Note: This episode of Israel Policy Pod is an audio recording of a webinar Israel Policy Forum hosted today on Zoom. Yesterday, President Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a deal to end the war in Gaza, which will reportedly see all hostages freed in the coming days. In this Israel Policy Briefing, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow, Washington Managing Director and Senior Policy Analyst Rachel Brandenburg, Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik, and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber shed light on the factors that contributed to this diplomatic breakthrough, the contours of the reported agreement, what we can expect to see in Gaza in the coming weeks, and the impact of the deal for both Israelis and Palestinians.

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Note: This episode of Israel Policy Pod is an audio recording of a webinar Israel Policy Forum hosted today (9/30) on Zoom.

Amid mounting international pressure on Israel and growing determination from the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza, a hostage-ceasefire deal appears to be within reach. As the impact of yesterday's White House visit by Prime Minister Netanyahu comes into focus, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Washington Managing Director and Senior Policy Analyst Rachel Brandenburg join Policy Advisor and Israel Policy Pod host Neri Zilber to shed light on Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, Netanyahu’s current political calculus, the role of various regional players, and what to expect in Gaza in the coming weeks.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron. The trio discuss last week's Israeli strike on the Hamas headquarters in Doha, whether Donald Trump knew of the attack ahead of time, the start of the Israeli offensive into Gaza City, the fate of the Israeli hostages, next week's meetings at the U.N. on Palestinian statehood, reasons for optimism heading into a new Jewish year, and more.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Israel Fellow Nimrod Novik and Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center think tank in Ramallah. They discuss the Israeli government's negative policies towards the West Bank, economic and political instability inside the Palestinian Authority, the benefits and pitfalls of the upcoming Palestinian statehood recognition bid in New York later this month, the latest proposal by Donald Trump for a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, various day-after postwar scenarios, strained Israel-Egypt ties, and more. 

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On this episode, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron join Tel Aviv-based journalist and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber to discuss the current juncture in the Gaza war, including Israel's impending Gaza City offensive, prospects for a deal, Israel's mass demonstrations on Sunday, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the role of the Trump administration, and more.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Col. (ret.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, former head of the Department for Palestinian Affairs in Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate. They discuss the Netanyahu government's decision last week to expand the offensive against Hamas by re-invading Gaza City, the number of Israeli forces and time needed to prepare for such a major operation, what is left of Hamas to destroy, and the potential costs of the operation to Israel, as well as the lack of any realistic day after planning, the prospects for a ceasefire deal, and more. 

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Jeremy Issacharoff, Israel’s former ambassador to Germany. They discuss the growing "diplomatic tsunami" facing Israel, how Israel's current international standing compares to years and wars past, why and how Israel got to this low point, what can be done to remedy the situation, the craft of Israeli diplomacy, Iran's nuclear program after the 12-day war, and more.

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In this timely webinar on the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, LTC (res.) Or Elrom (former COGAT Senior Officer) and Dr. Shira Efron (Israel Policy Forum’s Research Director and The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Fellow) examine the dire conditions on the ground, barriers to delivering aid, what can be done to address the crisis, and where the international community can play a role.

Read our statement calling for urgent action on Gaza's humanitarian crisis here. 

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the crisis inside the Netanyahu governing coalition over the ultra-Orthodox military draft issue, the chances of a snap election being called early next year, the status of the Gaza ceasefire talks, the escalation last week between Israel and Syria over spiraling inter-ethnic violence in the largely Druze part of southern Syria, American Jewish perceptions of Israel and the ongoing war, and more.

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In the wake of the 12-day war against Iran and with the campaign in Gaza still ongoing, Israel’s regional outlook is characterized by both deepening challenges and emerging opportunities. Israel Policy Forum and ROPES—The Regional Organization for Peace, Economics & Security—present a webinar on the state of Israel’s regional integration featuring Ksenia Svetlova (Executive director, ROPES), Farah Bdour (Jordanian policy analyst), and Aziz Alghashian (Saudi policy analyst) in conversation with Rachel Brandenburg (Washington Managing Director and Senior Fellow, Israel Policy Forum). Ksenia, Farah, Aziz, and Rachel unpack the wider regional environment and its implications for Israel, including the aftermath of the Israel-Iran war, the new government in Syria, the new status quo in Lebanon, the state of the Israeli-Palestinian arena, and more.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Tal Shalev, political correspondent at Walla News. They discuss the third meeting this year between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu in Washington, the prospects for a new Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, what Netanyahu may want to accomplish now that the Iran war is over, the ultra-Orthodox military conscription crisis roiling the governing coalition, the fractured state of the Israeli opposition, and more. 

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On this episode of Israel Policy Pod, Alana Zeitchik—Israeli-American advocate, writer, and executive director of The Narrow Bridge Project based in Brooklyn, NY—joins Israel Policy Forum Director Strategic of Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman to share the harrowing story of her family members, who were kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. Most were released in the November 2023 hostage deal, though her cousin’s husband David Cunio and his brother, Ariel Cunio, remain held hostage in Gaza. Alana reflects on the personal toll of the past 21 months, the complex advocacy efforts she’s undertaken across two U.S. administrations, the disconnect between hostage families and much of the American Jewish community, the urgent need to center the hostages’ plight in policy debates, and more.

Follow: @alanalindsay @bring.david.cunio.home @bring.ariel.home
Support the efforts of The Hostages and Missing Families Forum here.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Fellow and Research Director Shira Efron. The trio discuss the success of the Israel-Iran war, whether diplomacy with Iran can work in this new postwar era, the potential of further Israeli and U.S. military action against Iran, the prospect of Netanyahu agreeing to end the Gaza war in return for a Trump-led "grand bargain" in the Middle East, the current state of play in Israeli politics, and more. 

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel to discuss the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the role of President Trump, Israel's success in the 12-day campaign, the murky state of Iran's nuclear program, Iran's lackluster performance during the war, the role of diplomacy and military action moving forward, what impact the conflict with Iran may have on Israel's war in Gaza, and more.

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This is a recording of an Israel Policy Forum webinar held on Wednesday, June 18, at 1pm ET.

Days into its military campaign against Iran, Israel has racked up an impressive series of achievements: decimating Iran’s top military echelon, setting back its nuclear program, taking out drones and rocket-launchers, and achieving freedom of operation in the skies above Tehran. Yet the war’s impact on the Israeli homefront has been costly, with at least two dozen casualties and unprecedented levels of destruction in central Israel. Israel’s endgame and Washington’s appetite to assist in eliminating Iran’s nuclear program remain unclear.

Israel Policy Forum Washington Managing Director and Senior Fellow Rachel Brandenburg hosts Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran program at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, and Kenneth Pollack, vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute, to unpack the state of the war.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel. They discuss the prospects for a new nuclear deal with Iran, the utility of the U.S. and Israel threatening military action, how close a Saudi-Israel normalization deal was before October 7, the truth behind the Biden administration's weapons shipments to Israel, the current state of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and more.

Watch Obama's full eulogy for Shimon Peres here. 

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the recent terror attacks against Jews in America, the safety of the American Jewish community, the controversial new humanitarian aid plan for Gaza and competing narratives over chaos and violence at the aid distribution hubs, growing international pressure on Israel, the latest Israeli domestic political intrigues, and more.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Fellow and Research Director Shira Efron. The trio discuss the launch of Israel’s new offensive in Gaza, growing international pressure on Israel to end the war, concerns over the grim humanitarian situation inside the strip, what President Trump actually wants, and more.  

This podcast was recorded before the terrorist attack at the Capital Jewish Museum. Read Israel Policy Forum's statement below: 

Israel Policy Forum mourns the senseless killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim in the terrorist attack at the American Jewish Committee Young Diplomats reception in Washington, D.C. Our hearts go out to their families and to their Israeli Embassy colleagues, and their killer must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

This was an antisemitic terrorist attack targeting a Jewish event ostensibly carried out in the name of Palestinian solidarity, and there can be no space for this in the United States. Support for Palestinians confers no legitimacy to attack Jews, Israeli or otherwise, and the terrorist who gunned down two innocents last night has only damaged whatever cause he was allegedly trying to advance. Neither the October 7 attacks nor the war in Gaza provide any justification for political violence, and language used in anti-Israel protests that often glorifies such violence must stop. Jews in this country should not have to live in fear because of fighting taking place six thousand miles away, and we reject any attempted connection between these two arenas.

We also reject the immediate rush to map terrorism on American shores to domestic Israeli partisan politics. The political point scoring already taking place, as if the terrorist was motivated by statements from politicians on either side of the spectrum rather than by events on the ground and his own twisted antisemitic hatred, is unseemly and must stop.

Our thoughts and condolences are with the victims’ families.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Ambassador Dennis Ross, lead Middle East peace process negotiator in the H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations and current counselor and William Davidson distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to unpack President Trump's trip to the Middle East. They provide a high-level overview of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration and discuss the U.S.-Israel and Trump-Netanyahu relationships, the present and future of the Gaza war, prospects for a two-state outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Dennis' new book, Statecraft 2.0: What America Needs to Lead in a Multipolar World.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Col. (res.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, former head of the Palestinian arena in Israeli Military Intelligence. They discuss the looming new Israeli military offensive in Gaza, the huge danger it entails not just for the Palestinians but also for Israelis, what will happen to the hostages, the need for a full ceasefire-hostage deal, the prospect that President Trump is able to broker a new truce before the Israeli operation gets underway, and more. 

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the resignation of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the legal and political battle over Bar’s firing by Prime Minister Netanyahu, the prospects for a new hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza, the growing concern over the humanitarian situation inside the strip, reflecting on Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut in the second year after October 7, and more. 

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Naysan Rafati, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. They discuss the current alarming state of Iran's nuclear program, the new diplomatic push by President Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to make a deal with Iran, how this time could be different due to Iran's weakness after 18 months of regional war, the major challenges to actually getting a deal done, the possible implications if diplomacy fails and the U.S. and Israel choose to deploy the military option, and more. 

Read Dr. Shira Efron's op-ed on Israel's Syria policy in Foreign Affairs, here.

Read this week's Koplow Column, here.

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Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Director Shanie Reichman interviews Yotam Cohen, whose brother, Nimrod, remains in captivity in Gaza. A 20-year-old IDF soldier from Rehovot, Nimrod was serving as a tank gunner on the Gaza border on October 7 when Hamas attacked and dragged him into Gaza. Yotam reflects on the fight to free his brother, his perspective on the Gaza war, and Israel’s responsibility to prioritize bringing the hostages home. 

Follow @bring.nimrod.home and @allhostages on Instagram and support the hostage families' fight to bring their loved ones home.

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Tal Shalev, political correspondent at Walla News. They discuss Benjamin Netanyahu's rather unsuccessful meeting with Donald Trump in Washington this week, the Israeli government's war against the so-called “deep state,” the Qatargate scandal, the Netanyahu government’s priorities after Passover, the political fortunes of Yair Golan and Naftali Bennett, and more. 

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On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Barbara Leaf, the former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. They discuss the Biden administration on October 7 and during the Gaza war, the evolving U.S.-Israel relationship during the conflict, reflections of the prior ceasefire-hostage deal talks, the prospects for a new hostage deal and a realistic post-war plan for Gaza, Barbara’s impressions after meeting new Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, Washington under the Trump administration, and more. 

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