About this episode

Ariel Whitman interviews Yaakov Katz about the events leading up to October 7 and the implications for Israeli society and politics.

In this explosive episode of The Western Spirit, Ariel Whitman sits down with journalist, author, and former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz for a deep conversation about October 7, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli society, Hamas, the failures that led to the deadliest day in modern Israeli history, and why Netanyahu remains politically powerful despite it all.Katz argues that October 7 was not just an intelligence failure — but the collapse of an entire political and military “concept” that convinced Israel Hamas was deterred and uninterested in war.The conversation explores:*Why Netanyahu survived politically after October 7*Why so many Israelis still support him despite the failures*The intelligence collapse before the Hamas attack*Israel’s internal divisions and political polarization*Why Yaakov Katz believes Israeli society is becoming dangerously fractured*Hamas, Gaza, Iran, and the future of the Middle EastYaakov Katz is the former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), and co-author of the bestselling book While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East.📌 Watch…

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