TRIBECAST with J.P. Katz

J.P. Katz from TRIBE Journal

We aim to tell the untold stories about Israel that the headlines always miss. The host of the TRIBECAST, J.P. Katz, is an investigative video journalist who produces thought provoking short films to deepen the listeners understanding of some of the most complex aspects of Israeli society. Much of the content on the TRIBECAST are the less edited long form interviews of guests appearing in episodes of TRIBE Journal. Starting in 2024 we will be more active on this platform and will be uploading fascinating long form content from the archives. www.tribejournal.org/subscribe

  1. 25 Mar

    Is the Palestinian Authority Building Military Force for Another Oct. 7th Attack on Israel?

    This discussion is produced by TRIBEJOURNAL.ORG and is based on a 2026 report by REGAVIM.ORG entitled, "Writing on the Walls of Jericho" which can be downloaded from our website here: https://www.tribejournal.org/post/palestinian-army-or-police-force Is the Palestinian Authority building and training a military combat force for the next Oct. 7 style attack?The Conceptual Collapse: A Summary of “The Writing on the Wall (of Jericho)”The Regavim Movement's report, "The Writing on the Wall (of Jericho)," asserts that the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) have dangerously transformed from a civilian police force into a heavily armed, semi-regular military organization that actively supports terrorism. Established in the 1990s under the Oslo and Cairo agreements, the PASF was initially capped at 9,000 personnel and restricted to using light arms. Although this staffing cap was later revised to 30,000, the Palestinian Authority systematically exceeded both its personnel and armament limits. The report argues that PA Chairman Yasser Arafat viewed these peace agreements as a tactical truce, utilizing a "revolving door" policy to superficially arrest and quickly release terrorists. The facade of security coordination violently ruptured during the 1996 Western Wall Tunnel riots, when PASF officers turned their Israeli-supplied weapons against IDF soldiers.During the Second Intifada, the PASF openly engaged in armed conflict. PASF officers formed the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, participated in the brutal 2000 Ramallah lynching, and managed the smuggling of 50 tons of strategic weaponry aboard the *Karine A* ship. In response, Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, destroying PASF headquarters and discovering official documents proving the PA financed terrorism.Despite international efforts to rebuild the PASF as an apolitical force under the U.S.-led "Dayton Model" in 2007, Regavim argues the current apparatus remains a dangerous facade. Today, the PASF pays an estimated 65,000 personnel, creating a staggering ratio of 19 armed officers per 1,000 residents. The force has heavily militarized, establishing elite commando units such as Unit 101, S.A.T., and BTS, which train with RPGs, heavy machine guns, and military-grade explosives. This military buildup is coupled with severe ideological radicalization. The PASF routinely glorifies deceased terrorists as "martyrs," integrates released prisoners into its officer ranks, and actively promotes the violent conquest of Israeli cities like Haifa, Acre, and Jaffa. The authors conclude that by continuing to treat this massive, terror-aligned army as a security partner, Israel risks a catastrophic, October 7th-style massacre originating from Judea and Samaria.Read more or download the full report by Regavim.https://www.tribejournal.org/post/palestinian-army-or-police-forceSubscribe to TRIBEwww.tribejournal.org/subscribe

    24 min
  2. 15 Mar

    Lessons from Lebanon: Could Iran Also Quietly Conquer Your City?

    Hezbollah’s Long March: How Iran Built a Power Inside Lebanon—and Why the World Should Pay Attention For decades, the story of Hezbollah has often been framed narrowly as a regional security issue between Israel and Lebanon. But according to Israeli security expert Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, the rise of Hezbollah represents something far more significant: a blueprint for how a hostile ideology, backed by a foreign state, can gradually infiltrate and reshape an entire society. Speaking from Israel’s northern border, where she lives only a few miles from Lebanon, Zehavi—founder of the Alma Research and Education Center—describes Hezbollah’s evolution not as a sudden military phenomenon but as a slow, strategic social project supported by Iran. Understanding how this transformation occurred, she argues, may offer a warning for cities and democracies far beyond the Middle East. For Zehavi, the ultimate definition of victory in Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah is far simpler than geopolitics. “Victory for me,” she said, “is that my daughter can go to school for a full year without war.” But the story of Hezbollah carries implications well beyond the Israeli-Lebanese border. It shows how ideological movements can build influence quietly—through schools, charities, and social services—long before they appear as military threats. And it raises a difficult question for democracies everywhere: How do open societies defend themselves against movements that use freedom itself as a tool to undermine it? Lebanon’s experience suggests the answer may determine whether future conflicts begin on battlefields—or in classrooms.

    50 min
  3. 22 Feb

    Drawing Israel's Map: Eitam Farm

    What determines the future borders of a country — diplomats in conference rooms, or shepherds on a hilltop? On a ridge overlooking Bethlehem and the hills of Gush Etzion sits Eitam Farm, founded five years ago by Mordechai during the COVID period — though the idea, he says, had been with him for years. “There have been attempts to inhabit the Aetam successfully for more than a decade,” he explains in the video. “This is the first attempt that lasted as long as it did and it's been growing consistently since we've moved in.” When he arrived, he says, “there was nothing here. When I came here there was not one structure.” His purpose, as he describes it, is clear: “The purpose of me being here… is to keep this land from falling into hands of our enemies.” He calls the project “not a profitable farm,” adding, “It's something we do for the main purpose of keeping Israel.” At the heart of the farm is a Beit Knesset built with what he describes as “100% Jewish labor.” The site functions as both an agricultural outpost and a pre-army mechina program. “There's a morning Seder every morning,” he says, where boys study Talmud, Tanakh, and Halachah before heading out in the afternoon to work the fields. There is also a daily minyan. Mordechai connects the location to biblical and Second Temple history, referencing Shimshon and ancient aqueducts that once carried water to Jerusalem. For him, the hilltop is both strategic and historic. Looking out over nearby construction, he says, “The fact that we're here prevents them from encroaching and taking over all this valuable, strategically important and historically significant land.” He describes settling hilltops as “the Zionism of today.” Originally raised in Brooklyn and educated in Haredi yeshivot before studying at Mercaz HaRav, Mordechai says his Zionism came from the texts themselves. “It was the Torah itself.” During COVID, “that's when it clicked that I can actually do this. It's not just a dream.” His message to American Jews is direct: “The time for Jews in America is running out… I could only bless you that you should merit to come to Eretz Israel… with honor and dignity.” Eitam Farm, he says, is “barely sustainable,” but for him the equation is simple: “We graze our sheep to a certain point, we plant vineyards. That's where Israel’s map  is going to end.”

    21 min
  4. 18 Feb

    Jews Can Buy Land in Judea-Samaria: Israel Repeals Jordanian Land Law 40

    00:00 Introduction to Recent Legislation in Judea Samaria06:00 Impact of Government on Illegal Construction10:17 Understanding Legislative Changes and Their Implications20:45 The New Law on Land Purchases by Jews30:34 Risks and Challenges for Arab Land Sellers40:36 Future of Housing and Development in Judea SamariaIn a wide-ranging conversation on the Tribecast, JP Katz sat down with Naomi Kahn, Director of the International Division at Regavim, to discuss what she describes as unprecedented legislative and policy shifts in Judea and Samaria. The developments include aggressive enforcement against illegal construction and the nullification of a decades-old "Jordanian Law 40" that barred Jews from purchasing land in the territory.The first development, Israel will confiscate equipment used for illegal construction in Judea Samaria. According to Kahn, the past weeks have marked a dramatic change in both tone and action on the ground.The second major development may prove even more consequential: the effective nullification of Jordanian Law Number 40.The law, enacted during Jordan’s occupation of the territory between 1948 and 1967, prohibited the sale of land to non-Jordanians or non-Muslims. Though Jordan later repealed the restriction within its own borders, the law technically remained in force in Judea and Samaria under Israel’s military governance framework.Rather than strike it down, Israeli authorities for decades created a workaround. Israeli companies could purchase land through corporate entities registered in the territory, which would then transfer ownership. The process was costly, bureaucratic, and subject to legal challenges. Kahn argues that maintaining the workaround amounted to tacit acceptance of discrimination.“Your laws express your values,” she said. “Why should Jewish rights be subject to a workaround?”With the recent policy change, private land transactions are expected to become significantly more streamlined. Lawyers anticipate reduced bureaucracy, fewer ministerial approvals, and lower transaction costs. Importantly, the change applies to private land—not state land—and does not alter zoning requirements or planning laws.

    50 min

About

We aim to tell the untold stories about Israel that the headlines always miss. The host of the TRIBECAST, J.P. Katz, is an investigative video journalist who produces thought provoking short films to deepen the listeners understanding of some of the most complex aspects of Israeli society. Much of the content on the TRIBECAST are the less edited long form interviews of guests appearing in episodes of TRIBE Journal. Starting in 2024 we will be more active on this platform and will be uploading fascinating long form content from the archives. www.tribejournal.org/subscribe