I'm Jonathan Sacerdoti

Jonathan Sacerdoti
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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. 2D AGO

    The Palestinian journalist Israel watches for the truth: Suleiman Maswadeh on inequality, opportunity, and what October 7th did to Arabs in Israel

    Donate: https://jonathansacerdoti.com/donate Suleiman Maswadeh is Israel’s most visible Palestinian Arab television correspondent, a regular presence on the national news, speaking fluent Hebrew to a country that rarely hears an Arab accent in that role. His career sits inside one of Israel’s deepest contradictions, two communities living side by side, sharing streets and history, yet separated by language, schooling, and fear, with the public story of the conflict often shaped by the absence of ordinary contact. Jonathan Sacerdoti meets Suleiman Maswadeh in person to trace how a Palestinian Arab man raised in an observant Muslim family taught himself Hebrew as an adult and entered Israel’s mainstream media. He describes the practical mechanics of East Jerusalem’s isolation, the misinformation that flourishes when people cannot speak, and the personal cost of crossing over, including ostracism, threats, and the dislocation of being trusted by Hebrew speaking viewers while remaining contested at home. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how language, media, and intimidation shape the conflict more quietly than slogans ever will. 💬 We Discuss: 🧭 What it means to grow up minutes from Jewish neighbourhoods and still live in a different world 🗣️ How learning Hebrew became a route into work, citizenship, and a wider reality 🪪 The lived politics of taxes, representation, residency status, and unequal civic investment 🧠 How misinformation about history takes hold when education and contact collapse 🪖 Why the only “relationship” many Palestinians have with Israelis is through soldiers and raids 📺 How Arab and Israeli media each fail audiences, especially under the pressures of war 🧩 The psychological strain of living between identities, languages, and public expectations 🕯️ October 7 as personal grief, public rupture, and a harder test for anyone arguing for contact 🗳️ How fear polices civic participation, including threats against Palestinians who try to run locally 🌱 Why change driven by ordinary people, language learning, and education may outlast leadership cycles 🔔 Subscribe for more unflinching conversations about Israel, Palestinians, media, power, and the moral condition of the West. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/ On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com 👇 Comment below — what breaks first in a divided society, trust, language, or the courage to tell the truth out loud?

    1h 5m

  2. FEB 25

    We need to be ready for ever: why winning the war won't bring peace — Yaakov Amidror

    If you value these interviews, please consider donating: https://jonathansacerdoti.com/donate Major General Yaakov Amidror argues that wars in the Middle East are never truly concluded. They are managed, suppressed, and deferred. Born on the day Israel declared independence and shaped by decades at the heart of its security establishment, he views October 7 not as an aberration but as the cost of strategic hesitation. The dismantling of Iran’s crescent, the degradation of Hamas, and the weakening of Hezbollah mark a significant shift in Israel’s position. None of it is final. Each front remains unfinished. Each contains the seeds of the next confrontation.In this conversation, Amidror lays out a doctrine grounded in vigilance, pre-emption and strength. Israel cannot transform the political culture of the region or impose a permanent settlement on its enemies. It can only ensure that when one war ends, preparation for the next is already under way. The question is whether the post–October 7 strategy has internalised that lesson, and whether coordination with the United States will reinforce Israeli security or restrain it at a decisive moment.👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how Israel’s post–October 7 strategy is being recalibrated around pre-emption, American coordination, and the permanent management of existential threats. We Discuss:🛡️ Why dismantling Iran’s “ring of fire” has changed the strategic map, yet left unfinished fronts in Gaza, Lebanon and beyond🎯 The case for restoring pre-emptive war as a legitimate and necessary Israeli tool after years of strategic hesitation🇺🇸 How far Israel should defer to the United States on Gaza, Iran and Hezbollah, and when it must ultimately act alone🔥 Whether Hamas can ever be disarmed without direct IDF force, and what happens if American diplomacy fails🚀 The military lessons of October 7, from munitions stockpiles to manoeuvre divisions and long-range strike capacity🌍 The emerging Turkish–Qatari–Saudi alignment and what it means for Syria and the regional balance of power⚖️ Why Israeli resilience rests on necessity, mobilisation rates, and a cultural understanding that survival has no substitute📉 The limits of international legitimacy, European reliability, and Israel’s ability to influence rising antisemitism abroad🔄 What a “visible victory” truly means in a region where threats regenerate unless actively suppressed🔔 Subscribe for more serious conversations about Israel, geopolitics, security, and the future of Western civilisation.📲 Follow JonathanOn X: https://x.com/jonsacOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com👇 Comment below — Has Israel achieved a decisive strategic shift since October 7, or is this merely the opening phase of a longer and more dangerous cycle?

    57 min

  3. FEB 25

    Iran’s negotiators are stalling, but pressure at home could change everything – Beni Sabti

    Donate at https://jonathansacerdoti.com/donate Benny Sabti, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, joins me at a moment of acute strain for the Islamic Republic. He argues that Tehran’s diplomatic posture follows a familiar pattern: delay, repackage old positions, concede nothing essential, preserve enrichment capability and the infrastructure of coercion. This time, Washington appears less willing to indulge the ritual, framing negotiations as a final test before more forceful options are considered.Are the renewed student protests, including at the Sharif University of Technology, a sign of genuine internal fracture or another uprising destined to be crushed? Does the re-emergence of figures such as Ali Larijani signal consolidation, desperation, or preparation for succession? Could someone like Hassan Rouhani serve as a transitional figure if pressure intensifies? And if confrontation comes, would it accelerate regime collapse or entrench it through violence? These are the questions Sabti addresses as we assess how narrow Tehran’s room for manoeuvre has become.👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand whether Iran stands at the brink of war, internal upheaval, or a managed transformation that reshapes the Middle East.💬 We Discuss: ⚖️ Why Tehran’s negotiating pattern reflects a long institutional culture of delay without substantive concession 🧭 How the Trump administration’s approach seeks legitimacy before escalation 🎯 The erosion of Iran’s regional terror network and what that means for deterrence 📉 The regime’s domestic crisis, from inflation shocks to collapsing public trust 🎓 Why renewed campus protests at Sharif and beyond matter strategically 🛡️ Whether elements of the IRGC could favour controlled transition over ideological collapse 👑 The symbolism of exiled opposition figures and the limits of monarchical nostalgia 🔄 Regime change versus regime management, and what history suggests about transitions from revolutionary states 🌍 What retaliation against Israel or US allies would mean for the regime’s survival 📊 How internal legitimacy and external pressure now converge on Tehran’s future🔔 Subscribe for more serious, unflinching conversations about geopolitics, security, antisemitism, and the future of Western institutions.📲 Follow JonathanOn X: https://x.com/jonsacOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansacerdoti/On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com👇 Comment below — is Iran approaching genuine transformation, or merely another cycle of tactical retreat designed to preserve the regime for another generation?#JonathanSacerdoti #BennySabti #Iran #MiddleEast #Geopolitics #RegimeChange #NuclearNegotiations #IRGC #WesternSecurity

    43 min

  4. FEB 22

    The public no longer trusts the establishment – Julia Hartley Brewer on immigration, Israel, Islam, Frage, and Starmer

    Julia Hartley-Brewer is one of the most outspoken voices in British broadcasting. In this conversation she defends Israel with unapologetic force, describing her recent visit as life changing and arguing that after October 7 the country acted with remarkable restraint under existential threat. She says Britain and America would have responded far more ruthlessly.But this discussion goes far beyond Israel.She explains why she would now have voted for Donald Trump, why she believes lockdown was a historic political and moral failure, and why trust in government, science and the BBC has been permanently damaged. She argues that Britain has talked itself into cultural self-doubt, tolerated intolerance in the name of liberalism, and failed to defend its own borders or values.From mass immigration and deportations, to media bias over Gaza and Iran, to the psychological impact of Covid on a generation of children, this is a conversation about strength, sovereignty, and whether Britain still has the will to govern itself. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand why she believes Britain is drifting, institutions are failing, and political courage is in short supply. 🇮🇱 Why she says Israel showed extraordinary restraint after October 7 and has been misrepresented in Western media🇺🇸 How Donald Trump's strength is essential to deterrence📺 BBC amplification of Hamas narratives and hesitation over Iran protests🧠 Why lockdown policies shattered public trust and damaged children, families and the economy🛂 Why illegal immigration requires mass deportations and a hard reset on border control🇬🇧 Why she believes British liberal culture is superior in its freedoms and should be defended without apology🗣️ The danger of suppressing dissent while tolerating extremist rhetoric on Britain’s streets📱 How social media broke the information monopoly of legacy broadcasters⚖️ Whether Britain needs a leader willing to make deeply unpopular but necessary decisions🔔 Subscribe for more serious, unflinching conversations about Britain, Israel, free speech, and the future of Western democracies.📲 Follow JonathanOn XOn Instagram Donate 👇 Comment below — has Britain lost the will to defend its values, or is a political reckoning on the horizon? This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 💬 We Discuss:

    1h 26m

  5. FEB 17

    Inside Gaza: will the war start again as the ceasefire is tested? Jonathan Sacerdoti reports from central Gaza as Hamas breaks Gaza ceasefire AGAIN

    Jonathan Sacerdoti travels into the Gaza Strip, embedding with the IDF along the new front line that now divides the territory. Months into the Trump brokered ceasefire, Israel holds 58 per cent of Gaza behind what they call the 'yellow line'. Hamas remains in control of the rest and declares it will not disarm. Sniper fire, tunnel discoveries and daily ceasefire violations continue, even as aid enters through Israeli controlled crossings. From fortified positions overlooking the central refugee camps to staging areas where humanitarian supplies are transferred, this on the ground report examines how Israel is enforcing its security doctrine just a kilometre from its own civilian communities. Speaking with the IDF’s international spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, Jonathan explores Hamas’s continued tunnel building, guerrilla attacks during the ceasefire, disputed casualty figures, and the strategic calculation behind holding a majority of the Strip. The question hanging over the quiet landscape is whether this is containment, or simply the interval before renewed war. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how a ceasefire operates when territory is divided, weapons remain in place, and both sides prepare for what may come next. 💬 We Discuss: 🟡 Why Israel is holding 58 per cent of Gaza and what the yellow line represents in practice 🔫 How Hamas continues sniper attacks and guerrilla operations during the ceasefire 🕳️ The scale and persistence of the tunnel network beneath Gaza 📦 How humanitarian aid is transferred across the border under Israeli control 🏘️ The strategic importance of Gaza’s central refugee camps ⚖️ The dispute over casualty figures and the politics of wartime information 🛡️ Whether demilitarisation is achievable under the current agreement 🌍 The prospects for international forces replacing the IDF presence 🔔 Subscribe for more serious, on the ground reporting and analysis on Israel, Gaza and the wider Middle East. 📲 Follow Jonathan On X: https://x.com/jonsac On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansac... On Substack: https://jonsac.substack.com/ 👇 Comment below — will this ceasefire endure without Hamas disarmament, or is renewed conflict inevitable?

    14 min

  6. FEB 11

    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

  7. FEB 3

    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

  8. JAN 30

    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
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5
out of 5
16 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.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Sacerdoti
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jonathan Sacerdoti
  • Show Website
    I'm Jonathan Sacerdoti

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