Lazar Focus

Dakar Eilat: Inside prisons for Hamas terrorists

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. The New York Times printed a bombshell accusation against Israel this week. An op-ed by columnist Nicholas Kristof alleged widespread sexual abuse and rape against Palestinian prisoners. The column alleged “a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women and even children — by soldiers, settlers, interrogators in the Shin Bet internal security agency and, above all, prison guards.” Palestinians quoted in the piece said they’d even been mounted and raped by specially trained dogs. Israel called the article “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel," and promised to sue the NYT. Some of the more extreme claims seem highly unlikely, to say the least, but could a group of guards -- or a prison commander -- be abusing prisoners in violation of the law? Israel's Prison Service is not a well-understood security organization, as bodies like the IDF, the Shin Bet, Mossad, and police garner far more attention. But IPS holds thousands of hardened terrorists from groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and is an important part of the fight against those organizations. To better understand the IPS, its oversight, and how prisoners are treated, we speak to Col. Dakar Eilat, who ran two prisons in Israel. He explains the changes in the prison service's approach to terrorist prisoners that took place two decades ago, removing their ability to order terror attacks from inside prison, and then again after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks. There is no question that after October 7, conditions for terrorists have been reduced to the minimum required by law, he says. But guards can't do whatever they want. Everything that happens in prison is recorded by cameras, says Eilat, with footage then sent to prison service headquarters. Eilat shares some of his personal experiences as a prison commander and the use of force. He says that one of his predecessors had been caught using illegal force on prisoners, and the prison commissioner brought him in to end the phenomenon. That doesn't mean that prisoners were treated lightly. There were strip searches of prisoners, and if they resist with force, "they will be met with force," says Eilat. Still, there are multiple oversight mechanisms, he says. Some 130 organizations -- both Israeli and international -- carry out inspections and oversight of prisons, and during some weeks, he had 5 snap inspections of his prisons. As for the NYT allegations, he calls them "bullsh*t". He says that -- beyond the cameras -- doctors in prisons have an independent chain of command and reporting mechanism, and they would catch signs of abuse. Dog training is overseen by animal rights groups, and official investigations of the prison service are carried out by the Justice Ministry and the police. Covering up systematic abuse like that described in the Kristof piece would take hundreds of conspirators, says Eilat. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Is the IDF telling the right story to the world ?

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. Israel has had a rough time of it on the international stage since the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023 and the subsequent wars. Allegations of collective punishment, genocide, and targeting of religious sites have been made by some of Israel's closest allies, and support for the Jewish state is plummeting in the West. Much of the criticism leveled at Israel, justified or not, revolves around what the world sees from the battlefield. The IDF has a large, well-oiled public communications machine. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit does things other militaries can only dream of. At the same time, there is a feeling in Israel and among its friends that the IDF is too slow and bureaucratic to effectively get its message out in the age of social media and AI. LTC Nadav Shoshani, who returned to active duty in the wake of October 7, argues that despite Israel's inherent disadvantages, the IDF is effectively communicating to the world. In an interview the day before he steps down as the IDF's international spokesman, Shoshani reveals his approach to speaking to the world about the war in Gaza. He admits that Israel's reputation is at a nadir and that the problem must be dealt with. Yet he stresses that Israel is facing structural disadvantages. Much of the world simply doesn't like war. Israel's enemies aren't held to the same standard of truth and accuracy, which allows them to quickly spread lies while Israel is still carrying out investigations. Shoshani lays out some of the lessons he's learned in the position. Israel has to fill information vaccuums, he says, even if it is a message that the country is investigating the incident at hand. He also opened many new social media accounts, in order "to be everywhere and to be active everywhere." Pressed on the persistent problem of IDF soldiers posting problematic content on social media, Shoshani says that he has invested significant effort into confronting the problem, with tangible results. "They understand what's happening," says Shoshani. "They're more sensitive. It's still not where we want it to be, but it is much better." Shoshani takes listeners back to key episodes in the Gaza war like the 2025 announcement by Defense Minister Israel Katz that nothing would be going into Gaza, and the GHF aid site fiasco in which Gazans were killed nearly daily around the food distribution sites. He says that the IDF has acted properly around prisoners taken from Gaza. Shoshani visited the Sde Teiman base, and says Hamas terrorists there are receiving food and medical care, and that there are lawyers on site to make sure the guards adhere to the law. Shoshani also argues that the IDF is doing everything it can to combat settler violence in the West Bank: "We see this as a core mission. Our mission in Judea and Samaria is to keep stability and to keep safety for all the people living in that area, to make sure there is no violence." The military recognizes the problem, he says, and is dealing with it, but that it takes time. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

David Rosen: Israel doesn't adequately understand Christian relations

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus [https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/]. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/] for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. The world, and most Israelis, were horrified this week as a photo of an IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in Lebanon spread across social media. The act was roundly condemned by the army and by Israel's leaders. Yet, it happened. And it wasn't the first time Israeli soldiers had disrespected Christian sites in Lebanon, nor was it the only instance of Israel drawing the ire of Christians around the world. Rabbi David Rosen is a leader in Israeli and Jewish ties with Christians, especially the Catholic Church. Drawing on decades of experience, including numerous meetings with popes, he lays out the moral reasons for investing in ties with the Christian world, and why it is in Israel's national interest to get these relations right. He calls the modern Catholic Church a "loyal friend to the Jewish people," marking the "most dramatic transformation in the course of human history." The vast majority of the Christian world does not want to be seen as antisemitic, and sees itself as an ally of the Jewish people. But there is much to be done. Israel still has not concluded its decades-long talks with the Vatican, despite promising to wrap them up in the 1990s. Moreover, Israeli society doesn't understand the Christian world. Most religious Israelis have had no meaningful relationships with Christians, and see them through shallow stereotypes of historical antisemitism -- "almost a reverse image of some of the anti-Semitic cartoon images." Even worse, extremists continue to harass Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem and beyond. Rosen points at urgent tasks Israel must complete undertake if it is to get ties with Christians right. It must fix the "fundamental and enormous educational flaw" in schools by creating curricula to familiarize Israeli students with contemporary Christians, including their communities inside of Israel. Police must crack down on harassment of Christians in order to stamp out the phenomenon. Finally, he says, a senior official position must be created to build Israel's strategy toward churches and the broader Christian world. "There is no strategic thinking, no strategic approach whatsoever on the part of sequential governments of government after government in Israel," he laments, "because basically there has not been an understanding that this needs to be a priority in any way." Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Moran Zaga: The Gulf states react to humiliation by Iran

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus [https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/]. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/] for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. The shorthand term "Gulf states" doesn't describe a monolith. The Arab states along the Persian Gulf -- Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain -- all have unique internal dynamics, and approach their relationships with both Israel and Iran in different ways. Yet they do share a common threat -- the Shiite regional heavyweight just across the water, Iran. Placing a priority on stability and prosperity, the Gulf states have sought to prevent a war between the US and Iran. And if that war did break out, they hoped to secure immunity from Iranian attacks by maintaining diplomatic channels with the Islamic Republic and by showing that they were working for a ceasefire. That effort failed spectacularly. All the Gulf states were targeted by Iran, and the UAE was the country hardest hit by Iran in the war that began on February 28. The war made the countries look weak, as none of them hit back, nor were they able to put together a unified diplomatic initiative to end the war. Moran Zaga, expert on the Gulf states at the University of Haifa and at MIND Israel, explains how each of the countries is rethinking its approach to the Iran threat, and whether they are open to deeper ties with Israel. For now, she says, they are facing new and pressing challenges that threaten their economic well-being -- the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the possibility that the Houthis will shut down the approaches to the Red Sea, and Iran's insistence that it should decide who gets to enter the Persian Gulf. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

John Spencer: US can force open Strait of Hormuz if it decides to

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus [https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/friday-focus/]. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/] for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. The fledgling ceasefire between the US and Israel on the one hand, and Iran on the other, is holding. Even before it went into effect, a pointed debate began over who won, and whether US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu achieved what they set out to accomplish 41 days ago. John Spencer, chair of war studies at the Madison Policy Forum, says that it is way too early to determine the outcome of the war, as it is impossible to know what the outcome will be. Negotiations on a long-term settlement have not even begun yet. Moreover, Spencer argues, wars should be judged based on the stated goals of the campaign. Both Trump and Netanyahu made clear on multiple occasions that, though they would love to see the regime in Tehran fall, regime change is not a goal of the campaign. And, he says, there is no guarantee that the regime survives. It often takes time for the public to rise up and topple oppressive rulers. Spencer also notes that Israel is clearly stronger than it was on October 6, 2023, and Iran and its axis are much weaker. As for the Strait of Hormuz, which emerged as a central factor in the war, Spencer does not doubt that the US spent plenty of time and resources planning for the possibility that Iran would close the waterway. He recalls war-gaming such a scenario 15 years ago as a US officer, and stresses that there is a permanent task force in the Pentagon to think about keeping the Strait open. There are plenty of possible reasons for the US to decide not to force Hormuz open at this point, including global markets, diplomatic openings, and the potential costs of an operation. Spencer says that in his eyes, Iran's strategy failed, in that it validated all the fears about it in the region, and is likely to push Arab states further into the arms of the US and its regional alliance. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.