

Israel Update
Tablet Studios
This is the audio version of Israel Update. Israel Update is a video podcast hosted by Israeli historian and political commentator Gadi Taub and Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. The show offers news from the ground as well as an unparalleled insider perspective on the war.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 24, 2026 • 1h
The Global Implications of This Conflict Are Vast
What’s at stake is the American-led international order. If the regime in Iran remains standing, it will have shown that the US can no longer guarantee that order. The good news, Mike and Gadi think, is that Trump fully understands this. This is not to say, however, that all the challenges can easily be overcome.
Plus, Israel’s deep-state is reaching new level of legal surrealism.

Mar 18, 2026 • 1h 13min
Trump’s Dilemma: Win It or End It
Will Trump go all the way with Iran? And if not, what are his options? There are many tools, apart from direct military assault, that the US can us to continue to weaken Iran, and prevent China from regaining its Middle East assets.
Also in this episode: Israel’s coming ground incursion into Lebanon, and an update on Sde Teiman: the indictments against the Force 100 soldiers, alleging abuse of a Palestinian prisoner, have been withdrawn. Gadi explains what this means.

Mar 10, 2026 • 1h 12min
Iran Is Not What It Seems
What is the Iranian game plan, and is it working? What does the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei to be the heir to his father’s role as Supreme Leader say about the regime and its ability to sustain itself? Gadi and Mike discuss.
Plus, the reignited war with Hezbollah offers a chance, Gadi says, to rid ourselves of the idea that all of Israel’s military success can be reversed. It's time to make South Lebanon into North Israel.

Mar 1, 2026 • 1h 29min
War Aims and Their Feasibility
Are the American and Israeli war aims the same? Regime change may turn out to be an ambiguous definition. Mike and Gadi assess the different scenarios which may fall under that phrase, and consider which ones events – and Trump – may end up imposing.

Jan 25, 2026 • 1h 11min
Trump Will Strike Iran
The world is holding its breath while the US is gathering its forces in the region. Mike and Gadi are convinced Trump means business. What will emerge in Iran after a strike is, however, far from clear. Also in this episode: the Gaza board and the latest moves by Israel’s wild Supreme Court bent on toppling Netanyahu’s coalition. We call it legal surrealism. But most importantly: what did Mike’s mother ask the dentist about?

Jan 12, 2026 • 1h 30min
The End of the Islamic Republic of Iran?
Mike sees three possible scenarios in which this can unfold. In all three there will be massive consequences for Israel, the US and the world order. Also on this episode: who is trying to break Trump’s faith-based coalition from within, and why? And finally: Gadi’s hilarious twitter feud with NYT’s Ronen Bergman.

Dec 17, 2025 • 1h 19min
Antisemitism: Australia, the US and Israel
On this episode: the Bondi Beach shooting, the rising tide of antisemitism, and the recent conference at the Hudson Institute, about how the hatred of Jews is weaponized to undermine American national security. Also - Israel's Deep State is thrashing around in an attempt to cover up the crimes of the IDF Advocate General. Will it succeed? And this is the Icelandic comedian Gadi mentioned: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DOebgY8jXx-/

Nov 24, 2025 • 1h 16min
The UN Security Council Resolution: Gaza, Jerusalem, Baku, Washington, Ankara, and Riyadh
It is not clear how the theory of the Trump plan will be implemented in practice - and above all it is still unclear how Hamas will be disarmed. Has the UN Security Council Resolution made things any clearer? Are Israel's friends in Baku, Azerbaijan going to help solve this conundrum, and finally, have Israel Update's listeners managed to explain to Mike and Gadi what a conundrum is? And here are the links we promised:
Zineb Riboua's piece on why the right get Mamdani wrong: https://www.hudson.org/politics-government/what-right-gets-wrong-about-zohran-mamdani-zineb-riboua
And here's Mike's conversation with Caroline Glick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6y1cJqp9JM

Nov 10, 2025 • 1h 40min
The iPhone Suicide
The plot thickens! The tale of the rape that never was, and now the suicide attempt that Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi seems to have faked, opens a window into everything that has been convulsing Israel in recent years.

7 snips
Nov 3, 2025 • 1h 28min
Head of IDF Prosecution Resigns Over Leaked Fake Rape Tape
A high-profile scandal erupts as the head of IDF prosecution resigns after a troubling fake rape tape leaks. The hosts delve into the chaotic aftermath, including dramatic arrests and controversial footage that stirs global outrage. They discuss political motives behind the leak and the implications for Israel's judiciary. Meanwhile, American political controversies featuring Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes surface, prompting debate on free speech versus extremism. Public reactions to the resignation reveal a divide in perceptions, while breaking news adds further intrigue.


