Show Notes
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Iran’s regime may not fall from the center first. It may begin at the edges. In a moment of war, regional upheaval, and collapsing old assumptions, the Kurdish question is no longer peripheral. It may be central to what comes next. In this episode of EylON the Record, Eylon Levy speaks with Uri Zaki, policy fellow at Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, about whether the Kurds could play a decisive role in weakening or even helping topple the Islamic Republic. They discuss the strategic logic behind Israeli interest in Kurdish alliances, the risks of backing minority forces inside Iran, and why the post–October 7 Middle East is forcing Israel to think like a regional power — not just a country defending its borders. The conversation explores what regime change in Iran could actually look like, and what it would mean for Israel, for the region, and for the wider democratic world confronting authoritarian aggression. In this episode, we discuss: Why even a prominent voice on the Israeli left sees the war against Iran’s regime as justified What the Kurds in Iran can realistically do — and why backing them is essential if the regime somehow survives Why Israel may need a coherent long-term Kurdish strategy across Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey This conversation goes beyond the immediate military campaign. It gets at a deeper question: what kind of regional order could emerge if Iran’s regime weakens, and whether minority alliances, federal structures, and political realism can succeed where slogans and diplomacy alone have failed. Understanding that matters not just for Israel’s security, but for the future of the Middle East after the old order begins to crack. Click here to read Uri Zaki’s policy paper and learn more about Israel–Kurd relations in the Middle East after October 7. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issues mosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show ABOUT THE SHOW EylON the Record is a podcast about Israel, the global information war, and the battle between democratic societies and authoritarian or extremist movements — told through in-depth conversations with people shaping events on the front lines. Stay up to date at: X: https://x.com/eylontherecord Instagram: https://instagram.com/eylontherecord
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More from EYLON: Israel Electioncast
Support the podcast and join a subscriber-only Q&A webinar:👉 Subscribe on Patreon for $10/month: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast Can Naftali Bennett get the growing Haredi community to carry its weight by unplugging their benefits? Can he bring down Israel’s obscene cost of living by dismantling bureaucracies? And he rebuild Israel's standing while ruling out a Palestinian state and declaring a major US ally an enemy?Former prime minister and BeYachad Party chairman Naftali Bennett joins Eylon Levy ahead of the Israeli election. His chosen topics: Haredi integration, the cost of living and declaring Qatar an enemy state. Eylon adds Israel's global standing.Bennett proposes cutting benefits for those refusing work or service, and sending Haredim to protect Israel’s vulnerable borders.He targets monopolies and kosher import barriers to cut grocery bills by 30%. Eylon challenges him on confronting Qatar, a US ally, and the diplomatic price of his personal opposition to a Palestinian state.The Israel Electioncast explores Israel's first election after the October 7 Massacre, helping English speakers in Israel and international viewers understand what Israelis are really arguing about before the critical 27 October elections.BeYachad Parties Policy Plans: https://be-yahad.org.il/en/plans/?bennett_plans_cat=290%2C251%2C294%2C298 Explore the series: https://www.eylonalevy.com/electioncast Join my subscriber-only webinar on 26 October: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast Produced by Leah Miller
Support the podcast and join a subscriber-only Q&A webinar:👉 Subscribe on Patreon for $10/month: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast 🎙 Filmed at M10 Studios, Tel Aviv https://m10.co.il/video-podcast-studio-tel-aviv Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, even at the cost of all-out war? Judicial reform, even at the cost of tearing the country apart? Eylon Levy presses Simcha Rothman on his party’s vision and how he plans to deliver it.Religious Zionism's Simcha Rothman joins the Electioncast ahead of the Israeli election. He chooses to discuss judicial reform, settlement and sovereignty, and deregulation and free markets. Eylon adds foreign relations.Rothman proposes limiting the courts’ powers to strike down laws. Eylon presses him on safeguards for minority rights. Rothman calls for sovereignty in Judea and Samaria without voting rights for Palestinians who remain. They clash over settlement farms and incentives for Jews to move to the Galilee. Israel Electioncast explores the first election since the October 7 massacre, for English-speaking Israelis and international viewers who want to understand what Israelis are really arguing about before the critical 27 October elections.Explore the series: https://www.eylonalevy.com/electioncast Join my subscriber-only webinar on 26 October: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast
Support the podcast and join a subscriber-only Q&A webinar:👉 Subscribe on Patreon for $10/month: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast Should Gazans have to cut up UNRWA cards to enter a new “Gaza of peace”, and should draft-dodgers be stopped from coming back into the country?Einat Wilf of the Reservists-Economic Party joins Eylon Levy ahead of the Israeli election. Their three agreed topics: universal service, the economy and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Eylon adds foreign policy.Wilf defends military or national service for everyone and benefit cuts for refusers. Eylon questions the justification for conscription to non-essential work and warns of a fierce backlash. He presses her on Yaron Zelekha’s economic plans: do the sums add up?Her own proposals include annexing an uninhabited part of Gaza and parts of Judea and Samaria, requiring entrants to her Gaza of peace to renounce refugee status and the right of return, and growing food on rooftops to prepare for extreme scenarios. Eylon pushes back: could her annexation plans drive allies towards sanctions? Israel Electioncast helps English-speaking Israelis and international viewers understand what Israelis are really arguing about before the critical 27 October elections. https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast The Reservists Party Policy Plans: https://www.themiluimnikim.org.il/platform/ The Economics Party Policy Plans: https://www.hakalkalit.org/ Explore the series: https://www.eylonalevy.com/electioncast
Support the podcast and join a subscriber-only Q&A webinar: 👉 Subscribe on Patreon for $10/month: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast
Support the podcast and join a subscriber-only Q&A webinar:👉 Subscribe on Patreon for $10/month: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast Is it possible to unite Israel while still pursuing the major reforms the country needs? Yashar’s Shaul Meridor joins Eylon Levy ahead of the Israeli election. He chooses to discuss the economy, rebuilding Israel’s north and national service for all; Eylon adds the welfare state. Meridor proposes shifting public spending from those who dodge the military draft to those who serve their nation, reducing draft exemptions to only 3% of each new cohort. He outlines Yashar’s extra ₪15 billion over five years for the north, and backs more import competition and lower farm tariffs alongside subsidies. He rejects the idea that Israel can be economically self-sufficient; Eylon challenges whether Yashar has a plan to future proof the Israeli economy against possible sanctions. Israel Electioncast is for English-speaking Israelis and international viewers seeking to understand what Israelis are really arguing about before the critical 27 October elections. Yashar Policy Plans: https://yasharwitheisenkot.com/principles/economics-en/ Explore the series: https://www.eylonalevy.com/electioncast Join my subscriber-only webinar on 26 October: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast