Welcome to “Mideast Horizons” – a podcast from the Misgav Institute for National Security, hosted by Lahav Harkov and Asher Fredman. The podcast cuts through the noise to provide clear insights on critical developments in Israel and the Middle East.
This week’s episode features an interview with Reverend Dr. Johnnie Moore, Executive Chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. He discusses the GHF’s mission to feed and support Gazans by ensuring aid is not diverted by Hamas, which has historically plagued humanitarian efforts. Reverend Moore reveals that the GHF successfully delivered over 50 million meals in its first month, without a single aid truck diverted—an unprecedented achievement despite facing severe threats and misinformation campaigns by Hamas, the UN, and international aid groups. While Hamas has murdered 12 of GHF’s Palestinian workers and threatened its American personnel, the UN and other aid organizations are spreading Hamas propaganda against GHF, endangering GHF’s efforts to assist the Gazan civilian population.
Other key topics discussed include:
Future of Syria-Israel Relations: Reverend Moore shares insights from his recent two-and-a-half-hour meeting with the new Syrian President, expressing optimism for peace between Syria and Israel, while emphasizing the need for practical steps and trust-building.
Abraham Accords: The conversation touches on the future of the Abraham Accords in the wake of the Gaza war, given Rev. Moore’s extensive experience building interfaith bridges in the Middle East.
Evangelical Support for Israel: Rev. Moore reaffirms the strong, biblical-rooted support for Israel among evangelicals worldwide, despite recent misinformation attempts, in light of recent controversies and debates.
Lahav and Asher also discussed:
Complex Dilemmas in Gaza: The podcast explores Israel’s challenging decisions regarding an end to the war in Gaza, considering options ranging from a 60-day ceasefire (the “Witkoff Proposal”) and a “grand deal” reportedly favored by President Trump. The episode addresses “three illusions” in the discourse around a Gaza ceasefire: the misconception that Hamas has been defeated, the ineffectiveness of a technocratic government if Hamas remains a dominant power, and the unlikelihood of Arab countries fighting Hamas for Israel.
Israel’s Strategic Autonomy: The discussion highlights the importance of Israel moving towards greater strategic autonomy in military manufacturing and development, lessening its dependence over time on US military aid.
Misinformation on “Settler Violence”: The hosts delve into the sensitive issue of “settler violence”, discussing on the one hand the need for more effective Israeli law enforcement against the small violent fringe of Jewish Israelis carrying out such attacks and vandalism, and on the other, the fact that reports on “settler violence” largely rely on hostile UN reports which greatly distort and exaggerate reality. For example, these UN reports repeatedly categorize Palestinian terrorists neutralized while carrying out terror attacks as “victims” of settler violence, or label peaceful visits by Jews to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as settler violence.
The podcast, already number seven after its inaugural episode on news commentary podcasts in Israel, encourages listeners to subscribe, rate, and share to help it climb higher in the rankings.
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