Episode 887: Yaakov Katz on "While Israel Slept”

Newt's World

Gingrich 360

News, Politics

4.7 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Newt talks with Yaakov Katz about his new book, " While Israel Slept” which delves into the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. Katz examines the intelligence and strategic failures that allowed this attack, highlighting years of complacency and mistaken policies. Their conversation also covers the geopolitical implications of several countries recognizing Palestine, Israel's diplomatic isolation, and the ongoing war in Gaza. Katz emphasizes the need for Israel to learn from these events to ensure future security. Their discussion touches on the complexities of the conflict, including the role of hostages, the challenges of deradicalization, and the necessity of military vigilance. Katz remains optimistic about Israel's future, citing the country's military strength and potential diplomatic opportunities in the region. Katz concludes with a call for strong political leadership to navigate these challenges.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:08.7	On this episode of Nuts World, in his new book, while Israel slept,
0:14.4	Yaakov Katsh tells the gripping inside story of how Hamas, Israel's weakest enemy,
0:24.0	succeeded in launching a surprise attack on one of the world's most powerful militaries. Through a detailed examination of events leading up to
0:28.9	October 7, 2003, Katz exposes the intelligence and strategic failures that enable this
0:36.5	devastating invasion.
0:38.5	He explains how years of complacency, mistaken intelligence analysis,
0:43.1	and a misguided policy of containment enabled Hamas to prepare for an assault
0:48.0	that Israel did not believe was possible and that would change the Middle East.
0:52.9	Katz unveils the dramatic events the night before the attack,
0:56.0	highlighting the cracks in Israel's military and political leadership, and provides unprecedented
1:01.2	details on how key warnings were missed. While Israel slept offers a sobering account of how
1:08.5	overconfidence and complacency paved the way for disaster,
1:12.7	while underscoring the critical lessons Israel must embrace to safeguard his future.
1:18.1	Here to discuss his new book, I'm really pleased to welcome back my guest, Yaakov Katz.
1:24.0	He is the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post.
1:27.1	He writes for Newsweek and The Jewish Chronicle,
1:29.6	hosts the JPPI Weekly Podcast,
1:33.1	and has appeared on CNN and BBC.
1:35.4	Thank you. Yakov, welcome and thank you for joining me again on this world.
1:53.0	Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. It's great always to be with you.
1:56.3	If you start with some current events, several countries, including Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, are preparing to formally recognize Palestine at the 80th U.N. General Assembly. From your standpoint, what does this mean for Israel?
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Gingrich 360, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Gingrich 360 and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.