fearless—and also very funny—Prof. Sa’ad likens the thought and mind controls pervading western societies to bacteria—or pathogens—that cause disease. It’s also the focus of his international best-seller—The Parasitic Mind. We get into antisemitism, why Israel is somewhat inoculated against woke-ness, the moral corruption of western societies, and his week at Mar-a-Lago in the red velvet jacket. (It’s a State of Tel Aviv scoop…and a great story.) And much more. Sa’ad first came onto my radar in 2016 with his bullseye critiques of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While the world swooned, believing him to be impossibly handsome and progressive, Sa’ad saw through the phony platitudes and intellectual deficit. It took Canadians and the world a little longer to see not only the void that was and is Trudeau but how dangerous he is. Canada, sadly, has become the focus of so much negative global attention. The economy is in ruins. Society is cleaved by violence and identity-based divisions. And antisemitism on the streets of Montreal and Toronto is perhaps the most extreme of any city in the world. We dig into it all—and have a few good laughs.
Podcast Notes
Video Version
Professor Sa’ad is on leave from Concordia University this year and is Visiting Professor and Global Ambassador for the 2024-25 academic year at Northwood University in Michigan. Born in Beirut, he has lived most of his life since fleeing Lebanon in 1975 in Montreal, Canada. A link to Professor Sa’ad’s longer bio is available here.
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State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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On Monday afternoon I had the privilege to speak with the German Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert. Since taking up his post in July, 2022, Seibert has distinguished himself as a different kind of diplomat. He interacts extensively with “regular” Israelis and has a sharp sense as to what matters. And among the key issues that has dominated the national zeitgeist in Israel since October 7 is the ongoing and brutal captivity of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Seibert recalls how he was contacted on October 8 by the family member of a German citizen taken hostage. Since then he has been engaged in doing all he can to highlight their plight. Continued attention from prominent diplomats ensures that the media—and the world—do not forget. In a wide-ranging conversation, Ambassador Seibert shares with us his hopes for dignity, security, and peace for Israelis and Palestinians. It may seem and feel impossible at this point in time, he suggests, but from this tragedy may come opportunity. Seibert has an easy manner about him, and his efforts to learn Hebrew—which he speaks very well—have made him something of a standout. As does his professional background. Seibert is not a professional diplomat; however he has been tutored by one of the best in the business—perhaps ever. For almost 12 years he served as the spokesman for the German government, working very closely with Chancellor Angela Merkel—a political and diplomatic titan, in my view. Few are more experienced, expert, and accomplished as is Ms. Merkel. And Steffen Seibert was at her side, as he tells it, and has seen it all. A fascinating chat—and even with some unplanned drama—the major missile attack on central Israel by the Houthis happened just as we were getting going.
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Podcast Notes
Map of missile targets of Houthi attack that occurred in the midst of the State of Tel Aviv interview with Ambassador Seibert.
Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) / X
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It all went down with lightning speed and took the world by surprise: the toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime by a group of rebels united in their hatred of the brutal dictator. Abu Mohammed al Jolani, who has led this so-far successful rebellion, has been working to present to the world a pragmatic image. He has been associated since his youth with various jihadist groups but is suggesting that the new Syria will be a proper country where civilians may go about their lives peacefully. Olive branches have been sort of extended to the Kurds as well as Israel, but in very guarded language. After all, Turkish President Erdogan has been Jolani’s main benefactor and supplier of weapons, and he is not known to be a silent, benign actor. No. If Erdogan is in the mix, it is because he wants something. And we already know that he wants to bomb the Kurds into submission. Because that is what he has been doing for the past week or so. So—something’s gotta give. Syria is a complex pastiche of minorities—religious and ethnic—and many scores to settle. ISIS-aligned jihadists remain strong in sections of northern Syria, where thousands of former ISIS fighters and their families are imprisoned in primitive camps controlled by the Kurds. Russia has been driven from its Syrian bases. Iran has suddenly lost its land bridge through Syria to Lebanon, cutting off Hezballah supply routes. And the Biden administration just isn’t getting too fussed about Turkey these days. It will leave that mess for President-elect Trump. The Biden White House is doing its darnedest to negotiate a deal for the release of the remaining 100 hostages in Hamas captivity. The stuff of an emotional and enduring legacy. To untangle it all we speak with Turkish expert (and expatriate) Sinan Ciddi, whose biography is featured below.
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Sinan Ciddi is an expert on Turkish politics and an associate professor of National Security Studies at Marine Corps University (MCU). Prior to joining MCU, Sinan was the Executive Director of the Institute of Turkish Studies, based at Georgetown University (2011-2020). He continues to serve as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Sinan is the author of Kemalism in Turkish Politics: The Republican People’s Party: Secularism and Nationalism (Routledge, January 2009) a book which explains the electoral weakness of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party.
He obtained his Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 2007 in the field of Political Science.
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A favorite State of Tel Aviv guest, Ya’akov Katz, returns today to dig deeply into the dramatic collapse of the al-Assad regime in Syria and what it all may mean going forward for Syria, Israel, the Middle East, and the world. Following more than 50 years of brutal rule, the despotic rulers were deposed with lightning speed and skill by a group of rebels led by Ha’yat Tahrir al Sham—or HTS for short—an Islamist army led by a former al Qaeda loyalist who is now poised to become the putative leader of Syria. Whereas the joy over the fall of Bashar al-Assad is clear, it may be premature. HTS is really a conglomeration of numerous jihadist groups in Syria that have united over their common goal to depose the Assad regime. In areas in the north of Syria that have been controlled by rebels for more than a week, there are reports that Sharia law has been imposed. Jubilation, in this situation, is better contained for a while until we see how things settle out. Ya’akov and I do what we do—and get into the various regional and global superpowers with strong stakes in this conflict—and, of course, what it may mean for Israel. It has been a very busy few days on the northern border with Syria, where Islamist rebels came disturbingly close to the border with Israel. For now, that risk factor seems to be under control. Finally, we get into quite dramatic developments regarding the possibility of a hostage deal being negotiated. It’s way too early to allow our hopes to be raised… but we can’t help ourselves. Always looking for that silver lining. Thanks for being here and listening.
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Podcast Notes
* First broadcast by the Syrian rebels from the broadcasting center in Damascus.
* Video footage of Syrian Prime Minister being taken to the Four Seasons Hotel, Damascus, by rebel forces
* Article published in the Daily Telegraph about the personal background of HTS leader., Abu Mohammed Julani. (spelling varies)
* Hamas video of hostage Matan Zangauker, released on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American author and journalist. Between 2016 and 2023, Yaakov was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post where he continues to write a popular weekly column.
He is the author of three books: “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.”
Shadow Strike was recently adapted into a docudrama by Reshet Media and his books have been published in a number of languages including English, Hebrew, Czech, Polish, Japanese and Mandarin.
His next book – tentatively titled “Precision Strike” – is scheduled for publication by St. Martin’s Press in the Spring of 2025.
Yaakov served for close to a decade as the paper's military reporter and defense analyst and was a lecturer at Harvard University where he taught an advanced course in journalism. He also served as Israel correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly.
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.
In 2013, Yaakov was one of 12 international fellows to spend a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.
Originally from Chicago, Yaakov has a law degree from Bar Ilan University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Chaya and their four children.
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A favorite State of Tel Aviv podcast guest, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus joins us today. A former IDF spokesman with a knack for distilling the complexity of the Middle East, our discussion with Conricus today is longer than usual. That is because - even for this impossibly volatile region - these last few days have been exceptional. A massive insurgency against the rule of Syrian President Bashir Assad was launched in recent days, seemingly out of nowhere. Clearly backed by Turkey, the rebel forces are using American military equipment and advancing quickly on their final target—Damascus. Should the regime falter or fall, then the implications for Israel and the region are significant. We go deep into the weeds on this development before shifting to the West Bank. Always a center of unrest, Judea and Samara have been building to a furious boil, and Conricus worries that Israeli leadership is not paying adequate attention to this area. Jewish extremists have been engaged in unprovoked violence against Arabs, and the Shin Bet security service has been finding significant stashes of advanced weapons to be used by terrorist organizations. None of this bodes well for domestic stability and security. And, finally, of course, there is the Gaza Strip. Whereas hostilities on the northern front seem to be abating with the newly negotiated ceasefire with Lebanon, there is no sign of the conflict slowing in the Gaza Strip, in spite of the very significant degradation of Hamas’ fighting capabilities and weapons arsenal. Israelis are beginning to ask what, exactly, is going on there. Former IDF Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense, Moshe (Bogey) Ya’alon, made some very sharp comments on Sunday about the IDF’s conduct in the Gaza Strip, causing a kerfuffle in Israel and the international media. After more than a year of exceptionally long and grueling service, 25% of the reservists being called up for duty, often for the third time in a year, are refusing to show up. They are losing confidence in IDF leadership, and their lives are in turmoil. And all Israelis—including a majority of Likud supporters—are astonished and furious that 101 hostages remain in Hamas captivity. PM Netanyahu has run out of excuses to delay making their freedom a priority. The question is – will he? A deep and no-holds-barred dive. Have a listen…
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Podcast Notes
* This article gets into the controversial comments made on Sunday by Moshe Ya’alon, which are discussed in the podcast.
Jonathan Conricus served in the IDF for 24 years, four of them as spokesman during the intense 11 days of the Guardian of the Walls Operation between Israel and Hamas. Now a reserve officer, he focuses on American media. He was born in Jerusalem to a Swedish father and an Israeli mother and spent his formative years in Sweden.
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First it was the International Court of Justice. South Africa brought a charge of genocide against Israel to be heard and decided in that august forum. That case has been in abeyance since the initial hearing on preliminary issues held in January, 2024. Soon after we began hearing about the International Criminal Court – which has the jurisdiction to hold individuals to account for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. In May, ICC Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, K.C., appeared before a panel of ICC judges to ask that they issue arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and then Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for having engaged in crimes against humanity by promoting conditions conducive to mass starvation - targeting the people living in the Gaza Strip. These alleged crimes were purported to have dated back to October 8, 2023, a day on which Hamas terrorists continued their mass slaughter of Israeli civilians in the southern part of the country where they had invaded. Israel was in the second day of an existential war. The suggestion that its leaders were plotting mass starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is beyond absurd. But apparently the ICC judges agreed with Mr. Khan and arrest warrants were issued on November 21. In this episode we speak with Israeli professor and international law expert, Yuval Shany. We get into all the issues and questions I expect many listeners have: Can the ICC do this? Why did it issue the warrants? And – what happens next? Within hours of the arrest warrants being issued there was a furious reaction from Israel as well as the United States – both on the part of President Biden and President-elect Trump. Whatever one’s criticism of Israel may be, this step by the ICC calls into question whether the institution is operating in the interest of the highest ideals of justice or at the behest of nefarious political interests. Professor Shany and I unpack it all.
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Professor Yuval Shany is the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law and former Dean of the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee from 2013 to 2020 (and served between 2018-2019 as Chair of the Committee). He currently teaches at the Center for Transnational Legal Studies at King’s College in London and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and as an academic visitor in the Oxford Ethics in AI Institute.
Podcast Notes:
Link to NGO Monitor website, as mentioned in the closing remarks of the podcast.
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It’s wonderful to have my podcast pal, Ya’akov Katz, back from all his busy travels and work and speaking to us about one of the hot issues today: Lebanon. In this “lame duck” period, President Biden’s special envoy for all matters Lebanon and Israel, Amos Hochstein, has been working hard to close a ceasefire deal between Lebanon and Israel. But he’s closer than ever now, and that is likely due to the Trump Effect (which I have elevated to being a proper noun) and how he is regarded in the Middle East. Trump is highly respected—by the good guys and the bad guys. And in this region, that means he is feared. He does what he says he will do. And he has been unequivocal in his hardline position on Iran: sanctions, sanctions, and more sanctions. No more carrots. All sticks. And his appointees named to date reinforce that approach. President-elect Trump has even put Israeli PM Netanyahu on notice and said that he expects all the wars involving Israel to be finished by the time he takes office. And Bibi is not taking that warning lightly. Nor is Iran. Or Lebanon. Word has been swirling for two weeks now that a deal is imminent. But as always, the devil is in the details. Ya’akov and I get deep into Lebanon to understand how Israel can get out of there. We finish up with a brief discussion of Israel’s new Minister of Defense, Yisrael Katz and, as always, the desperate plight of the 101 hostages—eight Thai nationals and 93 Israelis (with many holding dual citizenships) still in Hamas captivity.
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Gadi Taub is a prominent Israeli public intellectual; a true Renaissance man who has distinguished himself in recent years as one of the strongest voices in support of the leadership of PM Benjamin Netanyahu. He has moved, politically, over two decades, from the center/center-left to the hard right of the spectrum. Taub was also hawkish on the judicial reform program that led to so much civic turmoil in Israel in the year leading up to October 7, and remains so. And hardline on the recent firing of Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, that went down on American E-Day. In fact, Gadi Taub thinks that the firings of military and security officials should have been done long ago. Why? Because as a group they are subverting the will of the democratically elected prime minister and coalition government. Taub calls it as he sees it. It’s a lively discussion and definitely to be continued.
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Gadi Taub is a Senior Lecturer at the Federmann School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He holds a Ph.D. in American history from Rutgers University. His books include bestselling works of fiction and non-fiction the most recent of which is Global Elites and National Citizens in Israel, the US and the West (Bestseller, Hebrew). He hosts Israel's leading conservative Hebrew podcast Gatekeeper, as well as co-hosting (with Michael Doran) Tablet Magazine's Israel Update podcast. His column in Haaretz was canceled for his support of judicial reform. He now writes for Tablet and JNS.
Follow us: @stateofTLV on “X” / @stateoftelaviv on Instagram.
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Today we take a deep dive into the Amsterdam Jew Hunt that went down last Thursday night and into the early morning hours of Friday. That it happened in Amsterdam should surprise no one. That there will almost certainly be copycat Jew hunts in Europe and elsewhere should also surprise no one. That young Muslim men and perhaps slightly older taxi drivers planned and coordinated this pogrom on various chat platforms should also not surprise anyone. Although it did seem to catch the Amsterdam police off guard—in spite of several advance warnings from Israeli securityservices. In this special podcast State of Tel Aviv speaks in depth with three very different people, each bringing profound insight and knowledge to this critical historical moment. Pieter Dorsman is a Dutch-Canadian businessman and blogger who has lived in Vancouver for decades now but grew up in the Netherlands. He happened to be visiting family near Rotterdam when this attack occurred. We start with him and then speak with David De Bruijn, Professor of Philosophy at Auburn University in Alabama. A native son of The Hague, De Bruijn pulls no punches when discussing the “polite” antisemitism among the more traditional Dutch—and the very explicit, vulgar form of Jew hatred that prevails among Muslims in the country, many of whom are second, third, or fourth generation. These violent antisemites are not “new immigrants” as much of the media has erroneously portrayed them. Lastly, we speak with Eitam Zach, a young Israeli man who has lived in the Netherlands for almost six years now and is very spooked by how life has changed since October 7. And by this latest madness. Throughout this podcast we get into European sport culture, how the Holocaust is ever-present in the minds of Dutch Jews, and how the restrained, “tolerant” Dutch people have managed and mismanaged the integration of so many Muslim immigrants over the decades. Amsterdam today. And tomorrow?
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Timestamps:
Intro: 00:00 to 13:21 Interview with Pieter Dorsman: 13:21 to 1:01:00 Interview with Prof. David De Bruijn: 1:01:00 to 1:37:00Interview with Eitam Zach: 1:37:00 to 1:55:32
Podcast Notes:
* Pieter Dorsman is a Vancouver-based venture capital advisor and investor. Prior to relocating to Vancouver, he held a number of senior positions in the project and corporate finance divisions of UBS in Hong Kong. Pieter started his career at Barclays Bank in London. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Pieter graduated from the Erasmus Universiteit. Pieter writes about international politics and markets on his Substack.
* In March, 2024, Pieter wrote about how pro-Hamas/Islamist culture was taking root in the Netherlands.
* Last January he published a piece with the prescient title: “Antisemitism, Football and History.”
* His most recent – “Amsterdam Cries” – is from Nov. 10.
X: @PieterDorsman
LinkedIn: pdorsman
Blog: pieterdorsman.substack.com
* Dr. David De Bruijn is a professor teaching philosophy at the University of Auburn, Alabama, in the United States of America. He tweets at @dmdebruijn.
De Bruijn’s article about the Amsterdam pogrom, published on Sunday, November 13, 2024 in The Free Press
X: @dmdebruijn
* Eitam Zach is a Tel Avivian living in Amsterdam. He has a BA in International Studies and an MSc in Political Communication. Passionate about people, politics, and whatever comes in between.
X: @eitamzach
Insta: @eitamzach
* An interview with a Dutch Palestinian community leader, Wathek Alsadeh and an Egyptian television station is published here, with English subtitles. In this interview, Mr. Alsadeh alleges that the Jew Hunt was orchestrated by the Mossad in order to generate sympathy for Israel among Europeans.
* Holocaust survivor gets Dutch train company to pay damages.
This article reports on the lawsuit brought by Ajax Amsterdam’s physiotherapist,. Salo Muller, against the Dutch rail company. Muller’s parents were transported to concentration camps during WWII by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen train company, which both charged Dutch Jews for the journey and got paid by the Nazis; Muller decided to take on the company and force it to pay compensation to family of the victims it sent to their deaths. The case setttled in 2018. Muller passed away in 2023.
* Just over a year ago I found myself writing a post reflecting on the explosion of antisemitic violence in the immediate aftermath of October 7. You can read it here.
Remember the plane that landed in Dagestan (having arrived from Israel) and was met on the tarmac by local Muslim fanatics? They searched every crevice of the aircraft and inside the airport terminal. They were hunting Jews. That was several weeks after October 7, 2023.
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