Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with ToI senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur.
Last week, US President Donald Trump completed a four-day trip to the Middle East, his first official state visit of his second term.
He struck economic deals in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and, in lifting sanctions against Syria, made a bold move that could reboot the war-torn country.
More from What Matters Now
June 10, 2025What Matters Now to Rabbi Noa Sattath: Global LGBTQ+ support for Hamas
June 3, 2025What Matters Now to David Horovitz: Shedding light on war when the facts are dim
May 27, 2025What Matters Now to Prof. Elie Podeh: When the IDF disengaged from Gaza, 20 years ago
May 14, 2025What Matters Now to Eurovision mega-fan Tal Dahan: Politics, protests and camp in Basel
May 8, 2025What Matters Now to bereaved mother Elana Kaminka: End the Gaza 'forever war'
This conversation can also be viewed here:
On May 13, Trump delivered an almost hour-long speech at the Saudi-US Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that gives deep insight into his plan for the Middle East and beyond.
Rettig Gur examines this speech and explains its significance. We hear how it reflects Trump’s diplomacy, which in many ways harkens back to an earlier style of US policy. And we hear how, while the speech only names Israel once, it is actually a leitmotif.
And so this week, we ask Haviv Rettig Gur, what matters now.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch.
Check out the previous What Matters Now episode:
The Times of Israel Community.