Israel is headed toward elections again, but can either side form a stable government?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi take a step back to examine the current political climate: the politics of exclusion, the historic unification of Arab parties around domestic issues, and the stalemate that could leave Israel stuck in another cycle of deadlocked elections. They offer a clear-eyed look at where Israeli politics stands—and where it might be headed.

00:00 - Elections in the Shadow of War

05:00 - The New Fault Line: Ultra-Orthodox vs. Arab Parties

14:30 - Arab Politics Recentered on Personal Security

18:45 - A Jewish–Arab Civic Moment in Tel Aviv

26:30 - Israel’s Returning Political Stalemate

30:00 - Interim Governments and Uncertain Endgames

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The hostage clock stopped at 843 days, 12 hours, and 6 minutes. But did the healing begin?

Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reflect on the return of the body of Ran Gvili—the last hostage from October 7th—and what this moment reveals about Israel's wounds, its divisions, and its desperate need for goodness. A meditation on trauma, ritual, and the human need for moments of grace—even when the underlying problems remain.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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What can Israel do when unpredictability becomes U.S. policy?

In this episode of For Heaven’s Sake, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi reckon with what it means for Israel to live in “Trump’s world”—where unpredictability isn’t just a style, it’s a strategy that can have life-and-death consequences. They explore how Israel’s political drift and Netanyahu’s lack of a “day after” plan have left a political vacuum the U.S. is now filling, and what it would take for Israel to reclaim a measure of self-determination in an unsteady new order.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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Listen to young Israeli changemakers from our Hazon program on the Canadian Jewish News's North Star podcast.

Iran's regime is under pressure—and so are the assumptions that have shaped Western policy for decades.

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore the "conceptia" behind the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Jewish theology of power, and the strange silence from progressives as Iran's uprising escalates. For Israelis, this isn't abstract: it's about once again stocking shelters and praying, this time for the Iranian people.

Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.

Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.

Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:
Listen to young Israeli changemakers from our Hazon program on the Canadian Jewish News's North Star podcast.

Is former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett a right-wing ideologue or Israel's great national healer?

Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi grapple with this paradox as they examine the only candidate currently ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in national polling. They explore Bennett's extraordinary transformation from an ideological conservative to national unifier, discuss his brief but transformative year as Prime Minister, and consider what his return might mean for Israel's future.

Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.

Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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Did we learn anything useful about the future of Israel from the Trump-Netanyahu Mar-a-Lago summit?

In this episode, recorded just hours after the summit concluded, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi wrestle with the disconnect between Trump's optimistic assurances—"everything's going to be fine"—and the hard realities facing Israel in 2026. They debate whether Iranian regime change is achievable, if Gaza represents an existential or spiritual threat, and what it means when the second stage of victory—the political solution—remains elusive.

Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.

Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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Learn more about and apply to the Hevruta Gap-Year Program.

Learn more about and register for our 2026 Rabbinic Torah Seminar.

For 60 years, Israel has counted on the United States. Is the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel now in jeopardy—not from the left, but from the MAGA right?

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi unpack Vice President J.D. Vance's recent troubling statements, the rise of "America First" isolationism, why Israel may need to rethink its dependence on American aid, and what this means for Jews on both sides of the Atlantic.

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Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

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What does the horrific attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach mean for the future of Diaspora Jewish life?

Australian Jews have built one of the most vibrant, cohesive, creative Jewish communities in the world. Shaped by Holocaust survivors and a deep sense of Zionism, it has become a model for Jewish life in the Diaspora. In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi explore whether small Diaspora communities can thrive in the current environment, and if the post-Holocaust era of Jewish immunity has definitively ended.

Watch the video version of our podcast on our Youtube channel.

Past episodes of this show, and other podcasts from Ark Media can be found at arkmedia.org.

For more ideas from the Shalom Hartman Institute, visit shalomhartman.org, or JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST.

Sponsor an upcoming episode of For Heaven’s Sake. Click here to learn more.

Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:
Learn more about and register for our Community Leadership Program.