Haaretz Podcast

As Haaretz celebrates the 100th anniversary of its first edition, which was published on June 18, 1919, publisher Amos Schocken joins host Simon Spungin to discuss the newspaper's successes and failures, the state of Israel today and what he considers the main threats to the future of the Jewish state...

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz's Judy Maltz and writer Roy Isacowitz to discuss Jewish life in South Africa, where – according to a new seven-part series by Judy – Zionism is a dirty word, Israel is the new apartheid and BDS is on the rise. We cover the rapid and dramatic decline in the number of Jews calling the Rainbow Nation home, the impact of the BDS movement on their lives and the historical impact of Israel's support for the Apartheid regime...

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel to discuss the latest developments in the Iranian nuclear crisis: What is the Islamic Republic hoping to achieve, will U.S. President Donald Trump be maneuvered by his hawkish advisors into war with Tehran and what does all this mean for Israel? Also: Why is the United States getting increasingly and publically vexed by Israel's close ties with China? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz's Hagar Shezaf, to discuss her recent article detailing Israeli efforts to 'disappear' documented evidence of Israeli war crimes during the 1948 War of Independence – the Palestinian Nakba. Hagar, who interviewed archivists, historians and defense officials, tells us about the reporting that went into the story, reactions to it (including an editorial in Haaretz) and why it matters. Click here to read the original article. See omnystudio...

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz diplomatic correspondent, Noa Landau, to discuss the fallout from Israel's decision not to allow Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to enter the West Bank. Why did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backtrack, how will Democrats react and what impact will the decision have on the 'holies of holies' – bipartisan support for Israel in the United States? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Simon Spungin is joined by senior Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy, who has harsh words for the American-Jewish establishment, which he accuses of supporting the occupation policies of the Israeli government. Gideon also tells us about his visit to the ancestral home of U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Talib, who, along with Ilhan Omar, was banned from entering Israel last week over their support of the boycott movement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Judy Maltz, to discuss the months-long investigation, written with Yaniv Kubovich, into the thousands of lone soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces and their disproportionately high rate of death by suicide. Who is supposed to be looking after these young volunteers, are they being used for fundraising purposes and will anything change as a result of this exposé? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Anshel Pfeffer to discuss events on Israel's northern border, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unbridled attacks on the media and how both those issues fit in with the upcoming election, which is now just two weeks away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn, for a wide-ranging discussion on the upcoming Israeli election. We discuss speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump could provide Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a pre-election diplomatic gift, whether Ayman Odeh can galvanize Arab voters and whether Haaretz has the resources to fact-check everything said by politicians in the run-up to September 17. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Simon Spungin is joined by Anshel Pfeffer and Chaim D. Levinson for a final discussion ahead of this week's do-over Israeli election. Will Avigdor Lieberman derail Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to form another government? Who will benefit from low voter turnout? And will President Donald Trump's vague promise of a Mutual Defense Treaty sway any floating voters? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.