The Bibi interview
The prime minister on Iran, judicial reform, Ukraine and more. Plus, an interview with the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.
I interviewed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, together with Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Avi Mayer.
The interview is available as a video, or to read here.
If you prefer audio, you can hear the full interview on the JPost Podcast. Avi and I give some behind-the-scenes details, as well:
There was a lot of action that happened in Judea and Samaria last week, including an IDF raid in Jenin, a terrorist attack in Bet El, and violent vigilantism by some Israelis. We couldn’t ask Netanyahu about it, because the interview happened before any of that did.
The part of the interview that has made the most waves so far is Netanyahu’s answer about whether Israel’s Ukraine policy will change. The short answer: No. The Ukrainians let it be known that they were very angry about that.
I don’t know about you, but I was glued to my phone after this Shabbat when I saw the news about the Wagner Rebellion in Russia. It got me thinking about Netanyahu’s answer about Ukraine and made me wonder if maybe the policy, which has remained largely the same since March 2022, needs some updating. My analysis, here.
In addition, I interviewed Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska last week, when she was visiting Israel. Israeli experts are helping Ukrainians deal with the traumas of war, and Zelenska came to meet with them, as well as visit wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Israeli hospitals.
One of the factors that led three Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in 2020 was cooperation against the Iranian threat. Two of them, the UAE and Bahrain, have tried to bury the hatchet with Tehran of late - and that is a cause for concern in Jerusalem. I broke this story about a senior Israeli diplomat conveying those worries in Manama.
Is this really your last substack post? About two months ago? Am I not getting them? I see you're on X every day. Is substack not working properly?