Part Of The Problem – "Israel’s PR Disaster"
Host: Dave Smith (with Rob / Robbie "The Fire" Bernstein)
Date: August 20, 2025
Podcast Network: GaS Digital
Overview
In this episode, Dave Smith and Rob analyze the fallout from two major stories: the case of an Israeli government official accused of attempting to engage in sexual acts with a minor in America and shielded by Israel, and the Trump administration's continued confusion and policy drift concerning the Russia-Ukraine war. The discussion anchors on Israel’s deteriorating global PR standing, the United States’ complicit role, and the moral/political stakes of recent news, including horrifying developments around Gaza and the West’s political-media landscape.
Key Topics & Insights
1. Israeli Government Official - Pedophilia Scandal & Political Fallout
Timestamps: [01:45]–[15:35]; [21:41]–[22:38]
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Overview of the case:
Dave covers the story of Tom Alexandrovich, an Israeli government official in cyber security, who was caught in a sting operation in the US attempting to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old girl.- Quote: “He showed up to meet what he believed was a 15 year old girl with condoms… Yeah, he's some type of government official. He gets busted, is then somehow released and allowed to fly back to Israel.” – Dave Smith [03:03]
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Obstruction & Denial:
Israeli officials claim no intervention, that he was simply “questioned and came home as scheduled,” denying arrest. Rob points out the Israeli right-of-return policy is “a dumb policy,” allowing accused (even convicted) pedophiles to flee justice, with NBC reporting ~60 such cases previously. [10:33] -
Larger implications:
Dave ties the case to broader US-Israel relations, saying the apparent shielding of a child sex predator highlights the uniquely “bizarre” and “undeniably shady” dynamic between the two governments, and adds fuel to historic suspicions (Epstein, blackmail, etc.).- Quote: “Could you script a bigger PR disaster?” – Dave Smith [06:32]
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Visceral outrage:
The hosts discuss how pedophilia crimes provoke uniquely intense disgust and calls for justice, and question why Israel would take such an indefensible political risk.- “There's something about pedophilia that triggers this disgust response from people, you know, and appropriately so...that's the type of thing that leads to like, normally civilized, decent men grabbing pitchforks and taking to the street.” – Dave Smith [08:28]
2. US–Israel Relations and “Above the Law” Attitude
Timestamps: [21:41]–[22:38]
- Double Standards Observed:
Rob calls out Israel’s “Jedi mind trick” PR, denying the official was arrested and acting immune to international or even American law.- Quote: “It is remarkable that Israel is playing the same card of ‘We’re above the law.’ ...We all just saw the news story that a guy was arrested...and now he just gets to go back to Israel, and you guys are pretending like it didn’t happen.” – Rob [21:41]
3. Gaza Children Denied Medical Aid in US
Timestamps: [22:38]–[29:07]
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Laura Loomer’s Campaign:
Loomer uses “America First” rhetoric to campaign against allowing wounded Gazan children (with severe injuries from Israeli bombardments) to receive life-saving treatment in the US.- Quote: “I was just so appalled by it...She takes to Twitter to...launch this effort to not let children who have had their arms and legs blown off get flown into America to, like, a special facility for some procedure.” – Dave Smith [23:27]
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Moral Outrage:
Dave and Rob agree the move is “horrific,” with Rob highlighting the direct consequence: “You’ve actually directly taken an action that sounds like it’s going to result in a child not getting health care that they otherwise would have gotten.” [27:48] -
Political Manipulation:
The State Department justifies the ban by vaguely referencing “ties to Hamas,” a rhetorical move critiqued by both hosts as cynical and baseless.- “What even are you claiming here? This was some type of terrorist op to get sick kids medical care in America? I mean, like, come on.” – Dave Smith [29:09]
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America’s Responsibility:
Dave: “We actually do kind of have, like, a direct obligation, if ever there is one, to like, maybe give these kids the medical treatment they deserve. They need.” -
Historical analogues:
Dave discusses the moral calculus of state violence — highlighting how governments’ actions against “their own people” are historically judged especially harshly, and likening Israel’s responsibility to the population of Gaza to the legacies of Mao, Stalin, Hitler and others.
4. Israel’s Narrative/PR Failure and the “Trigonometry” Netanyahu Interview
Timestamps: [19:11]–[22:38]; [35:04]–[38:37]
- Netanyahu Tries to Right the Narrative:
Dave describes how Netanyahu appeared on trigonometry podcast as an attempt to shift global opinion, admitting Israel is “definitely not” winning the PR war.- Trailer soundbite: “We Jews have been fighting and losing the propaganda war for about 2,500 years...This is the fraud. It’s not merely the starvation fraud. It’s a genocide fraud.” – Netanyahu via trigonometry trailer [35:08]
- Dave’s Critique:
Dave is unimpressed, calling out tired talking points, lack of accountability, and the refusal to address even obvious international outrage. He laments that Israel’s communication strategy is to ignore or gaslight critics rather than solve actual PR or moral issues.
5. The Narrative Game in Modern Media/Politics
Timestamps: [38:37]–[47:52]
- Platitudes & Platforming:
Dave reflects on the “meltdowns begin” marketing of controversial interviews, likening it to US campus “safe space” debates. He suggests pushback against Israeli government is not just emotional, but well-founded anger over war crimes or worse.- Quote: “...It’s like, you’re interviewing a guy who’s conducting a genocide...If anything’s worth getting upset about, that’s probably one of them.” [45:00]
6. Trump, Ukraine, and the Perpetual War Trap
Timestamps: [47:52]–[69:33]
- Trump, NATO & Security Guarantees:
The hosts break down reports Trump may agree to “Article 5-like” security guarantees for Ukraine, which risks perpetuating the war — giving Putin an incentive to seize as much territory as possible before ceasefire.- Quote: “It just, it really, it reads to me like that is, that is designed to keep the war going, not to bring it to a close… It’s still an effort on the part of Zelensky and the Europeans to keep the war going. And it’s Donald Trump, as always, stumbling right into their trap.” – Dave Smith [52:15]
- Trump’s Approach:
Rob notes Trump’s opaque policies, his administration’s susceptibility to war-hawk pressure, and how national security briefings filter his worldview, making him easy to manipulate. - “Poison pill” Diplomacy:
Dave references Daniel Ellsberg, arguing that classified briefings don’t foster real understanding — they make politicians “totally controlled by the intelligence agencies,” leading to bad, uneducated decisions, i.e., demanding conditions that preclude peace. - Historical Revisionism:
They play a Trump Fox News segment, where Trump claims that Obama “gave away” Crimea, showing a lack of historical understanding and a willingness to twist events for easy talking points, which Dave finds “pathetic” and “unserious.” [64:37]- Quote:
“Donald Trump kind of like reciting the history that...certainly didn’t read any of this in a book. He’s got a couple of details kind of right there, but really just doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about.” – Dave Smith [64:37]
- Quote:
Notable Quotes
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On Israel’s handling of the scandal:
“It sure does look like Israel was like no, we...He wanted to get out and, and not show up to court. And Israel, the Israeli government allowed this.”
— Dave Smith [03:38] -
On the power of accusations of child abuse:
“There is something about pedophilia that it triggers this disgust response...the type of thing that leads to like, normally civilized, decent men grabbing pitchforks.”
— Dave Smith [08:28] -
On denying war-wounded children medical care:
“This has nothing to do with the immigration crisis that America is facing...This is...a small number of children wounded in a genocide that the United States...is funding and facilitating.”
— Dave Smith [24:33] -
On media narratives and Netanyahu’s PR efforts:
“Netanyahu’s rolling up his sleeves and he’s going on the podcast. Right? He knows what’s up...He knows that we need to try to get back into this narrative war, because we are losing the messaging battle very badly.”
— Dave Smith [19:13] -
On US politicians’ ignorance:
“All of these guys...are reading their security briefs, you know, but they’re not reading the newspaper, they’re not reading books. They’re not really educating themselves.”
— Dave Smith [55:40] -
On Trump’s unseriousness:
“He’s just so fundamentally unserious...99% of the time when he talks that I can’t even look...We all just let him get away with this because he’s Donald Trump.”
— Dave Smith [64:37]
Memorable Moments
- Rob’s “rules to live by”:
“Don’t be a pedophile and don’t remove health care from small children.” [33:25] - Dave’s summary on PR disasters:
“My God, I mean, this is just...like, evil...You just can’t believe people can be this fucked up.” [33:25]
Suggested Listening
Major Segments:
- [03:13] The Israeli cyber official’s sting operation
- [10:33] Right of return, NBC’s report on pedophiles fleeing to Israel
- [22:38] Laura Loomer’s campaign to block Gazan kids from US medical aid
- [35:04] Trigonometry interview trailer with Netanyahu
- [47:52] Ukraine, NATO guarantees, and implications for war
- [62:53] Trump on Fox News: Obama “gave away” Crimea
- [64:37] Dave’s critique of Trump’s version of history
Conclusion
Smith and Bernstein take aim at the moral bankruptcy and narrative failures of both the US and Israeli governments, as well as the broader Western media and political establishment. Through concrete, news-driven examples, they show how establishment interests protect their own, weaponize rhetoric, and perpetuate suffering—whether for children in Gaza or in covering for the worst actors among their ranks.
This summary skips advertisements, intros, and outros and highlights only substantive content.