Podcasts about Eilat

Israel-Lebanon talks resume in Washington. Iran denies allowing IAEA nuclear inspectors back in the country. Shin Bet director warns of potential October 7-style attack in the Eilat area.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget Toomey notes that despite the U.S.-Iran memo of understanding, the Houthis remain a threat, recently firing a drone at Eilat. The group maintains autonomy and does not feel bound by ceasefires. They continue to ban Israelimaritime navigation in the Red Sea, aiming for economic and psychological damage. (13)1958 YEMEN

SCHEDULE JBS, 6-15-20262006 MOLDOVABill Roggio discusses a rumored memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. Roggio expresses skepticism, noting that while the Strait of Hormuz may reopen, the deal fails to address Iran's nuclear program or its support for regional proxies like Hezbollah. (1)Bill Roggio highlights that the ceasefire is a return to the status quo from February. He argues that the military was restrained from finishing the job and doubts the Iranian people's willingness to overthrow the regime. Meanwhile, Hezbollah remains active in southern Lebanon. (2)Ernesto Araújo and Alejandro Peña Esclusa report that in Peru, Keiko Fujimori leads the presidential race, signaling a "blue wave" against narco-socialism. This shift reinforces regional efforts like the Shield of the Americas. Meanwhile, Bolivia faces a "slow-motion coup" by narco-terrorists, which Brazilian President Lula da Silva has largely ignored. (3)Ernesto Araújo and Alejandro Peña Esclusa describe how U.S. forces killed drug lord "El Niño Guerrero" with a drone strike inside Venezuela, signaling a transition and military cooperation against the Tren de Aragua cartel. This action pressures regional leaders and criminal gangs, potentially leading to pro-democratic elections and increased American investment. (4)Bill Roggio warns that Sunni jihadists remain a background threat while the West focuses on Iran. Groups like al-Qaedaand ISIS are gaining ground in Africa and Afghanistan, aiming to establish emirates. Pakistan also faces instability as the Taliban provides safe havens for militants. (5)Ahmad Sharawi discusses President Trump's suggestion of using the Syrian army to conduct strikes against Hezbollahin eastern Lebanon. This "creative solution" aims to disarm the proxy without using the IDF. However, experts warn this could cause a "rally around the flag" effect and increase sectarian tensions. (6)Piero Tozzi and Gordon Chang discuss KMT official Jen Wen, who visited the U.S. to bolster her credentials but faced criticism for meeting individuals linked to the Communist Party. The visit highlighted debates over drone supply chains, as the U.S. encourages "non-red" technology to counter Chinese influence. (7)Fraser Howie and Gordon Chang describe the Iran deal as a "repackaging of failure" and a humiliation for America. Markets are experiencing a relief rally due to AI and stabilizing oil prices, but fail to price in geopolitical damage. Allies now view the U.S. as an unreliable partner. (8)John Hardie reports that Russia launched a massive barrage of 70 missiles and 600 drones against Kyiv, damaging a historic monastery. Simultaneously, Ukraine is conducting a "logistics lockdown" campaign to isolate Crimea by striking fuel convoys and bridges. Despite Russian gains near Kostiantynivka, Ukraine's manpower reforms are improving battlefield stability. (9)John Hardie notes that Jared Kushner and U.S. envoys have frequently visited Moscow to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict. Putin uses phone calls to flatter Trump and promote the idea that Russia is dominating the battlefield. The administration pressures Ukraine to concede Donbas, despite the military defense holding. (10)David Daoud explains that reports of an upcoming memo of understanding between the U.S. and Iran are contradicted by Israel's refusal to leave Lebanon. Iran aims to save Hezbollah, its most critical asset, while the U.S. seeks a modus vivendi with the regime at almost any cost. (11)David Daoud describes a ceasefire deal requiring Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River as "magical thinking" since the fighters are locals. While the IDF faces manpower limitations, Washington continues to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept a withdrawal regardless of Israeli security concerns. (12)Bridget Toomey notes that despite the U.S.-Iran memo of understanding, the Houthis remain a threat, recently firing a drone at Eilat. The group maintains autonomy and does not feel bound by ceasefires. They continue to ban Israelimaritime navigation in the Red Sea, aiming for economic and psychological damage. (13)Samuel Ben-Ur explains that the IDF controls 64% of Gaza, but Hamas remains in control of the remaining civilian population through torture and executions. The group refuses to disarm, as their existence is predicated on destroying Israel. Despite the elimination of top leaders, the organization's decentralized structure allows survival. (14)Edmund Fitton-Brown explains that a memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed in Geneva, focusing on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The deal includes a 60-day ceasefire but leaves critical issues like the nuclear file for later. Skeptics warn of secret annexes and deceptive Iranian propaganda. (15)Edmund Fitton-Brown notes that Russia and China view a ceasefire as beneficial for weakening U.S. influence and entrenching Iranian power. Experts argue the Islamic Republic will never negotiate away its revolutionary pillars, including its militias and nuclear shield. The deal provides a rest period for Iran to rearm for future assaults. (16)Three name corrections: John Hardy → John Hardie (9, 10) Bridget Tumi → Bridget Toomey (13) Samuel Bener → Samuel Ben-Ur (14)

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly called off a further major strike on Iran on Monday following Israel's initial retaliation to Iran's ballistic missile barrages overnight Sunday. With IAF fighter jets on the runway, Trump instructed the premier to deescalate Israel’s fight with the Islamic Republic. Later, the president explained to a BBC reporter, "If I tell him to do something, he does it." On today's episode, we unwind the political ripple effect of Trump's assertion and ask whether Israel is truly still operating as a sovereign nation even as its hands are increasingly tied when combating the terror threat on its northern border. Additionally, as Iran appears to consider Lebanon its own vassal state that is intrinsically embedded in the Trump ceasefire negotiations, we talk through the initial goals of the war launched on February 28 and assess the Jewish state's current standing. In the second half of the program, Horovitz gives a broad-strokes picture of where political parties lie in recent polling -- while it's still anyone's game -- as Israel gears up for elections a few months away. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Trump seeks to tie Netanyahu’s hands, as the partnership that went to war 100 days ago collapses Netanyahu called off major Iran strike after Trump warned Israel would be on its own — reports Vance: Iran deal a ‘home run for the American people,’ whether Israel likes it or not IDF downs drone over Eilat launched by Yemen’s Houthis Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sekitar 422 aktivis kemanusiaan internasional dari armada Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) yang sempat ditahan militer Israel saat mencoba menerobos blokade laut di Gaza, kini telah tiba di Istanbul, Turki, setelah resmi dideportasi. Mengenakan pakaian olahraga abu-abu dan keffiyeh, kedatangan mereka disambut haru oleh keluarga dan perwakilan negara yang telah lama menunggu. Sambil mengacungkan salam dua jari dan meneriakkan yel-yel pembebasan Palestina, beberapa aktivis yang tampak mengalami cedera langsung diarahkan untuk menjalani pemeriksaan medis. Salah seorang aktivis asal Turki, Abdulhamit Yagmurcu, bersaksi bahwa para relawan sempat mengalami penyiksaan dan perlakuan tidak manusiawi selama berada di dalam tahanan militer Israel sebelum akhirnya diterbangkan keluar melalui bandara sipil di Eilat.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. The New York Times printed a bombshell accusation against Israel this week. An op-ed by columnist Nicholas Kristof alleged widespread sexual abuse and rape against Palestinian prisoners. The column alleged “a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women and even children — by soldiers, settlers, interrogators in the Shin Bet internal security agency and, above all, prison guards.” Palestinians quoted in the piece said they’d even been mounted and raped by specially trained dogs. Israel called the article “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel," and promised to sue the NYT. Some of the more extreme claims seem highly unlikely, to say the least, but could a group of guards -- or a prison commander -- be abusing prisoners in violation of the law? Israel's Prison Service is not a well-understood security organization, as bodies like the IDF, the Shin Bet, Mossad, and police garner far more attention. But IPS holds thousands of hardened terrorists from groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and is an important part of the fight against those organizations. To better understand the IPS, its oversight, and how prisoners are treated, we speak to Col. Dakar Eilat, who ran two prisons in Israel. He explains the changes in the prison service's approach to terrorist prisoners that took place two decades ago, removing their ability to order terror attacks from inside prison, and then again after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks. There is no question that after October 7, conditions for terrorists have been reduced to the minimum required by law, he says. But guards can't do whatever they want. Everything that happens in prison is recorded by cameras, says Eilat, with footage then sent to prison service headquarters. Eilat shares some of his personal experiences as a prison commander and the use of force. He says that one of his predecessors had been caught using illegal force on prisoners, and the prison commissioner brought him in to end the phenomenon. That doesn't mean that prisoners were treated lightly. There were strip searches of prisoners, and if they resist with force, "they will be met with force," says Eilat. Still, there are multiple oversight mechanisms, he says. Some 130 organizations -- both Israeli and international -- carry out inspections and oversight of prisons, and during some weeks, he had 5 snap inspections of his prisons. As for the NYT allegations, he calls them "bullsh*t". He says that -- beyond the cameras -- doctors in prisons have an independent chain of command and reporting mechanism, and they would catch signs of abuse. Dog training is overseen by animal rights groups, and official investigations of the prison service are carried out by the Justice Ministry and the police. Covering up systematic abuse like that described in the Kristof piece would take hundreds of conspirators, says Eilat. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: The Blue Glass Dolphin: Healing Old Rifts by the Aquarium Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2026-05-15-07-38-19-he Story Transcript:He: מִרְיָם, אַרִי, וְנוֹחַ עָמְדוּ בְּכְנִיסַת הָאַקְוַרִיּוּם.En: Miriam, Ari, and Noah stood at the entrance of the aquarium.He: שָׁם הָאֲוִיר הָיָה מָלֵא בְּרֵיחַ הַמַּיִם וּבְקוֹלוֹת שֶׁל יְלָדִים צוֹחֲקִים.En: The air there was filled with the smell of water and the sounds of children laughing.He: הָאוֹר הַכָּחוֹל מֵהַמְּכַל הָרָאשִׁי הֵאִיר אֶת כּוּלָּם.En: The blue light from the main tank illuminated everyone.He: דָּגִים צִבְעוֹנִים שָׁטוּ לִיד הַזְּכוּכִיּוֹת בְּאִטִיּוּת.En: Colorful fish swam slowly beside the glass.He: בוֹ עֵת, מִרְיָם נִכְנְסָה לַחֲנוּת הַמַּתָּנוֹת שֶׁבַּפְנִים וְחִפְּשָׂה מַתָּנָה לְאַרִי לְיוֹם הַהוּלֶּדֶת.En: Meanwhile, Miriam entered the gift shop inside, looking for a birthday present for Ari.He: הִיא זָכְרָה כָּמָה סִפּוּרִים וְחַוָּיוֹת שֶׁסִפְּרוּ וּשְׁחָקוּ כְּיָלְדִים, רוֹצֶה לִמְצֹוא מַשֶּׁהוּ שֶׁיִסִּימוּ אֶת הַמִּרִיבָה הַיְשָׁנָה שֶׁלָּהֶם.En: She remembered some stories and experiences they shared and played through as children, wanting to find something that would put an end to their old argument.He: זְמַן הֶחָנוּיוֹת עָמַד לִגְמוֹר, וּמִרְיָם לֹא מָצְאָה עֲדַיִן מַשֶּׁהוּ.En: Time was running out for the shops, and Miriam still hadn't found anything.He: הַמַּתָּנוֹת הִיא לֹא חָשְׁבָה.En: She didn't have any ideas for the gifts.He: הִיא הִרְגִּישָׁה חוֹסֶר יֵאוּשׁ, עַד שֶׁרָאֲתָה דּוֹלְפִין מִזְכֹּוכִית כָּחוֹל.En: She felt a sense of hopelessness until she saw a blue glass dolphin.He: הַדּוֹלְפִין הִזְכִּיר לָהּ נְסִיעָה יוֹתֵר צָעִירָה לְאִילת, אֶתָ וְאַרִי.En: The dolphin reminded her of a trip she took when she was younger to Eilat, with Ari.He: זָרְקָה מַבָּט, וראתה אֶת אַרִי.En: She glanced over and saw Ari.He: הֵם שְׁנֵיהֶם מָשְׁכוּ יָד לְאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹלְפִין, נְדָמִים וּמְחֻבָּרִים לְמַשֶּׁהוּ שֶׁהִלְבִּישׁ אוֹתָם.En: Both of them reached out for the same dolphin, feeling amazed and connected by something that enveloped them.He: הַלֵּב שֶׁל מִרְיָם הָיָה קַל.En: Miriam's heart felt light.He: כִּמְעַט הִיא אַל...En: She almost didn't think.He: "הַיְּשַׁן יָשָׁן," אָמְרָה מִרְיָם בְּשֶׁקֶט, אֶצְלָה שֶׁל הָאַרִי אֵיפוֹא.En: "The old is over," said Miriam quietly, next to the shadow of Ari.He: אַחֲרֵי שֶׁהֵם נָפְגּוּ, דִּבְּרוּ, וְהַחְלִיטוּ לַעֲבֹר אֶת הַחוֹף שָׁבוּעוֹת יַחַד עִם הַמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת.En: After they met, they talked and decided to spend weeks together with their families on the beach.He: מִרְיָם הִתְחִילָה לְהָבִין, מְמִילָא מֵהָרוּחוֹת הַפְּרָטִיות שֶׁהָיָה מִקְאוֹהַ.En: Miriam began to understand, despite the personal storms that came.He: היא מרגישה תחושות של תקווה וּפַּשָּׁר יְשָׁן לַמֻּחָפָּשׁ.En: She feels a sense of hope and a renewed connection with the search.He: אַרִי חָזֹר, וְהַדּוֹלְפִין יִתֵּן לָהֶם לוֹא זִכְרוֹנוֹת גַּם עַל הֶאֶמֶת, בַּשָּׁבוּק שֶׁל שָׁבוּעוֹת זֶה.En: Ari returned, and the dolphin would give them not just memories, but also truth in the weeks following. Vocabulary Words:entrance: כניסהilluminated: האירexperiences: חוויותhopelessness: חוסר ייאושglanced: זרקה מבטconnected: מחובריםenveloped: הלבישrenewed: פשרtruth: אמתaquarium: אקווריוםcolorful: צבעונייםbeside: לידhopelessness: חוסר ייאושbirthday: יום הולדתfelt: הרגישהreminded: הזכירamazed: נדמיםdecided: החליטוfamilies: משפחותstorms: רוחותgave: יתןentrance: כניסתlight: אורpresent: מתנהargument: מריבהblue: כחולshadow: צלweeks: שבועותconnection: מִקְאוֹהַmemories: זיכרונותBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

M

IDF intercepts drone launched east of Eilat. In north, failed Hezbollah attempt to fire missile at Israeli Air Force aircraft. Israel's Noam Bettan to perform Tuesday night in Eurovision first semifinalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At Israel's southern tip, where desert horizons stretch without end, Eilat and the Arava tell a story shaped by distance, daring, and the frontier spirit. Here, improvised flags, pioneering kibbutzim, and an ancient date seed reborn all reveal how life at the edge becomes a laboratory for reinvention. Join us as we explore a landscape where imagination meets isolation—and where the desert becomes not an end, but hopefully also a beginning. Links for Additional Reading “Lost in Eilat” at Segula, the Jewish History Magazinehttps://segulamag.com/en/lost-in-eilat/ “My City – Eilat” at the Digital Archive of UCLAhttps://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog/ark:/21198/z1k716vn The Arava Insitute for Environmental Studieshttps://arava.org/Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!Find more at j2adventures.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Friendship Reborn: Healing Hearts in Eilat's Red Sea Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2026-04-27-07-38-19-he Story Transcript:He: השמש זרחה מעל אילת ובני ישראל חגגו את חג הפסח.En: The sun rose over Eilat and the Bnei Israel were celebrating Passover.He: אריאל ויעל, שתי חברות ותיקות, יצאו לנפוש באילת עם קבוצת חברים.En: Ariel and Yael, two old friends, went on a vacation in Eilat with a group of friends.He: אבל משהו העיב על האווירה.En: But something cast a shadow over the atmosphere.He: ויכוח קטן, שהיה לפני כמה שבועות, הפך לדבר גדול והפריד ביניהן.En: A small argument that happened a few weeks ago turned into a big issue and separated them.He: אריאל הייתה מלאת התלהבות ואופטימיות.En: Ariel was full of enthusiasm and optimism.He: היא רצתה מאוד לתקן את החברות שנשברה.En: She really wanted to fix the friendship that was broken.He: "אני פשוט חייבת למצוא את הרגע המתאים לדבר עם יעל," חשבה לעצמה.En: "I just have to find the right moment to talk to Yael," she thought to herself.He: יעל, לעומת זאת, חשה עצובה ומתרחקת, מקווה שלחברה יש תוכניות לתקן את המצב.En: Yael, on the other hand, felt sad and distant, hoping her friend had plans to resolve the situation.He: בצהרי יום האביב, ניסו כולם לצלול כדי ליהנות מהשוניות הצבעוניות של ים סוף.En: On a spring afternoon, everyone tried to dive and enjoy the colorful reefs of the Red Sea.He: המים היו ברורים והדגים המרהיבים הצביעו על החיים התת-ימיים הקסומים.En: The water was clear, and the magnificent fish showcased the magical underwater life.He: אריאל ידעה שזהו הרגע.En: Ariel knew this was the moment.He: היא לקחה עמוק אוויר, פנתה ליעל ואמרה: "אני באמת מצטערת על הוויכוח ההוא.En: She took a deep breath, turned to Yael, and said, "I'm really sorry about that argument.He: אני רוצה שנהיה חברות כמו בעבר.En: I want us to be friends like before."He: "אבל יעל הייתה זהירה.En: But Yael was cautious.He: "זה קשה לי," היא אמרה בצער.En: "It's hard for me," she said sadly.He: ואז, משום מקום, מזג האוויר התחיל להשתנות.En: Then, out of nowhere, the weather began to change.He: העננים התקדרו, והרוח התחזקה.En: The clouds darkened, and the wind strengthened.He: המים הפכו מסוכנים.En: The water became dangerous.He: אריאל רצתה להיות בטוחה שיעל בסדר ותפסה את ידה, והשתיים החלו לשחות יחד לעבר החוף.En: Ariel wanted to make sure Yael was okay and grabbed her hand, and the two began to swim together towards the shore.He: הן הגיעו בשלום, ספוגות מים, רועדות מקור אך חיוך קטן על פניהן.En: They reached safely, drenched, shivering from the cold but with small smiles on their faces.He: "תודה," אמרה יעל בשקט.En: "Thank you," Yael said quietly.He: "ידעתי שנפנה זו לזו שוב".En: "I knew we would turn to each other again."He: הן צחקו ואריאל חייכה בפעם הראשונה מזה זמן רב, מרגישה הקלה אמיתית.En: They laughed, and Ariel smiled for the first time in a long time, feeling true relief.He: הן החליטו להשאיר את המריבה מאחור.En: They decided to leave the quarrel behind.He: "נלמד לתקשר טוב יותר," אמרה יעל.En: "We'll learn to communicate better," Yael said.He: ואכן, אריאל הבינה את חשיבות התקשורת, ויעל התחילה לסמוך מחדש.En: Indeed, Ariel understood the importance of communication, and Yael began to trust again.He: בים האדום, בין החול וההרים הרחוקים, חברות חדשה נרקמה במהלך חופשה אביבית באילת.En: In the Red Sea, between the sand and the distant mountains, a new friendship was forged during a spring vacation in Eilat. Vocabulary Words:rose: זרחהcelebrating: חגגוargument: ויכוחshadow: העיבenthusiasm: התלהבותoptimism: אופטימיותdistant: מתרחקתreefs: שוניותmagnificent: מרהיביםforged: נרקמהdrenched: ספוגותshivering: רועדותrelief: הקלהcautious: זהירהstrengthened: התחזקהquarrel: מריבהcommunicate: לתקשרsand: החולdistant: הרחוקיםshowcased: הצביעוtrust: סמוךchange: להשתנותclouds: הענניםturned: הפךresolve: לתקןunderwater: התת-ימייםafternoon: בצהריsituation: המצבmoment: הרגעapology: מצטערתBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

حلقة جديدة من البودكاسترز مع اللواء الدكتور سمير فرج في نقاش عميق ومهم جدًا عن أخطر الملفات السياسية والعسكرية في المنطقة والعالم، من مفاوضات أمريكا وإيران، وتهديد مضيق هرمز، وتأثير أي حرب على مصر، لحد مستقبل الصراعات العالمية وشكل النظام الدولي الجديد. بنتكلم في الحلقة عن أسباب فشل المفاوضات بين أمريكا وإيران، وليه مضيق هرمز ممكن يبقى نقطة تحول خطيرة جدًا في المنطقة، وإزاي الألغام البحرية وأزمة النفط والتخزين بيزودوا الضغط على إيران. كمان بنناقش الملف النووي الإيراني، وكلفة الحرب الحقيقية، وهل فعلًا في طرف بيكسب من الحرب ولا الكل بيخسر في النهاية. الحوار بياخدنا كمان لملفات تانية مهمة جدًا، زي نظرة إسرائيل للمنطقة، وأهمية باب المندب في الصراع، والتحركات العسكرية والتحالفات العربية، وقصة المدمرة إيلات واللحظة اللي غيرت شكل الحرب البحرية. ومن أبرز أجزاء الحلقة كمان، تحليل صعود الصين اقتصاديًا وصناعيًا، ودورها المتزايد في أفريقيا، وإزاي العالم ممكن يعيد ترتيب نفسه بعد الحروب الحالية، وأين تقف مصر في كل ده. وفي آخر الحلقة، بنفتح ملفات مهمة تخص إسرائيل والمحاسبة الدولية، والسياسة العربية، والقواعد الأمريكية في المنطقة، وأثر الحروب على الاقتصاد العالمي، وبنوصل لسؤال مهم جدًا: إلى أين تتجه الحروب القادمة؟ وهل أصبح الذكاء الاصطناعي جزءًا أساسيًا من مستقبل المعارك والسلاح والتخطيط العسكري؟ A new episode of Elpodcasters with Major General Samir Farag in a deep and important discussion about some of the most dangerous political and military issues in the region and the world — from US-Iran negotiations, the threat to the Strait of Hormuz, and how any war can affect Egypt, all the way to the future of global conflicts and what the new international order could look like. In this episode, we discuss the reasons behind the failure of negotiations between the US and Iran, why the Strait of Hormuz could become a major turning point in the region, and how naval mines, the oil crisis, and storage issues are increasing the pressure on Iran. We also explore the Iranian nuclear file, the real cost of war, and whether any side truly wins in war — or whether everyone ends up losing in the end. The conversation also takes us into other major topics, such as Israel's view of the region, the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, military movements and Arab alliances, and the story of the Eilat destroyer — the moment that changed the nature of naval warfare. One of the most important parts of the episode is also the analysis of China's rise economically and industrially, its growing role in Africa, how the world may reshape itself after today's wars, and where Egypt stands in all of this. Toward the end of the episode, we open up major questions around Israel and international accountability, Arab politics, US military bases in the region, and the effect of war on the global economy. We then reach one of the biggest questions of all: Where are future wars heading? And has artificial intelligence already become a key part of the future of warfare, weapons, and military strategy? ‎اسمعوا البودكاسترز على | Listen to El-Podcasters on Spotify - https://anchor.fm/elpodcasters Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/eg/podcast/el-podcasters/id1633419184 Anghami - https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1029463712 El-Podcasters Social Media | منصات التواصل الإجتماعي للبودكاسترز: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/elpodcasters Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elpodcasters Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/elpodcasters Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/elpodcasters/ X - https://www.twitter.com/elpodcasters Snapchat - https://snapchat.com/t/3Zbo2vzS Bassel Alzaro - https://www.instagram.com/basselalzaro https://www.facebook.com/BasselAlzaroX https://snapchat.com/t/CoWlatfk Karim Rihan - https://www.instagram.com/karimrihann Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:1) Fighting between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance continued unabated, even as President Trump claimed talks are under way to end the conflict. Iran launched overnight missile and drone attacks on the Israeli cities of Eilat, Dimona and Tel Aviv, as well as US bases in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone in its eastern region, and Kuwait said some power lines were put out of service after an Iranian attack. Sirens sounded in Bahrain. In Iran, the Fars news agency reported US-Israeli attacks that damaged a gas pressure-regulation plant and an administrative building in the central city of Isfahan. There was also a strike on a pipeline supplying gas to the Khorramshahr Combined Cycle Power Plant in southwestern Iran, according to Fars. The attacks continued after Trump postponed strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, citing “productive conversations” with Tehran. The US president’s claims of behind-the-scenes diplomacy were widely denied by Iranian officials, causing confusion over the participants in the talks and the parameters of a potential deal.2) Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have taken steps toward joining the Iran war, the Wall Street Journal reported, potentially signaling an escalation of the fighting. Saudi Arabia agreed to give the US military access to King Fahd Air Base, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter, an apparent reversal after saying its bases couldn’t be used to attack its longtime rival. The newspaper also cited people familiar as saying the United Arab Emirates closed an Iranian-owned hospital and club — undercutting a key source of support for Tehran.3) Senators in both parties expressed rising optimism late Monday about reaching an agreement to end the five-week partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has increasingly snarled air travel across the United States. After Republican senators met at the White House with President Trump on Monday, Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, a key negotiator, said she thought they had a solution to the impasse. On the floor she could be seen talking with members of both parties including Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader. Schumer said “both sides are working in a serious way” as he left the Capitol after a day that began when Trump soured the talks with demands that Republicans tie passage of the partisan SAVE America Act voting legislation to Homeland Security funding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Miriam's Reef Adventure: Finding Courage in Eilat Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2026-02-24-08-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: השמש זורחת בעוצמה מעל המים הצלולים של ים סוף.En: The sun shines brightly over the clear waters of the Yam Suf.He: השונית הצבעונית קורצת לתלמידי הכיתה, כשהם יורדים מהאוטובוס בחוף אילת.En: The colorful reef beckons to the class students as they get off the bus at the beach of Eilat.He: מרים, אבי ותליה חגגו את חג פורים עם תחפושות צבעוניות וצחוקים בדרך הארוכה.En: Miriam, Avi, and Talia celebrated the holiday of Purim with colorful costumes and laughter on the long journey.He: כמובן, פורים היה זמן מושלם לטיול חקר ימי.En: Of course, Purim was a perfect time for a marine exploration trip.He: מרים הייתה מוקסמת מהשונית.En: Miriam was captivated by the reef.He: היא אהבה את הדגים הצבעוניים ואת האלמוגים, ותמיד חלמה להיות ביולוגית ימית.En: She loved the colorful fish and corals and always dreamed of becoming a marine biologist.He: היום היא קיבלה הזדמנות לחלוק את הידע שלה עם הכיתה, אבל פחד האימה שלה מדיבור מול קהל עמד בדרכה.En: Today she had the opportunity to share her knowledge with the class, but her dreadful fear of public speaking stood in her way.He: אבי ותליה היו החברים הכי טובים שלה, והם תמיד תמכו בה.En: Avi and Talia were her best friends, and they always supported her.He: הם הציעו לה להתאמן לדבר מולם לפני ההצגה הגדולה.En: They suggested she practice speaking in front of them before the big presentation.He: בזמן שהשאר התחפשו לתחפושות יצירתיות, מרים התחפשה למדריכת טבע.En: While everyone else dressed in creative costumes, Miriam donned the attire of a nature guide.He: באווירה הקלה של החג, היא אספה אומץ.En: In the light-hearted atmosphere of the holiday, she gathered her courage.He: היא התאמנה להציג את מה שלמדה על דג נדיר שמצאה: דג סוסון ים זעיר ויפהפה.En: She practiced presenting what she had learned about a rare fish she discovered: a tiny, beautiful seahorse.He: כאשר הגיע הרגע הגדול, המורה הזמין את מרים לדבר.En: When the big moment arrived, the teacher invited Miriam to speak.He: נשימותיה היו עמוקות ועיניה נצצו בנחישות.En: Her breaths were deep, and her eyes sparkled with determination.He: היא התקדמה בבטחון קל לפנים הכיתה, וליבה דפק במהירות.En: She moved forward with light confidence to the front of the class, her heart racing.He: כשהחלה לדבר, הפחד התפוגג מעט מעט.En: As she began to speak, her fear slowly faded away.He: היא הציגה את דג סוסון הים בהתרגשות שלא ניתן היה להסתיר, והכיתה האזינה בקשב רב.En: She introduced the seahorse with excitement that was impossible to hide, and the class listened attentively.He: כאשר סיימה, הכיתה פרצה במחיאות כפיים.En: When she finished, the class erupted in applause.He: המורה חייך בגאווה ואמר לה, "כל הכבוד, מרים!En: The teacher smiled proudly and said to her, "Well done, Miriam!He: עשית עבודה נהדרת.En: You did a great job."He: " האומץ שלה זכה בהערכה וכבוד.En: Her courage earned her appreciation and respect.He: מרים חשה תחושה גדולה של הקלה וביטחון עצמי חדש.En: Miriam felt a great sense of relief and newfound confidence.He: היא הבינה שהיא יכולה להתגבר על הפחד שלה.En: She realized she could overcome her fear.He: בסוף היום, כשהאוטובוס חזר לחוף בטוח, אבי ותליה נתנו לה חיבוק חזק ואמרו, "אנחנו גאים בך.En: At the end of the day, as the bus returned safely to the shore, Avi and Talia gave her a strong hug and said, "We're proud of you."He: " מרים חייכה והרגישה שהיא יכולה לעשות כל דבר.En: Miriam smiled and felt she could do anything.He: עתה, היא ידעה שהפחד אינו יעצור אותה יותר.En: Now, she knew that fear would no longer hold her back.He: השונית צבעה את חייה לא רק בצבעים, אלא גם באומץ ובתקווה חדשה.En: The reef had colored her life not only with hues but also with courage and new hope. Vocabulary Words:brightly: בעוצמהbeckons: קורצתcaptivated: מוקסמתdreadful: פחד האימהmarine biologist: ביולוגית ימיתattire: תחפושתlight-hearted: אווירה הקלהgathered: אספהtiny: זעירdetermination: נחישותconfidence: בטחון קלsparkled: נצצוracing: דפקexcitement: התרגשותimpossible: שלא ניתןerupted: פרצהapplause: מחיאות כפייםproudly: בגאווהappreciation: הערכהrelief: הקלהnewfound: חדשrealized: הבינהovercome: להתגברhold back: יעצורhues: צבעיםcourage: אומץhope: תקווהshore: חוףhug: חיבוקBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Mystery on the Eilat Shores: A Hanukkah Adventure Unveiled Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-12-31-23-34-02-he Story Transcript:He: השמש זרחה על חוף הים של אילת, והשמים היו בהירים ומלאים באור.En: The sun rose over the beach in Eilat, and the sky was clear and full of light.He: על החול החם, שמשיות צבעוניות וטיילת עמוסה בתיירים שחגגו את חנוכה.En: On the hot sand, colorful umbrellas and a promenade were crowded with tourists celebrating Hanukkah.He: נועם וטלי, האחים הצעירים, טיילו לאורך החוף בנתיב המחבר את תחנת השחייה שלהם עם הגלים הרכים של ים סוף.En: Noam and Tali, the young siblings, strolled along the beach on the path connecting their swimming station with the gentle waves of the Red Sea.He: "נועם, תראה!En: "Noam, look!"He: " קראה טלי בהתרגשות.En: Tali called out excitedly.He: משהו בים תפס את עיניה.En: Something in the sea caught her eye.He: גל גדול נסוג, והותיר אחריו קופסה אטומה.En: A large wave receded, leaving behind a sealed box.He: הם ניגשו בזהירות, עוקבים אחר קווי הגלים במבט סקרן.En: They approached cautiously, tracing the lines of the waves with curious eyes.He: נועם, נער סקרן ואמיץ, הביט בטלי ואמר, "בואי נמצא מה יש בפנים.En: Noam, a curious and brave teenager, looked at Tali and said, "Let's find out what's inside."He: " טלי, מעריצה את אחיה הבוגר, הצטרפה אליו מיד.En: Tali, admiring her older brother, immediately joined him.He: לפתע שמעו קול מאחוריהם.En: Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them.He: זה היה אלי, קצין חיל הים לשעבר, שעמד עם אותם זיכרונות עצובים מסיפורים ישנים של ים.En: It was Eli, a former navy officer, standing with the same sad memories of old sea stories.He: "הישמרו מזה, ילדים," הזהיר בקול מתון.En: "Be careful of that, kids," he warned in a calm voice.He: "זמן הים יכול להיות מפתיע.En: "The sea's timing can be surprising."He: "נועם, למרות ספקותיו לגבי אלי, החליט לשתף איתו פעולה.En: Despite his doubts about Eli, Noam decided to cooperate with him.He: "מה אתה חושב שיש בפנים?En: "What do you think is inside?"He: " שאל בחשדנות.En: he asked suspiciously.He: אלי התכופף, בדק את הקופסה ואמר, "אולי זה יותר מסתם חפצים שנשטפו לחוף.En: Eli bent down, examined the box, and said, "Maybe it's more than just objects washed up on the shore."He: "בזמן שעבדו כולם לפתוח את הקופסה, טלי גילתה פתאום ניירות מסודרים היטב בפנים.En: As they all worked to open the box, Tali suddenly discovered papers neatly arranged inside.He: "נועם, תסתכל!En: "Noam, look!"He: " אמרה בטון גאה.En: she said proudly.He: הם בחנו את הניירות, שהכילו רמזים רבים למקום הסודי שבו היו צריכים לבקר.En: They examined the papers, which contained many clues to a secret place they needed to visit.He: כאשר התקרבו אל סוף הצפונות, ניגשו אליהם אנשים זרים וטענו שהחבילה שייכת להם.En: As they neared the end of the clues, strangers approached them claiming the package belonged to them.He: נועם, טלי ואלי עמדו יחד, מוכנים לקבל החלטה.En: Noam, Tali, and Eli stood together, ready to make a decision.He: בעזרה של אלי, הם הבינו שהחפצים היו אמנות היסטורית שיועדה לתצוגה במוזיאון מיוחד, ולא משהו מסוכן כפי שחששו קודם.En: With Eli's help, they realized the items were historical art meant for display in a special museum, not something dangerous as they had feared before.He: נטרפים בהשגה מוצלחת, נועם וטלי למדו להוקיר את חוכמתו של אלי, וגם את יכולותיהם האישיות.En: Thrilled by the successful discovery, Noam and Tali learned to appreciate Eli's wisdom, as well as their own abilities.He: טלי הרגישה בטחון חדש, ונועם ראה בה שותפה מלאה בהרפתקה.En: Tali felt a new sense of confidence, and Noam saw her as a full partner in the adventure.He: החוף המשיך להישטף באור השמש, שטוף בזיכרונות מתוקים של חנוכה ושיתוף פעולה מוצלח.En: The beach continued to be bathed in sunlight, soaked in sweet memories of Hanukkah and successful collaboration. Vocabulary Words:rose: זרחהpromenade: טיילתsiblings: אחיםstrolled: טיילוreceded: נסוגcaught: תפסapproached: ניגשוcautiously: בזהירותcurious: סקרןtracing: עוקביםcourageous: אמיץadmiring: מעריצהmemories: זיכרונותwarned: הזהירcooperate: לשתף פעולהsuspiciously: בחשדנותexamined: בדקclues: רמזיםstrangers: זריםclaimed: טענוbelonged: שייכתdecision: החלטהhistorical: היסטוריתdisplay: תצוגהthrilled: נטרפיםappreciate: להוקירconfidence: בטחוןadventure: הרפתקהbathed: נישטףcollaboration: שיתוף פעולהBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Ambassadors and diplomats from 15 European Union nations took part in a beach clean up at the Rishon Le’zion beach yesterday as part of a campaign run by the Tzalul environment association in Israel. Mor Gilboa, the CEO of Tzalul, said that they have organized dozens of beach clean ups along the Israeli Mediterranean coast and Eilat. He told reporter Arieh O’Sullivan that their goal is to boost awareness against littering and pushing for legislation against disposable plastics on beaches. (photo: courtesy) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the Israeli economy react to the war against Hamas?  Hear from a major player on the ground – Dr. Eugene Kandel, former economic adviser and Chairman of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, discusses Israel's financial resilience after the war against Hamas. Having made aliyah from the Soviet Union in 1977 with his family, Dr. Kandel covers the stock market rebound, missed economic opportunities with Jordan and Egypt, and the success of the Abraham Accords.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Take Action: Elected Leaders: Demand Hamas Release the Hostages  Key Resources: AJC's Efforts to Support the Hostages Listen – AJC Podcasts: Architects of Peace The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman:   Professor Eugene Kandel served as economic adviser to the Prime Minister of Israel from 2009 to 2015, and with Ron Sor is a co-founder of Israel's Strategic Futures Institute. He is also chairman of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the only public stock exchange in Israel, known locally as the Bursa. He is with us now to talk about the impact of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza on Israel's economy, the potential and impact so far of the Abraham Accords, and how history could one day view October 7 as a turning point for Israel's democracy.  Dr. Kandel, welcome to People of the Pod. Eugene Kandel:   Thank you. Thank you for having me.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Before we begin, your family came to Israel in 1977. Can you share your family's Aliyah story? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, when I was 14, my family was living very comfortably in the Soviet Union. My father was a quite known writer, playwright, a script writer. And around him was a group of Jewish people of culture that were quite known in their domains, mostly Jewish. And so at some point in 67 he sort of had this vision and started studying Hebrew. But 1970 and then by ‘73 when I was 14 years old, he came to me and said, Look, your mom and I decided to immigrate to Israel. What do you think about it, and I said, I don't know what I think about it. Okay, you know, if we want to immigrate, let's immigrate. I never felt too much belonging there. So unfortunately, Soviet authorities had other ideas about that. So we spent four years as refuseniks. My father, together with Benjamin Fine, were the editors of the underground publication called Tarbut. And for people who did not live there, they put their names on it. So this was, these were typewritten copies of Jewish culture monthly. And there were two names on it. You could go to jail for this. My father was always pretty brave man for his petite size, because during the Second World War, he was very, very hungry, to say the least. So he didn't really grow very much. But he's very big inside.  And so the following four years were pretty tough on them, because he couldn't work anywhere. Just like in McCarty years in this country, people would give work to their friends and then publish it under their own name. That's what he did for his friends, and they would share the money with him, or give him most of the money. There were very, very brave people. And then, you know, there was an incident where they wanted to send a message to my father to be a little less publicly outspoken. And so two KGB agents beat me up.  And that started a whole interesting set of events, because there was an organization in Chicago called Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry. Pamela Cohen. And I actually met Pamela when I was studying at the University of Chicago. And thanked her. So they took upon themselves to harass Soviet cinema and theater and culture officials. And so they were so successful that at some point, the writers league from Hollywood said that nobody will go to Moscow Film Festival unless they release us because they do not want to associate with people who beat up children. I wasn't a child, I was 17 years old, but still. And that sort of helped. At least, that's how we think about it.  So it's worthwhile being beaten up once in a while, because if it lets you out, I would take it another time. And then we came to Israel in a very interesting time. We came to Israel four hours after Anwar Sadat left. So we came to a different Israel. On the brink of a peace agreement with Egypt. And so that was it.  We came to Mevaseret Zion, which was an absorption center. A small absorption center. Today I actually live probably 500 yards from where we stayed. Sort of full circle.  And today, it's a significant, it's about 25,000 people town. And that's the story, you know, in the middle, in between then and now, I served in the military, did two degrees at Hebrew University, did two degrees at the University of Chicago, served as professor at the University of Rochester, and then for 28 years, served as professor of economics and finance at the Hebrew University. So I keep doing these circles to places where I started. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You say you arrived four hours after Sadat's visit to Israel on the brink of a peace agreement with Egypt. Did that peace agreement live up to expectations? Eugene Kandel:   Well, it depends what are your expectations. If your expectation will continue in the war, it definitely did, because, you know, for the last, you know, whatever, 48 years, we didn't have any military activity between Israel and Egypt. And we even have security collaboration to some extent. But if you're thinking about real peace, that would translate into people to people peace, business to business peace, it did not generate that at all. Because there was a very, very strong opposition on the street level and on the intellectuals level.  It actually started to break a little bit, because today you can find analysts on Egyptian television that are saying that we are, we are stupid because we don't collaborate with Israel. It is allowed today, It's allowed to be said in, you know, 20-30, years [ago], that person would have been ostracized and would never be allowed to speak.  So there is some progress, but unfortunately, it's a huge loss for the Egyptian economy. For Israeli economy, it is probably also a loss, but Israeli economy has a lot of alternatives in other countries. But Egyptians don't seem to be able to implement all the things that Israelis implemented a long time ago. You know, whether it's water technologies, whether it's energy technologies. Lots of lots of stuff, and it's really, really unfortunate that we could have helped Egyptian people, the same people who rejected any relations with us. And that's a pity. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The next peace agreement that came was with Jordan in 1994, quite some time later. Did that peace agreement live up to expectations, and where were you in 1994? Eugene Kandel:   1994, I was a professor at the University of Rochester, so I wasn't involved at all. But again, it was a very, very similar story. It was the peace that was sort of forced from above. It was clearly imposed on the people despite their objections, and you saw demonstrations, and you still see. But it was clear to the leadership of Jordan that Israel is, in their case, is absolutely essential for the survival of the Hashemite Dynasty. In the end the Israeli intelligence saved that dynasty, many, many times.  But again, it wasn't translated into anything economic, almost anything economic, until in the early 2000s there were some plants in Jordan by Israeli businessmen that were providing jobs, etc. But I was privileged to be the first to go to Jordan together with American officials and negotiate the beginning of the gas agreement.  We were selling gas to Jordan, because Jordan was basically going bankrupt because of the high energy costs. Jordan doesn't have its own energy, apart from oil shale. Sorry, shale oil. And for some reason they weren't able to develop that. But Israeli gas that we are selling to them as a result of what we started in 2012 I believe. Actually very important for the Jordanian economy. And if we can continue that, then maybe connect our electrical grid, which is now in the works, between the water-energy system.  And now maybe there is a possibility to connect the Syrian grid. If we have an agreement with Syria, it will help tremendously these countries to get economic development much faster. And it will help Israel as well, to balance its energy needs and to maybe get energy, provide energy, you know, get electricity, provide gas. You know, there's all these things where we can do a lot of things together. If there is a will on the other side. There's definitely will on the Israeli side. Manya Brachear Pashman:   In addition to gas, there's also water desalination agreements, as well, right? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, there was a Red to Dead project, which was to pump the water all the way from the Red Sea along the Arava Valley. And then there is a 400 meter, 500 meter drop. And so to generate electricity through that desalinate that water that you pump, and then send that water to Egypt, send the electricity that was generated and not needed to Israel and then dump this salt stuff into the Dead Sea. Frankly, I don't know where this project is. Nobody talks about it for the last seven, eight years. I haven't heard.  Now there are different projects where you would get energy generated in Jordan and sold to Israel in Eilat, for example, because it's difficult for us to bring electricity all the way South. And so if the Jordanians have large fields of photovoltaic energy they can sell, they can satisfy the needs of a lot, and then in return, we can desalinate water and send it to them. So there's all kinds of projects that are being discussed. Manya Brachear Pashman:   But Israel does provide water to Jordan, correct? Eugene Kandel:   There are two agreements. One agreement, according to our peace agreement, we are supposed to provide them with a certain amount of water. I don't remember the exact amount. But that's not enough, and so we also sell them water. So think about it. There is a sweet water reservoir called Tiberius, Kinneret, in the north, and we sending water from there into two directions according to the agreement. We're sending it to Amman, pumping it up to the mountains, and then we're sending it throughout the Jordan Valley, all the way along the Jordan River, to the Jordanian side. So it's quite striking when I used to go between Jerusalem and Amman, it's actually an hour and a half drive. That's it. You go down, you go up, and you're there.  And so when you're passing the Israeli side, you see the plantations of date palms that are irrigated with drip irrigation. So very, very economically, using the brackish salt water that is pumped out of the ground there. You cross two miles further, you see banana plantations that are flood irrigated at 50-centigrade weather, and the water that comes from them comes on an open canal. So basically, 50% of the water that we send this way evaporates. Growing bananas in that climate and using so much water, it's probably, if you take into account the true cost of water, it's probably money losing proposition, but they're getting the water. The people that are the settlements on that Bank of Jordan River, are getting it for free. They don't care. And if somebody would just internalize that, and instead of sending the water down in an open canal, would send the whole water up to Amman, where there is a shortage of water, enormous shortage of water. And then you would take the gravity and use that water to generate electricity, to clean that water, the sewage, clean it and drip irrigate plantations, everybody would make enormous amounts of money. Literally enormous amounts of money. And everybody's lives would be better, okay? And I'm not talking about Israelis. It's within Jordan. And you can't say that there's no technology for that, because the technology is two miles away. You can see it.  And it just puzzles me. Why wouldn't that be done by some entrepreneurs, Jordanian entrepreneurs. We could really help with that. We could even help by buying the water from them back. The water that we give them, we can buy it back. Because in Israel, the water is very expensive. So we could finance that whole thing just by sending the water back, but that would be probably politically unacceptable, I don't know. But it's really, really . . . for an economist, it's just a sad story. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Missed opportunities. Well, let's go back. I introduced you as the chair of the Tel Aviv stock exchange, the Bursa. And I am curious. Let's talk about the economy. Does Israel treat its stock market the same way we do? In other words, are there opening and closing bells at the beginning and end of every day? How does the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange work compared to the United States? Eugene Kandel:   Well, we do have the opening bell, but it's usually reserved for some events. We don't have the events every day. Usually, if there's a new listing, or there's somebody celebrating, like, 20 years of listing, we have all kinds. Recently, we had Mr. Bill Ackman came and gave a speech and opened the trading together with us.  There are events around Jeffries Conference. But it's much more, you know, ceremony, I mean, it's not really connected to anything. Trading starts whether you press the button or don't. But Israeli stock exchange is unique in the following sense: it is an open limit book. What means that there is, you know, buyers meet sellers directly, and it works like that, not only in stocks, which is similar to what it is everywhere, but it's also in bonds, government bonds, corporate bonds, and in derivatives.  So in that sense, we do have our ceremonies, but the interesting thing is, what is happening with the exchange in the last two years. Accidentally, I joined two years ago as the chairman, and over the last two years, the stock exchange, the indices of Israeli Stock Exchange were the best performing out of all developed countries, by far. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Did that have something to do with the war? Eugene Kandel:   Well, it should have been, you know, in the opposite direction, but, the war is, not this length of war, not this intensity of war . . . but if you look back over at least 25 years, the Israeli economy responds very robustly to military conflict. Usually they're much shorter. If you look at even quarterly returns of the stock exchange, you would not know that there was a war in the middle, definitely not annual. If you look over the last 25 years, and you look at this stock, annual returns of the indices, you would not know that there was anything wrong, apart from our 2003 crisis, and Corona. Even the great financial crisis, you would not see it. I mean it was basically past us, because we didn't have a financial crisis in Israel. We had repercussions from, you know, the rest of the world's financial crisis, but we didn't get our own. And so we do have resilience built in, because we're just so used to it. However, having said that, it's the first time that we have such a long and intensive war on seven, whatever fronts. So it is quite surprising that just like any other time, it took about three months for the stock market to rebound after October 8. It was a big question whether to open the market on October 8. We struggled with it, and we decided that we do not want to give anybody the right to disrupt the Israeli economy.  I mean, it was a really tough decision, because there was certain people were saying, Well, how can you do that? It's a national tragedy. And of course, it was a national tragedy. But closing the market would have meant two things.  First of all, it would have shown the world that our economy can be interrupted. It would have given the benefit to those people that did these atrocities, that they managed to do more damage than they already did. And we didn't want to do that. And it didn't collapse. It went down, of course, but it rebounded within less than three months. By the end of that year, it was back on the same level. And then it did this comeback, which was quite phenomenal. And it's an interesting question, how come? Because during that time, we had some cases where Israel was boycotted by investors, very few, by the way, but we also saw many, many new investors coming in.  You could look at the war from the negative side. Of course, huge costs. But with all that, it was about 10% of annual GDP, because we are, you know, we're a big economy, and we borrowed that very easily because we had a very strong macro position before that. So we now 76% debt to GDP ratio. It's much lower than majority of developed countries. But we still had to borrow that. It was a lot of money, and then the defense budget is going to go up. So there is this cost.  But vis a vis that, A, Israeli technology has been proven to be unmatched, apart from maybe us technology in certain cases, but in some cases, even there, we have something to share. And so we have huge amounts of back orders for our defense industries. During the war, and they were going up when some of the countries that are making these purchases were criticizing us. They were learning from what we did, and buying, buying our equipment and software, etc.  And the second thing, we removed the huge security threat. If you look before October 7, we were quite concerned about 150,000 missiles, some of them precise missiles in Hezbollah's hands, an uninterrupted path from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah, constantly replenishing. We would bomb them sometimes in Syria, but we didn't catch all of them. We had Hamas, we had Hezbollah, we had Syrians, we had Iranians. We had, you know, not, you know, Iraqi militia. So, Hezbollah doesn't exist. Well, it exists, but it's nowhere near where it where was at. And the Lebanese Government is seriously attempting to disarm it. Syria, we all know what happened in Syria. We didn't lift a finger to do that. But indirectly, from what happened in Hezbollah, the rebels in Syria became emboldened and did what they did. We know what happened with Hamas. We know what happened with Iran. Okay, Iran, even Europeans reimposed the sanctions. So that's the side effect.  So if you look at the Israeli geopolitical and security situation, it's much, much better. And in that situation, once the war is over and the hostages are returned, and hopefully, we will not let this happen again, ever, to work hard so we remember that and not become complacent. It's an enormous, enormous boost to Israeli economy, because this security premium was quite big.  So that is on the positive side, and if we play smart, and we play strategically, and we regain sort of good relations with some of the countries which are currently very critical of us, and somehow make them immune to this anti Israeli antisemitism propaganda, we can really get going. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You mentioned investors. There were more investors after the war. Where were those investors coming from, internally or from other countries?  Eugene Kandel:   It's interesting that you asked this question, because in 2020, early 2024 a lot of Israeli institutions and individuals moved to S&P 500, and they got really hammered. Twice. Because A, S&P 500 was lagging behind the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. So there was some other players coming in, because otherwise, when you move money, usually, you should see a drop, but you saw an increase. That meant that there are others came in. But the more interesting thing is that shekel was very weak when they bought dollars, and now shekel is about 15% stronger, so they lost 15% just on the exchange rate. And so a lot of money that went to S&P came back in the last six, eight months. So the internal money came back.  But on top of internal money, we looked at the behavior of foreign investors right after October 7. They didn't flee the country. Some of them sold stocks, bought bonds. And then so Israeli institutions made money on that, because Israeli institutions bought stocks from them at about 10%, 15% discount, and then when it rebounded, they made money. But that money didn't leave, it stayed in Israel, and it was very costly to repatriate it, because the shekel was very weak. And so buying dollars back was expensive. And the money slowly went into stocks. And then people made quite a lot of money on this. Manya Brachear Pashman:   The last topic I want to cover with you is external relations. You mentioned Syria, the potential of collaborating with Syria for water, gas. Eugene Kandel:   Electricity. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Electricity. And I presume that you're referring to the possibility of Syria being one of the next members to join the Abraham Accords. That has been mentioned as a possibility. Eugene Kandel:   Maybe. But we can, we can do something much less. Manya Brachear Pashman: Outside of the Accords. Eugene Kandel:   Outside of the Accords, or pre-Accord, or we can, we can just create some kind of collaboration, just we had, like as we had with UAE for for 15 years before the Accord was signed. Was a clear understanding.  Maybe. But we can, we can do something much less outside of the Accord, or pre-Accord, or we can, we can just create some kind of collaboration, just we had, like as we had with UAE for for 15 years before the Accord was signed. Was a clear understanding.  You know, I was in UAE, in Dubai on the day of signing of the Accord. I landed in Dubai when they were signing on the on the green loan, on the White House lawn. And we landed. It was amazing. It was the degree of warmth that we received from everybody, from ministers in the economy to ministers that came to speak to us, by the dozen to people in the hotel that were just meeting us. They issued, for example, before signing the Accord, there was a regulation passed by by UAE that every hotel has to have kosher food. We don't have that in Israel. I mean, hotels mostly have kosher food, but not all of them, and, and it's not by law.  This was, like, clear, we want these people to feel comfortable. It was truly amazing. I've never, I could never imagine that I would come to a country where we didn't have any relations until today, and suddenly feel very, very welcome. On every level, on the street, in restaurants. And that was quite amazing, and that was the result of us collaborating below the surface for many, many years. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Parity of esteem, yes? Suddenly. Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, they didn't feel they did exactly the important part when the UAE businessman or or Ambassador order you feel completely no chip on the shoulder whatsoever. They feel very proud of their heritage. They feel very proud of their achievements. They feel and you feel at the same level. They feel at the same level, just like you would with the Europeans. We always felt that there was something like when, when, Arab delegations, always tension. I don't know whether it was superiority or inferiority. I don't know. It doesn't matter, but it was always tension in here. I didn't feel any tension. Was like, want to do business, we want to learn from you, and you'll to learn from us. And it was just wow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Same in Bahrain and Morocco? Eugene Kandel:   I haven't been to Bahrain and Morocco. I think Bahrain wants to do business. They were very even, sort of some of, we sent the delegation to Bahrain to talk about sort of Israeli technology and how to build an ecosystem in the same with Morocco. I think it's a bit different. I think it's a bit different because we didn't see much going on from from these two countries. Although Morocco is more advancing much faster than Bahrain. There are a lot of interesting proposals coming out of it.  There's a genuine desire there. In the last two years, of course, it was difficult for for anybody to do anything in those but interestingly, when almost no European airlines or American airlines were flying to us, Etihad and Emirates were flying to Israel. They were flying. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Past two years? Eugene Kandel:   Yeah, they would not stop. And you're just like, wow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So would you say the Abraham Accords have had a significant impact on Israel's economy at all? Eugene Kandel:   I do not know. I mean, I don't have data on that by the sheer number. I mean, the the number of Israeli tourists Sue UAE, it's probably 10 or 20 to one to the vice versa. So we've been Israelis flooding UAE. In terms of investments, there are some technology investments. There's some, some more infrastructural investors, like they bought 20% of our gas field. There are collaborations between universities and research centers. So it's hard to measure, but you have to remember that there was a huge amount of trade and collaboration under the surface. So it surfaced. But that doesn't mean that there was an effect on the economy, just people suddenly saw it. So you don't know what the Delta was. If the same amount of business was suddenly coming out of Jordan, we would have seen, you know, big surge. So I'm not sure how much . . . I don't mean to say that there was no impact. I'm just saying that the impact was much more gradual, because there was so much already, right? But I'm sure that it is continuing, and the fact that these airlines were continuing to fly, indicates that there is a demand, and there's a business. Initially a lot of Israelis thought that there was, this was a money bag, and they would go there and try to raise money and not understanding culture, not understanding. That period is over. I mean, the Emiratis conveyed pretty clearly that they not. They're very sophisticated investors. They know how to evaluate so they do when they make investments, these investments make sense, rather than just because you wanted to get some money from somebody. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, thank you so much.  Eugene Kandel:   Thank you.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   If you missed our last episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with AJC's Director of Congressional Affairs Jessica Bernton. We spoke shortly after receiving the news that a deal had been reached and the hostages from the October 7 Hamas terror attack might finally come home after two years in captivity. That dream was partially realized last week when all the living hostages returned and the wait began for those who were murdered.  

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Desert Detour: A Journey of Trust and Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-09-29-07-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: השמש הבהילה בעליות של מדבר הנגב.En: The sun threatened the hills of the Negev Desert.He: האוויר היה חם ויבש, והשטח העצום נראה ללא סוף.En: The air was hot and dry, and the vast terrain seemed endless.He: אלא שהשקט נשבר מדי פעם בצלילי רכב נוסע.En: However, the silence was occasionally broken by the sound of a passing vehicle.He: זה היו אליאור ושירה בדרכם לאילת כדי לחגוג את סוכות עם חברים.En: It was Elior and Shira on their way to Eilat to celebrate Sukkot with friends.He: אליאור מלא באנרגיה, אך קצת בטוח מדי בעצמו.En: Elior was full of energy, but a bit too confident.He: "אנחנו יכולים להגיע לשם עוד היום," הוא אמר בהתרגשות.En: "We can get there today," he said excitedly.He: אך תוך זמן קצר, הוא החל לחוש חולשה קלה.En: But shortly after, he began to feel slightly weak.He: שירה, זהירה ויסודית, הביטה בו בדאגה.En: Shira, cautious and thorough, looked at him with concern.He: "אתה שתה מספיק מים?En: "Have you had enough water?"He: " היא שאלה.En: she asked.He: "אני בסדר," הוא ענה, מתעלם מהסימנים הראשונים להתייבשות.En: "I'm fine," he replied, ignoring the initial signs of dehydration.He: הם המשיכו בנסיעתם, המוסיקה ברכב ליוותה את נוף המדבר המתגלגל.En: They continued their journey, with music in the car accompanying the rolling desert scenery.He: אך אליאור התחיל להרגיש יותר ויותר לא טוב.En: However, Elior began to feel increasingly unwell.He: השמש העמוקה של סתיו חיממה את הגוף, והצמא הלך וגבר.En: The deep autumn sun warmed the body, and the thirst grew stronger.He: "נהיה קרוב לקיבוץ בקרוב, אולי כדאי לעצור שם," הציעה שירה בחשש.En: "We'll be near a kibbutz soon, maybe we should stop there," suggested Shira with trepidation.He: אליאור נד בראשו, "אנחנו קרובים, נמשיך.En: Elior shook his head, "We're close, let's keep going."He: "אך הבריאות של אליאור הידרדרה.En: But Elior's health deteriorated.He: ההחלטה הייתה בלתי נמנעת כששירה הבחינה בזיעה הקרה שכיסתה את פניו.En: The decision became unavoidable when Shira noticed the cold sweat covering his face.He: היא ידעה שעליה לפעול מיידית.En: She knew she needed to act immediately.He: הם פנו לקיבוץ הקרוב.En: They turned to the nearest kibbutz.He: בקיבוץ, התקרב אליאור במהירות למרכז הרפואי.En: At the kibbutz, Elior quickly approached the medical center.He: אנשי המקום קיבלו אותו בברכה והעניקו לו את המים והעזרה שהצליחו להקל עליו.En: The locals welcomed him warmly and provided the water and help that managed to relieve him.He: אחרי זמן קצר, אליאור התחיל להחלים.En: After a short time, Elior began to recover.He: "שירה, הייתי צריך להקשיב לך," הוא אמר בקול שקט אך כנה.En: "Shira, I should have listened to you," he said in a quiet yet sincere voice.He: הוא הבין שהביטחון שלו היה יותר משהיה נכון לנקוט בו.En: He realized that his confidence had been more than he should have relied on.He: הם נשארו לילה בקיבוץ, וביום המחרת קיבלו הסעה לאילת בזכות חברים חדשים מהקיבוץ שהציעו להם טרמפ.En: They stayed the night at the kibbutz, and the next day received a ride to Eilat thanks to new friends from the kibbutz who offered them a lift.He: כשהגיעו לאילת, אליאור ושירה חגגו את סוכות תחת סוכה פתוחה לזוהר הכוכבים, עם חבריהם הישנים והחדשים.En: When they arrived in Eilat, Elior and Shira celebrated Sukkot under a sukkah open to the starlight, with their old and new friends.He: אליאור למד להעריך את זהירותה של שירה ולהקשיב לאינטואיציה שלה.En: Elior learned to appreciate Shira's caution and to listen to her intuition.He: המסע אמנם לא הלך כמתוכנן, אך הוא הציב אותם במקום הנכון בזמן הנכון.En: The journey may not have gone as planned, but it placed them in the right place at the right time. Vocabulary Words:threatened: הבהילהterrain: שטחendless: ללא סוףoccasionally: מדי פעםvehicle: רכבconfident: בטוחexcitedly: בהתרגשותslightly: קלותdehydration: התייבשותscenery: נוףaccompanying: מלווהincreasingly: יותר ויותרdeteriorated: הידרדרהunavoidable: בלתי נמנעתtrepidation: חששconcern: דאגהact: לפעולmedical center: מרכז רפואיrelieve: להקלrecover: להחליםsincere: כנהlift: טרמפstarlight: זוהר הכוכביםintuition: אינטואיציהappreciate: להעריךcaution: זהירותintuition: אינטואיציהenergy: אנרגיהabsorb: לספוגtrepidation: חששBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Monte Judah breaks down Trump's shift on annexation, the U.N.'s push for a Palestinian state, and Houthi drone attacks on Israel in this week's update.00:00 – Introduction & Headlines00:40 – President Trump Opposes Annexation of Judea and Samaria02:10 – U.N. Passes Resolution Supporting Palestinian State04:05 – Houthis Launch Drone Attacks on Eilat, Israel Retaliates06:00 – Prophetic Significance: Nations Turning Against Israel08:15 – The Illusion of Peace vs. Biblical Prophecy10:10 – Encouragement for Believers: Holding to Faith in Yeshua12:00 – Closing Remarks & Shabbat ShalomStay informed on Israel, the Middle East, and biblical prophecy with Messianic World Update — exclusively on LionandLamb.tv. Each week, Monte Judah breaks down the latest headlines, connecting world events to Scripture from a Messianic perspective. From shifting political alliances to the growing pressures on Israel, see how prophecy is unfolding in real time and why it matters for believers today.Watch Messianic World Update every Friday on LionandLamb.tv!

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Netanyahu to address UNGA & meet President Trump re: annexing Judea & Samaria. IDF targets Yemen after Houthi drone attack in Eilat. Legal case: UN official vs. Christian charities. Analysis: John Waage. Film on October 7 through a biblical lens.

Support the work of The Israel Guys: https://theisraelguys.com/donate/ Check out our new film, premiering October 5th: https://theisraelguys.com/temple-mount-location/ On the sidelines of the UN this week, former President Trump met with a number of Arab nation leaders, presenting what he is calling a “21-point peace plan” He reportedly promised Arab leaders he would block Israeli annexation of the West Bank and pressed Hamas to free captives without delay. The UN also adopted a “New York Declaration” to revive peace talks, though tensions flared as Macron urged U.S. pressure, Arab leaders warned about annexation, and Israeli diplomats accused the UN of bias for holding a key Gaza meeting on Rosh Hashanah. Despite the war in Israel for the last two years, Jewish immigration has surged: over 50,000 immigrants have moved to Israel since October 7, with thousands more young volunteers arriving through Masa Israel Journey. On the ground, Israel faced new security challenges after a Houthi drone slipped past Iron Dome defenses in Eilat, striking near a hotel, injuring 48 people, and prompting an IDF emergency response. Follow Us On X: https://x.com/theisraelguys  Follow Us On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theisraelguys Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theisraelguys

Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

WHAT HISTORICAL LESSONS FROM PREVIOUS WARS CAN BE APPLIED TO ISRAEL'S CURRENT CONFLICT WITH HAMAS?HEADLINE 1: Israel's anti-missile laser system is nearly operational.HEADLINE 2: Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack at the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.HEADLINE 3: A Houthi drone evaded Israeli air defenses and slammed into a hotel in Eilat.--FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow, filling in for Jonathan Schanzer, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Executive Director of the Hudson Institute's Public Interest Fellowship Garrett Exner.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"The United States Should be Prudent Regarding al-Sharaa's Turn" - Jonathan Schanzer and Ahmad Sharawi, The National Interest"Human Rights Are the Key to a Free Iran" - Janatan Sayeh, RealClearWorld"US designates 4 Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations" - Bridget Toomey, FDD's Long War Journal

A drone launched from Yemen struck near a hotel in Eilat after warning sirens sounded, while Israel carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon; two Israelis were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at the Allenby Crossing on the Israel–Jordan border before the assailant was neutralized; four IDF soldiers were killed and three others wounded in a roadside bomb explosion during operations in southern Gaza's Rafah.Thank you to Perri Schwartz for contributing scripts to today's show. Israel Daily News website: https://israeldailynews.orgIsrael Daily News Roundtable: https://www.patreon.com/shannafuldSupport our Wartime News Coverage: https://www.gofundme.com/f/independent-journalist-covering-israels-warLinks to all things IDN:⁠ https://linktr.ee/israeldailynews⁠Music: Tik Tak; Erika Krall https://open.spotify.com/track/3nmndTL7UoCZaeTx8Y5QwX?si=28b454fba2ae4bd5

Palestinian terrorists murder six Israelis and wound a dozen more in Jerusalem attack, Air Force downs Houthi drone near Eilat, IDF continues destroying high-rises in Gaza City See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Inside the Epicenter, where we bring you real stories from the heart of Israel. In this episode, cohost Lynn Rosenberg is joined by Judy Pex, a ministry leader based in Eilat, to discuss what it’s like to live—and serve others—during intense and uncertain times in Israel. Lynn shares firsthand accounts of daily life under the threat of sirens in Jerusalem, while Judy offers insights from Eilat, highlighting how routines, faith, and community become anchors during crisis. Together, they explore the challenges faced by families, ministry workers, and displaced people, as well as the importance of scripture, connection, and practical support. Tune in for an honest and hope-filled conversation about staying steady in your heart and serving others during a season of great upheaval. (00:02) "Judy's Shelter Ministry Journey"(04:34) Finding Faith in Uncertainty(09:42) Tensions and Threats in Israel(12:34) Moved to Hostel Room for Safety(15:55) Travel Disruptions and Psalm Reflections(17:53) Faith, Scripture, and Resilience(29:04) "Unity Through Differences"(30:06) "Heart's True Content Revealed When Shaken"(33:51) "Trusting People Over Divine Aid"(37:43) Closing Thoughts and Prayer Requests(41:07) Praise and Gratitude to Jesus(42:59) Supporting Israel's Displaced Families Learn more about The Joshua Fund: JoshuaFund.comMake a tax-deductible donation: Donate | The Joshua FundStock Media provided by DimmySad / Pond5 Verse of the Day: Psalms chapter 73: 22-24. Nevertheless, Lord, I am continually with you. You hold my right hand, you guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I may tell of all your works. Pray for the church to be bold and to see the opportunitiesPraying for the believers to be calm, to come together, to grow in their faith and grow in community, and also to keep our eyes on the Great Commission, that those around us need to know the hope that is in us.Related Episodes:Joel at Refuge Church Pt.2 God Shaking Israel: A Biblical Perspective on Recent Events #296SPECIAL EPISODE: Trump SHOCKS world by ordering B-2 bombers to ATTACK Iranian nuclear sites #295SPECIAL EPISODE: Fmr VP Mike Pence "Trump & Israel must FINISH THE JOB of crushing Iran" #294Israel at War: Urgent Updates and The Humanitarian Response in the Epicenter #293Donate a generous monthly gift to The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and Her Neighbors now and for the long haul. Become an Epicenter Ally today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this uplifting episode of IsraelCast, host Steven Shalowitz sits down with professional basketball player Jared Armstrong, whose inspiring journey has taken him from Philadelphia to the southern Israeli city of Eilat. Jared shares how his love for basketball and deep sense of purpose led him to Israel, where he plays professionally and runs JAB Camp—an initiative that brings together youth from diverse backgrounds through basketball, education, and dialogue. As a Black Jewish athlete, Jared reflects on his unique identity, his advocacy work following October 7, and his efforts to bridge communities both in Israel and the U.S. through sport. Hear how he's using the game he loves to teach life skills, build connections, and inspire the next generation to pursue their dreams with purpose and resilience.