Welcome back to BALAGAN. It has been too long, and I have much to share. Since it has been a while since my last episode, and even though I have a few recorded materials and more episodes in the making, I wanted to dedicate my first episode of the season to your questions. So, if you're going to ask me anything, feel free to do so in one of the fol…

It has been two months since the war was forced upon Israel by Hamas, but it seems that Israel doesn't have any Exit Strategy. While soldiers are dying, the world sees the photos from Gaza and the Gaza people suffering. They don't know these people are used as Human shields by Hamas and that the war can end quickly if Hamas surrenders and sends fre…

On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly voted in favor of the Partition Plan over British Palestine, also known as UN Resolution 181. The plan to divide the land between Israelis and Arabs was accepted by Zionist leaders and was turned down by the Arab Nations. Today it seems that more than ever, we should discuss the two-state solution, as from…

Uri Ashi was one of the only people advocating for peace for the last couple of years. For over two years, he stood holding a sign with big letters saying, "Peace with the Palestinians is doable." Even though he works in the High-Tech scene, Uri has dedicated his last years to research, writing, and advocating for the two-state solution. His book H…

Tikkun Olam is one of the most essential values in Judaism. But how do we make this idea concrete by helping change the world for people with disabilities? Disabilities are color, gender, religion, or Nation blind, and some Israelis are working hard to provide solutions that are easy and simple to make. TOM - Or Tikkun Olam Makers, is a global move…

I traveled to Israel to check the pulse, be with my people and see for myself what was happening. Here is a quick update. I will have many exciting guests speaking in the next couple of episodes. Do you have any ideas or questions? Feel free to email me at kobi.cohen@gmail.com #Israel #BringThemBackHome #HamasisISIS #FreeGazafromHamas…

In 1923, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Founder and Leader of Beitar (Revisionist Zionism) wrote an essay called The Iron Wall, which, in a nutshell, says - The Arabs will not accept our existence and make peace until we will have strong institutions of our own. They will understand they can not outtake us. For years, Israel has built its institutions and mainl…

Until October 7th, Israel was the Goliath in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but Hamas's atrocities changed things. Since then, four weeks have passed, and it seems that in the war that is also being held on Social Media and Traditional media, the wind is shifting, and the damage in Gaza is moving the public sentiment toward Hamas. What can we lea…

On today's episode, I discussed Accountability, Responsibility, and what is happening within Israeli politics amid the Was forced upon us on October 7th. A lot of aggression, distrust, and scarcity are taking place, and it is quite concerning. To discuss the options and what I think is the right thing to do for Israel, I hosted my dear friend Jeff …

It's hard to say that the Pro-Israel sentiment on American campuses is strong. For years, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, The BDS movement, and Israeli government policies took their toll when the advocacy organizations tried to alarm that some of the clashes were not just legitimate criticism but pure Antisemitism. The is FACT that this war was …

As time goes by, the numbers are still growing - So far, more than 1,400 people have died in the horrific Hamas massacre in Israel, and more than 200 people are still being held hostage under Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Almost 200 people are still considered missing (Neither dead nor hijacked. Status unknown). Avi Dabush is a social activist and the C…

On Saturday, October 7th, At 6:29, simultaneously with an attack of hundreds of missiles fired at Israel and under the IDF radar, more than 1,500 armed Hamas terrorists breached the wall between Gaza and Israel. In a well-planned attack, they raided 11 IDF outposts and bases and more than 20 Israeli civilian settlements - The city of Sderot, Kibbut…

Former MK Major General Yair Golan served the state of Israel and its people most of his life. His Military career ended after 38 years, and he jumped into politics from there. Golan was perceived as controversial. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Golan made a speech on Holocaust Day in 2016 in which he drew a parallel between Europe in general and German…

Episode 9 - Israel is captivated by Fundamentalist Jews with Dr. Tomer Persico The Judicial Overhaul in Israel is led by four different groups of interest - Netanyahu, who is invested in stopping his trials; Likkud members, who seek Power and control; the Haredim, who care about being exempt from military service and continuing their control over t…

On this episode, I spoke to Yossi Klein Halevi, an American Israeli, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem author, and a known Zionist speaker. In our conversation, we discussed his history, coming from supporting Meir Kahana and the Jewish Defence League(JDL) in the US to being one of the biggest opposers to Kahana and his i…

On September 13th, 1993, a ray of light shined. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Negotiator Mahmoud Abbas signed a Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, commonly called the “Oslo Accord,” at the White House. Israel accepted the PLO as the representative of the Palestinians…

One of the phenomena of the Judicial coup in Israel is the great awakening of Israelis who live abroad and until recently did not set foot in a Jewish setting or were involved in Political activity are now protesting in their thousands. All around the world, groups of concerned Israelis are rallying in city centers and trying to raise awareness of …

The different groups collaborating in the backlash against the Judicial Overhaul seem to have different leaders, pulling in different directions. While some say it should focus on the Judicial Overhaul only, other groups target some of Israel’s deeper issues - The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the tension between Ultra-Orthodox society and the S…

One of the strongest engines of the protests against the Judicial Overhaul is Israel’s economic engine - The High-Tech industry. that its leaders joined forces against what they see as a threat to the state of Israel as the Start-Up Nation with a thriving economy needs a strong democratic foundation. On the other hand, some parts of the high-tech i…

Money, Power, and Respect - That is the Philosophy in a nutshell. Under cover of the demand to improve the ability of Governance, the coalition members narrowed civil rights. They cut budgets for minorities and not-for-profit organizations while over-budgeting the Ultra-Orthodox and the Religious Zionism projects. The Likkud, which used to be the L…

The Judicial Overhaul seemed to be vague about some issues that Israel was and still is facing, such as the Palestinian conflict. Some would say that the time when Israeli society was so divided between Judicial overhaul protestors and Judicial Reform supporters was the right time for Palestinians to try and gain leverage in the International arena…

The justification for the Judicial reform of the current coalition is promoting is the lack of governance. But is governance what we are lacking in Israel? To discuss Israel’s real challenges and what actions are needed to be taken to strengthen Israeli democracy and improve the public Bearucracy, we have Roy Folkman, a Former Member of the Knesset…

For many years, the Israeli Non-haredi Orthodox, who identified as “Religious Zionism,” was considered to be the Hyphen between Jewish and Democrate - Committed to the Equilateral Triangle of Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael & Torat Yisrael (The People, the land, and the bible). Over the years, they were considered to be the new generation of Serving Elit…

In our Previous episode, we shed light on Israel’s democratic structure, checks and balances, and the lack of. When the democratic structure is so fragile, the role of the gatekeepers becomes crucial to ensure proper governance and keeping the rule of law. In recent years, Israeli politicians worked hard to weaken the gatekeepers, but now they do i…

On January 3rd, 2023, less than a week after the Israeli government was sworn an oath in the Knesset, Minister of Justice Yariv Levin dropped a bomb. In a press conference, he presented a list of judicial changes the newly formed coalition would like to enact. Since then, the state of Israel has been spinning in a clash between the Judicial “Reform…

Our second part of the discussion with Mr. Nir Reisler about why the Israeli left needs to embrace Republicanism. #Nationalism #Israel #IsraeliPolitics #IsraeliLeft #Democracy #IsraeliDemocracyโดย Kobi Cohen

It seems like fear and hatred had won in the Israeli elections. In a one-sided game, the Bibi block delivered what they came to deliver and won 64 seats in the 25th Knesset. Having that said, more than the Right wing – Haredi block won, we can defiantly say that the “center”-left and their allies have lost. While Bibi played to win, Yair Lapid trie…

(Originally aired November 2nd, 2020) November 4th marks 27 years of the assassination of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin by Yigal Amir. The murderer, an Orthodox Law student, was influenced by the toxic environment of the growing opposition to the Oslo accord led by then head of Opposition, MK Benjamin Netanyahu. It seems that no real discussion was made…

Republicanism, not Republicans, was the foundation of the Nation-state. How was it implemented in the state of Israel, and what happened to it over the years? #Israel #Republicanismโดย Kobi Cohen

On Episode 69 we spoke to Adir Binyamin about the legislative branch - The Knesset, Israel’s parliament. So how do you get elected to the Knesset? Who can vote, and whats the process? For that, we have my dear friend, Mr. Guy Ben Gal. Guy is An Israeli educator and has been active in both political and education fields in Israel for the past 15 yea…

Israel is a parliamentary democracy. Israel’s parliament is called the Knesset. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government. To speak more about the Knesset and its role, I am happy to have Mr. Adir Binyamini, Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Netanya, a dear friend, …

Election day is coming fast, but things are unclear, with no end on the horizon for the political deadlock. Who are the runner-ups, and what are their chances? For that, I had the pleasure of hosting my dear friend Tamir Morag, Yisrael Hayom's diplomatic correspondent.โดย Kobi Cohen

When Israelis are going to another round of elections, a good question is – What will they vote for? Or a better question is WHAT are the burning topics the Israeli parties will NOT talk about, and as it seems the Israeli voters are ignoring of. To answer these questions, I am happy to have Mr. Ido Dembin, Executive Director of Molad – The center f…

After a short break, we are back, and who is the best man to discuss current events in Israel than Jeff Becker, who is back with me to discuss what happened and how come even though I assumed the coalition would last at least one more year, it didn't survive...โดย Kobi Cohen

For many, supporting the Zionist aspirations of establishing a Jewish state prior to 1948 seems obvious. But we don’t know how many players worked really hard in order to make this happen. Today we are going to deep dive into behind the scenes the support and opposition to the establishment of Israel, and that is why I am happy to have Prof. Jeffre…

Top Guna: Maverick seems to be the greatest hit of summer 2022. Did you knew that the operation executed (Flying below radar, Radio silence and Attacking a nuclear reactor) was inspired by a true story? Want to hear more? (Originally aired on June 7th, 2021) If it wasn’t for Israel, the world would have faced a nuclear Iraq. But at 16:00 of Sunday,…

2nd part of our conversation with Dr. Moshe Fuksman-Shaal. The night of May 17th, 1977 will be always remembered as the night of the “Ma’Hapach”, when after 29 years of ruling, the left-wing Labor party lost the election to the right-wing Likud party and a new era in Israel had begun. Under the leadership of newly elected prime minister Menachem Be…

Less than 5 weeks passed since Idit Silman of Yamina left the coalition, leaving it with only 60 members in the Knesset, now they are left with 59 after earlier today, on May 19th 2022, newly elected MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, of the left wing MERTEZ party announced she rebels the coalition. The walls are closing on the Change coalition, but it doesn…

Exactly 45 years ago, the night of May 17th, 1977, will always be remembered as the night of the “Ma’Hapach,” when after 29 years of ruling, the left-wing Labor party lost the election to the right-wing Likud party, and a new era in Israel had begun. Under the leadership of newly elected prime minister Menachem Begin, the state of Israel changed di…

Every now and then, the tension between the Ultra-Orthodox and what is called Religious-Zionists and secular society comes to a new tip point. A few governments fell due to controversy over religious affairs, and the last political crisis just before Passover when MK Idit Silman of Yamina (PM Bennets’ right-wing party) announced she was leaving her…

הר הבית or Temple mount is sacred to both Jews and Muslims. For Jews, it is the pick of Mount Moriyah, where the 1st and 2nd temples were built, while for Muslims it is known for the musks of Al-Aksa and Tomb of the Rock, and where based on Muslim belief priest Muhammad's ascent to heaven. For years the Temple Mount serves not only as a holy place …

On Wednesday, April 6th Israelis found out they may stand in front of what may look like another round of election when MK Idit Silman of Yamina (PM Bennets’ right-wing party) announced she is leaving her role as a de facto government whip and exiting the coalition due to “Hametz” observance in Israeli hospitals disagreement with Minister of Health…

The night of May 17th, 1977 will be always remembered as the night of the “Ma’Hapach”, when after 29 years of ruling, the left-wing Labor party lost the election to the right-wing Likud party and a new era in Israel had begun. Under the leadership of newly elected prime minister Menachem Begin, the state of Israel changed direction dramatically. Al…

Israel does now have a constitution but a series of Basic Laws that are supposed to be the foundations of a future constitution. Most Basic laws are not drawing so much attention but one is unique. Since enacted on March 17th, 1992, This Basic Law is upsetting mainly two big factions in Israeli society - The Ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) and the nationa…

Just the way he lived, Menachem Begin, Israel’s 6th Prime minister was buried in a modest, simple, and traditional Jewish ceremony, on March 9th, 1992. Begin, the 1st prime minister who did not come from the labor party was also the most JEWISH prime minister, who did not try to shy the new Zionist Jew image that the labor was trying to embed in Is…

For almost a decade the state of Israel was branded as THE Start-up nation with the highest ratio of tech companies per capita. But in order to maintain this achievement Israel needs to make sure that it is minimizing the gaps in education, mainly around math and English. Our guest today stands In the front of the effort to narrow the gaps and make…

Episode 53 - What’s the story in Sheikh Jarrah? With Noa Pinto * The episode was recorded prior to Israel's Supreme court's decision to postpone the eviction of the families. ** Shimon Ha'Tzadik (Shimon the just) was a high priest who was buried where is now located Sheikh Jarrach. There is never a dull moment in Israel and it seems that the place …

Last May in Israel, the streets of Arab and shared cities were ablaze. The fabric of shared life in Israel was under an attack, fueled by extremists, locally and nationally. Indeed, most Israelis — Arab and Jewish — oppose the raging violence, as the entwined reality of life is stronger than these destructive forces. Nevertheless, the damage was ov…

The hilltop youth phenomena has become a real problem that in a way It seems Israeli governments don’t really want to deal with. The hardline extremists set outposts all across the west bank and look like they are eager to confront the Palestinians, while the IDF is standing still with their hands tied. But, while it seems that the Israeli authorit…

Between Jerusalem & New York – What are we blindsided about When gaps between Israel & Israelis to American Jewry grow, one Jew wanted to expand the conversation and alter the dialogue. Moshe Samuels, CEO of Shazur & co-creator of the acclaimed Israeli TV miniseries “The New Jew” is one of those people working to bring Israeli point of view to Amer…