For many years—decades, even—of terrorist strikes and wars, Israel had been the most dangerous place for Jews. But is it still? Reflecting on the Bondi Beach massacre made me remember—perhaps strangely—a remark once made by my son, Noam, in his Bar Mitzvah speech. The year was 2003, the height of the Second Intifada, with hundreds…
Israeli Intelligence Alert: Michael Oren on Australia Security Warnings https://vimeo.com/1147078340/8423bdeacb?fl=ip&fe=ec Israeli intelligence warnings to Australia about security threats Guest: Michael Oren, Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Segment Focus: The interview discusses Israeli intelligence’s warning to Australia regarding potential threats to the country. During the segment, Oren is discussing communications between governments, with references to the Canadian…
Establishing a Palestinian state today, in the aftermath of October 7, is not only not in Israel’s interest but is, far beyond that, certifiably insane. Last Wednesday evening, December 3, in Toronto, I took part in a Munk Debate. For those unfamiliar with the institution, Munk defines its mission as “to help the world rediscover…
Munk Debate: “Face Off on a Two-State Resolution” Event: Munk Debate on the Two-State Solution Date: December 3, 2025 Location: Meridian Hall, Toronto, Canada Format: One of the most consequential mainstage debates in the 17-year history of the Munk Debates series Debate Motion: “Be it Resolved, it is in Israel’s national interest to support a two-state solution” Debaters: In…
Ending Netanyahu’s corruption trial would mean an admission of guilt and could be the end of his political life. Back in 2019, while serving as a deputy government minister, I was approached outside a Knesset meeting by Yossi Yona, a former philosophy professor and member of the opposition Labor Party who I’d come to admire.…
Michael Oren (former Israeli diplomat) discusses on BBC World News a world leaders’ summit in Egypt during the Trump administration. He explains Trump’s “20-point plan” backed by Israel, which includes: ceasefire in Gaza, hostage restoration, regional stability, and Israeli-Palestinian peace aligned with the Abraham Accords. Oren emphasizes that addressing Islamic extremism and various types of…
During a time of renewed division, the state must do its utmost to maintain internal unity. Beyond the coalition’s judicial reform plan and even more than the Gaza War in its final phases, the question of the October 7 inquiry will divide the state as never before. If the prime minister rejects an independent state…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OGhT1Q4SpY&t=36s With Iran preparing a direct attack against Israel, the United States has increased its military presence in the Middle East: aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines, and F-22 fighters. The U.S. strategy is clear — prevent a regional war. But Michael Oren argues that playing defense is not enough. In this article, originally written for Yediot…
Rebuilding Israel’s foreign relations cannot wait. The ruins of Gaza could serve as a metaphor for the state of Israel’s foreign relations. After two years of brutal, complex, and controversial war, little remains of our ties with many of our former allies in Western Europe, much of the developing world, and, in the United States,…
Though traumatized by war, the thousands who came to lay Sgt. First Class Yona Brief to rest united in a display of unrestrained compassion. This week marked the Hebrew anniversary of Sgt. First Class Yona Brief’s passing. The day reminds us of the terrible price we paid for this war and of the eternal debt…
