This week, Ron Dermar resigned from the Israeli cabinet, stepping down as Minister of Strategic Affairs,

after years of working closely with the Prime Minister to guide Israel through this last

harrowing national chapter of war. It is a moment of transition,

and it brings to mind another such moment five years ago when Dermar prepared to leave his post

as Israel's ambassador to the United States. That's the conversation you're about to hear.

Back in December of 2020, I sat down with a departing ambassador and asked him to

reflect on his eight years in Washington, years that saw the Iran nuclear deal, the rise and fall

of ISIS, and the signing of the Abraham Accords that transformed Israel's standing in the Middle

East. Welcome to the Tickfoot podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan Silver. Much has changed since then.

October 7th shattered assumptions about Israel's security. The war in Gaza has tested the U.S.

Israel relationship in ways that seemed unimaginable back in 2020. And yet, much has also endured.

The alliance itself remains. The strategic logic that Dermar articulates

in this conversation about shared interests, shared values, shared aspirations, and shared threats

has not disappeared. In fact, it's probably become easier to see, not harder. So as Ron Dermar

steps back once again, we thought it worth revisiting this

earlier moment to re-inhabit the U.S.-Israel relationship before October 7th, and to hear one of

Israel's greatest public servants, explain why he believed then, and still believes, that it can

weather the storms that lie ahead. If you enjoy this conversation, you can discover

more big ideas and in-depth analysis on Judaism, Israel, America, and the West at ticfa ideas.org.

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