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Who’s really pulling the strings behind the hostage crisis? In this episode, Eylon Levy is joined by Asher Fredman—former Strategic Affairs official and Executive Director of the Institute for National Security—to unpack the shocking realities behind Edan Alexander’s release and the geopolitical theater that surrounds it.

Topics discussed:
- How the U.S. pressured Qatar to force Hamas to release a hostage
- The dangerous spin cycles from Israel, the U.S., and Hamas
- Qatar’s double game as Hamas's patron and Western partner
- The myth of humanitarian leverage: why Gaza reconstruction won’t disarm Hamas
- How international institutions are shielding terrorists and targeting Israel
- Why the ICC and ICJ have lost all moral authority


This episode doesn't offer easy answers—because there are none. But it does break down the strategic dilemmas Israel faces as it fights both on the battlefield and in the courtroom of world opinion.

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Barak Herscowitz, former head of communications for the Israeli government and the whistleblower who exposed TikTok’s anti-Israel bias, joins Eylon Levy to dissect the spin dominating the international conversation around Israel, Hamas, and the Gaza war.
🔹 Why Israel changed its tone on Qatar—and why it might be too little, too late
🔹 The internal political time bomb over Haredi draft exemptions
🔹 Why the West can’t say “thank you” to Israel—even when it defeats Iran’s proxies
🔹 Who’s really in control of humanitarian aid in Gaza? (Hint: it’s not the UN)
🔹 The PR strategy behind hostage negotiations—and how silence helps Hamas
We expose the media manipulation, challenge the narratives, and lay bare the political calculus at play in Jerusalem and beyond.

Chapter Markers
00:00 – Second Intifada memories
00:37 – Introducing Barak Herscowitz
02:24 – Qatar’s October 7 double game
05:23 – Election-year politics & Haredi draft crisis
10:30 – From “sanction Qatar” to “we’ve been played”
14:14 – Pressuring Qatar (and other sponsors) for hostages
19:33 – Resuming the Gaza war: hostages vs. total victory
28:20 – Exit strategy: dismantling Hamas for good
41:11 – TikTok, digital bias & radical content
01:01:23 – Houthi missile at Ben-Gurion: deterrence dilemma

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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Award-winning British author, journalist, and political commentator Douglas Murray returns to State of a Nation for an explosive two-part special.

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In this first installment, Murray takes us deep inside Israel’s battle not just on the battlefield — but in the court of global opinion. With rare clarity, he breaks down how media narratives, international hypocrisy, and strategic misinformation are becoming as dangerous as missiles.

In Part 2 of our deep-dive with renowned British author and commentator Douglas Murray, we turn the spotlight to Israel’s communications war. How do democracies like Israel battle a terrorist organization like Hamas on the information front? What happens behind closed doors when world leaders, journalists, and spokespersons debate the truth?

Douglas gives a raw, unfiltered look into the invisible battlefield: one waged on TV screens, in headlines, and through viral tweets.

This is the side of the war you won’t see on the news.
👇 Key topics in this episode:
- Why the media war is as important as the military one
- The tactics Israel uses to brief foreign press
- How Hamas manipulates civilian imagery for global gain
- Douglas’s take on the moral confusion in the West
- What a real strategy for global messaging could look like

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Co-Creator and Host - Eylon Levy
Co-Creator - Guy Ross
Executive Producer - Asher Westropp-Evans
Director/Editor - Benny Goldman
Studio Manager - Lotem Segev
Graphics - Thomas Girsch
Interns - Jesse Sklar & Alice Milner

00:00 – Opening
02:42 – Israel’s Media Response Strategy
06:15 – Fighting Propaganda: A War of Narratives
10:50 – Briefing the Press During War
15:08 – Western Hypocrisy & Media Double Standards
19:40 – Psychological Warfare & Image Management
24:05 – How Israel Can Win the Narrative War
30:20 - Hamas as "The Noble Savage"
40:00 - The weaponization of Gaza
51:07 - Three 'D's of defeating Hamas
1:00:53 - Final Thoughts: Why This War Is Different

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