An Alternative View From Across the Green Line

On this week's episode, Tel Aviv-based journalist and Israel Policy Forum Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Israel Piekrash, the co-founder and director of the Anahnu Movement, to discuss Israel's crumbling social cohesion and whether a new national consensus and a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are possible. They dive into Israel Piekrash's unique upbringing in the religious Zionist community, his shift in thinking about the Palestinians, and the vision of the Anahnu Movement before moving to current events, including the present state of the settler movement, protests against the judicial overhaul, and the likely reaction by far-right politicians to an Israel-Saudi normalization deal. Last Thursday, Senators Ossoff, Young, Booker, and Lankford introduced the Middle East Security Coordination Act, which seeks to strengthen the critical work of the United States Security Coordinator in Jerusalem to help stabilize the security situation in the West Bank in the service of a future two-state outcome. As a longtime champion of this issue, Israel Policy Forum has persistently maintained that the USSC is vital to security, stability, and a better future for Israelis and Palestinians, and we are pleased to partner with this bipartisan group of senators on this important bill. Listeners can expect to hear more about it soon. Read our statement here: https://israelpolicyforum.org/2023/09/28/statement-welcoming-the-introduction-of-the-middle-east-security-coordination-act/Last week, Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in its hearing on the implementation of the Taylor Force Act. Read or watch here: https://israelpolicyforum.org/2023/09/27/michael-koplows-testimony-before-house-committee-on-foreign-affairs/Michael also recently penned an op-ed in The Liberal Patriot explaining why U.S. policy must take into account Israel’s democracy, not just its security, as a core value of the relationship. Read here: https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/israeli-democracy-and-the-futureThis week, Israel Policy Forum released the latest installment of Critical Neighbors, featuring four perspectives—Israeli, Palestinian, Saudi, and American— on the potential for an Israel-Saudi deal to include a meaningful Palestinian component. Read here: https://israelpolicyforum.org/critical-neighbors/#navigating-normalizationSupport the show