Israel Policy Pod

A Hot Summer in Israeli Politics 03.06.2026 1h 7min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst and pollster, to discuss the current state of Israeli politics, what the polls are saying (and not saying) about the upcoming election, the mixed fortunes so far of the Bennett-Lapid merger, the rising Gadi Eisenkot, the role the Arab-Israeli political parties could play in the election, why voters are still drawn to Netanyahu's Likud party, what th...

Iran Deal Draws Near 28.05.2026 1h 10min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron. The trio discuss the looming deal between the U.S. and Iran over an end to the war, what the agreement likely includes and critically omits, who won the war if it ends this way, how Netanyahu may try to spin the ensuing deal, what impact it could have on the ongoing fighting in Lebanon, the danger...

Israel Between Escalation and Elections 13.05.2026 56min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss President Trump's impasse with Iran and the prospects for renewed escalation, Israel-Lebanon peace talks and the grinding military front with Hezbollah, Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent CBS interview and what it means about his current mindset, Israeli politics gearing up for an election, the state ...

The New Shape of the Northern War 07.05.2026 59min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts IDF Brig. Gen. Assaf Orion, international fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and senior researcher at INSS. They discuss the latest developments at sea and the negotiating table between the U.S. and Iran, before turning to Israel's ongoing military front in Lebanon. They analyzed this latest offensive against Hezbollah, how it differs from the previous war in 2023-20...

Bennett-Lapid 2.0 28.04.2026 59min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron. The trio discuss the merger between former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, the motivations behind the dramatic alliance, whether it changes the chances of the opposition toppling Netanyahu in this year's election, the continuing non-war and non-deal between the U.S. and Iran, Israe...

Inside the U.S.-Iran Negotiations 21.04.2026 1h 9min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Naysan Rafati, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. They discuss the latest in the fragile ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran, what a deal could actually look like, what happens if negotiations collapse and fighting resumes, which side may benefit more from not concluding a deal, the role of the Strait of Hormuz, the current political and economic state of the Is...

Who Won the Iran War? 16.04.2026 54min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Haaretz Military Correspondent Amos Harel to discuss the results so far of the Iran war and whether the U.S. and Israel actually "won," the prospects of a ceasefire deal emerging from the talks in Pakistan, what happens if diplomacy fails, the growing focus on the Lebanon front and the risks to Israel of a prolonged campaign against Hezbollah, this week's talks in Washington between the ...

Deal or No Deal With Iran? 25.03.2026 1h 3min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron. The trio discuss the chances of a U.S.-Iran deal to end the war, the joint Israeli and U.S. military campaign after four weeks, Iran's ability to fight back, the impact of the conflict on the wider Middle East, the differing public perspectives on the war in the U.S. and Israel, the secondary fron...

Why the Iranian Regime Thinks It's Winning 19.03.2026 1h 1min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Policy Fellow Garrett Nada. They discuss who is actually running the Islamic Republic of Iran after a spate of high-profile assassinations, the fate of the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the regime's durability in the face of the intensive U.S.-Israeli offensive, why Iran thinks it's winning the war, the looming prospects for further escalation, how the conflict could end, and more...

Three Variables That Will Decide the Iran War 12.03.2026 1h 3min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts military affairs analyst Yaakov Lappin. They discuss the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran now in its second week, the campaign's military goals and achievements, Iran's rational 'madman' strategy, the current mood in Israel, the escalating front against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the three variables that will dictate how long the war will last, possibilities for how this war will end, an...

U.S.-Israel Strikes on Iran: Assessing the New Regional Reality 03.03.2026 1h

Note: This episode is an audio recording of a webinar Israel Policy Forum hosted yesterday, Monday, March 2. In this timely discussion on the implications of the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, Rachel Brandenburg (Washington Managing Director, Israel Policy Forum), Michael Koplow (Chief Policy Officer, Israel Policy Forum), Shira Efron (distinguished chair for Israel policy at RAND), and Garrett Nada (Policy Fellow, Israel Policy Forum) analyze the current moment in the Middle East, U.S.-...

Trump's Board of Peace: The Good, the Bad, and the Unlikely 25.02.2026 1h 12min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Washington Managing Director and Senior Policy Analyst Rachel Brandenburg and Senior Policy Analyst Dan Rothem. They discuss the inaugural meeting last week in Washington of Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza, the highs and lows of the event and the key themes that were raised, the chances of the board's ambitious financial and economic plans being enacted in Gaza, the major challenge of se...

Iran and the U.S. on a Collision Course 18.02.2026 59min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran program at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Israeli military intelligence analyst. They discuss the latest round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, the chances of diplomacy succeeding, what Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei is actually thinking, the dire situation inside Iran, what a U.S. war against Iran may look lik...

Another Bibi-Trump Meeting 12.02.2026 1h 4min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron. The trio discuss this week's summit meeting in Washington between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, the chances of negotiations with Iran actually succeeding, the likely gaps between the U.S. and Israel over any potential deal, the threat of a military attack if diplomacy fails, how Ph...

Iran Crisis, Gaza Ceasefire, and Mayor Mamdani 05.02.2026 43min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber and Israel Policy Forum Director of Strategic Initiatives and IPF Atid Shanie Reichman discuss the state of play in the Iran crisis, potential upcoming U.S.-Iran talks and the prospects for their success, Ran Gvili z”l's return home last week and the closure of the hostage saga, the real start of Phase II in the Gaza ceasefire and the mechanics behind it, Zohran Mamdani and the Jewish communit...

Another Round With Iran? 21.01.2026 59min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts military affairs analyst Yaakov Lappin. They discuss the current state of play in the U.S.-Iran crisis, including the domestic turmoil in Iran and the U.S. military build-up in the Middle East, what options President Trump has against the Islamic Republic, what Tehran may do in retaliation, the mood in Israel and whether the country is ready for another round with Iran, and more. ...

The Likud, Naftali Bennett, and Israeli Politics 13.01.2026 1h 9min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Barak Herscowitz, an Israeli political commentator and former aide to Naftali Bennett. They discuss the reasons why Barak left the Likud party, his experience working with Bennett in the prime minister's office, the chances of Bennett defeating Netanyahu in this year's Israeli election, the anti-Israel bias that led him to quit working at TikTok, and more. Support the show Follow u...

Where Does Iran Go From Here? 06.01.2026 1h 5min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Naysan Rafati, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. They discuss the ongoing protests across Iran against the regime, the strategic indecision by the Islamic Republic especially since last year's 12-day war with Israel, the prospects for miscalculation between Tehran and Jerusalem, President Trump's threats to 'come to the rescue' of the Iranian people, how the events i...

The State of Play in Gaza and the Road Ahead 23.12.2025 1h

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Col. (ret.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, former head of the Department for Palestinian Affairs in Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate. They discuss the current status of the Gaza ceasefire deal, the contrasting realities on the ground in the Hamas-controlled red zone and the Israeli-controlled green zone, prospects for the U.S.-led Phase II of the deal, the upcoming meeting between Prim...

The Highs and Lows of 2025 10.12.2025 1h 31min

On this week’s episode, Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor and Tel Aviv-based journalist Neri Zilber hosts Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow and Distinguished RAND Israel Policy Chair Shira Efron to hand out Israel Policy Pod's end-of-year awards and make predictions for 2026. The trio discuss the key events and biggest surprises of a momentous 2025—including the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, the Iran war, and Israeli politics—as well as the biggest winners and losers of the past 12 months. ...