Arsen Ostrovsky: Israel must make clear to other countries, as they have already, that they will not sit idly by in the face of unilateral recognitions of a Palestinian state. Israel did well to reject French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent request to visit Israel, and to revoke visas for Australian representatives in Ramallah.

The full interview was published in JNS on September 8, 2025.

It is imperative to stress that under international law, primarily the Montevideo Convention of 1933, statehood requires a permanent population, defined territory, effective governance, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.

The Palestinians meet none of these criteria. Hamas are still the de-facto rulers in Gaza, while Abbas has not held elections in 20 years. Final borders have not been negotiated.

Prof. Kobi Michael: I think that what actually they say is something that Israel can never accept… Israel cannot accept even a single demand of Hamas. Israel cannot end the war as long as Hamas remains on its feet as even a weaker sovereign power in the Gaza Strip.

I think that what actually they say is something that Israel can never accept… Israel cannot accept even a single demand of Hamas. Israel cannot end the war as long as Hamas remains on its feet as even a weaker sovereign power in the Gaza Strip.

The interview took place on ILTV on September 4, 2025.

*Ruth Wasserman Lande on I24* discusses Qatar’s deep and sophisticated infiltration into decision-making systems in the United States, the UK, and Europe. She highlights how this influence, orchestrated by Sheamosa (the mother of the Amir of Qatar), targets various institutions including schools, colleges, soccer clubs, think tanks, and politicians. She contrasts Qatar’s open exercise of influence with the allegations sometimes made against Israel regarding its political sway, expressing that Qatar’s methods are mind-bogglingand very very scary.

The full interview took place on Channel I24, on September 1, 2025.

Prof. Kobi Michael: Israel’s strategy is to empty Gaza City of civilians before moving in. The idea is to evacuate the city entirely from citizens, and then to occupy the city and to give Hamas militants the chance to surrender or to be killed.

The war is unlike any other, with Hamas embedded in a densely populated city fortified by hundreds of miles of tunnels. He suggested that Israel might temporarily administer the Strip before handing governance to an Arab-led mission force.

Published in The Media Line, August 31, 2025.

Prof. Kobi Michael argues that Israel cannot accept the continued existence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip because the organization refuses to disarm and intends to persist in its activities, an intolerable situation along Israel’s borders. He describes Gaza as “totally destructed” and proposes a future model involving local governance supported by a regional Arab mission force, emphasizing that Hamas was elected and supported by the Gazans themselves, bringing about this “catastrophe”.

The interview took place on Swedish Radio on August 30, 2025.

https://youtu.be/sjTWNUAMM1M

Meir Ben Shabbat: A political rivalry exists between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, and there is a competition for public support. According to various polls, Hamas is currently very popular among the residents of Judea and Samaria, while Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] and the Palestinian Authority lag behind and are viewed negatively by a considerable part of the public

From time to time, criticism is heard from senior PA officials against Hamas, mainly about the suffering caused to the population because of it. There is no real impact from these statements. It is clear to everyone that they are said to bash Hamas and to create a distinction between it and the PA.

Published in JNS, August 27, 2025.

Prof. Kobi Michael: Not only did human rights organizations and many media outlets base their faulty reports on information published by Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, they also did not “take the nature of Hamas seriously.

Hamas is not the most reliable source in the world. he international media and other sources do not consider the interests of Hamas, or its strategy, and they do not seem to acknowledge that Hamas wants a chaotic situation in the Gaza Strip. Hamas wants there to be many casualties among Palestinian civilians, because it serves their interests.

Just to listen to what Hamas leaders have been saying since October 7. They have promised to repeat October 7 again and again, they have called on the Arab world to join the armed resistance against Israel and on the Arab public to pressure their regimes.

They have also said publicly, and loudly, that they have no problem sacrificing another 100,000 Palestinian civilians for the sake of the victory.

Published in Nation 509, August 24, 2025.

Ruth Wasserman Lande: It’s not that every last Hamas member will be eliminated—I don’t believe that is realistic. But there must certainly be an attempt to bring Hamas to its knees. Not for revenge, but in order to create some kind of livable entity, whatever form it takes, next to Israel.

The interview took place on Channel I24 on August 20, 2025.

https://youtu.be/n6rgrPjdqTA

Ruth Wasserman Lande: In this issue there is no right and left. Israel was attacked on October 7th in a horrific and inhumane manner. This transcends politics. It is not about coalition or opposition, but about our very survival as a people. The kidnapping and massacre of civilians — women, children, and the elderly — was not an act of war, but a deliberate, planned onslaught. That is why this moment demands unity and a strong response beyond political divides.

The interview was recorded for Jonathan Sacerdoti’s podcast in the UK, 17 August, 2025.

Prof. Kobi Michael: Israel couldn’t justify the military or economic cost of maintaining the heavily fortified settlements in Gaza. There were around 8,000 Israeli settlers and 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza in 2005.

“There was no chance for these settlements to exist or flourish or become meaningful enough to be a strategic anchor. By contrast, there are more than 500,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, most living in developed settlement blocs that have generally received more support from Israeli society. Most of the world considers the settlements illegal under international law.

“This contributed to Hamas’ win in the elections in 2006, because they leveraged it and introduced it as a very significant achievement. They saw it as an achievement of the resistance and a justification for the continuation of the armed resistance.

Footage of the violence between Israeli settlers and Israeli soldiers also created an “open wound” in Israeli society.

I don’t think any government will be able to do something like that in the future. That limits any flexibility over settlements in the West Bank if negotiations over a two-state solution with the Palestinians ever resume.

Disengagement will never happen again, this is a price we’re paying as a society, and a price we’re paying politically.

Published on AP and many other websites on August 15, 2025.