Podcast Summary: What's Your Number?

Episode Title: Winning the Water Game in the Middle East – with Seth Siegel
Date: December 3, 2025
Hosts: Yonatan Adiri & Michal Lev-Ram
Guest: Seth Siegel
Duration (main content): 00:04 – 43:01

Overview

In this illuminating episode, Yonatan Adiri and Michal Lev-Ram dive deep into the critical issue of water management in the Middle East, focusing especially on Israel's global leadership in water technology and policy, as well as Iran's escalating water crisis. Their guest, Seth Siegel—author of "Let There Be Water" and a preeminent voice on global water policy—shares insight into the economic, political, and technological aspects that determine water security. The discussion explores how these dynamics shape economies and international relations, with special attention to how political decisions, innovation, and cooperation (or lack thereof) can mean the difference between scarcity and abundance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Numbers: Israeli Economy & Markets (00:04 – 06:33)

• Highlights of the Week:

  • $100 million investment in Israeli drone company HEVEN (not “heathen”) by IonQ, with a valuation over $1 billion (00:10).
  • Tel Aviv Stock Exchange rose 1.03% following Netanyahu’s request for a pardon (01:12).
  • Story behind the economic news: end of “fog of war,” budget deficits, and the ongoing political-economy debate in Israel (02:41).

• Takeaway Quote:

  • “So is Israel on its way to seconding its entire economy to the defense budget or not? Big questions.” – Yonatan Adiri (02:56)

• Windex Index Review:

  • Windex (Israeli stock index) rebounded almost 5% after being in the red last week, leading Nasdaq/S&P (06:33).
  • Notable stock movers: ZIM up 20%, Lemonade up 16%, Teva up 11.7%. Monday.com and Wix down.
  • Reference to “ChrismaChrisma” (Christmas + Hanukkah) upcoming annual comparison special (09:42).

Interview: Seth Siegel on Water Innovation & Middle East Policy (10:12 – 39:50)

Iran’s Water Collapse: Policy Failures & Corruption (10:34 – 13:59)

• How Did Iran Get Here?
  • Large-scale mismanagement: Reckless subsidies, overuse by agriculture (90% of water for crops), bad pricing, energy subsidies for farmers.
  • Groundwater depletion: “...if you use the time well, you never have the crisis. ...But when you do things that are ... extraordinarily stupid, ...then you’re going to really come a cropper when the bad day comes.” – Seth Siegel (10:41)
  • Massive infrastructure projects allocated to the IRGC, fueling corruption.
  • Water diverted to favored groups; ethnic and political manipulation.

The Israel-Iran Water Connection: History & Aftermath (13:59 – 17:48)

• Pre-Revolution:

  • Iranian–Israeli cooperation: 1960s, dozens of Israeli water engineers trained Iranian counterparts.
  • Realpolitik: Iran sought Israel’s expertise due to shared regional isolation.
  • Post-1979: Revolutionary regime expelled Israeli experts, executed or exiled Iranian engineers, water system began to decay.

• Quote:

  • “Once they left, over the next number of years, the system really started to fall apart, and they never really recovered from it.” – Seth Siegel (17:20)

Water Policy as Political Gamble (17:48 – 21:41)

• Regional Resistance & Political Barriers:
  • Case studies: Egypt’s rejection of Israeli technology (18:49), Syria’s disastrous push for water-intensive cotton (19:23).
  • Politicians avoid unpopular actions: Water price hikes and reform are politically toxic even if vital.
  • Israeli exception: “What Israel has done is so rare but so relevant, especially in a world of growing population and with climate change.” – Seth Siegel (21:29)

Israel’s “All of the Above” Strategy (21:41 – 26:38)

• Core Pillars:

  • Multi-pronged: Desalination, conservation, technological application, market pricing, redundancy.
  • Cultural buy-in: Collective awareness, sacrifice, and ongoing public education.
  • Market incentives: Israelis pay the true price for water, encouraging conservation.
  • Key technological feats:
    • Desalination leadership.
    • Sewage water recycling—treated for agricultural use (“you could actually drink it ... but people won’t want to.”) (24:17).
    • System of redundancy: Multiple overlapping water sources and policies for resilience.

• Memorable Exchange:

  • “About three weeks ago we started pouring desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee...” – Yonatan Adiri (25:42)
  • “How amazing is that? Nobody else in the world is even thinking about ... for government to say we’re going to take our desalinated water and ... divert it for the sake of nature.” – Seth Siegel (26:15)

Exporting Israeli Know-How (27:15 – 30:10)

• Israeli water tech is now present in ~140 countries globally, often stealthily in places lacking diplomatic ties.
• Key example: China’s partnership started with covert Israeli water engineers; direct link to diplomatic opening.

The Future: Water as Economic & Diplomatic Bridge? (30:10 – 33:44)

• Prospects for cross-border water trade and cooperation with Gulf states, as desalination becomes a shared challenge.
• Prof. Uri Shani’s N-Drip technology highlighted (see more below).

Innovations and the Cutting Edge (34:48 – 39:14)

• Cutting-edge approaches:
  • Drones and aerial sensing for crop water management (35:20).
  • Cloud seeding: “Cloud seeding was invented by Kurt Vonnegut’s brother.” – Seth Siegel (36:09)
  • Covering open canals with solar panels to prevent evaporation and generate power (36:10).
  • Marrying in-ground water sensors with satellites for precise, real-time farm management—a potential “game-changer” for global agriculture (38:10).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Iran & Political Barriers

• “It’s just dumb, bad policy, corrupt policy. ... And some of your listeners may know the difference between groundwater and surface water, but those are important distinctions.”
  – Seth Siegel on Iran (10:41)

• “Once they left, over the next years, the system really started to fall apart, and they never really recovered from it.”
  – Seth Siegel on the post-revolution collapse (17:20)

Israeli Innovation & Resilience

• “Israel has quite a humanitarian society where people pull together and think about how we can solve common problems. And water is one of the places where people are prepared to make sacrifices for the common benefit.”
  – Seth Siegel (23:10)

• “...pouring desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee...for the sake of nature...everyone else is stripping the water out of nature and here they’re bringing the water to nature.”
  – Seth Siegel (26:15)

Future of Water Management

• “Imagine the efficiency that humanity can gain if you operate on all four: the DNA, the desalination, the reuse, and the irrigation.”
  – Yonatan Adiri (33:55)

• “If you could do that, my goodness, we would be sort of in a period of almost messianic peace and love. You’d have adequate food, there’d be no hunger in the world...”
  – Seth Siegel (34:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Israel’s Political/Economic Headlines: 00:04 – 06:33
• Windex Index in Review: 06:33 – 09:43
• Seth Siegel Introduction/Bio: 10:12 – 10:34
• Iran’s Water Crisis - Causes & Corruption: 10:34 – 13:59
• Historical Israel-Iran Water Cooperation: 13:59 – 17:48
• Political Barriers to Reform: 17:48 – 21:41
• Israel’s “All of the Above” Strategy: 21:41 – 26:38
• Desalination into the Sea of Galilee: 25:42 – 26:38
• Exporting Water Innovation: 27:15 – 30:10
• Future Diplomatic Potential: 30:10 – 33:44
• Innovation: N-Drip, Drones, Satellites, Solar Canals: 34:48 – 39:14
• Final Thought on Political Courage: 40:51 – 41:31

Final Reflections

• Water as Core Economic and Political Lever: Water’s management is at the nexus of technology, policy, and survival—one of the few spheres uniting humanitarian, strategic, and economic priorities.
• Political Will Matters: Israel’s story demonstrates the vital role of political courage and public buy-in. Many regimes lack the willingness to make hard but necessary changes—or are blocked by corruption and geopolitics.
• Innovation and Diplomacy: Israel’s approach—marked by redundancy, market discipline, and constant innovation—serves as a global benchmark. There are real opportunities for greater cross-border partnership, even in the face of lingering hostility.

Must-Read Moment

• “Let’s hope someday for many, many reasons, we see water engineers from Israel and Iran working together again.” – Michal Lev-Ram (39:46)

Further Reading

• Seth Siegel’s Op-Ed on Iran’s Water Crisis (Wall Street Journal; link alluded to in the episode)