Welcome back to BALAGAN. It has been too long, and I have much to share.

Since it has been a while since my last episode, and even though I have a few recorded materials and more episodes in the making, I wanted to dedicate my first episode of the season to your questions. So, if you're going to ask me anything, feel free to do so in one of the following ways:

1. Fill in this short Google form - https://forms.gle/CGVqEd1TVXtVFSph8
2. Please email me directly at kobi.cohen@gmail.com

I am looking forward to hearing from you and Yalla BALAGAN!

It has been two months since the war was forced upon Israel by Hamas, but it seems that Israel doesn't have any Exit Strategy. While soldiers are dying, the world sees the photos from Gaza and the Gaza people suffering. They don't know these people are used as Human shields by Hamas and that the war can end quickly if Hamas surrenders and sends free all the people abducted.

On the other hand, Netanyahu and his coalition refuse to take responsibility and keep painting his alliance without paying attention to Israelis' suffering. On November 30th, Israeli hero - Yuval Kestelman fought against two terrorists who murdered three people, wounded six more, and killed them. Sadly, he was killed in cold blood by a settler who executed him (There is documentation of the horrible event). Netanyahu had no words of empathy to his family and summarized it "At times of wars, accidents happen. That's life"...

When it comes to his allies and himself, he will always ensure they are secure, but when it comes to his opponents or someone he has no political gain from, he will either ignore or make excuses as to why things are the way they are.

After spending three and a shelf weeks there, I spoke to my friend Jeff Becker about recent events and the political atmosphere in Israel.

On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly voted in favor of the Partition Plan over British Palestine, also known as UN Resolution 181.

The plan to divide the land between Israelis and Arabs was accepted by Zionist leaders and was turned down by the Arab Nations.

Today it seems that more than ever, we should discuss the two-state solution, as from both ends of the Radical Left and the BDS supporters to the Israeli Messianic Right Wing, there is strong support for "From the River to the Sea - One State will be Free".

To discuss Israel's situation, The Partition Plan, and more related subjects, I was glad to host my friend Ido Dembin, Executive Director of Molad - The Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy, once again.

To read more about UN Resolution 181 - https://www.un.org/unispal/data-collection/general-assembly/

Tor read more about Molad - http://www.molad.org/en/

Uri Ashi was one of the only people advocating for peace for the last couple of years. For over two years, he stood holding a sign with big letters saying, "Peace with the Palestinians is doable."

Even though he works in the High-Tech scene, Uri has dedicated his last years to research, writing, and advocating for the two-state solution.

His book Hatikvah (Just like Israel's National Anthem) covers the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and offers a solution. I reached out to Uri to see if he thinks we can still achieve Peace amid the Black Sabbath of October 7th.

To check Uri's website (Hebrew) - https://hatikvah.co.il/#book

#Peace #Israel #HaTikvah

Tikkun Olam is one of the most essential values in Judaism. But how do we make this idea concrete by helping change the world for people with disabilities?

Disabilities are color, gender, religion, or Nation blind, and some Israelis are working hard to provide solutions that are easy and simple to make.

TOM - Or Tikkun Olam Makers, is a global movement of communities that creates and disseminates affordable solutions to neglected challenges of people with disabilities, the elderly, and the poor.

How do they do that? For that, I spoke to Roy Goldenberg, Israel Director at TOM.

To learn more about TOM please check their website -

https://tomglobal.org/about

#TikkunOlam #Israel #DIsabilities

I traveled to Israel to check the pulse, be with my people and see for myself what was happening. Here is a quick update.

I will have many exciting guests speaking in the next couple of episodes.

Do you have any ideas or questions? Feel free to email me at kobi.cohen@gmail.com

#Israel #BringThemBackHome #HamasisISIS #FreeGazafromHamas

In 1923, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Founder and Leader of Beitar (Revisionist Zionism) wrote an essay called The Iron Wall, which, in a nutshell, says - The Arabs will not accept our existence and make peace until we will have strong institutions of our own. They will understand they can not outtake us.

For years, Israel has built its institutions and mainly its Military power, with one of the strongest armies in the world. Further than that, for years, Israel was able to minimize its casualties from Terror, which led us, Israelis, to believe that we could keep on living the way we did without seeking to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The leader of this conception was Netanyahu, who bragged that the Arab countries are making "Peace for Peace", ignoring the threats from Gaza (And Lebanon and the West Bank, but that is for other episodes).

What was right and wrong with the Iron Wall conception, and why did it fail under Netanyahu?! On this and more, I spoke to my friend, Nir Reisler, a Zionist Researcher.

To read the English translation of The Iron Wall - http://en.jabotinsky.org/media/9747/the-iron-wall.pdf

#Israel #Hamas #Peace #HamasisISIS

Until October 7th, Israel was the Goliath in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but Hamas's atrocities changed things. Since then, four weeks have passed, and it seems that in the war that is also being held on Social Media and Traditional media, the wind is shifting, and the damage in Gaza is moving the public sentiment toward Hamas.

What can we learn from the trends, and can Israel have the upper hand?! On these questions and more, I discussed with Joana Landau, Founder, President, and former CEO of Vibe Israel, a nonprofit sharing Israel’s story with the world that has generated over a billion positive mentions of Israel online and the best-selling co-author of “Ethical Tribing: Connecting the Next Generation to Israel in the Digital Era,” which was endorsed by President Herzog. She is a global expert on country branding and the unique challenges Israel faces when building its global reputation.

To learn more about Joana and Ethical Tribing - https://www.ethical-tribing.com/

#Israel #BringThemBack #HamasisISIS #October7 #EthicalTribing #JoanaLandau #VibeIsrael