Middle East Forum Podcast
The Middle East Forum's weekly podcast series featuring discussions from experts, policymakers, staff, and writing fellows on topics relating to the Middle East and countering Islamism.
Episodes
In this episode of Israel Insider, host Ashley Perry examines the attempted takeover of a Flydubai flight carrying mostly Israeli passengers, how the attack was stopped, and the unanswered questions surrounding the pilot’s intentions. He also looks at how the incident is reshaping Israel’s election campaign by putting national security back at the center of the debate, as Netanyahu and the opposition compete for control...
In this episode of the Middle East Forum Podcast, host Lauri Regan speaks with evolutionary behavioral scientist and author Gad Saad about his new book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind, and his argument that empathy can become harmful when it overrides reason and self-preservation.
Saad discusses how this idea applies to immigration, academia, Israel, Islam, and cultural relativism, as well as the influence of ideological conform...
In this episode of Israel Insider, host Ashley Perry examines the focus on Israel at the UN General Assembly, Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming address, and the growing international pressure over settlements and settler violence.
Perry also discusses efforts to disqualify Arab parties and candidates from Israel’s election, Avigdor Lieberman’s proposal for Jordan to administer Palestinian-controlled areas of the West B...
Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch joins the Middle East Forum Podcast to discuss why he believes the Oslo Accords have failed, how the Palestinian Authority’s “Pay-for-Slay” system incentivizes terrorism, and why its expanding security forces pose a growing threat to Israel. He also examines the legacy of October 7, the future of Palestinian leadership, prisoner exchanges, and the security implications of development...
Ashley Perry examines the UK’s new sanctions targeting Israeli settlement goods, Israel’s retaliatory response, and why Washington’s silence may be more consequential for Jerusalem than the measures themselves. He also discusses a disputed report that the UAE warned Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before October 7 that Hamas was preparing a major attack, and what the allegation could mean politically as Israel heads to...
Ibn Warraq joins the Middle East Forum Podcast to discuss whether Islam is compatible with Western values, examining free speech, religious liberty, assimilation, political Islam, and competing ideas of sovereignty. He also reflects on the intellectual journey behind Why I Am Not a Muslim and explains why he believes Western civilization must be more willing to defend its own principles.
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More than 30 years after Hamas murdered 17-year-old American David Boim, his family is still seeking to enforce a $156 million terrorism judgment. Lead counsel Daniel I. Schlessinger explains the case against American Muslims for Palestine, the “alter ego” theory at its center, and what the 2027 trial could mean for other terrorism victims seeking accountability in U.S. courts.
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Israel’s latest strike in Syria highlights its growing concern over Turkey’s expanding military influence there. Ashley Perry examines the risk of a deeper Israel-Turkey confrontation, Washington’s response, and the security calculations driving Israel’s actions. He also breaks down Israel’s increasingly fragmented election landscape, the emergence of a potential third bloc, and Netanyahu’s conti...
David Wurmser joins the Middle East Forum Podcast to examine the new Mecca Agreement among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan and the broader strategic realignment it reflects. He discusses Turkey’s ambitions, China’s growing influence, Saudi Arabia’s shifting calculations, and the implications for India, the UAE, Israel, and the Abraham Accords. Wurmser also considers how Israel and the United States could respon...
With Israel’s October 27 election approaching, guest host Alex Selsky examines the deadlocked polls and the coalition math that could determine the next government. He looks at Netanyahu’s reshaping of Likud, the potential role of Ra’am and a new “third bloc,” and divisions across Israel’s political camps. Selsky also discusses foreign interference, Gaza, and the political maneuvering likely to i...
Russia, Iran, China, and Qatar are using different tools to weaken the political consensus behind the U.S.-Israel partnership. Alex Goldenberg joins Middle East Forum Podcast host Lauri Regan to examine how antisemitism, anti-Israel narratives, foreign funding, and social media influence campaigns are used to shape American public opinion and raise the political cost of cooperation with Israel. They also discuss how these efforts c...
Ashley Perry examines the tentative Strait of Hormuz agreement and whether Iran’s leadership will uphold it. He also assesses renewed tensions with Hezbollah, the dispute over Hamas disarmament, and Israel’s response options. Finally, he explains how new center-right parties and the ultra-Orthodox enlistment debate could reshape Israel’s election.
Recent wars and maritime disruptions have exposed the vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal—critical chokepoints for global trade and energy. Amit Mor joins Middle East Forum Podcast host Lauri Regan to examine emerging alternatives, including new oil pipelines, expanded overland trucking routes, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, and proposed rail links through Iraq, Turkey, Jo...
Benjamin Netanyahu presented Donald Trump with three possible paths on Iran: diplomacy, intensified economic pressure, or renewed military operations. Ashley Perry examines what emerged from their meeting, Iran’s latest attack on a U.S. base, and the renewed activity of Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias. He also assesses Netanyahu’s political position as Israel’s election campaign begins to take shape.
Despite renewed diplomacy between Lebanon and Israel, Hezbollah retains an independent military and political structure that prevents Beirut from controlling decisions of war and peace. Scholar and educator Ibtisam Klait traces Hezbollah’s ideological origins, its allegiance to Iran’s doctrine of Wilayat al-Faqih, and its evolution from a “state within a state” into a “state against the state.” S...
Hezbollah has been pushed back from Israel’s northern border, but its tunnels, rockets, drones, and efforts to rearm remain a serious threat.
Sarit Zehavi of the Alma Research and Education Center joins MEF Podcast host Lauri Regan to explain what Israel has uncovered in southern Lebanon, how Hezbollah is rebuilding with Iranian support, and why the ceasefire may not hold.
They also discuss Lebanon’s ability to disarm Hez...
Iran and the United States have returned to military confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz, while both sides appear—for now—to be limiting the conflict. Israel Insider host Ashley Perry examines what could turn this “controlled escalation” into a wider war and bring Israel back into the fighting.
Perry also analyzes Israel-Lebanon negotiations, pressure on Israel to reposition in Lebanon and Syria, Israel...
Award-winning investigative journalist Lisa Daftari joins Lauri Regan to assess Iran’s leadership, the expanding role of the IRGC, and the regime’s strategy toward the United States and Israel. They discuss Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, its use of negotiations and narrative warfare, and the risks of allowing the regime to remain in power. The episode also examines the Iranian protest movement, the possibility of sec...
In this episode of Israel Insider, Ashley Perry examines the collapse of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and what President Trump's shifting approach to Tehran means for Israel.
He also analyzes Washington's warming ties with Turkey, the debate over F-35 sales to Ankara, developments on Israel's northern border, and the latest political battles shaping Israel ahead of expected elec...
In this episode of Israel Insider, host Ashley Perry examines the new Israel-Lebanon-U.S. trilateral framework and its implications for Hezbollah and Iranian influence.
Perry explains why the agreement gives Israel control over the pace of withdrawal and could create a path toward normalization with Lebanon.
The episode also covers UNRWA’s possible exclusion from Gaza and the political battles preceding Israel’s expected ...
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