These are just anecdotes, but it's building up into something more coherent.

I think it'd be interesting to really try to unravel what his ties.

There's this sort of country city divide for their inconvenient, and then it's not clear where it goes next.

From One World Trade Center in Manhattan, this is the New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production

of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.

This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick.

David.

Hey, how are you?

I'm fine. How are you?

Just swell. Everything in the world is going perfectly.

Yes. It's our dream world.

That's Marav McHale, a Labour Party member of the Israeli Parliament.

And if she's sarcastic about the state of things today,

it's because being a liberal in Israel these days isn't any easier than being a liberal

in the United States or Europe.

The way political trends are going at Israel,

the hardliners,

people like the defense minister,

Avigder Lieberman, are beside themselves.

You're probably aware of the fact

that when you ask Avigdo Liberman how he is, he always says heaven.

Oh, God.

...