Israel

Three weeks into the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, it remains unclear how or when the conflict might end. When asked by a reporter on Sunday if he was ready to declare victory, President Trump responded, "no, I don't want to do that. There's no reason to."

Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, attributes the Gaza deal in part to Trump's transactional nature and breaking of traditional diplomatic crockery.

Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour discusses the war between Israel and Iran, potential fallout from U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites, and how this may affect Tehran's authoritarian regime.

Five days after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha fled his home in Gaza, along with his wife and their three young children. Two weeks later, their home was bombed, leaving it in rubble. He reflects on the past year of conflict.

Keret, who lives in Tel Aviv, reflects on the protests in Israel and the U.S. over the hostages and Gaza. The son of Holocaust survivors, he has left- and right-wing political views in his own family.

Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, shares Hamas’ goal of destroying the state of Israel. New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins talks about his reporting trip to the Lebanese/Israeli border.

The Economist Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom explains why some Arab leaders hate Hamas, fear Iran and have some sympathy for Israel — although not for how Israel is waging the war.

New York Times correspondent David Sanger says that Iran and its proxies are posing new challenges: "We're seeing outbreaks of low-level but highly damaging conflict all over the region."

New York Times journalist Isabel Kershner says before war broke out between Israel and Hamas, it sometimes looked as if Israel was headed toward a civil war. Her new book is The Land of Hope and Fear.

New York Times reporter Mark Mazzetti says prior to Oct. 7, Israel's leadership was focused on an attack by Iran and its proxies —not Hamas. "They were ... myopic about what the true threat was."

Terrorism expert Daniel Byman explains the origins of the war between Israel and Hamas, and where it may lead. His books include A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism.

British-born Israeli journalist Anshel Pfeffer profiled Netanyahu in his 2018 biography Bibi. He describes Netanyahu, who's served more than 15 years as Israel's prime minister, as a knowledgeable statesman whose interests lie in macroeconomics and geopolitics. But, Pfeffer adds, Netanyahu has a "strange detachment" when it comes to social issues.

Berman was 60 when she moved to New York with just one suitcase to start a new life. Berman's daughter, Maira Kalman, and grandson, Alex Kalman, tell her story in a new book and museum show.

Oz, who died Dec. 28, co-founded Peace Now, a group that calls for negotiations with Palestinians and the creation of a Palestinian state. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1988, 1991 and 2004

Ronen Bergman says that while Israel's shootings, poisonings, bombings and drone strikes against its perceived enemies were "tactical successes," they were also diplomatically harmful.

Michael Solomonov won the James Beard Foundation's award for outstanding chef the year. He says his life work is connecting people to the food of his homeland. Originally broadcast Oct. 6, 2015.

Journalist Ari Shavit says Israel must find a way to reconcile its democratic values with the reality of everyday life there. His new book draws from interviews with hundreds of Israelis — both Jews and Arabs — as well as his military experience and Zionist family history.

The Israeli government wants America's support and help for any possible attack on Iran. U.S. officials have said this isn't the right time for airstrikes. New York Times Washington correspondent David Sanger explains what's at stake for both sides.

In What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, Nathan Englander writes about his own faith — and what it means to be Jewish — in stories that explore religious tension, Israeli-American relations and the Holocaust.

The new Israeli movie Ajami, shortlisted for an Oscar, is filled with the daily collisions of everyday urban life in the the port city of Jaffa. Movie critic John Powers says that the interesting characters and situations that fill Ajami remind him of the HBO series The Wire.