The JPost Podcast

Donald Trump and the Jews

In this episode of the JPost Podcast, we talk to the Washington Bureau Chief Michael Wilner about his investigative report on Donald Trump and the Jews.  In his article, Wilner sought to resolve the competing narratives of Trump as a Semitophile, whose daughter converted to Judaism and bore him Jewish grandchildren, and Trump as a bigot, who tolerates or even emboldens anti-Semitic voices. Wilner snagged some interesting interviews, including Trump supporter David Duke, a former KKK imperial wizard, and Tony Schwartz, who ghostwrote Trump’s bestseller “Art of the Deal” and has recently spoken out strongly against him.

Why Starbucks failed in Israel, and only in Israel

It’s an odd point of pride, perhaps, but Israelis take a strange satisfaction in the fact that their country is the only one where Starbucks, the international coffee giant, failed. On social media, when the factoid is raised as part of a clever tourism marketing campaign or even an effort to tempt the company to try its luck in the Holy Land a second time,the reactions are fairly universal. 'We don’t want you here,' people seem to say. 'We make better coffee on our own.' While the fact of Starbucks Israeli failure is well-known, the reasons behind it are less widely understood. This week, the JPost Podcast brings you a special episode on why the coffee giant failed in Israel and only in Israel. The episode was produced by TLV1.fm, an English-language radio station in Israel that originally aired the episode. You can find more of their stories and subscribe to their podcasts here.

Taxicab Diplomacy: Trump vs. Clinton

After a brutal primary season, the general election is infull swing in the United States. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, of course,emerged as their party’s nominees.  Duringthe nominating conventions in July, protesters of various stripes chanted “TheWorld Is Watching.” And it is! Here in Israel, developments in the US electioncampaign often lead the news. So what do Israelis have to say about it? On this episode of the JPost Podcast, we bring you anotheredition of Taxicab Diplomacy, where we hear what local cab drivers think about politicalissues. On this episode: Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton. Israelis have always had their own perspective on USpolitics, and most of them filter their views through the lens of one question:what’s best for Israel? In recent years, there’s been a feeling in Israelicircles that Republican administrations are more friendly to Israeli interests.For example, former President George W. Bush, who was unpopular around much ofthe world by the end of his second term, still had many fans in Israel. PresidentBarack Obama, a Democrat who is largely popular around the world, has much lesssupport in Israel. According to a Pew survey in 2015, just 49% of Israelis hadconfidence in Obama, compared with a world average of 65%. But this election year is no ordinary election year.Clinton, the first woman to lead a major US party, is a known quantity. She’s linkedboth to President Obama, for whom she worked as Secretary of State, and to herhusband, former President Bill Clinton, who was pretty well-liked in Israel. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is a wild card. The factsthat his daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism and her husband Jared Kushner isseen as traditionally pro-Israel help his case. But he’s been criticized bypro-Israel advocates for saying he’d be neutral on the Israeli-Palestinianconflict. So what sticks out to Israelis? Have a listen and find out!

After Turkey, Africa and Egypt, is Saudi Arabia Israel’s next ally?

Today, in a surprise visit, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry came to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s the first such meeting since 2007, and it comes on the heels of a flurry of Israeli diplomatic activity. Two weeks ago, Israel and Turkey restored full diplomatic ties after a six-year lull in relations. Last week, Netanyahu flew to Africa for a diplomatic tour, the first such visit by an Israeli Prime Minister in a quarter century. With all these changes, one can only wonder if the so-called moderate Arab states such as Saudi Arabia will be next? JPost Diplomatic Correspondent Herb Keinon argues that Egypt is reasserting its role in the region, in part, to build a Sunni front against Shi’a Iran.

From Tel Aviv, a story of hope for Orlando

This week’s shooting at the Pulse night club in Orlando Florida, the worst mass shooting in US history and the deadliest terror attack there since 9/11, was first and foremost a human tragedy. 49 people were murdered, and 53 wounded. There is much to think and say about the various facets of the shooting, but today, on the JPost Podcast, we’re going to focus on one through the lens of an Israeli story: the status of the LGBT community, how much progress has been made, and how much remains to be done. It’s a story about how this year’s Tel Aviv pride parade was almost canceled, at the behest of the LGBT community itself, and reminder of how the LGBT community has proven its ability to overcome horrific events and tragedies, and come out stronger on the other side.