logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
32m 21s

Joe Biden’s Bear-Hug Diplomacy in Israel

WNYC STUDIOS AND THE NEW YORKER
About this episode

The Washington Roundtable: President Biden embraced the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Tel Aviv this week, reiterating America’s support for Israel amid its war with Hamas. The President brokered a deal to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and warned Israelis not to be “consumed” by rage as they respond to Hamas’s October 7th massacre of civilians in the country. “It’s not clear yet what really has been accomplished by this extraordinary amount of personal diplomacy,” the New Yorker staff writer Susan B. Glasser said. Senior Israeli officials are allegedly predicting several years or even a decade of war. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is seeking more than a hundred billion dollars in federal funding, including assistance for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. But, because the raucous battle to elect a Speaker of the House is ongoing, the question of when this package might pass remains open. As the staff writer Evan Osnos noted, the events of the past two weeks underscore the challenges that democracy is facing both at home and abroad. The staff writer Jane Mayer joins Glasser and Osnos in conversation about it all.

Up next
Oct 8
After James Comey, Who’s Next on Trump’s Revenge Tour?
The New Yorker contributing writer Ruth Marcus joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Donald Trump’s “revenge tour”—his effort to use the levers of government to settle personal and political scores. They talk about the indictment of the former F.B.I. director James Comey, why legal expe ... Show More
43m 27s
Oct 6
A Conservative Professor on How to Fix Campus Culture
Robert P. George is not a passive observer of the proverbial culture wars; he’s been a very active participant. As a Catholic legal scholar and philosopher at Princeton University, he was an influential opponent of Roe v. Wade and same-sex marriage, receiving a Presidential medal ... Show More
26m 2s
Oct 4
How Russell Vought Broke the U.S. Government
The Washington Roundtable discusses how this week’s government shutdown can be best understood by looking at the background and influence of Russell Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Vought is a Christian nationalist who served in the first ... Show More
36m 16s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
Netanyahu and Biden: A History
It has been more than a week since the latest escalation between Israel and Hamas, and President Biden has been taking a cautious approach.The president has stressed Israel’s right to defend itself, but he seems reluctant to place too much pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Neta ... Show More
29m 58s
Dec 2023
Biden Is Trying to Rein In Israel. Is It Working?
As the cease-fire in Gaza has ended and the fierce fighting there has resumed, the United States has issued sharper warnings to Israel’s leaders that they have a responsibility to avoid civilian casualties.Peter Baker, The Times’s chief White House correspondent, discusses the pu ... Show More
37m 21s
Oct 2023
Biden to address America, Congress still paralyzed, Deadly airstrike hits Gaza
President Joe Biden returns to Washington following his visit to Israel. Today, he's preparing for a crucial prime-time address, advocating for wartime aid to Israel. The US Government now assesses that Israel was not responsible for the Gaza explosion. However, a new airstrike h ... Show More
2h 15m
May 2024
Will U.S. threats change Israel’s war?
Tensions are rising between the United States and Israel over the war in Gaza. President Biden has threatened to withhold arms if Israel advances into Rafah in southern Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then vowed that Israel would “stand alone.”  Read more: This week, Isra ... Show More
21m 16s
Oct 2023
Meet the Press NOW – October 10
Speaking from the White House, President Biden confirms that Americans are among those currently being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas. The president reiterates that Israel will have unequivocal U.S. support as it responds to ongoing attacks by Hamas forces. Former Israeli Ambassad ... Show More
50m 36s
Feb 2024
Biden's Support for Israel's War May Cost Him Reelection
By Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues, as Palestinians trapped there share videos of their own annihilation in real time. The estimated death toll in Gaza since Israel’s military assault began on October 7th has exceeded 28,000, including 11,500 c ... Show More
6m 20s
Jun 2024
Biden’s Push to End the War in Gaza
In an unexpected speech last week, President Biden revealed the details of a secret proposal intended to end the war in Gaza. Perhaps the most surprising thing was where that proposal had come from.Isabel Kershner, a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, explains Mr. Biden’s gambi ... Show More
29m 41s
Mar 2024
Biden's Bibi Problem - with Nadav Eyal
On October 6th of last year there was a long-standing ceasefire in place between Israel and Hamas. On October 7th, Hamas launched a massive war against Israel. Israel responded to this war that Hamas launched. Wars are violent. In all wars, civilians tragically get killed in the ... Show More
47m 33s