Friday Focus with Lazar Berman: Has Israel finally launched a counterinsurgency in Gaza?
Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. It came out late last week that Israel has been arming a criminal gang in the Gaza Strip as part of an effort to strengthen opposition to Hamas in the enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the use of such forces spares IDF soldiers' lives. Defense sources have confirmed that Israel has been arming the gang with Kalashnikov rifles, including some that were seized from Hamas during the ongoing war. In this week's Friday Focus discussion, Berman delves into the man heading this Gaza mafia, Yasser Abu Shabab, a former drug smuggler turned humanitarian aid looter during the war. In footage published online by Abu Shabab, members of the group can be seen wearing military-style uniforms with the Palestinian flag and the words “Counter-Terrorism Mechanism” emblazoned on them. Berman discusses the military concepts of insurgency and counter-insurgency and refers to Israel's history in employing them in Lebanon. We hear the lessons learned by the United States in its Iraq war and how Israel could expand upon its support for local Gazan forces to fill the vacuum left by Hamas. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and the video was edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: Members of the Abu Shabab gang in Gaza, seen in a recent video posted by the group. (screen capture: Facebook)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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27:55
Friday Focus with Lazar Berman: 10 truths about the Gaza war, 20 months in
Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. Just back from reserve duty, Berman has written an in-depth look at the war in Gaza and the questions it raises in Israeli society. For today's episode, we take a look at Berman's op-ed, "For now, victory is still within reach: 10 truths about the Gaza war, 20 months in," and discuss each point one by one. In a free-flowing conversation, we hear Berman assess the war's successes and failures and learn about the burning existential issues that Israelis have yet to address. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and the video was edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: IDF troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in the Gaza Strip, in images released on June 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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47:22
Friday Focus with AJC head Ted Deutch: Calls for 'intifada' don't bring social justice
Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. In this episode, American Jewish Committee head Ted Deutch fills in for Berman, who is on reserve duty. On May 21, Sarah Milgrim and her boyfriend, Yaron Lischinsky, were shot to death outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, where the victims had just attended an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee that focused in part on humanitarian aid in Gaza. Both Milgrim and Lischinsky were employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington. Their alleged killer — a far-left activist from Chicago — shouted “Free Palestine” as he was arrested. This week, the head of the AJC talks more about what type of coexistence event was held prior to the murders. We discuss the rise in antisemitic violence across the Diaspora and what, in Deutsch’s opinion, can be done to counter it. The former Florida congressman emphasizes the need for leaders around the world to condemn the surge in antisemitism and use nuanced language when speaking about the war in Gaza. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and the video was edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: A mourner lights a candle during a vigil for the victims of the Capital Jewish Museum shooting outside of the White House on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Two Israeli Embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were gunned down after an event at the museum by a man shouting slogans in support for Palestine. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Friday Focus with Sam Sokol: Why Haredim see themselves as warriors
Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, political correspondent Sam Sokol steps in for Berman. This week, we learned that only 1,212, or five percent, of the 24,000 ultra-Orthodox men who have received initial draft notices since July 2024 have begun the enlistment process. Some 70,000-80,000 Haredi men are eligible to serve. We also learned that despite constituting 14 percent of the working-age population, the ultra-Orthodox community generated only 4% of Israeli tax revenues in 2023, costing the government billions and adding thousands of shekels to the average non-Haredi worker’s annual tax burden, according to a new study by the Israel Democracy Institute. Sokol has been rigorously covering the issue of universal conscription, also known as the Haredi or ultra-Orthodox draft, both in the halls of the Knesset and on the streets of Israel. In this episode, we learn more about the diverse Haredi society and what motivates it. We talk about the history behind the exemptions, as well as the history of Haredim joining the coalition. And finally, Sokol updates us on the slow legislative process to codify Haredi enlistment -- which may just topple the coalition. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and the video was edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: Yeshiva students listen to a Torah lesson at the Hebron Yeshiva in Jerusalem on August 16, 2018. (Aharon Krohn/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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30:51
Friday Focus with Tal Schneider: The IDF's women warriors
Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, political correspondent Tal Schneider steps in for Berman. Unforgettable images of the Caracal's female tank unit crushing Hamas terrorists infiltrating southern Israel on October 7, 2023, brought home the realization that not only are women serving in the IDF, they're as eager -- and able -- to fight as their brothers in arms. Scheider describes a recent Knesset committee that discussed the phenomenon of the IDF's growing number of women warriors, which now make up almost 21 percent of all fighting forces. We review the history of battles to have female fighters in the IDF -- including several benchmark Supreme Court cases which paved the way for the next generation. Schneider, who has spent the past several months researching the contribution these women warriors made on October 7, talks about where the army stands today -- and what is on the horizon for other fighting units being opened up to women. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and the video was edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: Mix-gender Caracal battalion troops at the end of their basic training. (IDF)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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