Leading Conversations - the Begin Center Podcast

Ep. 12 - "The Buck Stops Here" - Moshe Sharett

This episode continues our series of conversations about the men - and one woman – who served as Prime Minister ofIsrael. Prof. Yoav Gelber, professor emeritus of history at the University of Haifa discusses Moshe Sharett; Israel’s first foreign minister and second prime minister, who tirelessly pursued diplomacy and the possibilities of peace. *We apologise for some problems with the sound quality of this recording.

Ep. 11 - "The Buck Stops Here" - David Ben Gurion

This episode marks the first in a new series of conversations about the men - and one woman – who served as Prime Minister of Israel. Prof. Michael Bar Zohar discusses David Ben Gurion, whose leadership and decisions in Israel’s early years set the agenda for so much that followed. Prof. Bar Zohar is a former member of Knesset, journalist and writer of several books; including biographies of both David Ben Gurion and Shimon Peres.

Ep. 10 - The Qatari Puzzle - with Dr. Ariel Admoni

This episode is a recording of a live webinar, part of a series in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks. Qatar has an outsize influence in the Middle East and beyond because of its vast wealth from oil and natural gas, and because of the reach of its Al Jazeera news network. As the principal funder of Hamas and as a promoter of anti-Israel propaganda, it is largely viewed as a malign actor by Israel. Nevertheless it has a strong relationship with the United States and is now on the receiving end of Iranian missile attacks.Qatar-expert Ariel Admoni joined us to help piece together the Qatari puzzle.Dr. Ariel Admoni is a researcher specializing in Qatari policy, and lectures in academic, media, governmental, and security forums on issues related to Qatar.

Ep. 9 - Lessons for the IDF from October 7 - with Prof. Gabi Siboni

This episode is a recording of a live webinar, part of a series in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks. Prof. Gabi Siboni is a long-time military expert who serves as a consultant to the IDF and is the former director of the military and strategic affairs program of the Institute for National Security Studies. He is also the author of a recently published book on October 7 and its aftermath.In this conversation with Paul Gross, he shared his assessment of what October 7 told us about the flaws in the IDF system, what changes have already made by the Israeli military, and what more needs to be done.

Ep. 8 - The Palestinian Authority: Is Reform Possible? - with Prof. Hillel Frisch

This episode is a recording of a live webinar, the third in our series in collaboration with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy & Security (JISS), one of Israel's leading think tanks. The Trump plan which ended the war holds out the conditional offer to the Palestinian Authority of resuming governance of Gaza in the future, the condition being “reform”. In such a scenario, the Trump proposals also promise a “credible pathway” toward greater Palestinian self-determination.What does this all mean in practice? How realistic is this kind of “reform” of the PA?Podcast host Paul Gross was in conversation with Prof. Hillel Frisch to answer these questions, and more.