I'm Jonathan Sacerdoti

Jonathan Sacerdoti

Journalist, broadcaster, and commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti engages in in-depth conversations with thought leaders, experts, and influential voices from around the world. Covering politics, culture, history, and current affairs, each episode delivers sharp analysis, valuable insights, and engaging discussions on the most pressing topics of our time. Cutting through the noise, this series provides informed perspectives on the issues shaping the world today.

  1. 21 HR AGO

    Did NY's Muslim mayor just use the Quran to fight Trump's migration policy? Neo-Islamic conquest and how compassion became our weakness and their strength – Prof Mordechai Kedar

    Please donate to support these conversations: https://jonathansacerdoti.com/donate When NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani referenced Islamic teachings and invoked the Hijrah in his speech at a multi-faith event, was he offering a message of spiritual resilience — or signalling something more political? In this conversation, Prof Mordechai Kedar unpacks what that reference really means, explaining how Hijrah is not simply a story of exile and refuge, marking the transition from marginalisation to sovereignty, from preaching to governing. We explore how a modern political leader drawing directly on that narrative deserves our urgent attention. Mordechai Kedar, one of Israel's most experienced scholars of Islamic culture, Arabic society, and political Islam, draws on decades of study, to explain how migration functions within Islamic tradition, how theology becomes statecraft, and why historical precedent matters in contemporary politics. We also assess Gaza after October 7th, Israel’s determination that Hamas does not return to power, and the argument for clan based emirates rather than nationalist or Islamist governance. Finally, we analyse Iran: credible threat, regime survival, ethnic fault lines, and whether decentralisation offers a more stable future than imposed unity. This is a conversation about power, legitimacy, and the operating systems beneath public rhetoric. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand what Mamdani’s Hijrah reference signifies within Islamic history — and how migration narratives intersect with political authority in the West and the Middle East. 💬 We Discuss: 🕌 What the Hijrah represents in Islamic political development 🏙️ How religious narrative can function as a framework for public authority ⚖️ The boundary between personal religious practice and political Islam 🔥 What makes Israel alarmed about the Trump plan for Gaza 🏛️ The case for clan based emirates over ideological nationalist movements 🌍 Why heterogenous Middle Eastern states struggle for legitimacy 🛢️ Whether Iran is truly afraid of Trump's threats 🧭 The argument for decentralisation as a path to stability 🔔 Subscribe for more serious conversations on Israel, political Islam, geopolitics, and Western institutions. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com 👇 Comment below — when political leaders invoke sacred history, should voters hear metaphor, or doctrine with institutional consequences?

    1h 6m
  2. 3 FEB

    Iran’s last chance: what the West can still do to save Iran – Dr Thamar Eilam Gindin

    Iran’s regime is relying on executions, foreign fighters and extreme repression to survive. In this conversation, Jonathan Sacerdoti speaks with Dr Tamar Eilam Gindin, a specialist in Iranian language, culture and political mythology, about what she is seeing emerge inside the Islamic Republic. Drawing on reports and her own sources from within Iran, she explains how executions surged in the months that followed the 12 Day War, how protests were crushed using non-Iranian forces, and why these tactics point to a system under enormous strain. Dr Gindin describes how funerals have turned into protests, why mosques are being burned as symbols of oppression, and why removing the Supreme Leader might not dismantle the regime. The conversation also examines how Iranian regime narratives continue to shape Western media and academic analysis, and why protesters inside Iran are rallying around Reza Pahlavi. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how Iran’s uprisings will develop in the coming weeks and months. 💬 We Discuss: 🇮🇷 The surge in executions after the war in June 🔥 The regime’s use of foreign militias against protesters 🕌 The breakdown of religious legitimacy ⚔️ Why removing one leader would not end the system 🧠 How Western analysis misunderstands Iran 👑 Who is Reza Pahlavi and why protestors chant his name 🌍 What type of external pressure could actually change outcomes 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on Iran, power and global affairs. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com 🙏🏻Help me make more of these videos: Donate: https://jonathansacerdoti.com/donate 👇 Comment below — will the US act to end the regime, or has the moment passed? #Iran #IranProtests #IslamicRepublic #MiddleEast #RezaPahlavi #JonathanSacerdoti #TamarEilamGindin

    1h 6m
  3. 30 JAN

    Is the world about to tip over? What Trump may do next – Col Richard Kemp

    What happens next in Iran? Will the United States strike, and if so, when? Will Israel be drawn in again, or deliberately held back this time? Will Britain take part, or remain confined to a defensive role? What would the targets actually be – nuclear facilities, missile infrastructure, or the leadership itself? And if the regime is hit hard enough to fall, who takes over? If it survives, what then? These questions sit at the centre of the Middle East right now. Military forces are already deployed. Diplomatic pressure is intensifying. The margin for miscalculation is shrinking, and whatever comes next will shape the region for years, possibly decades. In this deep and analytical conversation, Colonel Richard Kemp speaks with Jonathan Sacerdoti about the strategic reality behind the headlines. Kemp is a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan and a long standing analyst of Islamist movements, Western military power, and the politics of war. He brings operational clarity to a moment dominated by uncertainty and noise. The conversation also covers Hezbollah, Hamas, Gaza, the Houthis, and how Iran’s proxies shape escalation across the region. It also turns to Britain, asking whether the UK is prepared for war at all, and what repeated signals of weakness mean for deterrence, along with analysis of the planned UK surrender of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, Britain’s shrinking strategic posture, and the consequences of failing to defend national interests. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand what may be coming next in Iran and the Middle East, and what it reveals about Western strength, weakness, and leadership. 💬 We Discuss: 🇮🇷 What Iran’s internal unrest means for the survival of the regime 🇺🇸 Whether a US strike is now likely, and what it would target 🇮🇱 Israel’s role behind the scenes and why intelligence may outweigh firepower 🎯 The realistic prospects and dangers of regime collapse in Tehran 🧨 How Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis shape regional escalation 🇬🇧 Britain’s readiness for war and the limits of its current posture ⚖️ The legal pursuit of soldiers and veterans and its impact on morale 🏝️ The Chagos Islands and the consequences of surrendering strategic ground 🏛️ Leadership, deterrence, and why institutions fail under real pressure 🌍 How the Middle East could be reshaped if Iran weakens or falls 🔔 Subscribe for more serious, unflinching conversations about war, power, and Western responsibility. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com 👇 Comment below — if Iran is heading towards a decisive moment, do Western governments actually know what outcome they are prepared to deal with? #RichardKemp #JonathanSacerdoti #Iran #MiddleEast #Israel #UKDefence #Geopolitics #WesternSecurity #WarAndPeace

    1h 13m
  4. 26 JAN

    Rewriting centuries of British law, and the public wasn’t asked — top barrister Jeremy Dein KC speaks out against government proposals

    Britain’s justice system is facing a profound rupture. Under the banner of efficiency and backlog reduction, reforms are being proposed that would remove large numbers of cases from jury trial, weaken appeal rights, and concentrate decision making power in the hands of the state. These changes touch principles that have defined British liberty for centuries and raise fundamental questions about our justice and democracy, and who they ultimately serve. In this conversation, Jonathan Sacerdoti speaks to veteran criminal defence barrister Jeremy Dein KC, whose decades at the heart of the courts give him a rare vantage point. Dein explains why dismantling jury trials will not solve the crisis it claims to address, why judges themselves are alarmed, and how political pressure, public disorder and selective enforcement are corroding trust in the rule of law. From constitutional change to the reality of two-tier justice, this discussion exposes how institutional drift becomes moral failure when the state forgets its duty to protect the individual. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how the erosion of jury trials, policing failures and selective enforcement are symptoms of a deeper crisis in British justice. 💬 We Discuss: ⚖️ Why jury trials are not a procedural detail but a constitutional safeguard against injustice 🏛️ How proposals to reduce jury trials undermine principles dating back to Magna Carta 📉 Why abolishing juries will not solve the court backlog and may worsen it 👩‍⚖️ Why concentrating power creates new risks 📜 The quiet removal of appeal rights and what it means for ordinary defendants 🚨 Fast tracked justice and why speed can become a substitute for fairness 🔍 Two tier justice and how public order policing reveals institutional fear and inconsistency 🕍 The failure to protect Jewish communities from intimidation masquerading as protest 🗣️ Free speech versus criminal intimidation and where the law has lost clarity 🇬🇧 What all of this says about Britain’s future as a liberal democracy 🔔 Subscribe for more serious and unflinching conversations about law, power and the future of British institutions. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com 👇 Comment below — if jury trials and equal justice are weakened in the name of efficiency, what protections remain for the individual against the state? #JeremyDein #JonathanSacerdoti #BritishJustice #JuryTrials #RuleOfLaw #FreeSpeech #Antisemitism #UKPolitics #CivilLiberties

    1h 10m
  5. 21 JAN

    Why Trump’s lawyer says America should be a refuge for British Jews — Exclusive interview with Robert Garson

    Donald Trump’s lawyer went on the record and said it plainly: Britain’s Jews need protection. They need somewhere to flee. He's urging the US President to let them come to America. When The Telegraph put the proposal on its front page, it was no longer a hypothetical concern whispered in private, but a public warning, issued at national level, about the condition of Britain itself. In this frank and unsettling conversation, Jonathan Sacerdoti speaks with Robert Garson, the Manchester-born barrister and US attorney who is close to Donald Trump, about why he believes the idea of asylum for British Jews is no longer extreme, but overdue. Garson explains how a lifetime of loyalty to Britain collided with the reality of a country that increasingly refuses to enforce its own laws when Jews are threatened. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how the US could provide refuge for British Jews, and what that idea reveals about Britain now. 💬 We Discuss: 🇬🇧 How Britain reached a point where asylum is openly discussed 📰 Why The Telegraph front page mattered 🚨 From fringe antisemitism to mass intimidation 👮 Policing, fear, and the refusal to enforce the law 🇺🇸 Why the US responded differently after October 7 🛡️ Jewish self defence and the limits of state protection 🎓 Universities, emigration, and collapsing confidence 🏛️ Institutional weakness inside British Jewish leadership ✈️ Asylum, visas, and the search for alternatives ⚠️ What Britain risks losing if its Jews decide to leave 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com

    57 min
  6. 16 JAN

    The international players who can help topple Iran’s regime. The call for support — Niyak Ghorbani

    For nearly half a century the Islamic Republic has ruled Iran through fear, censorship and organised cruelty. It has crushed dissent at home while exporting terrorism abroad, and it has relied on a simple calculation: that the world would look away while its own people suffered in silence. Today that calculation is collapsing. Across Iran, ordinary men and women are rising against a regime that has impoverished them, humiliated them and treated their lives as disposable. They are marching in the streets knowing they may never return home. And for the first time in decades, they feel that the outside world might finally be listening. In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Jonathan Sacerdoti is joined by Iranian activist Niyak Ghorbani, one of the most visible organisers of protests in the United Kingdom and a relentless opponent of both the Islamic Republic and the antisemitic movements it sponsors. Drawing on his own experience of life under the regime, and on the stories of family and friends still trapped inside Iran, he describes what this moment feels like from the inside. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand why the battle for Iran’s future matters far beyond its borders, and why this uprising feels different from all those that came before. 💬 We Discuss: 🇮🇷 What daily life under the Islamic Republic is really like for ordinary Iranians 🔥 Why this wave of protests feels closer to regime change than ever before 🇺🇸 How Donald Trump’s words transformed Iranian morale 📺 The failure of mainstream media to report the uprising honestly 👮‍♂️ Niyak’s own arrests in Britain for opposing antisemitic marches 🕊️ The bravery of protesters who know they may be killed for demonstrating 👑 Why many Iranians now rally behind Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi 🌍 How Iran’s struggle mirrors the rise of Islamist influence in the West 📱 Social media, citizen journalism and the fight to break regime censorship ⚠️ The lessons Britain should learn from Iran before it is too late 🔔 Subscribe for more fearless conversations about world affairs, freedom and the fight for truth. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com

    1h 16m
  7. 11 JAN

    Does Europe still love Israel? What war, intelligence, trade and Eurovision tell us about diplomacy

    Europe’s relationship with Israel has never been simple. It is shaped by history soaked in blood, by moral claims born from catastrophe, and by institutions that insist on speaking in the language of values while acting through interest. In the aftermath of October 7, those tensions have hardened, exposing fractures between governments and peoples, ideology and reality, rhetoric and reliance. As Europe’s political centre shifts and its demographics change, Israel finds itself simultaneously condemned in public and depended upon in practice. Accusations of antisemitism collide with strategic cooperation. Recognition of Palestinian statehood sits uneasily alongside intelligence sharing, weapons procurement, and military coordination. The question is no longer whether Europe and Israel disagree, but whether they still understand each other at all. In this conversation, Jonathan Sacerdoti is joined by former Israeli Ambassador to the EU and NATO Ronny Leshno Yaar, and Professor Sharon Pardo of Ben Gurion University, to examine whether Europe has turned against Israel, or whether the reality is more structurally complex and morally uncomfortable. Drawing on diplomatic experience, academic analysis, and personal history, they explore Europe’s changing identity, the return of antisemitism, Israel’s missteps in European politics, and the quiet depth of cooperation that continues despite the noise. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand why Europe’s posture towards Israel appears hostile yet remains dependent, and what that means for Israel’s future in a changing West. 💬 We Discuss: 🧭 Why Europe is not a single actor, but a shifting collection of interests, institutions and contradictions 🧬 How Jewish history is embedded in European identity, and why that inheritance is now contested 📉 The return of antisemitism after October 7, and Europe’s failure to confront it structurally 🏛️ How Israel aligned with Europe’s right and what it gained and lost by doing so 🛡️ Europe’s quiet military and intelligence defence of Israel, despite public condemnation ✈️ Why people to people ties, from academia to travel, may matter more than diplomacy ⚖️ Whether Israel can afford deep cooperation with Europe while facing existential political disagreements 🔔 Subscribe for more fearless conversations about world affairs, freedom and the fight for truth. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com/ 👇 Comment below — can Israel and Europe remain partners if they no longer share a moral language? #Israel #Europe #EuropeanUnion #Antisemitism #MiddleEast #Geopolitics #JonathanSacerdoti

    1h 2m
  8. 4 JAN

    Piers Morgan and the business of outrage — Fleur Hassan-Nahoum dissects Israel, Bibi, Iran, the state of the West

    Fleur Hassan Nahum has worked at the sharp end of politics, media and national crisis. As a former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and Special Envoy for Innovation, she has dealt directly with international leaders, hostile broadcasters and the pressures that follow war into every public space. In this conversation with Jonathan Sacerdoti, she lifts the lid to reveal the real workings of media and politics, drawing on her own personal experience. She reflects on her repeated appearances on Piers Morgan Uncensored and explains why she became increasingly critical of the programme, and the man. She describes a media environment that rewards confrontation, elevates extreme voices and treats serious issues as clickbait content. She discusses her own interactions with Benjamin Netanyahu, assessing his political skill and strategic instincts alongside the divisions, communication failures and long term costs of leadership during war. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how personal experience exposes institutional failure, and why October 7 tested the credibility of the West. We Discuss: 📺 What Fleur’s experiences on Piers Morgan Uncensored reveal about modern broadcasting 🧠 What Benjamin Netanyahu is like in private, and how power operates in Israeli politics 🏛️ Division, accountability and leadership under national trauma ⚖️ Where free speech ends and institutional irresponsibility begins 🕍 Antisemitism as a structural problem within Western culture 🌍 What October 7 revealed about moral confidence in democratic societies 🔔 Subscribe for more fearless conversations about Britain, freedom and the fight for truth. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com 👇 Comment below — what should the public expect from media and leaders during war?

    1h 9m
4.6
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Journalist, broadcaster, and commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti engages in in-depth conversations with thought leaders, experts, and influential voices from around the world. Covering politics, culture, history, and current affairs, each episode delivers sharp analysis, valuable insights, and engaging discussions on the most pressing topics of our time. Cutting through the noise, this series provides informed perspectives on the issues shaping the world today.

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