In today’s Tel Aviv Diary podcast, Marc Schulman is joined by Yair Zivan, Israeli-born communications strategist, former adviser and spokesperson to Shimon Peres and Yair Lapid, and one of the sharper centrist voices in Israeli public life. Their conversation unfolds in real time under fire, with sirens interrupting the interview and sending Marc to shelter before they resume. That interruption becomes part of the story itself: a reminder that for Israelis, the war is not an abstraction, but a daily reality measured in seconds to shelter, shattered apartments, canceled flights, and the constant strain of uncertainty. The discussion begins with the war against Iran and the question hanging over Israel’s military success: can tactical victories be turned into lasting strategic gains? Zivan argues that the war’s stated goals are justified — ending the nuclear threat, reducing the ballistic missile danger, and weakening the regime enough to create an opening for the Iranian people — but warns that military action alone is never enough. Again and again, he says, this government has shown that it knows how to launch operations but not how to build a diplomatic and strategic framework that secures a durable outcome. From Gaza to Lebanon and now Iran, the same pattern repeats itself: battlefield achievements without a coherent political endgame. Marc presses him on the failures of leadership at home, and the two speak candidly about what they see as a deep crisis at the top of the Israeli government. They discuss the lack of planning for the home front, the economy, education, and civilian life, despite the clear expectation that a broader war was coming. They also examine the widening gap between Israel’s extraordinary military performance and the government’s inability to translate that into either diplomatic success abroad or stability at home. The result, they argue, is a country showing tremendous resilience from below while being let down from above. A major part of the episode focuses on the United States and the dangerous erosion of bipartisan support for Israel. Zivan argues that one of the biggest myths about Benjamin Netanyahu is that he is a master diplomat when it comes to America. In reality, he says, Israel has lost ground not only with Democrats but increasingly among parts of the Republican right as well. Marc adds his own perspective from years of American media appearances, describing how even longtime pro-Israel voices now question Netanyahu’s judgment and political alignments. Together they explore the consequences of this failure of diplomacy and advocacy at a time when Israel’s case, in their view, should be far easier to explain to the world. The conversation then widens into politics and political philosophy. Zivan discusses his book, The Center Must Hold, which makes the argument that centrism — moderation, complexity, compromise, and liberal democracy — is the necessary antidote to polarization and extremism. Marc challenges him on whether centrism can still thrive in a political age shaped by social media bubbles, ideological tribes, and base-driven politics. Zivan responds that centrists must stop complaining and learn to communicate with more conviction and passion, insisting that moderation is not weakness and compromise is not betrayal. It is one of the most thoughtful sections of the interview, moving beyond immediate headlines into the deeper question of how democracies can govern themselves effectively in fractured times. The final section turns back to Israel’s political future. Marc and Zivan discuss the coming elections, the shape of the opposition bloc, the failures of the current coalition, and the importance of rebuilding state institutions — above all the education system, which Zivan calls central to Israel’s economic strength, national security, and long-term survival. The episode closes on a broader and more hopeful note, as Marc asks where Zivan wants to see Israel in twenty years. His answer is striking: an Israel fully integrated into the Middle East, grounded once more in the values of the Declaration of Independence, and secure enough that daily life is no longer dominated by sirens, shelters, and the fear of the next round. This is a serious and wide-ranging conversation recorded in the middle of war, but it is also a conversation about what comes after war: what kind of country Israel wants to be, what kind of leadership it needs, and whether it can still recover the strategic and moral clarity that so many Israelis feel has been lost. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe
