Political and geopolitical analysis from the world's top experts, hosted by Dan Senor.
What will Phase II of Trump's plan for Gaza look like on the ground? Who’s in charge of Gaza now, and who’s paying the bills? Dan is joined by Ark Media contributors Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal to cut through the fog around “phase two” of the Gaza plan. They break down the new governing structure — Trump’s “Board of Peace,” the Gaza Executive Committee, a Palestinian technocrat government, and an International Stability Force — and explain what will actually matter on the ground: money, security control, and whether Hamas truly disarms. They also assess Israel–U.S. friction, the odds of renewed fighting, what daily life in Gaza looks like right now, and how all of this collides with Israeli election politics.
In this episode...
- Understanding the Governance of Gaza
- Who Holds Power in Gaza? Money, Security, and Accountability
- Hamas After the War
- Phase Two, the Yellow Line, and Israeli Withdrawal
- The International Stability Force Explained
- Life in Gaza Right Now
- Gaza Meets Israeli Politics
- The Bigger Regional Picture
From the episode:
This episode was sponsored by The Shalom Hartman Institute: Learn more about the Community Leadership Program at https://go.hartman.org.il/CLP-CMB
More Ark Media:
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo
In part two of Dan’s conversation with political scientist Yascha Mounk, the two discuss identity politics, its growing influence on the American left, and the danger this trend poses to pluralistic societies.
They examine why identity politics is so seductive, how it reshapes government, schools, and civic institutions, and why Mounk believes it ultimately undermines both individuality and democratic cohesion. The conversation also turns inward, exploring Jewish identity: where it strengthens pluralism, where it becomes politicized, and why Jews, in particular, should be cautious about abandoning universal principles for group-based power.
In this episode...
- Why liberalism today feels unrecognizable
- What identity politics is and why it’s so appealing
- How universalism gave way to group-based politics
- When inclusion turns into segregation
- Jewish identity and the limits of identity-based politics
- Why free speech remains essential for a pluralistic democracy
From the episode:
- Listen to Yascha’s podcast The Good Fight
- Subscribe to Persuasion
- Purchase Yascha’s book, The Identity Trap
More Ark Media:
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo
Is Antizionism the new common denominator of the left? Political scientist Yascha Mounk, founder of Persuasion and author of The Identity Trap, joins Dan to discuss whether the rise of Zohran Mamdani is indicative of a growing connection between socialist causes and hostility towards Jews. Drawing on his personal history, Mounk explains the different iterations of Antisemitism on the left and discusses with Dan whether it is categorically different from what we’re increasingly seeing on the American right.
The conversation went longer than normal, so stay tuned for part 2 in which Dan and Yascha discuss how identity politics consumed America and Jews should be wary of falling into the same trap.
In this episode...
- Yascha’s political upbringing
- The history of Antizionism on the left
- What would Mamdani compromise on?
- Is the IHRA’s definition of Antisemitism dangerous to free speech?
- The Western left’s silence on repression in Iran
This episode was sponsored by Maimonides Fund: Sign up for the SAPIR journal at sapirjournal.org/CallMeBack
From the episode:
- Listen to Yascha’s podcast The Good Fight
- Subscribe to Persuasion
- Purchase Yascha’s book, The Identity Trap
More Ark Media:
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo
This is a sneak peek from a recent conversation on Inside Call Me Back, the members-only edition of the podcast. Dan takes listener questions with Ilan, starting with reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu may have urged President Trump to delay a strike on Iran. They also touch on Saudi Arabia’s opposition to an attack, the link between conspiracy thinking and antisemitism, and whether there’s a path back to bipartisan support for Israel in American politics. To hear the full conversation, become a member by following the link in the description or visiting arkmedia.org.
More Ark Media:
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo
While President Trump has made multiple threats against the Islamic Republic’s regime due to its violent crackdown against protesters, the world still waits to see whether the United States will indeed follow through. Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal join Dan to discuss what shape might an American attack take, whether it has in fact already started, how Iran might retaliate, and whether this could be the end of the Ayatollah regime.
In this episode...
- Under the communications shutdown, can we know what’s happening in Iran?
- Israel expects an American action… But of what kind?
- Is the Ayatollah regime crumbling?
- Is the United States already operating within Iran?
- Getting into the mind of the Supreme Leader
- How is Israel preparing?
- What should the West do?
- Understanding Reza Pahlavi’s role
This episode was sponsored by Birthright: Invest in the Jewish future today at onetripchangeseverything.com.
From the episode:
- Want to join Ark Media? Check out our careers page for new openings.
- Nadav’s latest newsletter on Iran
- Read Karim’s latest piece in Foreign Affairs
More Ark Media:
Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Pattricio Spadaveccia, Yuval Semo
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back https://inside.arkmedia.org
Gift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: https://inside.arkmedia.org/gifts
Read Karim's piece in Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/autumn-ayatollahs
Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/
Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: https://arkmedia.org/amitsegal/
Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/
Ark Media on Instagram: https://instagram.com/arkmediaorg
Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor
Dan on Instagram: https://instagram.com/dansenor
To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: https://tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn
Today’s Episode:
As Iran enters another week of unrest, protests have continued to spread across the country, with demonstrations reported in multiple major cities. The regime has responded by sharply restricting internet and cellular access, making it difficult to assess the full scale of the crackdown as regional tensions rise and President Trump warns that the United States could intervene if protesters are killed.
To discuss what this moment could mean for Iran’s future, Dan was joined by Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a recurring guest on the podcast. Karim examines whether Iran may be nearing a tipping point, how the regime is attempting to suppress dissent, and what the fall of the Islamic Republic could look like, including the risks and challenges of political transition.
CREDITS:
ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor
ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer
BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager
MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor
MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing
YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer
Subscribe here to ‘What’s Your Number’: https://lnk.to/rfGlrA
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back inside.arkmedia.org
Gift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/gifts
Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/
Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/
Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/
Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg
Dan on X: x.com/dansenor
Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor
To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn
Today’s Episode:
In a Call me Back bonus episode, we’re publishing this week’s episode of Ark Media podcast What’s Your Number, co-hosted by Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner-Levy. This week, Yonatan and Yael were joined by Daniel Schreiber, co-founder and CEO of Lemonade, and Founder and Chairman of the Mosaic Institute for AI Policy. Daniel, Yael, and Yonatan discuss how a future Israel economy might fare in an automated world between the risks of massive workforce displacement and the potential of turbocharged productivity.
CREDITS:
ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor
ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer
BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager
MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor
MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing
GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management
YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back inside.arkmedia.org
Gift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/gifts
Sapir Journal: https://sapirjournal.org/
Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/
Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/
Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast
Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts:
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/
Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg
Dan on X: x.com/dansenor
Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor
To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn
Today’s Episode:
Few people expected to start 2026 with images of Nicolas Maduro in a New York prison. In the days since Madouro’s capture, many have argued that the Trump administration’s operation in Venezuela is another signal that the global system we’ve known for the better part of a century has dramatically changed. From the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, to Israel’s two-year multifront battle, to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, geopolitical power dynamics are rapidly shifting. But to what end? Are we witnessing the emergence of a new world order?
To discuss the historical context and implications of the geopolitical moment we find ourselves in, Dan was joined by Call me Back veteran Brett Stephens. Brett is an opinion columnist for the New York Times, a senior contributor to NBC News, and the inaugural editor in chief of the Sapir journal. Bret previously worked as a foreign affairs columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and from 2002-2004 served as the editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post.
(00:00) Introduction
(05:32) Unpacking the “old world order”
(13:43) Where does Europe stand?
(16:55) What Europe could learn from Israel
(19:11) The Middle East and Turkey’s growing influence
(22:32) What to make of the mass protests in Iran
(25:12) The illusion of a rules-based global order?
(27:16) Trump: what he gets right and what he gets wrong
(32:28) Are we heading toward a great power war?
CREDITS:
ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor
ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer
BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager
MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor
MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing
MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer
GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management
YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back inside.arkmedia.org
Gift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/gifts
Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/
Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/
Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast
Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts:
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/
Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg
Dan on X: x.com/dansenor
Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor
To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn
Today’s Episode:
For more than a week, hordes of Iranians have taken to the streets and risked their lives to protest the Islamic regime. The regime’s attempts to suppress the protests are failing; instead, the unrest has spread from the capital city of Tehran to other cities and provinces. On Friday, President Trump warned that the U.S. would intervene if the Iranian state kills anti-regime protestors.
Against this backdrop, on Saturday, in a shocking military escalation, U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife while carrying out strikes on the capital city Caracas. Under Maduro, Venezuela has fostered warm ties with the Islamic Regime of Iran as well as Russia and China. Many see Trump’s action in Venezuela as an indication that he is willing to heighten American aggression against its enemies, including the Islamic Republic of Iran.
To discuss what to make of the societal upheaval in Iran – and how the historic events in Venezuela play a role here – Dan was joined by Karim Sadjadpour. Karim is an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a recurring guest on this podcast on all things Iran.
Karim's piece on Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/autumn-ayatollahs
(00:00) Introduction
(05:20) What’s happening on the ground in Iran?
(07:41) The conditions needed for regime collapse
(15:26) The character of Iranian protestors
(18:40) How did Israel’s attacks in June affect this moment?
(22:47) Understanding the regime’s strategy to stay in power
(25:03) How does the Venezuela operation impact the situation in Iran?
(30:39) The fragility of the Islamic regime
CREDITS:
ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor
ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer
BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager
MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor
MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing
MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer
GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management
YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back inside.arkmedia.org
Gift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/gifts
Listen to What’s Your Number: lnk.to/GsOESP
Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/
Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/
Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast
Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts:
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/
Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg
Dan on X: x.com/dansenor
Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor
To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn
Today’s Episode:
As we enter a new year, news unfolds rapidly when it comes to Israel and the Middle East. Over the past few days, Iran has witnessed the country’s largest anti-regime protests in the past three years, with crowds taking to the streets in several cities and clashing with security forces. On Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu met President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, for the leaders sixth meeting over the course of Trump’s second term. President Trump made several bold statements to the press, including warning that if Iran continues building its missile programs, the U.S. will take swift and severe action. President Trump also remarked on the Gaza ceasefire, saying he intends to move to phase two of his peace plan, but also threatening “hell to pay” if Hamas does not disarm quickly.
To unpack the dramatic events unfolding in Iran, and to analyze yet another meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Dan was joined by Ark Media contributors Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal.
CREDITS:
ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor
ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer
BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager
MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor
MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing
MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer
GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management
YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer
To support the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology: ats.org/callmeback
Subscribe to Inside Call me Back inside.arkmedia.org
Gift a subscription of Inside Call me Back: inside.arkmedia.org/gifts
Listen to What’s Your Number: lnk.to/GsOESP
Subscribe to Nadav Eyal’s Substack: https://nadave.substack.com/
Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter ‘It’s Noon in Israel’: arkmedia.org/amitsegal/
Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast
Check out Ark Media’s other podcasts:
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/
Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg
Dan on X: x.com/dansenor
Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor
To order Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel: tinyurl.com/bdeyjsdn
(00:00) Introduction
(04:49) Dissecting the “settler” umbrella
(10:11) The origins and evolution of the settler movement
(14:32) 50 shades of ideology: the various segments of settlers
(20:12) A hot potato: the reluctance to address Israeli extremist violence
(29:40) The ideology that underlies this violence
(37:18) How the Israeli government has changed its approach to extremist violence
(44:55) Closing thoughts and Nadav’s new substack
Today’s Episode:
Critics of Israel often emphasize the phenomenon of extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Yet it can be difficult to understand the scope of the problem from afar, given the anti-Israel bias and false reporting demonstrated by many media outlets, especially following October 7. To get to the bottom of this controversial issue — and to filter signal from noise — Dan sat down with Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal and Rabbi David Stav. Rabbi Stav is the co-founder and chairman of the Tzohar rabbinic organization and serves as Chief Rabbi of the city of Shoham in central Israel.
CREDITS:
ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor
ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer
BRITTANY COHEN - Production Manager
MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor
MARIANGELES BURGOS AND PATRICIO SPADAVECCHIA - Additional Editing
MAYA RACKOFF - Associate Producer
GABE SILVERSTEIN - Community Management
YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer