Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs Andrew Miller and I took a deep dive on US foreign policy toward the Middle East today, beginning with the war against Iran and then moving to US aid to Israel, ending the Israel Exception and resetting the US-Israel relationship, and a Biden Admin reckoning over Gaza.
We tackled the following topics:
Resumption of the US-Israeli war against Iran with no clear endgame: What Andrew would advise the Trump Admin to do regarding the illegal, disastrous war it never should have started
Mossad’s plot to cultivate Mahmoud Ahmedinejad as an Israeli asset and groom him to replace an overthrown Iranian regime: Andrew and I discussed this stranger-than-fiction effort and how Benjamin Netanyahu sold it to Donald Trump
The US-Israel “exceptional relationship”: How it is different from America’s relationships with other allies and partners; why it’s bad for the US, Israel, and the Palestinians alike; and what it would mean to create a normal bilateral relationship
US aid to Israel: Andrew shared his insider perspective on the development of the 10-year Obama-Netanyahu aid MOU that expires in 2028 and explained why he believes there should be no new US-Israel aid MOU
The Massie Amendment to strip $3.3 billion in military aid for Israel from an appropriations bill: Andrew shared how he would have counseled House Democrats to vote. Following our podcast, 103 House Dems voted for the Massie Amendment, with only 98 voting against it and 10 voting present. This is a seismic shift for the Democratic party. I’ll have more to say about it soon!
Provision in the NDAA for unprecedented US-Israel defense integration: Andrew explained why he opposes it NDAA Sections 219 (House) / 1217 (Senate). For more, see my podcast with former State Department official Josh Paul:
Biden Admin mea culpas: There were officials in the Biden Admin who pushed to use US leverage to compel change in Israel’s campaign in Gaza that produced genocide (my word, not Andrew’s) against Palestinians. Senior decision-makers, including President Biden, overruled them. We spoke about the need for public accountability by senior Biden Admin officials and ensuring change in a future Democratic administration.
It’s a pleasure to be able to bring The Debrief’s viewers this conversation with Andrew Miller. He was extremely generous in sharing his insider knowledge, deep expertise, and honest analysis. I hope you found this podcast valuable! I’d love to hear your thoughts, as always.
🎉 The Debrief’s birthday month celebration continues! 🎉
July has already been an epic month on The Debrief.
Congressman Ro Khanna. Abdul El-Sayed. Wajahat Ali. Ami Fields-Meyer’s On Courage. Andrew Miller. Josh Leifer. And there’s much more to come!
I’m working hard to take The Debrief to the next level, and I need your help to do it. Thank you for your support this month — with a big shout out to our new paid subscribers!
Friends, let’s keep up the momentum.
If you haven’t yet, please become a paid subscriber now.
Tips/donations in any amount to celebrate The Debrief’s birthday are also appreciated! Thank you!
TOMORROW: Back-to-Back Podcasts!
We’ve got two podcasts in a row tomorrow! Please note the slight time change for the Nadav Weiman podcast.
TOMORROW (Thurs, July 16) at 11:30am Eastern ← ← Time Change!
Nadav Weiman: “I Joined Ro Khanna on His West Bank Visit. Here’s What I Saw”
Nadav Weiman, Executive Director of Breaking the Silence, accompanied Ro Khanna during the Congressman’s recent trip to the West Bank. Nadav was there when armed settlers and Israeli soldiers detained Rep. Khanna. While Prime Minister Netanyahu and numerous propagandists who weren’t there are spinning the event, Nadav will tell us what happened from his eyewitness perspective. He’ll also put the event in the wider context of state-backed settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
TOMORROW (Thurs, July 16) at 12:30pm Eastern:
Rabbis Amelia Wolf & Andy Kahn: The Next Generation of American Rabbis
For some time, I’ve been wanting to do a podcast on the future of the US rabbinate. The Atra Center for Rabbinic Innovation released a study in late 2025 that included some findings that surprised me — and made me want to learn more. Among them were the demographics of current rabbinical students, only 30% of whom identify as men, while 58% identify as women and 12% as nonbinary. Further, 51% identify as LGBTQ, a huge jump from 15% among rabbis ordained 10-20 years ago. Last but not least, 16% of rabbinical students converted to Judaism and 12% identify as a race other than white.
To discuss that and what implications it might have, as well as the topic of where the next generation of American rabbis stands on Israel-Palestine, I’ll welcome Rabbi Amelia Wolf of Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington, Virginia and Rabbi Andy Kahn of the American Council for Judaism to The Debrief.
That’s all for now, friends! I hope to see many of you for one or both podcasts tomorrow.
Warm regards,
Debra
