Durban at 25: The Conference That Changed the War Against Israel

As Israel heads toward elections, the word “peace” has virtually disappeared from its political vocabulary — and the Israeli left is weaker than it has been in decades. Shira Ben Sasson, Executive Director of NIF Israel, joins Yaakov to discuss violence in the West Bank, the impact of October 7 on Israeli politics, why peace has become such a toxic concept for many Israelis, and whether the Israeli left can find a way back into the national conversation.

Twenty-five years after the UN’s Durban conference became a turning point in the campaign to delegitimize Israel, Irwin Cotler and Gil Troy look back at what happened there, how the language of racism, apartheid and colonialism was weaponized against the Jewish state, and why Durban still matters in the battles over Israel today.

Yaakov speaks with Souad Mekhennet, award-winning investigative journalist and author, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Vanderbilt University, about how jihadist extremism has evolved since 9/11, what the West learned – and failed to learn – from the War on Terror, and whether the world is safer today.

With Israel’s election approaching, JPPI fellow and Channel 13 pollster Shmuel Rosner joins the podcast to break down what the numbers are really showing. Which campaigns are working? How many voters are still undecided? Where are the parties gaining — and losing — support? And despite weak polling, does Benjamin Netanyahu still have a path to victory?

David Makovsky joins the Jewish People’s Podcast to discuss Netanyahu’s reversal on the Trump plan to disarm Hamas, what drove the decision, what it means for Gaza and whether it risks a new rupture with Washington.

Likud MK Dan Illouz has broken ranks with his party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the coalition’s concessions to the ultra-Orthodox. He explains why he defied the party, why he won’t run with Likud again, and why he believes Netanyahu should have resigned after October 7.

Was Tuesday’s meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu truly “positive and productive”? Yaakov is joined by Shmuel Rosner and Gil Troy to break down the meeting, examine whether it gives Netanyahu a political boost ahead of Israel’s October election, and discuss the bigger strategic question: Is Israel being sidelined by the Trump administration as a new Middle East takes shape?

What should Israelis and the pro-Israel community be watching ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterms? Josh Kraushaar, editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider and Fox News political analyst, joins Yaakov to break down the key races, the shifting politics of support for Israel in both parties, and what JD Vance's recent rhetoric signals about the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Former CIA operations officer Marc Polymeropoulos joins Yaakov to discuss renewed hostilities with Iran, the extraordinary reports of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's alleged Mossad recruitment, and what it reveals about modern espionage. We also examine what is working – and what isn't – in intelligence cooperation between Israel and the United States.

As Americans mark Independence Day, Gil Troy is joined by Dr. Anat Wilf for a special July 4th edition of the JPPI Podcast. Together, they examine the growing claims of a rupture in U.S.-Israel relations, asking whether recent political tensions represent a genuine strategic break or simply another chapter in a relationship that has weathered far greater storms. Drawing on history, diplomacy, and Zionist thought, they explore the deeper foundations of the alliance and what they reveal about its future. In the second half of the episode, Gil reflects on his new e-book, 250 Reasons to Be Grateful to America, celebrating the ideals, institutions, and enduring values that continue to shape the American experiment—even in an era of polarization and uncertainty.