In These Times with Rabbi Ammi Hirsch

Episode: Barak Ravid
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Rabbi Ammi Hirsch
Guest: Barak Ravid (Political and Global Affairs Analyst; Axios, CNN, Channel 12 Israel)

OVERVIEW

In this episode, Rabbi Ammi Hirsch hosts Israeli journalist and prominent diplomatic analyst Barak Ravid. Together they unpack two tumultuous years in Israeli and Middle Eastern history—from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and subsequent war, through failed peace initiatives, shifting regional alliances, and the deep dual traumas (and polarizations) these have left in Israeli society and across the Jewish world. The conversation critically explores how journalism operates in such a volatile landscape, the successes and failures of Israeli policy, the shifting reputation of Israel in the West, and the enduring complexities of identity and security for world Jewry.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. The Life and Work of a Political Journalist

• [01:47] Ravid’s Perspective on Journalism
  • Ravid describes journalism in D.C. as energetic but high-pressure: “It’s the only job that you get paid in order to just gossip with people... But again, it’s not for everybody because... there’s a lot of competition, a lot of pressure... it’s sort of addicting.” (Barak Ravid, 01:53)
  • Emphasizes the importance of building relationships over decades for trustworthy sources and stories: “You can’t do instant journalism. I don’t buy that. The real stories come from people who know you, who trust you, who respect you.” (03:32)

2. Navigating Truth and Media Bias

• [05:54] Is the Western Media Anti-Israel?
  • Ravid pushes back on the assumption of systemic media bias: “At least from my experience ... I don’t think that [U.S.] media... was biased against Israel. That’s not my sense ... I think there was criticism ... but a lot of it was... legitimate.” (Barak Ravid, 06:16)

3. The Evolving Gaza War & Peace Scenarios

• [07:04] Where the War Stands

  • Some hostages released, ceasefire mostly holding, but "from 20 points that were in the Trump plan, I think we implemented four. So there’s a lot more work to do ... this is a process that will take months, even years...” (Barak Ravid, 08:23)
  • On demilitarization: “Disarming Gaza is not something you do in two days. That’s a multi-year process.” (08:50)

• [09:23] Disarming Hamas & Policy Choices

  • Ravid: “Hamas did not voluntarily agree to the deal... [It was] a combination of force, diplomacy ... accumulated over two years.” (09:40)
  • Asserts that the previous Israeli policy deliberately weakened the Palestinian Authority and “strengthened Hamas for 15 years... under Netanyahu...” (11:58)

• [12:53] Who Will Disarm Hamas?

  • Only the IDF has the current capability and willingness: “At the moment there is anybody else other than the IDF that has the willingness and the capability to disarm Hamas.” (Barak Ravid, 12:53)
  • U.S. (Trump administration) pushing a diplomatic, not military, route.

4. Pathways and Obstacles to Peace

• [14:49] Best-Case Future Scenarios
  • Ideal: “Some sort of new realignment... Israel and Arab and Muslim countries ... and the Palestinian Authority working together to build something new in Gaza.” (Barak Ravid, 14:49)
  • Reality: Prolonged transition; little optimism while current Israeli government opposes “any steps towards Palestinian statehood and self-determination.” (16:14)

5. Netanyahu, U.S.-Israel Relations, and Domestic Perceptions

• [17:46] Netanyahu’s Reputation
  • Criticism of Netanyahu in both Israel and the U.S.: “The way Netanyahu is handling the war only prolongs it and for the wrong reasons... He took a lot of decisions about the war according to political survival considerations.” (Barak Ravid, 17:46)
  • White House patience ran out after “the Israeli strike in Qatar in September...” prompting Trump to push to end the war. (18:44)

6. Who Won the War? The Cost of October 7 and Aftermath

• [20:00] Winners and Losers

  • “I don’t think anybody won this war. I think Yikya Sinwar... managed to give Israel a huge blow that maybe no other Arab leader ever managed to do, not even Egypt during the Yom Kippur War.” (Barak Ravid, 20:00)
  • Sinwar’s “success”: inflicted trauma, undermined Israeli confidence, radicalized Israeli-Palestinian relations—though failed to bring about Israel’s collapse or coordinated regional onslaught.

• [24:42] Why Didn’t the ‘Ring of Fire’ Attack Together?

  • Speculation that Sinwar did not coordinate with allies out of fear of Israeli intelligence intercept: “Historians would have to ask themselves, why didn’t Sinwar coordinate better with his allies in the region?” (Barak Ravid, 25:39)

7. Restoring (or Losing) Deterrence and Identity

• [28:57] Has Israel Regained Deterrence?

  • Militarily, Israel scored major victories: “Hezbollah ... is super deterred these days ... Iranian nuclear program has been rolled back years ... the pro-Iranian access in the region overall has been weakened.” But lasting strategic change requires diplomacy, not just force. (Barak Ravid, 28:57)

• [31:37] Enduring Trauma and the Broken Zionist Promise

  • “This would stay with Israelis for a long time. . . . [People’s] only overall feeling of security ... is still shaken.” (Barak Ravid, 31:37)
  • American Jewish confidence in Israel’s security similarly shaken.

8. Israel’s Reputation in the West

• [35:02] International Isolation

  • “A lot of the decisions that were made directly led to Israel’s isolation in the world. A decision in March ... to stop all humanitarian aid to Gaza for almost 11 weeks ... led to a total diplomatic collapse for Israel and to the wave of recognition of Palestine by more than a dozen countries.” (Barak Ravid, 35:02)

• [37:51] Is Change Possible with This Government?

  • “This government ... since [it] came to power, situation only got worse... At least two parties [[coalition partners]] want to resume the war ... Netanyahu is the most moderate element within this coalition ... getting dragged ... to do what his ultra nationalist and Jewish supremacist coalition partners tell him to do.” (Barak Ravid, 37:51)

9. Biden vs. Trump on Iran and Crisis Management

• [39:18] Differences and Overlap

  • Biden considered bombing Iranian facilities but held back. Trump struck after Israeli forces created opportunity and “made sure that this does not escalate to a broader war ... this is exactly what a US president should do.” (Barak Ravid, 39:29)

• [42:53] Extent of Iranian Nuclear Program Damage

  • “Israel took out the Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 of Iran's nuclear experts... the most knowledgeable ... are gone ... the facilities ... have been significantly damaged ... for the first time ... the Iranians do not have the capacity to enrich uranium.” (Barak Ravid, 42:53)

• [43:20] Could Iran Buy a Bomb?

  • Highly unlikely, “It’s not that simple to just, you know, buy a nuclear bomb. And for the Iranians, the nuclear program was not just about... having a bomb. It had much broader strategic goal of projecting power in the region ...” (Barak Ravid, 43:20)

10. Advice to American Jews

• [44:56] Maintaining Identification and Engagement
  • “People would still feel that they can identify with Israel. And that’s, to me, that’s the biggest threat ... there are a lot of American Jews who felt that they cannot identify [with] a lot of things that happened ... made more and more Jews in America feel that they don’t want to be associated with this. And that’s the biggest threat. I hope that now with the war over, the tide will turn, but we’ll have to see.” (Barak Ravid, 44:56)

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• On the nature of journalism:
  “It’s the only job that you get paid in order to just gossip with people. . . . you travel around the world, you meet interesting people. . . . But again, it’s not for everybody.” (Barak Ravid, 01:53)

• On war’s tragic calculus:
  “By conducting the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Yichya Sinwar inflicted the most massive killing and displacement of Palestinians since the Nakba in 1948. That’s what’s so insane in what he did, because he knew that this is what’s going to happen.” (Barak Ravid, 20:30)

• On Israeli identity crisis:
  “It’s a very complex thing because people ask themselves, how is this the same IDF that got caught off guard on October 7th... and allowed this massacre to take place? How is this the same IDF that took out the Iranian military program in 12 days, that took out Hezbollah? How is this the same military? And it is the same military.” (Barak Ravid, 33:00)

• On moral and strategic challenges:
  "Jewish vulnerability is the impetus to widespread Jew hatred, not Jewish power ... American Jews need an Israel that is decent, democratic and pursues peace with which to identify..." (Rabbi Ammi Hirsch reflecting in closing, 47:23)

TIMESTAMPS FOR ESSENTIAL SEGMENTS

• Life of a journalist: 01:47–05:54
• Media and bias discussion: 05:54–07:04
• Gaza war status and peace process: 07:04–13:34
• Israeli strategy and policy inflection points: 11:58, 12:53, 14:49
• Netanyahu’s reputation: 17:11–19:32
• War outcomes and Sinwar’s intent: 20:00–24:42
• Why broader attack failed: 24:42–28:18
• Restoring deterrence: 28:57
• Identity trauma: 31:37–32:36
• Reputation in the West: 35:02–37:24
• US Presidents and Iran: 39:18–40:42
• Iran nuclear setback: 42:53–43:20
• Advice to American Jews: 44:56–47:02

CONCLUSION

Barak Ravid’s inside perspective offered an unvarnished view of Israeli policy, society, and the global context in the aftermath of historic trauma and uncertainty. He repeatedly called for clear-eyed realism and for governments—Israeli above all—to recognize the consequences of their actions on world Jewry and the crucial importance of restoring both moral legitimacy and a credible pathway to peace. The episode resonates with longing for security, a sense of moral weight, and a call for engagement rather than disengagement by Jews everywhere.

End of summary.