Israel Policy Pod Israel Policy Forum

Note: This episode is the audio recording from a special Israel Policy Forum video briefing held on Wednesday, June 22. 

With the passage of a preliminary vote in the Knesset today, the Bennett-Lapid coalition has begun the process of dissolving the Knesset and sending Israel back to elections. This marks the end of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's yearlong historic political experiment that united eight parties from across the political spectrum. As soon as next week, Lapid will rotate in as acting prime minister, a position he will hold until a new government is formed.

In this Israel Policy Briefing, Amir Tibon (Journalist, Haaretz) and Michael Koplow (Chief Policy Officer, Israel Policy Forum) discuss the impending end of the Bennett-Lapid government and what to expect in the coming months as Israel prepares for its fifth elections in four years.
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Amid strained U.S.-Palestinian relations and political uncertainty in Israel, President Biden is set to visit Israel and the West Bank next month. Nimrod Novik (Israel Fellow, Israel Policy Forum and former Israeli diplomat) and Ibrahim Eid Dalalsha (Director, Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach) join host Neri Zilber (Policy Advisor, Israel Policy Forum and Tel Aviv-based journalist) for a discussion on expectations for Biden’s visit, why the PA’s relations with the U.S. and Israel have reached a low point, what happened to Prime Minister Bennett’s mantra of “shrinking the conflict,” and what is in store for the PA after Mahmoud Abbas exits the stage.



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Diane and Guilford Glazer Family Foundation Director of Policy Research Shira Efron and Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow join host Tel Aviv-based journalist and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber for a conversation on the state of U.S.-Israel relations amid the reported downgrading of the U.S. Security Coordinator in Jerusalem and the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. They also unpack the significant challenges facing the Bennett-Lapid coalition after it failed to pass the law extending Israeli civil and criminal law to West Bank settlers.


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This week's episode takes a deep dive into the last two tumultuous months in Israel and Palestine, which included a deadly wave of terror attacks, a major Israeli military operation in the West Bank, the tragic death of Shireen Abu Akleh, and tensions and violence in Jerusalem. Are we now past the worst of it? Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts journalist Adam Rasgon, most recently of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, to get an on-the-ground perspective regarding the state of play in the Palestinian arena. 


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What happens in the Holy Land doesn’t just impact Israelis and Palestinians; it reverberates across the Middle East. Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Hesham Youssef, a retired Egyptian diplomat and U.S. Institute of Peace senior fellow, and Farah Bdour, the programs director at the Amman Center for Peace and Development in Jordan, for a wide-ranging conversation about the key roles Egypt and Jordan play in the Israeli-Palestinian arena. Both Hesham and Farah are contributors to a new collection of analysis by an Israel Policy Forum task force entitled "Critical Neighbors: Egypt, Jordan, and the Israeli-Palestinian Arena," which offers Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, and Jordanian perspectives on recent developments in Jerusalem.

Explore the full collection of analysis online here.

Or download a PDF version here.


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After the shock of losing its parliamentary majority, and with the Knesset coming back from a holiday break next week, what does the future hold for the Bennett-Lapid government? Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Walla News Chief Political Correspondent Tal Shalev for a deep dive into the chances of the government surviving, the prospects of yet another election, Bibi Netanyahu eyeing a comeback, and who really is the most powerful person in Israeli politics today.


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