The Age of the Strongman: Understanding Netanyahu, with Anshel Pfeffer (Part One)

Intelligence Squared

Arts, News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In November 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in Israel after winning his sixth election. Propped up by a bloc of far-right and ultra-religious parties, Netanyahu’s government is seen by many as the most extreme in Israeli history. But he is also a remarkably successful politician: he first won power in 1996 and is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. In September 2025 Anshel Pfeffer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the Israeli Prime Minister came to Intelligence Squared for the third instalment of our Age of the Strongman series. Pfeffer drew from his forthcoming book 'No King In Israel: The Jewish State Confronts its Demons' to shed light on Netanyahu’s bold vision for reshaping the Middle East, his cosy relationship with Donald Trump, his battles to silence the Israeli judiciary and his ongoing expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Pfeffer also explained the monumental shifts in Israeli politics that have taken place after October 7 and the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. --- This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:56.9	Welcome to Intelligence Squared, where great minds meet.
1:01.0	I'm producer Mia Serenti.
1:03.2	Today's episode is part one of our recent live event,
1:06.5	The Age of the Strongman, Understanding Netanyahu,
1:09.7	recorded at Smith Square Hall in Westminster.
1:12.9	This was the third event in our event series, The Age of the Strongman, in which Chief
1:17.0	Foreign Affairs commentator for the Financial Times, Gideon Ragman, speaks to leading experts
1:22.4	about the political leaders defining our times. This event examined Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
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