Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts:

• For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA
• ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvM

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode:

On Thursday, French President Emanuel Macron announced that France will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN meeting set to take place in September. France will become the first major Western country to recognize a Palestinian state, prompting many to wonder if this will set off a chain reaction. Is it possible that Hamas’ savage attack could set off a chain of events that results in the establishment of a Palestinian state?

Meanwhile, there has been a lot of press in recent days about starvation among Gazans. Research by Yannay Spitzer of Hebrew University on the price of flour in the Gaza Strip has convinced many reluctant Israelis that this time, unlike before, the reports of starvation are real. In response, Israel announced that it will halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of the strip, as Jordan and the UAE resumed airdrops of humanitarian aid.

To discuss the food crisis and the significance of President Macron’s declaration, we were joined by Call me Back contributors Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal.

(00:00) Introduction

(04:44) Vote for a Palestinian state

(08:04) Hunger crisis in Gaza?

(28:05) Hostage and ceasefire negotiations

(30:55) Could 10/7 go down as Independence Day for the Palestinians?

(39:21) Retrospective on Israel’s strategy

(46:59) What happens to the hostages?

(51:40) Outro

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts:

• For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA
• ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvM

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode:

Last week, we witnessed the eruption of violent aggression on behalf of the Syrian government and local Bedouin tribes against Syria’s southern Druze community, leaving more than 1,400 people dead. The Druze are a community that also has deep roots in Israel, and over 1,000 Israeli Druze citizens crossed the Israel-Syria border to support their brothers and sisters being attacked.

In response, Israel launched a series of strikes against military facilities in Damascus, prompting widespread global criticism. As of Saturday, all sides have agreed to a ceasefire. However, we are still seeing reports and videos on social media of Druze being attacked in Southern Syria.

Many are asking what to make of Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda affiliate who claims to have moderated. People are also wondering to what extent Turkey – a supporter of the new Syrian regime – played a role in what’s unfolded in Syria.

Joining us to discuss – and at points, debate – these complex questions are Charles Lister, senior fellow and director of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute, and Hay Eitan Cohen Yanarocak, researcher of modern-day Turkey at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.

(00:00) Introduction

(05:05) What happened in Syria?

(11:16) The involvement of Turkey

(15:06) The U.S. response to Israel’s intervention in Syria

(31:20) Turkey’s ambition

(37:51) Did Israel make a mistake?

(43:45) Outro

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts:

• For Heaven's Sake: lnk.to/rfGlrA
• ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/rbGlvM

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn

Today’s Episode:

On Monday, the three Haredi parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition were presented with a draft of a new Haredi conscription bill, which they say did not satisfy their demands for military exemption for Haredi youth.

This led two of the parties, Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael, to leave Netanyahu’s government on Monday, bringing the coalition down from 68 to 61 seats, which is the smallest possible majority in the 120 seat Knesset. On Wednesday, Shas, another Haredi party, announced its resignation from the government, but not from the coalition, leaving the coalition’s majority at an extremely thin margin.

In other news, over the past couple days, the new Syrian government led by Ahmed el-Sharaa, has been working alongside local Bedouin tribes to violently target Syria’s southern Druze community. This has prompted around 1,000 Israeli Druze to breach the Israel-Syria border in an effort to join their brothers and sisters’ struggle. In response to the Syrian government’s actions, Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting military infrastructure in Damascus.

To unpack the developments taking place in Netanyahu’s government, as well as the chaos unfolding in Syria, we were joined by Call me Back contributors Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal.

(00:00) Introduction

(03:51) Israel’s system and current composition

(09:24) What are the parties negotiating?

(16:45) Haredi conscription in the IDF

(22:37) Why did the ultra-Orthodox parties resign?

(28:29) What are Netanyahu’s options?

(36:31) What does this mean for a hostage deal?

(39:09) Crisis in Syria

(48:33) Outro

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer