State of Tel Aviv, Israel Podcast

Everyone’s hopping mad today, including Ya’akov Katz. He can be excitable but today he was downright livid about the irresponsible comments of Senator Chuck Schumer late last week, backed up by President Biden. Schumer – the most senior Democratic US Senator – basically said that it’s time for Israel to have elections so that PM Netanyahu will be thrown out of the top job. It was disrespectful. Stupid. And put Israel in heightened danger vis a vis its enemies in the region by broadcasting that the critical alliance between America and Israel is imperiled. Whatever he thought he was accomplishing remains a mystery. In doing so Schumer also made the already desperate situation of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas even worse. And he only stiffened Netanyahu’s resolve to push on with the job that he feels must be done; to degrade Hamas’ military might and capability with a final military push on Rafah. We finish up with a brief discussion of gutter domestic politics in Israel which, if nothing else, offers a bit of levity and release of some tension. Another week in Israel. Month 6 of the War on Gaza and Hamas.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

One year ago, Simcha Rothman was a household name in Israel and beyond. As Chair of the Knesset Committee on Constitutional, Law and Justice Issues, Rothman was the man in a scorching hot seat, taking the lead in shepherding through the legislature the controversial judicial reform package. Working closely with Minister of Justice, Yariv levin, Rothman bore the brunt of public anger and became a convenient target for political mudslinging. For much of 2023 Israel was roiled by unprecedent civil disobedience and dissent set off by the judicial reform legislative package. And then, October 7th happened. Since then Rothman has largely been out of the public eye but still very active in dealing with the unprecedented legal challenges posed by the horrors of that day and the challenges with respect to how Israel will manage various legal issues going forward. We discuss the new world in which we all find ourselves and we also manage to squeeze in a few minutes of discussion of the judicial reform moment. That issue will surely resurface and I, for one, expect Simcha Rothman to be front and center, yet again. Rothman and I don’t exactly see eye to eye on many issues but – as I have always said – State of Tel Aviv aspires to be a platform where respectful discussion and debate are facilitated. And I am grateful to Simcha Rothman for being game. Many other politicians and officials are not prepared to discuss and that is the real threat to democracy – when we lose the ability to speak to one another.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Following his State of the Union address on Thursday night, President Biden was caught on a hot mike saying that he’s due for a “come to Jesus” meeting with PM Netanyahu, expressing his exasperation with the man. Both men are trying to find a way through this war and their impossible political conundrums but the status quo is not going to hold much longer. Biden feels enormous pressure to expand the humanitarian aid corridor and flow of supplies to the Gaza Strip. He also makes it clear to Bibi that an assault on Rafah, which would result in further civilian casualties, is a non-starter. Netanyahu, of course, intends to show Biden who is boss and will not be pushed around by his American benefactor. All of which makes for a tense standoff that may prompt the President to pop over to see the Prime Minister in the coming days. Meanwhile, Qatar threatens to throw out the Hamas leaders it hosts in Doha if they do not manage to negotiate a deal to release the Israeli hostages, now in captivity for 156 days. It is believed that many of the 134 remaining hostages are no longer alive but Hamas refuses to confirm, deny or provide signs of life. There is also clearly friction between Hamas leaders, with Gaza-based October 7th mastermind, Yahya Sinwar, entrenched in the tunnels and determined to go it alone and buck the pressure. He wants to bring the mighty IDF to its knees. Have a listen.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

For five months, Michael Levy has inhabited a life that still feels foreign, but he is possessed by a mission to bring home his younger brother, Or, taken hostage by Hamas monsters, as he calls them, on October 7th. The youngest of three brothers, Or left for the Nova Music Festival early on the morning of October 7th with his wife, Eynav, to enjoy a carefree day in the sun. Their two-year-old son, Almog, was asleep. When the extended family awoke that day they entered a surreal Hell that never ends. Eynav was murdered and Or taken hostage. Almog cries every time they are mentioned and asks for them every day. The family does its best without really knowing how to navigate such an impossible situation. Michael speaks to us about the reality of a family living this nightmare and his hope for a happy ending, with Or coming home. He, like all of us, is painfully aware of the fact that we are out of time. We must bring them home. Now. Michael’s intelligence, candor and emotional awareness infuse his telling with so much…..power. Please listen.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

This week Ya’akov and I delve into two issues. First, we discuss the tragedy that resulted in the deaths of approximately 100 Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday as civilians desperate for food and provisions swarmed an aid convoy. Israel says that the chaos resulted from panic and, quite possibly, Hamas fire in addition to IDF shots. Fact is, what this disaster made clear is that Israel really has to work out a more secure way to get aid into the Gaza Strip. And we also need to find a way to get our hostages out. It is almost 150 days that 134 hostages have been held hostage by Hamas and this issue, more than anything, is gutting the soul and spirit of the nation, something that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar understands well. We close out by discussing the issue we expect will dominate the coming week. Which means……you’ll have to listen to the end. Thanks for tuning in.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

On Friday, as I planned ahead to record with Ya’akov on Sunday (today),  I was certain that we would discuss “the day after”, which was much talked about last week, internationally. But, this being Israel, that issue was overtaken by events on Saturday: reports of a breakthrough in talks in Paris to bring home some (sadly, not all) of the hostages and a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night that turned violent very quickly. A group of several thousand gathered in front of IDF Headquarters and called for everything possible: elections, hostage release, ultra-orthodox draft, you name it. It’s been five months since civil protests like this have occurred in Israel and it will definitely not be the last. The societal divisions that shook Israel throughout 2023 were put on hold on October 7th but the problems have not dissipated. If anything they are more pronounced. And another imminent crisis? The exemption of ultra-orthodox men from military service, while compulsory and reserve service times will be increased for those who do step up. It’s all just too much. And we get into it all.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Incredibly, superstar spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Eylon Levy, actually has a life off-air. Speaking with State of Tel Aviv earlier this week, Eylon shared a bittersweet vignette from a friend's wedding he attended recently. Turns out all the guys doing shots at the bar were on the team that rescued two Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity recently in an insanely daring commando operation. We talk about UNRWA, antisemitism globally, and how he keeps his cool in what may be the toughest job in crisis communications in the world at the moment. This guy doesn't skip a beat and he's just warming up. A great opportunity to hear a true master, unwound and unvarnished.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Just back from a quick trip to Canada and the U.S., Ya’akov tells us he was struck by the insecurity and anxiety he encountered among Jewish groups he met with in Toronto, Detroit, New York, Chicago and Florida. (He sure covers a lot of ground in less than a week.) Their concerns are not much different from those that preoccupy Israelis: Hostages. Civilian casualties and humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s disunity, which is becoming more apparent as the immediate shock factor of October 7th recedes. And the escalating tension in Israel over the continuing exemption for ultra-orthodox men from serving in the army. There has been much talk in Israel in recent weeks and it is becoming louder. As Israeli war casualties mount there are growing cries of “Enough”! We get into all that and more. Have a listen.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Ya’akov Katz is in Detroit today so we recorded a little later than usual, meaning we drop later. But. You’re probably distracted by the Super Bowl and all that goes with it. Among the ads running on TV is one sponsored by the government of Israel and it’s brilliant. Reminding all those dads watching the game of the Israeli fathers held hostage for almost 130 days. As always, we discuss the hostages, the snowballing UNRWA fiasco, heightened by Israel’s disclosure Saturday night of its recent discovery of a massive Hamas server farm located right underneath the UNRWA HQ in Rafah. And even still, UNRWA pretends that it had no idea. Whether this outrage finally causes the west to agree to bury UNRWA and start anew will likely play out in the coming weeks. As will the final Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, on Rafah, where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is holed up with many of the hostages. Will he take the coward’s way out and flee to Yemen, as he is rumored to be interested in doing, or will he go down fighting? To the end?State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

In our weekly chat Ya’akov and I get into the hostage dilemma that continues to tear apart the nation. It corrodes everything and Hamas understands this fully and leverages Israel’s psychic suffering brilliantly. But it feels like we are getting to a point where no victory is more important than bringing them home. Now. We then look at the spectacle of UNRWA imploding. Multiple exposures of UNRWA employees taking active roles in the murder and violence of October 7th and celebrating it since, have been made public and sparked outrage among many large donor countries. The weird part is – there is nothing new here. We’ve seen variations on this level of Hamas-UNRWA comingling for years, and no one really seemed terribly fussed by any of it. It’s hard to know what caused this mass response this time. But the end of UNRWA could be a very positive development, if tied to deradicalization of the population and reconstruction of the Strip.State of Tel Aviv is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe