The Fathom Podcast

Alan Johnson and Jack Omer-Jackaman speak to renowned writer and peace activist Gershon Baskin. They discuss his recent Times of Israel article, co-authored with Samer Sinijlawi, a Palestinian political activist, entitled ‘The Necessary Peace – The Peace of No Choice’, in which Baskin lays out his vision for a two state solution after Hamas is defeated.

Calev Ben-Dor speaks to Professor Jonathan Rynhold, head of the department of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University, about President Biden’s policy on Israel’s war with Hamas. Rynhold is the author of The Arab-Israeli Conflict in American Political Culture, and speaks here about Biden’s personal, ‘visceral’ commitment to Israel, his vision of a foreign policy in defence of the liberal democratic order, and the potential impact of his Israel policy on the next US presidential election.

Jack Omer-Jackaman and Calev Ben-Dor talk to Lebanon expert Hanin Ghaddar, Friedman Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute and author of Hezbollahland: Mapping Dahiya and Lebanon’s Shia Community. Ghaddar explains why Hezbollah has been persuaded not to escalate the conflict on Israel’s northern border, how this has impacted the reputation of its leader Nasrallah, and the chances of a future Israeli pre-emptive strike.

Alan Johnson and Jack Omer-Jackaman speak with John Lyndon, Executive Director of ALLMEP (The Alliance for Middle East Peace). John speaks powerfully on how 7 October and the war in Gaza have transformed the peacebuilding field and what is needed from both sides to advance the peace process.

Alan Johnson and Calev Ben Dor talk to Dr Shany Mor, lecturer in political thought at Reichman University in Herzliya, about his recent essay in Mosaic Magazine, “Ecstasy and Amnesia in the Gaza Strip”. Mor places the Hamas pogrom of October 7 in the context of three other attempted eliminationist struggles against Israel – the 1948 War of Independence, the 1967 Six Day War, and the 2000 Palestinian Intifada.

Fathom Deputy Editors Jack Omer-Jackaman and Calev Ben-Dor talk to Dr Rob Geist Pinfold, Lecturer in Peace and Security at Durham University and the author of Understanding Territorial Withdrawal: Israeli Occupations and Exits (2023, Oxford University Press). Rob assesses the impact of Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip on the Hamas pogrom of October 7th. Rob also analyses Israel’s previous territorial withdrawals and his thesis that they have not made Israel more vulnerable.

Fathom editors Alan Johnson and Jack Omer-Jackaman talk to Dr Ahron Bregman, Senior Teaching Fellow at King’s College London, about the impact of the Hamas pogrom on Israeli society, the intelligence oversights which failed to anticipate it, and Israel’s range of possible responses in Gaza.

This new Fathom podcast series is called Those Who Tried: Conversations with the Peace Processors. We will seek the views of people who have been intimately involved in the Middle East peace process. We're delighted to start the series with a discussion with Elliott Abrams. During the George W. Bush presidency, Elliott was Deputy National Security Adviser and an NSC staff member in the White House.