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PODCAST

Israel Update

This is the audio version of Israel Update. Israel Update is a video podcast hosted by Israeli historian and political commentator Gadi Taub and Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. The show offers news from the ground as well as an unparalleled insider perspective on the war.

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All Episodes

76:27

Has Trump Turned his Back on Israel?

Israel Update ·

2025/05/19

As Israel is moving into Gaza there is growing concern about Trump’s plans for the Middle East. Mike and Gadi discuss the administration’s policy vis-à-vis Teheran, Riyad, Ankara and Jerusalem.

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42:55

At the JNS Summit: Netanyahu vs. Edward Said + Gadi's...

Israel Update ·

2025/05/09

We've been asked to say a few words about who we are, here's where you'll learn about one of us. That, plus Gadi's speech on Netanyahu's role in the global war over woke ideas.

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71:19

Israel's Legacy Media?

Israel Update ·

2025/05/02

The rogue Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar has now announced he will retire on June 16 – a date of his own choosing. Ignoring the cabinet's decision to dismiss him, he took the fight to the Supreme Court where an affidavit by Prime Minister Netanyahu exposed his transparent lies. But the legacy media prefers to turn a blind eye, demonstrating once again that it would make a hero out of any villain provided he turns out to be useful for the permanent Never-Bibi campaign. But this may well be one lie too

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66:36

The Qatar-Gate Hoax

Israel Update ·

2025/04/04

Ronen Bar, the insubordinate head of Shin Bet, steps up the investigation into alleged ties between members of the prime minister's staff and Qatar. Mike and Gadi think this is all nonsense, transparently designed to prevent the prime minister from removing Bar, as the cabinet unanimously voted to do. This does not mean the trumped-up charges will not become politically dangerous to Netanyahu's government.Also in this episode: is a direct clash between Israel and Turkey in Syria now

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73:06

The Head of the Shin Bet Rebels Against the Cabinet

Israel Update ·

2025/03/21

Gadi and Mike lay out the order of battle of the brewing crisis Israel is heading into in the wake of the cabinet's decision to terminate the tenure of the failed head of Shin Bet (Shabak), Ronnen Bar. The Supreme Court has already moved to freeze the cabinet's decision, but it is not clear whether the cabinet will obey the legally dubious order. Is a clash between the elected government and the administrative state now inevitable?Also on this episode: a momentous shift in American policy towards

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74:18

Is Israel Wrong About Syria?

Israel Update ·

2025/03/13

There is much that is patently false about the rhetoric regarding the savagery in Syria. But it should not distract Israel from the real game: the geopolitical problem is the Iranian attempt to use the Alawite minority in order to regain a foothold in Syria. And one cannot begin to make sense of the chaos without taking account of this development. Also in this episode: former heads of Shin Bet use mafia-style threats to reveal secrets about the Netanyahu family if the prime minister dares to fire

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66:12

The IDF and Shin Bet Cover-Up

Israel Update ·

2025/03/06

We're back! And there's a lot to talk about. Like the recently submitted conclusions of IDF and the Shin Bet inquiries of the October 7 disaster. To the extent that the press releases represent the actual content, both are shamelessly political, and both attempt to excuse, cover up and shift the blame – to Netanyahu, of course. The press is therefore eager to cooperate. Also on this episode: the Russian initiative to mediate negotiations over a new nuclear deal with Iran.

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67:22

Gaza: Are Trump and Netanyahu on the Same Page?

Israel Update ·

2025/02/12

Trump's plan for the future of Gaza caught the world by surprise. It seems to have caught prime minister Netanyahu by surprise too. To what extent is it feasible, and if it is - would it be good for Israel?

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66:06

IU Special: How Jews and Christians Can Save the West...

Israel Update ·

2025/02/11

Gadi spoke with British author Melanie Phillips about her new book The Builder's Stone: How Jews and Christians Built the West—and Why Only They Can Save It.

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68:45

Mike's and Gadi's Shouting Match Over Gaza

Israel Update ·

2025/01/29

While Israel is reeling from the drama of the hostage deal, Judge Yitzhak Amit appoints himself President of the Supreme Court. Minister of Justice Levin refuses to accept the brazen move. But all this pales – at least on this episode – in the face of a fierce, Israeli style, shouting match over the future of Gaza. And then there is, of course, Trump disrupting the accepted terms we use for discussing the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

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63:59

Trump In - Halevi Out

Israel Update ·

2025/01/23

Chief of IDF staff General Herzi Halevi resigned after a career that will be forever remembered as an abject failure. Gadi explains why so many – himself included – are breathing a sigh of relief, but Mike warns against judging Halevi motivation solely through a political lens.Meanwhile, Trump's first days in office still send mixed signals to Israel and the Middle East.

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77:09

The Hostage Deal: Is Trump Endorsing Biden's Policy?

Israel Update ·

2025/01/15

The deal that Israel is now forced to accept is not very different from the one the Biden administration has tried to impose. Combined with the rise of the isolationist elements of MAGA, this may signify a worrying trend. But Mike is less concerned than Gadi is. Granted, he also had significantly lower expectations.Plus: turmoil in Israel's Knesset, and a new scandal involving the man designated to preside of Israel's Supreme Court.

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78:03

Mike's Visit to Damascus

Israel Update ·

2025/01/09

Accompanied by a Turkish driver and two lightly armed escorts, Mike had the opportunity to see firsthand what post-Assad Syria is like. The country was devastated. The scenes of poverty and destruction are heart wrenching. At one-point Mike's escort had to change the route to evade an attack by Israel.Meanwhile in Israel chief of staff Herzi Halevi seems intent on evading a serious enquiry in the disastrous failure of the army under his command on the fateful Shabbat of October 7.

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70:54

EXCLUSIVE: Biden’s January Surprise for Israel

Israel Update ·

2025/01/01

A network of anti-Israel officials inside the Biden administration is encouraging President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken to spring on Israel a nasty January surprise. They are modeling their scheme on the ambush at the United Nations that the outgoing Obama administration sprung on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government in December 2016. Obama, you will recall, orchestrated the passing of UNSCR 2334, which aims to turn the ceasefire lines that separated Israel from Jordan before the 1967 war

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77:22

IU SPECIAL: Schueftan vs. Doran on Turkey

Israel Update ·

2024/12/24

Is a clash inevitable between Israel and Turkey over Syria? Or can they find a mutually beneficial arrangement? Two heavy hitters, IU's Mike Doran and Haifa University's Dan Schueftan, face off against each other on this crucial issue for Israel's future.

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76:49

The Syrian Challenge

Israel Update ·

2024/12/18

Mike has been following the Syrian question for decades and he explains why Israel has a great opportunity now, if it acts with a cool head, but may also fall into a dangerous trap if it does not. Plus: we had some hearty laughs at the end.

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49:52

Ceasefire?

Israel Update ·

2024/12/04

After a number of off the record talks with high ranking sources in Israel, both Gadi and Mike are under the impression that the talks of larger goals are sincere. In that case we are probably witnessing a lull, no more, until President Trump takes office.Meanwhile, Netanyahu's domestic enemies are going into overdrive, with two new surprising investigations: one against the chief of Israel's Prison Service, and one against the chief of Israel's Police in Judea and Samaria. The problem seems to be

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37:29

Netanyahu vs. the Brass

Israel Update ·

2024/11/26

Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a confrontational statement accusing his intelligence services of deliberately withholding information from him. It seems clear by now that the "leak scandal" is turning into a real internal crisis.Since Mike was visiting Tel Aviv, we recorded this one on the fly, in Gadi's home.

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67:55

All You Need to Know About the Leak Scandal

Israel Update ·

2024/11/20

This is more than an investigation of a leak. There are reasons why law enforcement and the state attorney are so intent on keeping the suspects in custody, despite the initial refusal of the lower court to extend their detention. Now it turns out that a rope and a suicide note were found in one suspect's cell. Gadi and Mike lay out three possible explanations for what this is really about. Then there's also the court's refusal to postpone Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony in the cases against him,

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61:35

Shin Bet vs. Netanyahu

Israel Update ·

2024/11/13

Prime Minister Netanyahu is hinting that there is something more sinister going on behind an investigation of leaks from his office: yet another politically motivated use of law enforcement. And this time it's not the police, it's Israel's secret security service – Shabak (aka Shin Bet). Though we don't yet have all the information, Gadi thinks he's heard it all before – has Shabak director Ronen Bar taken a page from James Comey's book? Mike, not yet convinced, nevertheless thinks such an

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