Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz’s Allison Kaplan Sommer to discuss Seth Rogen’s assertion he was lied to about Israel, a country which, he says, “makes no sense” to him. We ask: How representative is the Canadian-American actor and comedian of Jews of his generation? Has anything changed since the internet made exactly the information Rogen feels was kept from him instantaneously available to curious adolescents? And how does Rogen differ from Peter Beinart, who recently reflected on his disillusionment with Zionism? We also discuss the ever-spreading protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which are now taking place nightly not only across Israel, but overseas as well.

Haaretz Weekly

Seth Rogen’s post-Zionist pickle meets Bibi’s protest pandemic

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz’s Jerusalem correspondent, Nir Hasson, and Judy Maltz, to discuss the widespread, angry protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a rare show of youth activism, the protests are being spearheaded by Israeli youngsters, who are angry at the prime minister’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his refusal to step aside while facing three serious corruption charges. Who is leading these protests, what do they hope to achieve and how have Bibi  and his supports responded to a mass show of dissatisfaction with his leadership?

Israel’s locked-down, let-down youth rattles Netanyahu’s cage

Host Simon Spungin is joined by diplomatic correspondent Noa Landau and senior correspondent Chemi Shalev to discuss mass protests against the Israeli government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy ahead of the November 3 U.S. presidential election. We also discuss reactions to the rejection of the two-state solution by the darling of liberal American Zionists, Peter Beinart.

Protests, pandemics and Bibi’s day of reckoning

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Anshel Pfeffer, five days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's self-declared target date of July 1 for imposition of Israeli sovereignty over 30 percent of the West Bank passed like so much tumbleweed. We examine the real reasons why the prime minister has shelved his plan, why he fears a Biden presidency and how his government has snatched a coronavirus catastrophe from the jaws of triumph.

Sovereignty setback: Who burst Bibi's annexation bubble?

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn and correspondent Judy Maltz. In Part One, Aluf discusses the 'crime minister' protests against Benjamin Netanyahu, the optics of the PM's million-shekel tax refund, the arrest of a decorated Air Force commander, and why Bibi isn't to blame for the spike in new coronavirus cases in Israel. In Part Two, Judy comments on an unprecedented decision to take a proselytizing evangelical television channel off the air, the chaotic state of Nefesh B'Nefesh and how Israel is still importing coronavirus cases.

Bibi’s bonanza, arresting activists and the death of God TV

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz's military/pandemic correspondent, Amos Harel, and Haaretz.com's opinions editor, Esther Solomon. The team discuss the increase in coronavirus cases here in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the West Bank and Jordan Valley and why Jewish publications shouldn't interview notorious antisemites. We also discuss Israel's new ambassador to the United Kingdom, an 'unabashed Islamophobe,' who denies the existence of the Palestinian people.

Bibi eyes 'Annexation Lite' as pandemic panic returns

Host Simon Spungin talks to Haaretz's political correspondent, Chaim Levinson, and diplomatic correspondent, Noa Landau, about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's amorphous annexation plan. Could the threat of international sanctions and cancelled cooperation persuade Netanyahu to shelve a plan that many don’t believe he believes in anyway? Will he tread water for long enough to call another general election? And what role will his corruption trial and November's U.S. presidential election play in his considerations?

How Bibi could fudge annexation, hoodwink Gantz and cling on to power

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz's West Bank correspondent, Hagar Shezaf, and Anshel Pfeffer, to discuss the latest developments in Israel's plan to annex large parts of the West Bank. We ask: If no one seems to want the full-scale annexation of the settlements - not the Israeli left, the divided Israeli right, the international community and, of course, the Palestinians themselves - why does it seem set to happen with a matter of weeks? Plus: police brutality at an anti-annexation rally in Tel Aviv; settler violence in the West Bank and growing international pressure on Netanyahu to shelve the plan for now.

Annexation vexation comes between Bibi and the settlers

Host Simon Spungin, Haaretz’s archaeology correspondent, Ariel David, and senior science editor Ruth Schuster, discuss the revelation that ancient Israelites burned cannabis during religious ceremonies. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities facing archaeologists working in Israel and Palestine and hear about an Israeli company marketing a bizarre product to evangelical Christians: locust-based snacks.

High priests, holy smoke and cannabis in the Temple

Host Simon Spungin is joined by senior Haaretz columnist Chemi Shalev on the day that Benjamin Netanyahu became the first serving Israeli prime minister to go on trial. Is his tactic of attacking the judicial system causing irreparable damage to the country he professes to love? And, reporting from outside the Jerusalem courthouse, Anshel Pfeffer calls in to describe the scene and to explain what will unfold in the weeks ahead.

Bibi’s slash-and-burn strategy puts Israel on trial

Host Simon Spungin and Haaretz’s Anshel Pfeffer look back on Benjamin Netanyahu’s fourth government – which has come to an end after five years – and try to work out what he will do look ahead to his record-breaking fifth term as Israeli prime minister. We also look ahead to the start of Netanyahu’s trial for bribery, corruption and breach of trust, which is due to get underway in Jerusalem next week.

Backed by colossal coalition, Bibi’s ready to take on the law

Host Simon Spungin and Haaretz correspondent Judy Maltz discuss the storm surrounding God TV, a global evangelical network that recently started airing overtly proselytizing content in Hebrew to an Israeli audience. How did the channel, which makes no secret of its goal to “to take the gospel of Jesus into the homes and lives and hearts of the Jewish people,” get a license to broadcast in Israel – and how does this tie in to evangelical support of the Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank?

How 'God-gate' rocked the settlers’ faith in their evangelical allies

Award-winning Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy tells host Simon Spungin that Israel’s planned annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank will not change the facts of the occupation – and finds a glimmer of hope emerging from the coronavirus pandemic. In Part 2, Anshel Pfeffer discusses the Supreme Court petitions seeking to bar Benjamin Netanyahu from forming the next government because of his upcoming criminal trial.

Annexation isn’t the end of the world. Listen to Gideon Levy

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn to discuss on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, prime minister-in-waiting Benny Gantz’s great betrayal and how their coalition could annex parts of the West Bank to help U.S. President Donald Trump get reelected. In Part II, Haaretz’s senior editor for science and archaeology, Ruth Schuster, discusses the coronavirus crisis, its impact on the environment and whether Israel is rushing to ease the lockdown.

Israel’s single-use coalition will serve Trump and protect Bibi

In a week which saw Israel finally end a 16-month wait for a new government, host Simon Spungin is joined for Part 1 by Anshel Pfeffer to discuss the deal between Benjamin Netanyahu and Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz, which will see each of them serving as prime minister for 18 months. And in Part 2, Yossi Melman explains how Israel’s vaunted spy agency, the Mossad, went from covert ops to COVID ops.

Corona keeps Bibi in power and unmasks the Mossad

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Simon Spungin.

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Haaretz Weekly

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