Israel Undiplomatic

A nation buries its last returned hostage and at the same time, a political firestorm detonates in Jerusalem. Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum walk you through the heartbreaking return of Ran Gvili, the chilling risks IDF soldiers took to recover him from a Gaza mass grave and the explosive moment PM Netanyahu publicly suggests Israeli soldiers died because critical U.S. ammunition was held back in 2024. You’ll learn how wartime supply decisions ripple into battlefield casualties, how Hamas weaponized hostage psychology to fracture Israeli society and why Trump-era “green light” signals may have shifted Hamas’s calculations. All this before the conversation turns to Iran, where a “beautiful armada” and a rumored backchannel could decide whether diplomacy is real… or just the prelude.

A nation buries its last returned hostage and at the same time, a political firestorm detonates in Jerusalem. Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum walk you through the heartbreaking return of Ran Gvili, the chilling risks IDF soldiers took to recover him from a Gaza mass grave and the explosive moment PM Netanyahu publicly suggests Israeli soldiers died because critical U.S. ammunition was held back in 2024. You’ll learn how wartime supply decisions ripple into battlefield casualties, how Hamas weaponized hostage psychology to fracture Israeli society and why Trump-era “green light” signals may have shifted Hamas’s calculations. All this before the conversation turns to Iran, where a “beautiful armada” and a rumored backchannel could decide whether diplomacy is real… or just the prelude.

Is President Trump actually going to pull the trigger, or just keep issuing threats while Iranian protesters die? Hosts Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum dissect Trump’s “wipe them off the face of the earth” rhetoric, argue over whether it signals real intelligence and imminent action, and zoom out to the bigger strategic gamble: Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza, Turkey and Qatar on the inside, and a Syria policy that Ruthie calls fantasy-land while minorities are being slaughtered. What you’ll learn is the core tension shaping the region right now: how deterrence works when words race ahead of action, why “surgical force” can succeed and what Israel’s leadership can (and can’t) do when its closest ally is also its most unpredictable variable.

Is Iran’s uprising a historic turning point, or the start of an even bloodier stalemate? In this episode, you’ll learn what actually makes authoritarian regimes crack (hint: it’s not street protests alone, it’s defections inside the guns-and-batons apparatus), how President Trump’s rhetoric (“write down their names,” “help is on its way,” tariffs, canceled talks) is being read as psychological warfare aimed at splintering regime enforcers, and why a U.S.-Israel strike, if it comes, could be calibrated to energize protesters rather than unite the public around the Ayatollahs. The hosts also clash over the nightmare scenario of a last-minute “deal” that leaves the regime alive, then widen the lens to the Abraham Accords, the hypocrisy of Western media and campus activists and the staggering domino effect of an Iran without proxies...ending with a blunt cliffhanger: they’re convinced something big is coming, and soon.

Is Iran’s uprising a historic turning point, or the start of an even bloodier stalemate? In this episode, you’ll learn what actually makes authoritarian regimes crack (hint: it’s not street protests alone, it’s defections inside the guns-and-batons apparatus), how President Trump’s rhetoric (“write down their names,” “help is on its way,” tariffs, canceled talks) is being read as psychological warfare aimed at splintering regime enforcers, and why a U.S.-Israel strike, if it comes, could be calibrated to energize protesters rather than unite the public around the Ayatollahs. The hosts also clash over the nightmare scenario of a last-minute “deal” that leaves the regime alive, then widen the lens to the Abraham Accords, the hypocrisy of Western media and campus activists and the staggering domino effect of an Iran without proxies...ending with a blunt cliffhanger: they’re convinced something big is coming, and soon.

Washington just toppled Maduro, and that shockwave may be racing straight toward Tehran. In this episode of "Israel Undiplomatic", the hosts unpack how President Trump’s renewed willingness to use American power is reshaping the global chessboard: from Venezuela to Iran, from Hezbollah to Hamas and from uneasy Syria “peace talks” to the very real possibility of regime collapse in Tehran. With Iran shaken by protests, its terror proxies weakened and Israel quietly preparing for what comes next, the conversation exposes why this moment feels different, and why a single misstep could trigger war, regime change, or both. Nothing is settled, everything is volatile and the stakes for Israel have never been higher.

Washington just toppled Maduro, and that shockwave may be racing straight toward Tehran. In this episode of "Israel Undiplomatic", the hosts unpack how President Trump’s renewed willingness to use American power is reshaping the global chessboard: from Venezuela to Iran, from Hezbollah to Hamas and from uneasy Syria “peace talks” to the very real possibility of regime collapse in Tehran. With Iran shaken by protests, its terror proxies weakened and Israel quietly preparing for what comes next, the conversation exposes why this moment feels different, and why a single misstep could trigger war, regime change, or both. Nothing is settled, everything is volatile and the stakes for Israel have never been higher. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Maduro Falls: Why This Changes Everything 03:12 – Trump’s Message to the World: Strength Over Talk 06:05 – Iran Protests Explode: Fear Is Cracking 09:48 – Hezbollah and Hamas: Weaker, But More Dangerous 14:02 – Syria Talks: Security Deal or Strategic Trap? 18:36 – Turkey, Gaza, and a New Regional Risk 23:15 – Why Iran’s Regime Is More Vulnerable Than Ever 28:40 – Missiles, Shelters, and Israel’s Red Lines 33:55 – The West’s Silence on Iran Exposed 38:20 – Regime Change: Inevitable or Accelerated?

Could 2026 be the year that redefines the Middle East? In this episode, our hosts dive into the unthinkable: a potential Israeli-Syrian security pact, President Trump brokering backdoor deals and the collapse of Iran’s regime from within. But that’s just the beginning. From Hamas refusing to disarm to Saudi Arabia stalling normalization, the future is anything but certain. And as Lebanon simmers and PM Netanyahu prepares for a political comeback, one question hangs in the air: will the region break through or break down?

Behind the polite smiles and diplomatic clichés, something far more dangerous is unfolding. As Israel weighs its next move against Iran’s ballistic missile threat, serious cracks are emerging between Jerusalem and Washington. In this episode of "Israel Undiplomatic", Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum cut through the speculation to ask the questions no one else will: Is the U.S. truly aligned with Israel’s security needs or drifting toward strategic illusions? And what, really, might be brewing behind closed doors ahead of a possible Trump-Netanyahu meeting?

Israel is on edge again as three political shockwaves collide: Itamar Ben‑Gvir ignites global outrage by wearing a yellow noose pin in the Knesset debate over the death penalty for terrorists; Hamas kingpin Khaled Mashaal resurfaces in Istanbul with a chilling vow to eliminate Israel and reject any Trump‑brokered plan; and President Trump prepares to host Prime Minister Netanyahu at Mar‑a‑Lago to force momentum on “Phase 2” of his Gaza blueprint.

Israel’s political earthquake is shaking the very foundations of its democracy. President Herzog is weighing a potential pardon for Prime Minister Netanyahu just as President Trump dramatically invites Bibi to the White House. Is this a presidential favor or a veiled ultimatum? Ruthie Blum and Mark Regev expose the legal chess match, deep-state power grabs and the media circus surrounding the most polarizing figure in Israeli politics. Will Netanyahu beat the system...or is the system too broken to fix? This episode of "Israel Undiplomatic" pulls no punches.

Hezbollah’s top military commander is dead and the clock is ticking. As the IDF braces for an inevitable retaliation, Israel drills, strikes and reshapes the northern front. But just as war brews in Lebanon, a shadow negotiation unfolds in Cairo, where Hamas still refuses to disarm and the second phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan hangs in the balance. Meanwhile, UN peacekeepers sit idle, international mediators fumble and the same terror networks rise again. Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum break down why this is not the end, but possibly the beginning of something far more dangerous. The Middle East is shifting, and the next war could explode from any direction.

President Trump just dropped a geopolitical bombshell approving the sale of the stealth F-35 to Saudi Arabia, potentially shattering Israel's decades-long aerial supremacy. As Riyadh inches toward the Abraham Accords on the condition of Palestinian statehood, the stakes skyrocket. Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum dissect the consequences for Israel, the U.S. and the broader Middle East...questioning everything from Saudi trustworthiness to the future of peace and war in the region. Is normalization a strategic masterstroke or a mirage in the desert?

Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum unpack the explosive political, moral and strategic debate over Israel’s proposed death penalty for terrorists, a bill passed in its first reading just as Hadar Goldin’s body was returned after 11 years in Gaza. With Prime Minister Netanyahu’s backing and public support surging post-October 7th, the law may seem inevitable. But is it truly a deterrent, or just symbolic? The hosts wrestle with questions of justice vs. revenge, deterrence vs. diplomacy and whether executing terrorists prevents future kidnappings or fuels them. Alongside this, they explore the chilling dilemma of 200 Hamas terrorists reportedly trapped in a tunnel, the risks of a renewed regional war and the limits of peace in a Middle East still riddled with jihadist threats.*TO ENTER The Dream Raffle* Win a 1.2-million-dollar apartment in the heart of Jerusalem: https://shorturl.at/ujCk5

In this special episode of Israel Undiplomatic, Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum sit down with John Podhoretz, editor-in-chief of Commentary, to unpack what Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City mayor signals for American Jewry, Israel and U.S. politics. They explore the “Corbynization” of the Democratic Party, the normalization of anti-Zionism in America’s most Jewish city and how bipartisan support for Israel is fraying, while warning that rising populist currents on both left and right could reshape U.S.–Israel relations. A timely, urgent conversation on what comes next for New York, American Jews and Israel.

IDF strikes in Gaza, Hamas ceasefire violations, hostage-remains scandal, and U.S.–Israel strategy—what’s next? On this week’s Israel undiplomatic, senior contributing editor at JNS Ruthie Blum and former Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom Mark Regev—both former advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office— unpack Israel’s retaliatory strikes after renewed Hamas attacks, staged “searches” before the Red Cross and the new calculus now that no live Israeli hostages remain in Gaza. They weigh whether the ceasefire is sliding into a war of attrition or setting the stage for Phase Two of the Trump plan—Hamas disarmament and an end to its rule—while assessing U.S. backing from President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Washington’s leverage over Qatar and Turkey, and the balance between deterrence, limited incursions and diplomatic pressure to force the return of remains and prevent Hamas rearmament.

Senior contributing editor at JNS Ruthie Blum and former Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom Mark Regev—both former advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office—take on the most pressing geopolitical questions surrounding the Trump-brokered ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages, and whether a renewed war with Hamas is inevitable.

What makes the new Gaza peace plan different from all previous peace plans? In this week’s episode of “Israel Undiplomatic,” senior contributing editor at JNS Ruthie Blum and former Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom Mark Regev—both former advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office—analyze President Donald Trump’s bold new peace initiative, the release of the final Israeli hostages and the reactions across Israel’s political spectrum. Most importantly, they reveal what makes the peace plan that freed the last remaining living hostages in Gaza this past Monday fundamentally different from all previous Middle East peace efforts. Blum and Regev then explore how Trump’s coordination with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli envoy Ron Dermer shaped the plan from the inside, and how Trump’s unconventional pressure tactics on Qatar, Turkey and other Arab states made compliance possible. Finally, this episode wouldn’t be complete without covering the most talked-about moment of the week: Trump’s monumental Knesset address. They examine his powerful message of “peace through strength,” his open defense of Israel’s right to finish the war and his stunning declaration that the Oct. 7 attacks would never have happened if he were still president.

As Hamas plays games and President Trump’s 72-hour ultimatum expires, what happens next? On this episode of “Israel Undiplomatic,” senior contributing editor at JNS Ruthie Blum and former Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom Mark Regev—both former advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office—unpack the uncertainty surrounding hostage negotiations and the implications of Trump's latest Gaza peace plan.

President Donald Trump has unveiled a sweeping 21-point plan to finally end the Gaza war, free Israeli hostages and dismantle Hamas once and for all, but as he prepares to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, serious questions loom over the hidden costs and dangerous concessions this deal may demand. In this week’s episode of Israel Undiplomatic, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.K. Mark Regev and JNS senior contributing editor Ruthie Blum break down the details, risks and possible rewards of Trump’s bold diplomatic move.