Can the Gaza War Bridge the Secular-Haredi Military Draft Divide?

In the fourth episode of Season 5, David Makovsky is joined by Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Yehoshua Pfeffer, a member of the Haredi community and Editor in Chief of Tzarich Iyun, to discuss the implications of the new Haredi draft and opportunities for narrowing the secular-Haredi divide in Israeli society. Listen here:

Decision Points is a Washington Institute podcast on key moments in Israel’s history and present. The first season focused on the history of U.S.-Israel relations, the second season examined key Israeli and Arab leaders, the third season explored Israel’s contemporary policy dilemmas, and the fourth season highlighted books essential to understanding Zionism and U.S.-Israel relations. Season 5 of the podcast dives into the Gaza war and explores the long-term implications for Israel, U.S.-Israel relations, and the Middle East. In each episode, distinguished scholars, analysts, journalists, and officials will put the current conflict in perspective and discuss the road ahead.

The host, David Makovsky, is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Director of its Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations. He is a former senior advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, as well as a sought-after expert on U.S.-Israel diplomatic relations and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Decision Points is both a history lesson and an exploration of contemporary policy decisions impacting Israel, the United States, and the broader Middle East.

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