Thanks to the great crowd that turned out for the live conversation with Daniel Levy, President of the U.S./Middle East Project and former Israeli peace negotiator.
The topics we spoke about included:
What has radically changed since Daniel and colleagues issued “Breaking the Israel-Palestine Status Quo” in 2021 in an attempt to impact the Biden Admin’s foreign policy — and what remains the same
Why the UN Security Council codified Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan (“probably the most criminal resolution” it has ever passed) and how Trump’s Board of Peace is providing cover for Israel to retake territory in Gaza
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s role as Saboteur in Chief as he attempts to block a US-Iran deal — and its relationship to Donald Trump’s sudden demand that certain Arab and Muslim countries join the Abraham Accords
The Israeli Right’s conception of Greater Israel — going beyond territorial expansion to establishing regional dominance
What Daniel, who has testified multiple times to the UN Security Council, would say to them today. Here’s an excerpt:
As always, I’m looking forward to your comments!
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Up Next: Tomorrow at 11am Eastern
Join Gili Getz, Tamar Glezerman, and me for The Debrief’s next podcast!
We’ll talk about New York City’s annual Israel Day parade, which was held on Sunday. Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not attend, and predictably, some Jews had another loud Mamdani Meltdown.™️
Who showed up? A coterie of far-right Israeli ministers that, one could argue, no person of conscience should parade alongside.
It included Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whom President Joe Biden could and should have sanctioned him under a 2024 Executive Order. (At the time, I made the case for Biden to sanction both Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.) The Israeli delegation included a cast of characters from the Netanyahu government who have made heinous statements and are responsible for genocide in Gaza and additional war crimes.
While many Jews were melting down over Mamdani, Israelis for Peace — in which Gili and Tamar are organizers — showed up to protest Smotrich & Co. In the photo, you’ll see Tamar protesting. She’s wearing the always-in-style FCK BNGVR t-shirt.
Tamar and Gili, both NYC-based Israelis, will join me to debrief the Israel Day parade and talk about Mayor Mamdani and his relationship with Jewish New Yorkers.
Resources Related to the Podcast with Daniel Levy
“What Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right really mean when they invoke ‘Greater Israel’” - Daniel’s op-ed in The Guardian from April 2026
Daniel’s recent Substack piece on Israeli sabotage in the US-Iran talks and more:
Deep dive with Zaha Hassan on Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza (free excerpt, but this full episode is available exclusively to paid subscribers — upgrade here):
Architecture of Gaza’s Abandonment featuring Jaser Abu Mousa (I’m getting phenomenal feedback on this recent episode — it’s a must-watch):
Trita Parsi on the US-Israel-Iran war, Trump’s failures, and Netanyahu’s sabotage:
Looking forward to seeing some of you tomorrow at 11am Eastern!
All the best,
Debra
