Podcasts about West Bank

Tommy and Ben discuss Trump's Ukraine policy announcement and try to unpack how much of it is style vs. substance. They also talk about the massive layoffs at the State Department, Trump's bottom-of-the-barrel ambassador picks for crucial posts in Southeast Asia, the investigations into Pete Hegseth's top aides at the Pentagon, and the president's excruciating meeting with African leaders at the White House. Additionally, they dig into Trump's vendetta against Brazil, explore the evidence behind the claim that Jeffrey Epstein worked for Israeli intelligence, the defection of some of Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition partners, the murder of an American-Palestinian man in the West Bank by Israeli settlers, and the latest Cuba fumble from Marco Rubio. Then, Tommy speaks to Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy and a former foreign policy adviser to Bernie Sanders, about how Democrats must reshape foreign policy for the Trump era and beyond.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Wednesday on the News Hour, the family of a Palestinian American killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers speaks out about his death and the escalating conflict. Rural public media stations face an uncertain future as the Trump administration moves to slash funding. Plus, Canadian tourism to the U.S. drops dramatically in the wake of harsh rhetoric from President Trump. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Headlines for July 15, 2025; Beaten to Death: Eyewitnesses Describe Brutal Killing of U.S. Citizen by Israeli Settlers in West Bank; “Gator Grift”: Hundreds Caged in Inhumane Conditions with No Due Process at Florida Immigrant Jail; “Purge Palantir”: Day of Action Protests Firm’s Role in Gov’t Surveillance, ICE & Genocide in Gaza

Times of Israel analyst Haviv Rettig Gur discusses the next phase of the war in Gaza and Israel's many enemies. Also discussed are the ideological roots of Hamas's mission to destroy Israel, settler violence in the West Bank, and the difficulty of safely getting food to the citizens of Gaza. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠

There was good news and bad news for Ukraine in President Donald Trump's announcement yesterday. The Department of Health and Human Services is carrying out mass firings. China's economy did better than expected in the last quarter. We'll hear from the family of an American Palestinian man killed in the West Bank, as they call for the US to investigate his death. Plus, flooding has hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An American citizen is killed by Israeli settlers. We have a special report on the escalating violence in the occupied West Bank. Then, Israel hits targets in southern Syria, saying it's protecting the Druze community. What does it all mean for Syria and its stability? Plus, the International Criminal Court warns that war crimes may be committed in Darfur. Where is the accountability? Finally, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers gives Walter Isaacson his take on President Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gaza: 875 people confirmed dead trying to source food in recent weeksNo let-up in occupied West Bank killings linked to settlers and Israeli militaryUkraine: Civilians under fire in record numbers as attacks surge

Attorney General Pam Bondi released a two-page memo stating that convicted sex offender Jefferey Epstein did not have an incriminating "client list." After Epstein's death in 2019, he became the subject of conspiracy theories, bolstered by conservative leaders including Trump himself. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan explains more. And, a U.S. citizen was killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday. The family of Sayfollah Musallet say Israeli settlers beat Musallet to death. NPR's Daniel Estrin shares more. Then, employees are using artificial intelligence tools to streamline their work. That can save a lot of time, but many companies want people to use that time to do more work. Wall Street Journal columnist Callum Borchers explains more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube.

Send us a textOur guest today is Issa Amro, a Palestinian Muslim who was nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent resistance, activism, and human rights defense work amongst Israeli occupation and settlers in Hebron, West Bank.We are also graced with a guest-host Ana D. Loucks who lives here in Goshen with her family and is the co-Director of Michiana Voices for Middle East peace. You can read her full bio below. A content warning, Issa talks briefly but frankly about the violations of the Israeli military, which include being beaten and sexual assault Issa's story and commitment to remain in Palestine for his people is one that will stay with me always. Issa's Full BioAna's Full Bio: Ana D. Loucks graduated from Goshen College in 2013 with an Interdisciplinary Degree focusing on Peace Studies with minors in Women's Studies and Social Work. She currently works with Michiana Voices as co-Director and enjoys reading, baking, knitting and coffee. Resources Mentioned: Michiana Voices for Middle East Peace: https://michianavoices.org/More on the Ibrihimi Mosque Massacre by Baruch Goldstein The Wanted 18 FilmPhoto credits (takes you to a google sheet with all the credits linked)Anna's Photo website: https://www.kindredrootsphotography.com/Support the showFollow us for more ✨bad✨ content: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calledtobebad_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calledtobebad Website: https://calledtobebad.buzzsprout.com/ Want to become part of the ✨baddie✨ community? Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/calledtobebad or Buy me a Coffee: https://coff.ee/calledtobebadpodcast Have a ✨bad✨ topic you want to talk about on the show? Get in touch with host, Mariah Martin at: calledtobebad@gmail.com #ctbb #podcast #podcastersoffacebook ...

Members of the Cabinet have defended the refusal of travel visas for Palestinian children due to take part in a GAA tour of Ireland, which was to include a visit to Clare. 47 participants – including 33 children and 14 sports officials were to travel from the West Bank, before they were refused visas by the Immigration Service. The aim of the two-week tour was to foster friendship, solidarity and sporting connection through the GAA. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said any decisions on the visas had to be made in accordance with the law. Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris defended the decision in the Dáil, saying there were “legitimate checks in relation to child protection” involved, even though the tour body from the West Bank says it has repeatedly sent documentation and been ignored. For more on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by Éamonn Meehan, Clare based chairperson of Sadaka, The Ireland Palestine Alliance. Dept of Justice Statement: Each visa application is decided on its own merits. Confirming that appropriate child protection requirements are in place is essential when considering visa applications for minors. This includes a requirement that a child is travelling with their parents or an appropriate guardian, which requires additional documents to be verified such as birth certificates and consent letters. In adult cases, evidence of financial means, employment or other ties that indicate a person intends to return home are important criteria. These help to establish that a person has a legitimate reason to come to Ireland, and that they will comply with the conditions of a short-term visa. An application will be refused if it cannot demonstrate compliance with such conditions. An appeals process is available to anyone who has a visa application refused.

Funerals were held for two Palestinians, one a US citizen, killed in the West Bank, over the weekend. Syrian authorities have closed a border crossing with Turkey after forest fires spread close to the coastal area north-west of the country. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran is "not afraid" of returning to negotiations on its nuclear programme. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: Palestinian-American man beaten to death by Israeli settlers, authorities say Syria shuts land crossing with Turkey after forest fires spread near border Iran 'not afraid' of nuclear negotiations but needs to be certain of US commitment This episode features Thomas Helm, Jerusalem correspondent; and Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Jordan correspondent. Editor's note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.

As Israel’s war on Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria continues, we’re coming to you on Sundays with a weekly roundup. This week: Israeli settlers killed a Palestinian American in the occupied West Bank. Israeli soldiers continued shooting Palestinians in Gaza as they tried to obtain basic supplies. It is day 646 of the war in Gaza, where at least 57,882 Palestinians have been killed. In this episode: Nour Odeh, (@nour_odeh) Al Jazeera Correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum, (@TareqAzzom) Al Jazeera Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

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. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. According to a Channel 12 Israeli television report, later today, Israel will present new maps for the IDF’s redeployment in the event of a ceasefire-hostage release deal along the Morag Corridor and perimeter around Gaza after Hamas rejected its previous offer. Magid updates us on the status of the Doha talks and speaks about the blame game from both sides. We hear about how the Trump administration is playing the "Witkoff card" -- or when US envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff will finally join the talks and what it will signify when he does. We turn to the results of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington, DC, even as he comes home without any overt deals. What else was on the table for the trip and what was accomplished? Over the past day, security forces arrested six people in connection with an incident in the West Bank yesterday, where settlers allegedly killed two Palestinians on Friday. US citizen Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was allegedly beaten to death in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said. A second man, Mohammed Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot during the attack, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry. Magid describes what we know about this incident and weighs in on whether any rigorous investigation will be launched. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Doha talks stuck on IDF withdrawal; Palestinian officials say discussions nearing collapse US won’t allow Israel to resume war, but rejects truce text saying so explicitly — sources Two Palestinians, including US citizen, killed by settlers in West Bank attack — PA Family of American-Palestinian man allegedly beaten to death by settlers urges US probe Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Demonstrators in Tel Aviv protest against the Israeli government and for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, July 5, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid starvation and horrifically escalating atrocities in Gaza, Israel announces plans to build a giant concentration camp on the ruins of Rafah, an evident preparation for forced "transfer" of the Palestinian populatin from the Strip entirely—an idea Trump enthusiastically embraces. On the West Bank, amid growing settler attacks, more Palestinian land is enclosed behind separation walls built to protect Israeli settlements. And amid all this, Benjamin Netanyahu (wanted for war crimes by the ICC) meets with Trump in Washington to openly discuss the "transfer" plan—and announces that he has nominated the American president for the Nobel Peace Prize. In Episode 286 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg argues that Trump could in fact get get the Nobel prize while facilitating genocide in Gaza and instating a mass detention state in the US—a fitting inauguration of the fascist world order. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our new special offer! We now have 65 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 66!

Aidan Magee delivers the news on President Trump announcing new tariffs on Mexico and the E.U., an American citizen being killed in the West Bank, and a professor going missing after being detained during protests on immigration raids on 7/13/25.

In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli settlements have increased rapidly; a fast-moving fire on the outskirts of Marseille has destroyed homes and forced hundreds to evacuate; and an Australian Commission has ruled that British colonists committed genocide against the Indigenous population of Victoria.

A preliminary report on the Air India crash that killed 260 people in June has found that both fuel control switches were in the cut-off position - a step that turns off the engines - moments before the plane crashed in Ahmedabad. Also on the programme, the US says it's aware of the killing of an American citizen in the occupied West Bank after his family said he'd been beaten to death by Jewish settlers; and, a look at the Wimbledon women's final.(Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the open ground, outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where it took off and crashed nearby shortly afterwards, in Ahmedabad, India July 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave)

US President Donald Trump says he intends to impose 30 per cent tariffs on goods imported to the US from the EU and Mexico, starting from the first of August. He blames both the US trade deficit with the EU for this announcement, alongside Mexico's failure to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the US. An economist gives us his thoughts.Also on the programme: We speak to a relative of a passenger killed in last month's Air India plane crash after it emerged that fuel switches were cut off before the incident; two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank according to the Palestinian health ministry; and Polish tennis player Iga Switek wins this year's women's Wimbledon title.(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks to the media on 11th July 2025. Credit: Will Oliver/EPA/Shutterstock)

Real Violence Waits for No One's SpeechPeople raised in safe places believe every fight has a referee. They think there will be time to puff up, to circle, to monologue like a Bond villain or a protest poet. They believe words can protect them from what happens when fear becomes action. But real violence is not a schoolyard. It is not a protest with polite arrests. It is not an argument online. Real violence moves first, strikes without ceremony, and leaves no room for your big speech.For a long time in America, people have stood nose-to-nose with men in armor and guns, screaming, recording, throwing rocks, confident that the bubble of restraint will hold. And it has — mostly. Federal agents know that the first bullet they fire on camera can cost them their career, their command, their freedom. So they stand there in body armor and helmets, bristling with rifles and flashbangs, because they have orders to hold the line until they can't. They are pit bulls with a master's leash.But that leash is not eternal. One day, someone on the other side will fire first. One day, an agent will not come home. And the moment that happens, the leash snaps. The plates on their chest, the full magazines strapped across their armor — all that preparation stops being a show of force and becomes a tool for killing. What was restraint turns into a hunting party. The bubble will not hold.Worse still is when there is no leash at all. Settlers on the edge of the West Bank know this well. They live every day knowing that their neighbors see them as occupiers, that every olive grove and well is another line to be crossed. They may wear civilian clothes, but they are not untrained. They have done time in the IDF. They know what it means to point a rifle at someone they see as a threat. And they do not wait for you to finish explaining why you think you're right. They will not wait for your chant to echo off the hills. They will move before you understand that the fight was real.Some people think they can read who they're facing. They see a scrawny man in old boots or a polite father in a hoodie and decide he's harmless. But you never know what someone has done or rehearsed in their mind. You do not know who grew up in the shadows, who trained to break you before you ever speak. Some people are waiting for the fair fight to start. Others know the only fair fight is the one that ends before the other man knows it began.When the blood comes, people will mourn. There will be vigils and front-page headlines. The first death is a tragedy. The first name matters. But humans adapt. What is shocking today becomes routine tomorrow. Gaza's dead blur into numbers. Chicago's murders roll across the ticker. Ukraine's front lines become background noise. It happens anywhere the cycle starts. And it will happen here if it comes to that.If you take anything from this, let it be this: the ones who survive real violence know there is no script, no pause, no referee. The only move worth making is the one that ends the threat before the threat ends you. The smart ones never show up if they can help it. But if they do, they do not wait for permission. They do not wait for you to finish telling them who you think you are.Real violence waits for no one's speech. It does not care about your cause, your courage, or your camera. It does not care about your last words. Once the leash is off, once the line is crossed, it will not stop because you asked nicely.May you never have to learn that by burying someone you love. May you know when to walk away. May you know that when the bubble breaks, the grave will not care how good your monologue was.

Le comunità del West Bank subiscono atti di vandalismo e intimidazioni costanti dagli estremisti israeliani e sono supportati dal governo. Yarin Levin, ministro della Giustizia di Israele ha dichiarato: "Annetteremo la Cisgiordania". "Vent'anni fa qui abitavano venti famiglie. Dal 7 di ottobre hanno incominciato ad aggredirci quasi quotidianamente e un po' alla volta tutti se ne sono andati. Siamo rimasti noi" dice Koran Basharath, pastore di un villaggio nella Valle del giordano. "Sono violenti e armati" dice Elie Avidor, israeliano, veterano di guerra, oggi "combattente pacifico" contro l'occupazione della Cisgiordania. Anche l'agricoltore israeliano Peretz Gan, come Avidor, lotta per i diritti dei palestinesi. Lui fa parte dei Jordan Valley Activists. "Li supportiamo – spiega - sia finanziariamente che legalmente. Quello che facciamo è monitorare la situazione, presidiare il territorio, raccogliere prove degli abusi, fotografie di aggressioni, denunce". Ma queste violenze accadono anche vicino a Ramallah. Padre Bashar è il parroco di Taybe, cittadina cristiana che si sta spopolando a causa delle aggressioni dei coloni.

The toll of war is often measured in figures: the number of people killed, injured or displaced. But how do we calculate the cost of ending a war? In the case of Gaza, where Israel continues to pursue a 20-month military offensive, the sacrifices will be difficult to quantify. US President Donald Trump had been confident that a ceasefire would be reached this week as Israel and Hamas negotiate through mediators in Doha. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited and left the White House without a deal being reached. It's not the first time such talk talks have dragged on, but the collapse of the previous truce brings caution in its wake. Between the lines of any potential agreement are conditions that could be catastrophic for Gaza. What would aid distribution look like after the war ends? Will the entire population be “concentrated” into camps, as Israel's defence minister stated? Is reconstruction an option at all at this point? Will the strip be militarily occupied? Meanwhile, what impact will all this have on the West Bank? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses the painstaking efforts to end the war in Gaza and how a ceasefire could impact security, aid and governance in the enclave. She speaks to Tahani Mustafa, senior Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group, and Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University. Editor's Note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that 'careful consideration' was given to Palestinian GAA team's visa applications. As we reported earlier this week, 47 members of the team were due to come from the West Bank next week, but they were refused due to “insufficient documentation”. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast was Gill Waters, GAA Palestine Press Officer.

The EU has awarded Finland around $105 million to help purchase a new icebreaker ship. It's part of a global race to expand fleets with the capacity to safely move through the Arctic as climate change opens up new pathways through the ice. Also, Houthi rebels strike two ships in the Red Sea. And, Palestinian Christians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank say they're facing “systematic attacks.” Plus, the Olavide Museum in Spain, which was founded in the late 19th century and contains hundreds of life-sized models of people infected with cutaneous diseases, is set to close its doors.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Yemen sends Israelis running for shelter at 5 am; A 22-year-old Israeli man killed Thursday in a terror attack at a West Bank;  Israeli soldier killed during a Hamas abduction attempt in southern Gaza & A New bill would let a fresh Israeli government fire most top security and public officials within its first 100 days. Do you think its fair? Plus! A Torah though by Rabbi Yossi Madvig of Oswego, NY.Click that you heard about Hasod (gift boxes) from “a podcast” when you check out. https://www.hasodstore.com/shopsmallIsrael 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: Daleko; Erika Krall & Asher Swissa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYkrfruuNDI

Join us as we chat with Peter Owen about incredible events transpiring in the world. Most exciting is that the first signs of actual peace coming to the Mountains of Israel (Judea and Samaria, or the West Bank) are now visible. We have long waited for this, and it heralds the greatest events that have ever taken place on earth.

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports on the Trump administration's attempt to punish a UN investigator for criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

In this packed episode, CannCon and Ghost tackle a slate of global and domestic flashpoints. They start with Russia's formal recognition of the Taliban government, unpacking how Moscow rebranded the Taliban from a terror group to a regional partner and why Trump's Doha Agreement laid the groundwork. The conversation turns to Netanyahu's tense visit to Washington, where he failed to secure Trump's blessing for annexing the West Bank and left without a breakthrough on Gaza, signaling a rare public rift. The hosts highlight Israel's plan to corral 2.2 million Gazans into a “humanitarian city,” warning it could become a de facto concentration camp. Domestically, they dig into the Biden administration's move to ban Chinese nationals from buying U.S. farmland, the Supreme Court's decision clearing Trump to order mass federal layoffs, and the swirling debate over mass deportations and farm labor visas. On the climate front, they dismantle mainstream dismissals of cloud seeding after Texas floods, citing chaos theory to argue small manipulations can trigger outsized effects. With plenty of sharp humor, sidebars on North Korea's K-pop psyops, and reflections on Epstein files, this episode challenges official narratives from every direction. 

This year marks 20 years since the launch of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement—a global call for justice, freedom, and equality for Palestinians. In this special episode, Michael Arria with Omar Barghouti, co-founder of BDS, to reflect on two decades of grassroots resistance, the movement's growing global impact, and why BDS is more vital now than ever in the face of escalating repression and genocide in Gaza. This is a conversation about power, solidarity, and the enduring fight for liberation. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical, independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser, leave us a review, and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Power & Pushback Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Instagram X (Twitter) Facebook YouTube Bluesky Mastodon Telegram  

Germany needs to end its blind support for an Israeli government which has a genocidal agenda, say Rula Daood and Alon-Lee Green, co-directors of “Standing together”. Israel's largest Arab-Jewish grassroots movement has been at the forefront to stop their governments bloody war on the people of Gaza. On the Dissens Podcast the Palestinian citizen of Israel and the Jewish Israeli talk about the struggle of the Israeli peace camp, the complicity of the German government and ways to support the cause for a just peace for all.

Palestinian GAA clubs from the West Bank are set to arrive in Ireland next week (18th July) for a tour, with a visit to County Clare as part of the itinerary. The 47 participants, including 33 children between 9 and 16 years, will travel from Tulkarm, Ramallah, Jenin, Beit Lahm and Al Khalil for a two-week tour to foster friendship, solidarity, cultural understanding and athletic development. They are expected in Clare towards the end of July. For more on this Alan Morrissey was joined by Claire Liddy, social care worker. PHOTO CREDIT: Éire Óg GAA

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: A political rebellion in the West Bank: tribal leaders in Hebron reject the Palestinian Authority and extend a surprising offer of peace to Israel. Deadly floods in Texas leave a growing death toll as rescue efforts continue across the state. China privately tells the European Union it cannot accept a Russian defeat in Ukraine—raising new concerns about Beijing's long-term strategy. And in today's Back of the Brief: Two Americans are injured in an attack on a U.S.-backed aid site in Gaza—and The Washington Post walks back explosive claims about Israel targeting civilians. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Lean: Visit https://TakeLean.com & use code pb20 for 20% off Kikoff: Build credit fast and get your first month for just a dollar at https://GetKikoff.com/miketoday. Thanks to Kikoff for sponsoring us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyehu meet in person for the first time since the airstrikes on Iran's nuclear capabilities by the U.S. and Israel. How successful will the President be in making deals with both Iran and with Hamas? Plus, Elliot Kaufman discusses a proposal by sheikhs in Hebron for a multi-state solution which would bring peace to the West Bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A group of sheikhs from the Hebron of the West Bank have approached Prime Minister Netanyahu with an initiative to secede from the Palestinian Authority and establish an independent emirate that will join the Abraham Accords.The initiative is said to have been met with disagreement in the security establishment, with opponents warning of chaos in the Palestinian territory while supporters say it is an historic opportunity for change. Reporter Arieh O’Sullivan spoke of the initiative with Avi Melamed, Founder of Inside the Middle East Institute. (photo: Noam Moskowitz/flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this edition of the Cultural workers for Palestine program, for July 2025, we hear from Palestinian American artist Sam Sundos. In this interview Sam speaks about different artistic projects and practices, including work in traditional Palestinian cross stitch, embroidery, called Tatreez. Also Sam speaks about building relationships between Palestinian artists in Brooklyn and those living under occupation in the West Bank and the conversations that emerge from that process. Learn more about Sam's work here: https://www.samsundos.com/ This interview series hosted by Stefan Christoff airs on the first Monday of each month on Radio AlHara at 5:30pm, Palestine time, 10:30am eastern time. Also this series airs on CKUT 90.3 FM on the third Friday of each month at 11:30am. To listen in on Radio AlHara visit : radioalahra.net Music on the program is an excerpt of Passage by Anarchist Mountains

John 19:38-42After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, a follower of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, came to Pilate and asked if he could take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came to remove his body. Nicodemus, who at first had come to Jesus by night also came, bringing with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body, wrapping it in the spices and linens, according to the Jewish burial customs. Now, there was a garden in the place where Jesus had been crucified and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been [buried.] So, because it was the Jewish Day of Preparation, and because the tomb was nearby, they laid the body of Jesus there. “The Primeval Mythology of Genesis: Creation”I've already heard some curiosity – maybe mixed with some cynical suspicion – about the title of this new sermon series: “The Primeval Mythology of Genesis.” Curiosity and suspicion aren't terrible things and I think it's the word “mythology” that stirs the pot for some people, which was kind of our goal. Part of the point with this next round of sermons is to remind ourselves and each other that we're called to read the Bible LITERATELY, not LITERALLY, and to see that its message and good news – its grace, hope, and promise – go deeper and wider when we do.So first, things, first … which is what “primeval” means, sort of … first things; of the earliest ages; the beginning of the beginning, you might say. The first eleven chapters of the Bible's first book are where we will spend our time the next few weeks. The good stuff before the good stuff. The stage-setting. The foundation. The genesis, is where we begin.And the word “mythology” rightly ruffles feathers if we are inclined to equate the foundational narrative of our faith story with the fables, fairy tales, and fictional “myths” of, say, the Greek gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, and the like); or Aesop's fables; or the tall tales of the wonderful world of Walt Disney. But that's not what we're up to.“Myth” and “mythology” can mean something more, something deeper from a theological perspective, which is what we plan to wrestle with. I would contend that, when we limit stories like creation, where we are beginning this morning, to all and only what we can glean from it LITERALLY, that that's precisely how and when we reduce it to something like a mere fable, a fairy tale, a fictional “myth,” rather than when we wonder about the holy, sacred, profound Truths that this story – and the others like it in Scripture – hold for our life and faith in this world. And where better to start than at the very beginning – “it's a very good place to start” – in the beginning, with the fact that, if we're honest, the two very different versions of creation that we just heard – from Chapters 1 and 2 of the same book – make it really hard to take either of them LITERALLY?I mean, those are two very different versions of the same story, right? (Many Bibles, like the ones we read from each Sunday, say it plainly. Chapter 2 is “another story of creation.”) The story in Chapter 1 tells of the day-by-day, very long work-week of the Almighty, who creates first this, and then that, with a break and no small measure of satisfaction between each.“…and God saw that it was good…” “…and God saw that it was good…” “…and God saw that it was good…”“…and there was evening and there was morning, the first day…” “…and there was evening and there was morning, the third day…” “…and there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day…”But Chapter 2 goes down altogether differently. In that version of creation, God – like some sort of holy potter, or divine craftsman, or sacred sculptor – makes a man from the dust, then plants a garden and puts him to work, then decides he could use a companion and some help, so then creates all the rest, and a woman, to boot.In version #2, we don't know which came first or next, on which day. And none of that matters.What matters is that God, something Divine, did something divine – created the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them. What matters is that it was and is good. What matters is that we are part of that goodness – you and I – and all people – created good, by God; and created for good, for God's sake.What matters, if you ask me, is that we stop reducing the Bible to some sort of prehistoric science book – the authors of which never could have known a thing about bunker-busting missiles or atomic bombs; about Gaza or the West Bank, as we know of them today; about electric cars, school shootings, cancer, chemo-therapy, Medicaid or social media. And that's okay. These stories have something to say to all of that – and to all of us – nonetheless.Because what the creation stories tells us – among so many other things – is that we are made in the image of the divine, even though we do so much to make that hard to believe. And we are made in the image of the divine, not just because we have heads, shoulders, knees, or toes……but we are made in the image of the Divine because we are made for community, like God; with the power to create and care about and have compassion, like God; that we have the capacity to do justice, like God; make sacrifices, like God; be generous, like God; forgive, like God; and love one another, like God.Oh, and this is important: the stories of creation make it very clear that none of us IS God and that we shouldn't try to be – which Pastor Cogan will get to next week, I believe.Instead, for now, let's let the stories of creation inspire within us what, I believe they were meant to inspire and to teach and to proclaim all along: a sense of reverence and awe about what God can do; a posture of humility and gratitude for our part in the grand scheme of things; and a response from each of us – and all of us together – that is generous, careful, and full of service that acknowledges our connection to all people and to the grand scheme of things.Because today's good news includes the notion that we are created “just a little lower than the angels” – as the Psalmist puts it – and that God calls us to live differently because of that Truth. God invites us to tend to and care for what belongs to God – the earth and all that is in it. God calls us to replenish what we use up – from the earth and from each other, too; to give more than we take, save, and keep for ourselves.So, what if these primeval creation stories are nothing more – and certainly nothing less – than prehistoric best efforts at describing something that cannot be described; that is too big for words; that are meant to love us and leave us in awe and wonder for what God has done for us – and hopes to do through us – for the sake of the world where we live?What if these primeval creation stories are nothing more – and certainly nothing less – than poetic prose from a prehistoric Mary Oliver, who could marvel at creation as well as anyone, as far as I'm concerned? Her poem Wild Geese, goes like this:You do not have to be good.You do not have to walk on your kneesfor a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.You only have to let the soft animal of your bodylove what it loves.Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.Meanwhile the world goes on.Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rainare moving across the landscapes,over the prairies and the deep trees,the mountains and the rivers.Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,are heading home again.Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,the world offers itself to your imagination,calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –over and over announcing your placein the family of things.What if the point of the creation stories is simply, and profoundly, to announce your place – and mine – in the family of things?And what if these primeval creation stories are nothing more – and certainly nothing less – than like clever song lyrics from a pre-historic John Prine, encouraging you, with a wink and smile to…“Blow up your TV, throw away your paperGo to the country, build you a homePlant a little garden, eat a lot of peachesTry and find Jesus on your own.”What if these primeval creation stories are nothing more – and certainly nothing less – than prehistoric pieces of art – trying to capture, with words, something like Van Gogh's “Starry Night”: or Monet's “Water Lilies”: or even Ansel Adams who, like the story tellers of Genesis, certainly had a thing for trees. But, speaking of John Prine, I hope the Gospel reading wasn't too on the nose this morning. But I wanted to connect all of this to Jesus, of course. Because it is as poetic and powerful to me that our faith story begins and ends, in a garden, sometimes.There aren't enough of even the most beautiful words, songs, poems, or prose to adequately convey the power of God's love in creation – or by way of the Word made flesh, in Jesus. And I think the two different versions of creation that we find in Genesis aren't in competition. They're just evidence and acknowledgment of that fact – of how grand and glorious and full of grace this God is that we worship.So I think it's a beautiful thing that both versions of creation's origin story – and the consummation of God's resurrection in Jesus … God's defeat of death … Christ's victory over Sin for our sake … I think it's beautiful that all of that, too, takes place in a garden – where light shines in the darkness; where the goodness of God bears fruit for the sake of the world; where sin never gets the last word; where we are all made and made new in God's image; and where hope rules, in spite of the chaos, because of the grace, mercy, and love of the God we know in Jesus.Amen

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur. Dozens of Jewish extremists set fire to a security installation and rioted outside a West Bank base overnight Sunday-Monday, days after an officer in the Israel Defense Forces was assaulted by settlers, who threw rocks and attempted to harm other IDF soldiers. If there’s one institution that a majority of Israelis still get behind, it’s the IDF. So this attack, to many, was a wake-up call to the bubbling issue of settler extremists. In this week's What Matters Now, Rettig Gur describes the origins of the settler movement and how there were several visions that at times competed with each other -- and overlapped. He explains how the extremists who are repeatedly attacking neighboring Palestinian villages -- and now IDF soldiers -- are disenfranchised and largely shunned by the diverse settler communities. And we learn how politicians, some of whom serve as role models for these "hilltop youth" -- are finally also waking up to the problem. But while the leaders are changing their tunes, the youth are no longer listening. And so this week, we ask Haviv Rettig Gur, what matters now. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: Illustrative: Young Jewish protesters throw rocks as Israeli police forces arrive at the illegal outpost of Amona, on February 1, 2017, on the morning of the settlement's evacuation. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special Independence Day episode, Ghost weaves an epic narrative tracing the origins of the American Revolution through the story of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and connects those lessons to today's geopolitical chessboard. Ghost recounts Marion's improbable triumphs using irregular warfare and explains how his tactics and spirit echo in modern conflicts. Shifting to current events, the show dives into the escalating tension between Russia and Azerbaijan over organized crime raids, retaliatory arrests, and a media crackdown. Ghost analyzes why Zelensky has publicly sided with Azerbaijan, adding friction to the Russia-Ukraine dynamic. The discussion then pivots to Israel's Likud Party demanding annexation of the West Bank and how this push clashes with Saudi Arabia's clear rejection of any move erasing Palestinian sovereignty. With Saudi ministers flying to Moscow and Washington while Netanyahu seeks Trump's support, Ghost underscores how historic alliances are being tested. Rounding out the episode, he examines potential ceasefire developments in Gaza, the regional implications of a fragmented Lebanon, and why the Abraham Accords narrative may be shifting again.

The UN's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has accused dozens of companies of being complicit in war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank in a UN report. They include arms producers, manufacturers whose vehicles are used to demolish homes, technology companies and banks. Israel rejects the charge of genocide and has called the report groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of office. We'll hear from the report's author Francesca Albanese. Also on the programme: President Trump's huge tax and spending bill is heading for a final vote in the US House of Representatives - we'll have the latest from Washington; and astronomers have discovered only the third known object to enter our solar system from interstellar space. (Photo: UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, speaks during a press conference at the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland on 11 December, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Pierre Albouygives)

How has the media distorted Israel's response to the October 7 Hamas attacks? In this powerful conversation from AJC Global Forum 2025, award-winning journalist and former AP correspondent Matti Friedman breaks down the media bias, misinformation, and double standards shaping global coverage of Israel. Moderated by AJC Chief Communications and Strategy Officer Belle Etra Yoeli, this episode explores how skewed narratives have taken hold in the media, in a climate of activist journalism. A must-listen for anyone concerned with truth in journalism, Israel advocacy, and combating disinformation in today's media landscape. Take Action: Take 15 seconds and urge your elected leaders to send a clear, united message: We stand with Israel. Take action now. Resources: Global Forum 2025 session with Matti Friedman:: Watch the full video. Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  John Spencer's Key Takeaways After the 12-Day War: Air Supremacy, Intelligence, and Deterrence Iran's Secret Nuclear Program and What Comes Next in the Iranian Regime vs. Israel War Why Israel Had No Choice: Inside the Defensive Strike That Shook Iran's Nuclear Program 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: I've had the privilege of interviewing journalism colleague Matti Friedman: twice on this podcast. In 2022, Matti took listeners behind the scenes of Jerusalem's AP bureau where he had worked between 2006 and 2011 and shared some insight on what happens when news outlets try to oversimplify the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then in 2023, I got to sit down with Matti in Jerusalem to talk about his latest book on Leonard Cohen and how the 1973 Yom Kippur War was a turning point both for the singer and for Israel.  Earlier this year, Matti came to New York for AJC Global Forum 2025, and sat down with Belle Yoeli, AJC Chief Strategy and Communications Officer. They rehashed some of what we discussed before, but against an entirely different backdrop: post-October 7. For this week's episode, we bring you a portion of that conversation.  Belle Yoeli:   Hi, everyone. Great to see all of you. Thank you so much for being here. Matti, thank you for being here.  Matti Friedman:   Thanks for having me.  Belle Yoeli:   As you can tell by zero empty seats in this room, you have a lot of fans, and unless you want to open with anything, I'm going to jump right in. Okay, great.  So for those of you who don't know, in September 2024 Matti wrote a piece in The Free Press that is a really great foundation for today's discussion. In When We Started to Lie, Matti, you reflect on two pieces that you had written in 2015 about issues of media coverage of Israel during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. And this piece basically talked about the conclusions you drew and how they've evolved since October 7. We're gonna get to those conclusions, but first, I'm hoping you can describe for everyone what were the issues of media coverage of Israel that you first identified based on the experience in 2014? Matti Friedman:   First of all, thanks so much for having me here, and thanks for all of the amazing work that you guys are doing. So it's a real honor for me. I was a reporter for the AP, between 2006 and the very end of 2011, in Jerusalem. I was a reporter and editor. The AP, of course, as you know, is the American news agency. It's the world's largest news organization, according to the AP, according to Reuters, it's Reuters. One of them is probably right, but it's a big deal in the news world.  And I had an inside view inside one of the biggest AP bureaus. In fact, the AP's biggest International Bureau, which was in Jerusalem. So I can try to sketch the problems that I saw as a reporter there. It would take me seven or eight hours, and apparently we only have four or five hours for this lunch, so I have to keep it short. But I would say there are two main problems. We often get very involved. When we talk about problems with coverage of Israel. We get involved with very micro issues like, you call it a settlement. I call it a neighborhood. Rockets, you know, the Nakba, issues of terminology. But in fact, there are two major problems that are much bigger, and because they're bigger, they're often harder to see. One of the things that I noticed at the Bureau was the scale of coverage of Israel. So at the time that I was at the AP, again, between 2006 and the very end of 2011 we had about 40 full time staffers covering Israel. That's print reporters like me, stills photographers, TV crews. Israel, as most of you probably know, is a very small country. As a percentage of the world's surface, Israel is 1/100 of 1% of the surface of the world, and as a percentage of the land mass of the Arab world, Israel is 1/5 of 1%. 0.2%.  And we had 40 people covering it.  And just as a point of comparison, that was dramatically more people than we had at the time covering China. There are about 10 million people today in Israel proper, in China, there are 1.3 billion. We had more people in Israel than we had in China. We had more people in Israel than we had in India, which is another country of about 1.3 billion people. We had more people in Israel than we had in all of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. That's 50 something countries. So we had more people in Israel than we had in all of those countries combined. And sometimes I say that to Jews, I say we covered Israel more than we covered China, and people just stare at me blankly, because it's Israel. So of course, that makes perfect sense.  I happen to think Israel is the most important country in the world because I live there. But if the news is meant to be a rational analysis of events on planet Earth, you cannot cover Israel more than you cover the continent of Africa. It just doesn't make any sense. So one of the things that first jumped out at me– actually, that's making me sound smarter than I am. It didn't jump out at me at first. It took a couple of years. And I just started realizing that it was very strange that the world's largest organization had its largest international bureau in the State of Israel, which is a very small country, very small conflict in numeric terms. And yet there was this intense global focus on it that made people think that it was the most important story in the world. And it definitely occupies a place in the American political imagination that is not comparable to any other international conflict.  So that's one part of the problem. That was the scope, the other part was the context. And it took me a while to figure this out, but the coverage of Israel is framed as an Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict is defined in those terms, the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and everyone in this room has heard it discussed in those terms. Sometimes we discuss it in those terms, and that is because the news folks have framed the conflict in those terms. So at the AP bureau in Jerusalem, every single day, we had to write a story that was called, in the jargon of the Bureau, Is-Pals, Israelis, Palestinians. And it was the daily wrap of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. So what Netanyahu said, what Abbas said, rockets, settlers, Hamas, you know, whatever, the problem is that there isn't an Israeli=Palestinian conflict. And I know that sounds crazy, because everyone thinks there is.  And of course, we're seeing conflicts play out in the most tragic way right now in Gaza. But most of Israel's wars have not been fought against Palestinians. Israel has unfortunately fought wars against Egyptians and Jordanians and Lebanese and Iraqis. And Israel's most important enemy at the moment, is Iran, right? The Iranians are not Palestinian. The Iranians are not Arab. They're Muslim, but they're not Arab. So clearly, there is a broader regional conflict that's going on that is not an Israeli Palestinian conflict, and we've seen it in the past year. If we had a satellite in space looking down and just following the paths of ballistic missiles and rockets fired at Israel. Like a photograph of these red trails of rockets fired at Israel. You'd see rockets being fired from Iraq and from Yemen and from Lebanon and from Gaza and from Iran. You'd see the contours of a regional conflict.  And if you understand it's a regional conflict, then you understand the way Israelis see it. There are in the Arab world, 300 million people, almost all of them Muslim. And in one corner of that world, there are 7 million Jews, who are Israelis. And if we zoom out even farther to the level of the Islamic world, we'll see that there are 2 billion people in the Islamic world. There's some argument about the numbers, but it's roughly a quarter of the world's population. And in one corner of that world there, there are 7 million Israeli Jews. The entire Jewish population on planet Earth is a lot smaller than the population of Cairo.  So the idea that this is an Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where Israelis are the stronger side, where Israelis are the dominant actor, and where Israelis are, let's face it, the bad guy in the story, that's a fictional presentation of a story that actually works in a completely different way. So if you take a small story and make it seem big. If you take a complicated regional story and you make it seem like a very small local story involving only Israelis and Palestinians, then you get the highly simplified but very emotive narrative that everyone is being subjected to now. And you get this portrayal of a villainous country called Israel that really looms in the liberal imagination of the West as an embodiment of the worst possible qualities of the age. Belle Yoeli:   Wow. So already you were seeing these issues when you were reporter, earlier on. But like this, some of this was before and since, since productive edge. This is over 10 years ago, and here we are. So October 7 happens. You already know these issues exist. You've identified them. How would you describe because obviously we have a lot of feelings about this, but like, strictly as a journalist, how would you describe the coverage that you've seen since during October 7, in its aftermath? Is it just these issues? Have they? Have they expanded? Are there new issues in play? What's your analysis? Matti Friedman:   The coverage has been great. I really have very I have no criticism of it. I think it's very accurate. I think that I, in a way, I was lucky to have been through what I went through 10 or 15 years ago, and I wasn't blindsided on October 7, as many people were, many people, quite naturally, don't pay close attention to this. And even people who are sympathetic to Israel, I think, were not necessarily convinced that my argument about the press was right. And I think many people thought it was overstated.  And you can read those articles from 2014 one was in tablet and one was in the Atlantic, but it's basically the two chapters of the same argument. And unfortunately, I think that those the essays, they stand up. In fact, if you don't really look at the date of the essays, they kind of seem that they could have been written in the past year and a half. And I'm not happy about that. I think that's and I certainly wrote them in hopes that they would somehow make things better. But the issues that I saw in the press 15 years ago have only been exacerbated since then. And October seven didn't invent the wheel. The issues were pre existing, but it took everything that I saw and kind of supercharged it.  So if I talked about ideological conformity in the bureaus that has been that has become much more extreme. A guy like me, I was hired in 2006 at the AP. I'm an Israeli of center left political leanings. Hiring me was not a problem in 22,006 by the time I left the AP, at the end of 2011 I'm pretty sure someone like me would not have been hired because my views, which are again, very centrist Israeli views, were really beyond the pale by the time that I left the AP, and certainly, and certainly today, the thing has really moved what I saw happening at the AP. And I hate picking on the AP because they were just unfortunate enough to hire me. That was their only error, but what I'm saying about them is true of a whole new. Was heard. It's true of the Times and CNN and the BBC, the news industry really works kind of as a it has a herd mentality. What happened was that news decisions were increasingly being made by people who are not interested in explanatory journalism. They were activists. Activists had moved into the key positions in the Bureau, and they had a very different idea of what press coverage was supposed to do. I would say, and I tried to explain it in that article for the free press, when I approach a news story, when I approach the profession of journalism, the question that I'm asking is, what's going on? That's the question I think you're supposed to ask, what's going on? How can I explain it in a way that's as accurate as as possible? The question that was increasingly being asked was not what's going on. The question was, who does this serve? That's an activist question. So when you look at a story, you don't ask, is it true, or is it not true? You ask, who's it going to help? Is it going to help the good guys, or is it going to help the bad guys?  So if Israel in the story is the villain, then a story that makes Israel seem reasonable, reasonable or rational or sympathetic needs to be played down to the extent possible or made to disappear. And I can give you an example from my own experience.  At the very end of 2008 two reporters in my bureau, people who I know, learned of a very dramatic peace offer that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had made to the Palestinians. So Olmert, who was the prime minister at the time, had made a very far reaching offer that was supposed to see a Palestinian state in all of Gaza, most of the West Bank, with land swaps for territory that Israel was going to retain, and a very far reaching international consortium agreement to run the Old City of Jerusalem. Was a very dramatic. It was so far reaching, I think that Israelis probably wouldn't have supported it. But it was offered to the Palestinian side, and the Palestinians rejected it as insufficient. And two of our reporters knew about this, and they'd seen a map of the offer. And this was obviously a pretty big story for a bureau that had as the thrust of its coverage the peace process.  The two reporters who had the story were ordered to drop it, they were not allowed to cover the story. And there were different explanations. And they didn't, by the way, AP did not publish the story at the time, even though we were the first to have it. Eventually, it kind of came out and in other ways, through other news organizations. But we knew at first. Why were we not allowed to cover it? Because it would have made the Israelis who we were trying to villainize and demonize, it would have made Israel seem like it was trying to solve the conflict on kind of reasonable lines, which, of course, was true at that time. So that story would have upended the thrust of our news coverage. So it had to be made to go away, even though it was true, it would have helped the wrong people. And that question of who does this serve has destroyed, I want to say all, but much, of what used to be mainstream news coverage, and it's not just where Israel is concerned.  You can look at a story like the mental health of President Biden, right. Something's going on with Biden at the end of his term. It's a huge global news story, and the press, by and large, won't touch it, because why? I mean, it's true, right? We're all seeing that it's true, but why can't you touch it? Because it would help the wrong people. It would help the Republicans who in the press are the people who you are not supposed to help.  The origins of COVID, right? We heard one story about that. The true story seems to be a different story. And there are many other examples of stories that are reported because they help the right people, or not reported because they would help the wrong people. And I saw this thinking really come into action in Israel 10 or 15 years ago, and unfortunately, it's really spread to include the whole mainstream press scene and really kill it.  I mean, essentially, anyone interested in trying to get a solid sense of what's going on, we have very few options. There's not a lot, there's not a lot out there. So that's the broader conclusion that I drew from what I thought at the time was just a very small malfunction involving Israel coverage. But Israel coverage ends up being a symptom of something much bigger, as Jews often are the symptom of something much bigger that's going on.  So my problems in the AP bureau 15 years ago were really a kind of maybe a canary in the coal mine, or a whiff of something much bigger that we were all going to see happen, which is the transformation of the important liberal institutions of the west into kind of activist arms of a very radical ideology that has as its goal the transformation of the west into something else. And that's true of the press, and it's true of NGO world, places like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which were one thing 30 years ago and are something very different today. And it's also true of big parts of the academy. It's true of places like Columbia and places like Harvard, they still have the logo, they still have the name, but they serve a different purpose, and I just happen to be on the ground floor of it as a reporter. Belle Yoeli:   So obviously, this concept of who does this serve, and this activist journalism is deeply concerning, and you actually mentioned a couple other areas, academia, obviously we're in that a lot right now in terms of what's going on campus. So I guess a couple of questions on that. First of all, think about this very practically, tachlis, in the day to day.  I'm a journalist, and I go to write about what's happening in Gaza. What would you say is, if you had to throw out a percentage, are all of them aware of this activist journalist tendency? Or you think it's like, like intentional for many of them, or it's sort of they've been educated that way, and it's their worldview in such a way that they don't even know that they're not reporting the news in a very biased way. Does that make sense? Matti Friedman:   Totally. I think that many people in the journalism world today view their job as not as explaining a complicated situation, but as swaying people toward the correct political conclusion. Journalism is power, and the power has to be wielded in support of justice. Now, justice is very slippery, and, you know, choosing who's in the right is very, very slippery, and that's how journalism gets into a lot of trouble. Instead of just trying to explain what's going on and then leave, you're supposed to leave the politics and the activism to other people. Politics and activism are very important.  But unless everyone can agree on what is going on, it's impossible to choose the kind of act, the kind of activism that would be useful. So when the journalists become activists, then no one can understand what's what's going on, because the story itself is fake, and there are many, many examples of it. But you know, returning to what you asked about, about October 7, and reporting post October 7, you can really see it happen. The massacres of October 7 were very problematic for the ideological strain that now controls a lot of the press, because it's counterintuitive. You're not supposed to sympathize with Israelis.  And yet, there were a few weeks after October 7 when they were forced to because the nature of the atrocities were so heinous that they could not be ignored. So you had the press covering what happened on October 7, but you could feel it. As someone who knows that scene, you could feel there was a lot of discomfort. There was a lot of discomfort. It wasn't their comfort zone, and you knew that within a few weeks, maybe a month, it was gonna snap back at the first opportunity.  When did it snap back? In the story of the Al Ahli hospital strike. If you remember that a few weeks in, there's a massive global story that Israel has rocketed Hospital in Gaza and killed about 500 people and and then you can see the kind of the comfort the comfort zone return, because the story that the press is primed to cover is a story about villainous Israelis victimizing innocent Palestinians, and now, now we're back. Okay. Now Israel's rocketing hospital. The problem was that it hadn't happened, and it was that a lot of stories don't happen, and they're allowed to stand.  But this story was so far from the truth that even the people involved couldn't make it work, and it had to be retracted, but it was basically too late. And then as soon as the Israeli ground offensive got into swing in Gaza, then the story really becomes the same old story, which is a story of Israel victimizing Palestinians for no reason. And you'll never see Hamas militants in uniform in Gaza. You just see dead civilians, and you'll see the aftermath of a rocket strike when the, you know, when an Israeli F16 takes out the launcher, but you will never see the strike. Which is the way it's worked in Gaza since the very end of 2008 which is when the first really bad round of violence in Gaza happens, which is when I'm at the AP.  As far as I know, I was the first staffer to erase information from the story, because we were threatened by Hamas, which happened at the very end of 2008. We had a great reporter in Gaza, a Palestinian who had always been really an excellent reporter. We had a detail in a story. The detail was a crucial one. It was that Hamas fighters were dressed as civilians and were being counted as civilians in the death toll, an important thing to know, that went out in an AP story. The reporter called me a few hours later. It was clear that someone had spoken to him, and he told me, I was on the desk in Jerusalem, so I was kind of writing the story from the main bureau in Jerusalem. And he said, Matti, you have to take that detail out of the story. And it was clear that someone had threatened him. I took the detail out of the story. I suggested to our editors that we note in an Editor's Note that we were now complying with Hamas censorship. I was overruled, and from that point in time, the AP, like all of its sister organizations, collaborates with Hamas censorship in Gaza.  What does that mean? You'll see a lot of dead civilians, and you won't see dead militants. You won't have a clear idea of what the Hamas military strategy is. And this is the kicker, the center of the coverage will be a number, a casualty number, that is provided to the press by something called the Gaza health ministry, which is Hamas. And we've been doing that since 2008, and it's a way of basically settling the story before you get into any other information. Because when you put, you know, when you say 50 Palestinians were killed, and one Israeli on a given day, it doesn't matter what else you say. The numbers kind of tell their own story, and it's a way of settling the story with something that sounds like a concrete statistic. And the statistic is being, you know, given to us by one of the combatant sides. But because the reporters sympathize with that side, they're happy to play along. So since 2008, certainly since 2014 when we had another serious war in Gaza, the press has not been covering Gaza, the press has been essentially an amplifier for one of the most poisonous ideologies on Earth. Hamas has figured out how to make the press amplify its messaging rather than covering Hamas. There are no Western reporters in Gaza. All of the reporters in Gaza are Palestinians, and those people fall into three categories. Some of them identify with Hamas. Some of them are intimidated by Hamas and won't cross Hamas, which makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't want to cross Hamas either. So either. And the third category is people who actually belong to Hamas. That's where the information from Gaza is coming from. And if you're credulous, then of course, you're going to get a story that makes Israel look pretty bad. Belle Yoeli:   So this is very depressing. That's okay. It's very helpful, very depressing. But on that note, I would ask you so whether, because you spoke about this problem in terms, of, of course, the coverage of Israel, but that it's it's also more widespread you talk, you spoke about President Biden in your article, you name other examples of how this sort of activist journalism is affecting everything we read. So what should everyone in this room be reading, truly, from your opinion. This is Matti's opinion. But if you want to you want to get information from our news and not activist journalism, obviously The Free Press, perhaps. But are there other sites or outlets that you think are getting this more down the line, or at least better than some, some better than others?  Matti Friedman:   No, it's just The Free Press. No. I mean, it's a question that I also wrestle with. I haven't given up on everyone, and even in publications that have, I think, largely lost the plot, you'll still find good stuff on occasion. So I try to keep my eye on certain reporters whose name I know. I often ask not just on Israel, but on anything, does this reporter speak the language of the country that they're covering? You'd be shocked at how rare that is for Americans. A lot of the people covering Ukraine have no idea what language they speak in Ukraine, and just as someone who covers Israel, I'm aware of the low level of knowledge that many of the Western reporters have. You'll find really good stuff still in the Atlantic. The Atlantic has managed, against steep odds, to maintain its equilibrium amid all this. The New Yorker, unfortunately, less so, but you'll still see, on occasion, things that are good. And there are certain reporters who are, you know, you can trust. Isabel Kirchner, who writes for The New York Times, is an old colleague of mine from the Jerusalem report. She's excellent, and they're just people who are doing their job. But by and large, you have to be very, very suspicious of absolutely everything that you read and see. And I'm not saying that as someone who I'm not happy to say that, and I certainly don't identify with, you know, the term fake news, as it has been pushed by President Trump.  I think that fake news is, you know, for those guys, is an attempt to avoid scrutiny. They're trying to, you know, neuter the watchdog so that they can get away with whatever they want. I don't think that crowd is interested in good press coverage. Unfortunately, the term fake news sticks because it's true. That's why it has worked. And the press, instead of helping people navigate the blizzard of disinformation that we're all in, they've joined it. People who are confused about what's going on, should be able to open up the New York Times or go to the AP and figure out what's going on, but because, and I saw it happen, instead of covering the circus, the reporters became dancing bears in the circus. So no one can make heads or tails of anything. So we need to be very careful.  Most headlines that are out there are out there to generate outrage, because that's the most predictable generator of clicks, which is the, we're in a click economy. So I actually think that the less time you spend following headlines and daily news, the better off you'll be. Because you can follow the daily news for a year, and by the end of the year, you'll just be deranged. You'll just be crazy and very angry.  If you take that time and use it to read books about, you know, bitten by people who are knowledgeable, or read longer form essays that are, you know, that are obviously less likely to be very simplistic, although not, you know, it's not completely impossible that they will be. I think that's time, that's time better spent. Unfortunately, much of the industry is kind of gone. And we're in an interesting kind of interim moment where it's clear that the old news industry is basically dead and that something new has to happen. And those new things are happening. I mean, The Free Press is part of a new thing that's happening. It's not big enough to really move the needle in a dramatic way yet, but it might be, and I think we all have to hope that new institutions emerge to fill the vacuum.  The old institutions, and I say this with sorrow, and I think that this also might be true of a lot of the academic institutions. They can't be saved. They can't be saved. So if people think that writing an editor, a letter to the editor of the New York Times is going to help. It's not going to help. Sometimes people say, Why don't we just get the top people in the news industry and bring them to Israel and show them the truth? Doesn't help. It's not about knowing or not knowing. They define the profession differently.  So it's not about a lack of information. The institutions have changed, and it's kind of irrevocable at this point, and we need new institutions, and one of them is The Free Press, and it's a great model of what to do when faced with fading institutions. By the way, the greatest model of all time in that regard is Zionism. That's what Zionism is. There's a guy in Vienna in 1890 something, and his moment is incredibly contemporary. There's an amazing biography of Herzl called Herzl by Amos Elon. It's an amazing book. If you haven't read it, you should read it, because his moment in cosmopolitan Vienna sounds exactly like now. It's shockingly current. He's in this friendly city. He's a reporter for the New York Times, basically of the Austro Hungarian empire, and he's assimilated, and he's got a Christmas tree in his house, and his son isn't circumcised, and he thinks everything is basically great. And then the light changes.  He notices that something has changed in Vienna, and the discourse about Jews changes, and like in a Hollywood movie, the light changes. And he doesn't try to he doesn't start a campaign against antisemitism. He doesn't get on social media and kind of rail against unfair coverage. He sits down in a hotel room in Paris and he writes this pamphlet called the Jewish state, and I literally flew from that state yesterday. So there's a Zionist model where you look at a failing world and you think about radical solutions that involve creation. And I think we're there. And I think Herzl's model is a good one at a dark time you need real creativity. Belle Yoeli:   Thank God you found the inspiration there, because I was really, I was really starting to worry. No, in all seriousness, Matti, the saying that these institutions can't be saved. I mean the consequences of this, not just for us as pro-Israel, pro-Jewish advocates, but for our country, for the world, the countries that we come from are tremendous.  And the way we've been dealing with this issue and thinking about how, how can you change hearts and minds of individuals about Israel, about the Jewish people, if everything that they're reading is so damaging and most of what they're reading is so damaging and basically saying there's very little that we can do about that. So I am going to push you to dream big with us. We're an advocacy organization. AJC is an advocacy organization. So if you had unlimited resources, right, if you really wanted to make change in this area, to me, it sounds like you're saying we basically need 15 Free Presses or the new institutions to really take on this way. What would you do? What would you do to try to make it so that news media were more like the old days? Matti Friedman:   Anyone who wants unlimited resources should not go into journalism. I have found that my resources remain limited. I'll give you an answer that is probably not what you're expecting or not what you want here. I think that the fight can't be won. I think that antisemitism can't be defeated. And I think that resources that are poured into it are resources wasted. And of course, I think that people need legal protection, and they need, you know, lawyers who can protect people from discrimination and from defamation. That's very important. But I know that when people are presented with a problem like antisemitism, which is so disturbing and it's really rocking the world of everyone in this room, and certainly, you know, children and grandchildren, you have a problem and you want to address it, right? You have a really bad rash on your arm. You want the rash to go away, and you're willing to do almost anything to make it go away. This has always been with us. It's always been with us.  And you know, we recently celebrated the Seder, and we read in the Seder, in the Haggadah, l'chol dor vador, omdim aleinu l'chaloteinu. Which is, in every generation, they come at us to destroy us. And it's an incredibly depressing worldview. Okay, it's not the way I wanted to see the world when I grew up in Toronto in the 1990s. But in our tradition, we have this idea that this is always gonna be around. And the question is, what do you do? Do you let other people define you? Do you make your identity the fight against the people who hate you? And I think that's a dead end.  This crisis is hitting the Jewish people at a moment when many of us don't know who we are, and I think that's why it's hitting so hard. For my grandfather, who was a standard New York Jew, garment industry, Lower East Side, poor union guy. This would not have shaken him, because he just assumed that this was the world like this. The term Jewish identity was not one he ever heard, because it wasn't an issue or something that had to be taught. So if I had unlimited resources, what I would do is I would make sure that young Jewish people have access to the riches of Jewish civilization, I would, you know, institute a program that would allow any young Jewish person to be fluent in Hebrew by the time they finish college. Why is that so important? Why is that such an amazing key?  Because if you're fluent in Hebrew, you can open a Tanakh, or you can open a prayer book if you want. Or you can watch Fauda or you can get on a plane to Israel and hit on Israeli guys. Hebrew is the key to Jewish life, and if you have it, a whole world will open up. And it's not one that antisemites can interfere with. It does not depend on the goodwill of our neighbors. It's all about us and what we're doing with ourselves. And I think that if you're rooted in Jewish tradition, and I'm not saying becoming religious, I'm just saying, diving into the riches of Jewish tradition, whether it's history or gemara or Israel, or whatever, if you're if you're deep in there enough, then the other stuff doesn't go away, but it becomes less important.  It won't be solved because it can't be solved, but it will fade into the background. And if we make the center of identity the fight against antisemitism, they've won. Why should they be the center of our identity? For a young person who's looking for some way of living or some deep kind of guide to life, the fight against antisemitism is not going to do it, and philanthropy is not going to do it. We come from the wisest and one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and many of us don't know how to open the door to that civilization, and that's in our hands. And if we're not doing it, it's not the fault of the antisemites. It's our own fault. So if I had unlimited resources, which, again, it's not, it's not going to happen unless I make a career change, that's where I would be putting my effort. Internally and not externally.  Belle Yoeli:   You did find the inspiration, though, again, by pushing Jewish identity, and we appreciate that. It's come up a lot in this conversation, this question about how we fight antisemitism, investing in Jewish identity and who we are, and at the same time, what do we do about it? And I think all of you heard Ted in a different context last night, say, we can hold two things, two thoughts at the same time, right? Two things can be true at the same time. And I think for me, what I took out of this, in addition to your excellent insights, is that that's exactly what we have to be doing.  At AJC, we have to be engaging in this advocacy to stand up for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. But that's not the only piece of the puzzle. Of course, we have to be investing in Jewish identity. That's why we bring so many young people to this conference. Of course, we need to be investing in Jewish education. That's not necessarily what AJC is doing, the bulk of our work, but it's a lot of what the Jewish community is doing, and these pieces have to go together. And I want to thank you for raising that up for us, and again, for everything that you said. Thank you all so much for being here. Thank you. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in as John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, breaks down Israel's high-stakes strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure and the U.S. decision to enter the fight. 

Tommy and Ben lament Trump's travesty of a spending bill and the death of USAID, and how both will cost lives and further tank America's global reputation. They unpack the fallout from Israel and the US's strikes on Iran, the bizarre delusions and marginalization of Tulsi Gabbard, and the ending of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. They also discuss Trump's interference in Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial, the latest horrors in Gaza, shocking settler violence in the West Bank, and anti-Israel speech at the UK's Glastonbury Festival. Also covered: new fighting between Ukraine and an emboldened Russia, Trump's shaky ceasefire and resource-grab masquerading as a “peace deal” between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and a triumphant pride parade in Budapest. Finally, they plan a trip to the world's next top spring break destination: Wonsan Kalma, North Korea.

Today, we're speaking with Matt Bowles, a longtime Palestinian human rights activist.With a Master's Degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, Matt has over two decades of human rights and activism experience. He led activist delegations to monitor human rights abuses in the north of Ireland, co-founded an organization to stop U.S. aid to Israel, organized solidarity delegations to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and did solidarity work with the indigenous Zapatista communities in Chiapas, Mexico.In the past few years, many more people around the world have tuned in to the injustice that has been happening in Palestine for the past 75 years. If you want to understand the origins of this injustice AND what you can do to help stop it, this episode is for you. I first became immersed in the struggle for Palestinian liberation in 2017, when I visited the West Bank and saw the Israeli soldiers at checkpoints, the humiliation of people, the treatment of Arabs like second-class citizens, and the Israeli system of apartheid with my own eyes. Matt has been working on Palestinian solidarity since 1998. It has been so helpful to hear the perspective of someone with this much longer view on the struggle. Become a Going Places member for as little as $6 a month. Visit our reimagined platform at goingplacesmedia.com to learn more.Thanks to our Founding Member: RISE Travel Institute, a nonprofit with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education.What you'll learn in this episode:Current moment in the Palestinian human rights advocacyTravel media's sanitized version of seeing the worldHow Matt's Palestinian advocacy started with the Black liberation struggle in the USBritain's first and last colony (is the same?)The gap in awareness between what Palestine is and what the media showsThe power asymmetry and the longest military occupation in modern historyConfronting antisemitism and misrepresentationWhat the Rwandan, Guatemalan, and Cambodian genocides can teach usMatt dismantles "It's too complicated"Why do we give states more rights than people?The origins of this settler colonial projectWhy the US shifted its Palestine stance in 1967The history of Palestinian nonviolent resistance Why is there zero accountability for the State of Israel's actions?US law enforcement training with IOFWhat can an individual do? A lot!What gives Matt hope todayWhy Yulia believes that Gaza will change the worldFeatured on the show:Listen to Matt's Maverick Show podcastFollow @maverickshowpod on InstagramSubscribe to Matt's Monday Minute newsletter Learn more about the International Solidarity MovementLearn more about Jewish Voice for PeaceLearn more about If Not NowLearn more about the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions...

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! Get our "Welcome to the Crusades" miniseries! Derek welcomes back to the show Dalia Hatuqa, a journalist specializing in Israeli/Palestinian affairs and regional Middle East issues, to talk about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. They recap what has been happening to Palestinians in Gaza while the world was distracted by Israel's war with Iran, discuss the lost generations of Gazan children, the massacres at “aid distribution centers,” increased home demolitions and settler violence in the West Bank, the current relationships of the Palestinian Authority and Jordanian government with Israel, the regional dynamics after the recent war with Iran, and what Netanyahu's next move might be. Read Dalia's piece from March in The Guardian, “For Palestinians, this was never a ceasefire.”       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek welcomes back to the show Dalia Hatuqa, a journalist specializing in Israeli/Palestinian affairs and regional Middle East issues, to talk about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. They recap what has been happening to Palestinians in Gaza while the world was distracted by Israel's war with Iran, discuss the lost generations of Gazan children, the massacres at “aid distribution centers,” increased home demolitions and settler violence in the West Bank, the current relationships of the Palestinian Authority and Jordanian government with Israel, the regional dynamics after the recent war with Iran, and what Netanyahu's next move might be.Read Dalia's piece from March in The Guardian, “For Palestinians, this was never a ceasefire.” Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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 Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube.

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastCheck out Ark Media's other podcasts: For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA‘What's Your Number?': lnk.to/rbGlvMFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.orgTo contact us and sign up for updates visit: www.arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenorTo order Dan Senor & Saul Singer's book, The Genius of Israel: https://tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdnToday's Episode:Now that the “12 Day War” between Israel and Iran has ended (for now), we are turning our attention back toward the war in Gaza, where 50 Israeli hostages remain. President Donald Trump has been advocating for an end to the war, saying that he believes a hostage-ceasefire deal might come within a week. This comes amid increasing doubts about IDF achievements in Gaza going forward, especially with IDF casualties on a near daily basis. This past Wednesday, seven Israeli soldiers were tragically killed when an IED hit the armored vehicle they were in. Joining us to discuss the ongoing IDF campaign in Gaza and the possibility for a new ceasefire deal —  and the events taking place in the West Bank — is Call me Back regular and political analyst at Yedioth Achronot, Nadav Eyal.–CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

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. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Israeli settlers torched a multi-million-shekel security installation used to “thwart terror attacks and maintain security” in the Ramallah area of the West Bank overnight, according to the IDF. This came after a riot by settlers outside a military base in the West Bank, where, according to the IDF, settlers attacked security forces, sprayed mace and vandalized army vehicles. Sharon and Schneider delve deeply into the issue of settler violence and how it is being fostered -- and even potentially funded -- by members of the coalition. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is now in Washington, DC, where he is expected to face pressure from the Trump administration during his meetings tomorrow in Washington to end the war in GazaIt appears from statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday that he, too, is on board with winding down the Gaza war. Schneider explains which ministers are against ending the Gaza war and whether this coalition crisis in the making could lead to early elections. Top security officials told judges presiding over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial in a closed-door meeting yesterday that Netanyahu must be released from his testimony for the week because there is an opportunity to change the face of the Middle East and for Israel to expand its circle of peace, including with Syria. Sharon discusses the mechanisms of canceling the trial for the week. Then, Schneider speaks about reports claiming that Syria would be willing to give up its claim to the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace agreement. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Settlers torch West Bank security site, riot against ‘traitor’ IDF officer; no arrests PM: Iran war opened broad regional possibilities, ‘first we need to free the hostages’ Court agrees to cancel PM’s testimony this week after briefing by security chiefs Report: Syria not demanding Golan Heights as part of deal with Israel Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: A West Bank security installation that was torched overnight by settlers on June 30, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In April, Palestinian student activist Mohsen Mahdawi walked into an immigration office to obtain US citizenship. He left in handcuffs. The Columbia University student was detained by ICE and accused by the Trump administration of jeopardizing US foreign policy through his involvement in protests following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. On this week's More to The Story, Mohsen talks to host Al Letson about his arrest by ICE, his role in campus protests, and his childhood growing up in a West Bank refugee camp. Producer: Josh Sanburn | Editor: Kara McGuirk-Allison | Theme music: Fernando Arruda and Jim Briggs | Digital producer: Nikki Frick | Interim executive producers: Brett Myers and Taki Telonidis | Executive editor: James West | Host: Al Letson Donate today at Revealnews.org/more Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Revealnews.org/weekly Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky Read: Mohsen Mahdawi Has Been Released From Federal Custody (Mother Jones)Listen: Gaza: A War of Weapons and Words (Reveal)Read: Mahmoud Khalil, Finally Free, Speaks Out (Mother Jones) Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices