In this episode, Benjamin and Yaakov discuss the attempted assassinations of Muhammad Deif and - in a completely different scenario - Republican nominee, President Donald Trump.We also outline some of the red-lines surrounding the hostage release negotiations and talk about the dismal and dangerous state of public discourse, particularly as it pertains to the media.Support the Show.The MirYam Institute. Israel's Future in Israel's Hands.Subscribe to our podcast: https://podfollow.com/14939107...

In this episode, recorded on July 11th 2024, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin, In-House Analyst at The MirYam Institute. He and I discuss the just released findings of the IDF's probe into the catastrophic events that took place in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7th, the public spats between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, and when and how the IDF will deal with the threat of Hezbollah. I also discuss recent statements about the possibility of the Palestinian Authority ...

In this episode, I interview Oren Shalom, a retired Sgt. in the IDF who used his background in the elite counter-terror force Duvdevan to establish civilian, rapid response units in Israel in order to react to security emergencies in the area between Gaza and Egypt.Here, in Poland, in front of a live audience of US military cadets brought to Poland and Israel by the MirYam Institute I-SAP program from current and future officers of the US Armed Forces, Oren talks about his encounter, taking h...

In this episode of the podcast, Yaakov Lappin and Benjamin discuss the implications of the IDF approval of operational plans to combat Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and whether or not now is the time to combat Iran’s proxy. They then discuss the pitfalls of the demand for a hostage deal and the intertwining of that with the call for new elections in Israel, before we finish off with the alarming rise of PTSD among the ranks of the IDF.Support the Show.The MirYam Institute. Israel's Futur...

In this episode, I’m joined by in-house analyst Yaakov Lappin to discuss the dangerous and steep escalation of fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon into northern Israel. Yaakov and I discuss whether or not the US is likely to come to Israel’s aid in the event of a direct conflict with Iran and we pay tribute to the heroic hostage rescue mission that freed four of our hostages from Gaza. We finish by highlighting the bravery and courage of the mother of Almog Meir-Jan as she battled to mai...

This interview of Izhar Lifshitz took place in front of a live audience of US military cadets, in Poland. The delegates had traveled to Poland as part of the annual Israel Strategy & Policy (I-SAP) tour, 2024, a flagship initiative of The MirYam Institute. All of the delegates will serve as officers in the U.S army, navy, air-force and marine corps. Izhar Lifshitz is the son of the oldest Israeli hostage in Gaza - still presumed to be alive - Oded Lifshitz (83). On October 7th, ...

In this episode, I'm joined by in-house analyst, Yaakov Lappin. We discuss the recent MirYam Institute delegation to the Polish death camps with the cadets of the U.S. military as part of the annual Israel Strategy & Policy tour (I-SAP), the latest in the hostage release negotiations, the viability of the war cabinet and the need for Israel's Prime Minister to communicate with the Israeli public.Support the Show.The MirYam Institute. Israel's Future in Israel's Hands.Subscribe to our...

In this episode of the podcast, Benjamin is joined as he often is by MirYam Institute's in-house analyst, Yaakov Lappin. Before turning to the appalling ruling of the ICJ, they begin by discussing the nature of the Hamas terrorists against whom Israel is fighting, based on statements made by detained Hamas operatives under Israeli questioning. They also discuss PM Netanyahu’s rumoured speech to a joint session of Congress and take a moment to talk about the way in which Israeli host...

For this episode, Benjamin takes a different direction and asks Yaakov Lappin, in-house analyst at The MirYam Institute, to talk about how he manages the tumult of war in his professional role as an analyst, and also as a husband and father. The guys also discuss the stresses upon the soldiers in the field and the challenges of the home front. Support the Show.The MirYam Institute. Israel's Future in Israel's Hands.Subscribe to our podcast: https://podfollow.com/1493910771Follow The...

In this episode, Benjamin is joined by regular podcast partner, MirYam’s in-house analyst, Yaakov Lappin to discuss Defense Minister Gallant’s recent press briefing, which reflected a public dispute with Prime Minister Netanyahu; including the politics that may be at the base of Gallant’s decision to speak out. We also touch upon the tragic loss of 5 IDF soldiers as a result of a ‘friendly fire’ incident inside Gaza. Support the Show.The MirYam Institute. Israel's Future in Is...

In this episode, MirYam Institute's In-House Analyst, Yaakov Lappin sits down with Col. David Hacham, former advisor on Arab affairs to seven Israeli Ministers of Defense to discuss what Gaza might look like the day after the war ends. It's a candid conversation recorded just prior to Defense Minister Gallant's explosive press briefing to the Israeli media about his vision of the "day after" in Gaza, this makes for fascinating listening and provides much food for thought. Support th...

In this episode of the podcast, Benjamin is joined by Aviram Meir, uncle of Almog Meir-Jan. Almog was kidnapped on October 7th and remains in Hamas captivity to this day. Almog will turn 22 this week. Aviram tells me about the impact Almog's captivity is having on Orit, Almog's mother, and on him, as well as the initiatives the family are undertaking to maintain and generate awareness about Almog's plight. The Israeli fashion house, RENUAR, has released a line of clothing with...

In this episode, Yaakov Lappin joins Benjamin to discuss the latest on the campus of UCLA, Israel’s lack of strategy fighting the media war, the urgent need to propose an alternative to the two-state solution and the latest on the hostage deal currently being negotiated. During the discussion, Benjamin suggested that Israel should disseminate the unedited footage of what took place on October 7th across all social media platforms in order to show the the horrific forces with whom the cam...

Following Iran’s massive attack against Israel, Benjamin is joined as always, by The MirYam Institute’s In-House-Analyst, Yaakov Lappin to discuss how Israel should respond and when. Benjamin and Yaakov also discuss the response of Western powers to the attack and the durability of the air-defense alliance that performed so ably in the face of the Iranian barrage.  Also, the NYC delegation of former IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi has been postponed to Tuesday, May 7th.  Tickets can be...

In this episode, Benjamin is joined by Yaakov Lappin, In-House analyst at The MirYam Institute.  They discuss the forthcoming briefing in New York City by Lt. General Aviv Kohavi (Res.), the immediate IDF Chief of the General Staff.   Tickets to that event can still be purchased here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-7th-israels-war-against-hamas-tickets-871796114647?mc_eid=UNIQID&mc_cid=4e333fb7b0 Yaakov and Benjamin then assess Israel's war against Hamas, before Benjamin broaches...

Join Benjamin with Yaakov on the balcony in Rishon Letzion for their most strikingly informal yet serious conversation to date.  Following a report that President Biden called for an immediate ceasefire during his recent phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Benjamin sat down to discuss the implications of such a demand with Yaakov Lappin, In-House Analyst at The MirYam Institute.  Gaza, Lebanon, U.S. elections, Israeli elections, the ongoing hostage crisis and more are all on the...

This is Benjamin's own narration of an op-ed published in the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, February 18th 2024. Originally titled "Egypt and Gazans Must Reap What They Sowed," it was penned shortly after Israel's heroic rescue of two of our hostages and as the prospect of an IDF incursion into the city of Rafah in southern Gaza continues to gather steam and momentum.  The written version of the op-ed can be viewed here: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-787447 Support the showThe...

In this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Aviram Meir, uncle of Almog Meir-Jan. Almog was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. He's a 21 year old civilian. Aviram and I discuss how he sees the current stage of the negotiations for the release of the hostages and he expresses the guilt he carries as the relative of a hostage in the pursuit of whose freedom and return, soldiers of the IDF are fighting - and dying.  After that, I'm joined by our in-house analyst Yaakov Lappin for a brief...

In this episode of the briefing, I'm joined by Avi Bell, professor of law at Bar Ilan University and University of San Diego, Yaakov Lappin, In-House Analyst at The MirYam Institute and David Hacham, former Advisor on Arab Affairs to successive Israeli Ministers of Defense and a retired Colonel in the IDF. Prof. Bell and I began by discussing the ICJ ruling in response to the case brought by South Africa against Israel, the threat of prosecution attempts of IDF soldiers under universal...

In this episode, I'm joined by Yaakov Lappin, In-House Analyst at The MirYam Institute.  He and I discuss the different visions for the day after the war, as outlined by the US President and Prime Minister Netanyahu, what's taking place in Judea and Samaria and whether or not Israel should be acting more decisively and directly against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and against Iran itself.  Support the showThe MirYam Institute. Israel's Future in Israel's Hands. Follow The MirYam Institute...

In this episode of the podcast, I sit down to interview Iris Haim, mother of Yotam Haim Z"L, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, and killed by IDF soldiers on December 15th, 2023, as the result of a horrific operational miscalculation.  On October 7th, 2023, during the murderous massacre against Israel launched by Hamas, Iris's son, Yotam, was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a community located adjacent to the Gaza Strip.  He was 28 years old.  From that point...

Amir Tibon moved with his wife Miri to the pastoral Kibbutz Nahal Oz, right on the Gaza border, after the 2014 Israel-Gaza war. The couple, then without children, wanted to support the small community. They fell in love with the place and stayed. A year ago, they bought a house there. On the morning of October 7, the sounds of falling mortars drove the couple into the reinforced “safe room” in which daughters Galia, 3 and Carmel, 1, were sleeping.  Listen to his dramatic story here in front...

In this episode of the podcast, you'll hear my conversation with New York Times Opinion Columnist Bret Stephens.  Recorded in front of a live audience in Manhattan on November 7th, 2023, to commemorate a month since the Hamas terror attack against Israel, Bret discusses the alarming rise of overt antisemitism on American campuses and in the American public square, including marches and demonstrations that have expressed support for Hamas - even after the atrocities wrought by the terror...

On November 20th, 2023, we brought Orit and Aviram Meir, mother and uncle of Almog Meir-Jan respectively, to the British House of Commons to tell their story. Almog was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th and remains in captivity to this day.     They were joined by Iris Haim, a palliative care nurse whose son Yotam was also kidnapped and remains a hostage to this day.     Doron Libshtein’s brother, nephew and two additional members of his extended family were murdered that day. He joined us to...

Israel is engaged in a war it doesn't want and not of its making. A quiet Shabbat morning, also the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah where Jews celebrate finishing reading the Torah and then start to read it again, “In the Beginning”, was shattered by a mass invasion of Hamas terrorists, smashing through the concrete border wall, paragliding into Israel, before rampaging through a music festival killing 260, machine gunning people at the bus stop and in their own homes in Sderot and on...