What Israel’s Election Is Really About, with Haviv Rettig Gur

“It feels like an election where the nature of the country, the future of this foundational ethos of solidarity, is at stake,” says Haviv Rettig Gur. The Free Press Middle East analyst and host of Ask Haviv Anything joins Aaron MacLean in Jerusalem to explore the history behind the election’s deepest divisions. From Zionism’s origins as a rescue project to the military service that shapes its leaders, Gur explains the shared responsibility that built Israel—and why Israelis fear it is unraveling. What does Benjamin Netanyahu offer voters that his opponents don’t? And can a country united against its enemies agree on what it owes its own citizens?

02:05 What Is Zionism?

09:53 Herzl’s Warning

15:13 A Jewish Rescue Project

26:38 Visions of the Jewish State

30:24 Netanyahu’s Security Message

35:21 American Jews and Israel

43:32 Military Service and Political Power

47:41 The Foundations of Israeli Democracy

52:40 The Ultra-Orthodox Draft Fight

1:01:42 The Army and Israeli Identity

1:12:35 What’s at Stake in the Election?

1:21:23 Antisemitism in America

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