Transcript [00:00] We are days before the election in [00:02] Israel. All eyes are on what will happen [00:04] this coming Tuesday and on the future of [00:06] Israel. JNS had the privilege of sitting [00:09] down this week with Prime Minister [00:11] Benjamin Netanyahu for a pre-election [00:13] interview. I spoke to him in Hebrew for [00:16] our JNS Hebrew edition. And my first [00:18] question was about our greatest [00:20] generation, the young men and women who [00:22] rose to the challenge of the war and [00:25] fought for Israel over the past three [00:26] years. This is the response that he gave [00:29] us. [00:32] If [00:32] >> you're saying that they rose to the [00:33] occasion, then you're not giving them [00:36] enough credit. What we saw here was [00:38] determination, [00:40] tremendous bravery, and an understanding [00:42] of what stood before us. These are great [00:45] things, unimaginable things. The prime [00:48] minister says that Trump asked him, [00:51] "Where do we have this kind of strength [00:53] in our society, among our youth?" His [00:56] answer to President Trump was that we [00:58] have a people who understand the mission [01:01] in front of us and understand that we're [01:03] not only fighting for our lives, but for [01:05] the lives of generations to come of the [01:08] Jewish people. [clears throat] And this [01:10] is embedded in the youth of the state of [01:12] Israel. And they get it. They understand [01:14] it. It's embedded in them more than [01:17] anybody understands. They know what our [01:19] mission is. and they are willing to [01:22] continue the struggle for the Jewish [01:24] people. [01:27] >> He then goes on to explain that he saw [01:29] them in the battlefield. He was in Gaza, [01:31] he was in Lebanon, he was in Syria and [01:34] he spoke to these young men and women in [01:37] the battlefield. [01:38] And he says that they come up to him, [01:41] the young men and women, and they say to [01:42] him, "Mr. Prime Minister, keep on going, [01:46] don't stop this. We need to defeat the [01:48] enemy." [01:50] and he responded to these young soldiers [01:52] of Israel and he said I do this I have [01:55] the strength because of you because of [01:57] your determination and he continues that [01:59] he said to Trump it's because we have an [02:01] amazing people and tremendous warriors [02:07] >> I then went on to ask the prime minister [02:09] not just how he handles the immediate [02:11] threats those threats that we're facing [02:13] today but how does he foresee the [02:17] Israel's geopolitical economic and [02:19] security possib in the decades ahead and [02:21] how his new doctrine secures our [02:23] long-term future. So, Alex Trayman had a [02:27] very similar question in his interview [02:28] in English and I can share the answer [02:31] here. [02:32] >> Do you see an imminent return to [02:34] military conflict and do you believe [02:36] that ultimately the regime could be [02:38] collapsed only through military [02:40] conflict? [02:41] >> Look, we've battered them. We hammered [02:43] them. They're beaten. They're crippled. [02:46] Uh they're fighting for their last [02:48] breath. So the answer is yes. I think it [02:50] can be brought down and that changes [02:53] history. Uh because as long as they're [02:56] there, battered as they are, they'll try [02:59] to regroup, reconstitute themselves, [03:02] build again that atomic bomb program [03:05] that we stopped them um just less than a [03:08] year ago. We prevented them from [03:11] launching atomic bombs on Israel. That's [03:13] important to understand. Now comes my [03:15] dear friend Donald Trump. We have a [03:17] historic friendship. Uh people liken it [03:20] to uh Roosevelt and Churchill. Now, I'm [03:22] not comparing me or Trump to either [03:25] either uh leader, but I'm saying that [03:27] the partnership is unmatched. We've [03:30] never had an Israeli prime minister and [03:32] an American president work so closely [03:34] together because we both believe we have [03:37] to remove this threat once and for all. [03:39] It's like cancer, you know, take out a [03:40] lump of cancer, which we did in knocking [03:42] out their nuclear program, but cancer [03:45] can come back. So the only way that we [03:47] can make sure that Israel is safe, that [03:50] we guarantee the future for our country, [03:52] for our children, for our grandchildren, [03:54] is by removing this regime. And [03:56] President Trump basically called the [03:58] Israeli public the other day and said, [04:00] "Hey, listen. [04:02] I'm committed to doing it, but I'll only [04:04] do it with this prime minister." He [04:07] said, "There's no one else." So if [04:09] you're concerned, as I'm sure you are, [04:10] with the future of our country, then [04:13] vote for me. Vote for Mahan. voterly [04:15] could because it is that partnership [04:18] with America that can change history and [04:21] give us a brilliant future and by the [04:23] way give us more peace treaties because [04:25] the stronger we are and once we remove [04:28] this regime it'll be very easy to knock [04:31] out the remainder of [04:34] uh and kamas because without the Iranian [04:36] scaffolding they collapse. So we can [04:39] have a brilliant future and brilliant [04:40] peace treaties, but it depends. It [04:42] depends on whether you listen to [04:45] President Trump or not. If you do, we'll [04:48] finish the job. That's what he said. [04:50] Let's finish the job. And I can only do [04:52] what he said with BB. [04:54] >> And then he continued with this. [04:57] >> You know, we're facing a lot of threats, [04:59] not just military threats, also uh [05:02] diplomatic threats. We see just recently [05:04] that the UK decided to uh impose [05:07] sanctions on individuals, organizations [05:10] that promote building in Judea and [05:12] Samaria. We even saw during the Biden [05:13] administration, they also tried to [05:15] impose sanctions on individuals uh who [05:17] support building in Judea and Samaria. [05:19] How do we fight sanctions, this new type [05:21] of economic warfare uh that the state of [05:23] Israel is facing? [05:24] >> First of all, we had an embargo. Biden, [05:26] who came in the beginning and supported [05:28] us, I appreciated it. uh but very [05:31] quickly he succumbed to the um you know [05:33] the the Islamist uh uh leftist coalition [05:37] that plagues all of the west and he [05:39] imposed an embargo on us. He said, "You [05:41] stop. You don't go into Rafa. You don't [05:42] complete the conquest of the Gaza [05:44] Strip." And I said, "No, Joe. We have to [05:46] do it." He said, "Bbie, I'm serious. I'm [05:48] going to slap sanctions on you." I said, [05:50] "Joe, [05:52] we've known each other for 40 years. [05:54] You're the president of the United [05:56] States and I'm the prime minister of the [05:58] one and only Jewish state. You do what [06:00] you have to do, and I'll do what I have [06:02] to do." So, he asked, "Well, how will [06:04] you fight?" [06:06] And I said, "Joe, we'll fight with our [06:09] fingernails." [06:11] As much as I appreciate America, we're [06:13] not a vassal state, and we'll do what we [06:15] have to do. I oppose that. And I oppose [06:18] pressures from others. Uh, and sometimes [06:20] even had differences with my good [06:21] friend, my incredible friend, Donald [06:24] Trump. We're not going to allow a [06:26] Palestinian state, and no embargo can [06:29] change that. So in the wake of the war [06:31] of revival or as we call it in Hebrew [06:33] milit kuma we are witnessing a [06:35] fundamental long overdue shift in how [06:38] Israel approaches its own survival. [06:40] Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke this week [06:42] about the newly unveiled national [06:44] security doctrine. A document that [06:47] officially closes the door on the old [06:49] era of containment, passive defense, and [06:51] endless rounds of management. For [06:54] decades, Israel's strategy rested [06:55] heavily on deterrence, early warnings, [06:58] and managing threats that after they [07:00] erupted. But the lessons of October 7th [07:03] and the multiffront campaign from Gaza [07:05] and Lebanon to Yemen and Iran, they've [07:07] all rewritten the playbook. The new [07:09] doctrine centers on a starkly different [07:11] premise. Proactive prevention, surprise, [07:14] preeemption, and strategic independence. [07:18] When you look at the core principles, [07:20] moving to preemptive strikes before an [07:22] enemy's capabilities fully mature, [07:25] enforcing strict buffer zone and [07:27] neutralizing their nuclear capabilities [07:30] and actively working to break not just [07:32] the military power of our adversaries, [07:34] but their belief that they can even [07:36] threaten us. Again, that represents a [07:39] complete structural overhaul. It's a [07:41] total change in what we did for over 30 [07:44] years. The document also addresses what [07:47] comes next internationally. Expanding [07:50] our strategic alliances while sharply [07:52] reducing our structural dependence on [07:54] foreign supply chains through domestic [07:56] dominance in advanced technologies like [07:59] artificial intelligence and quantum [08:01] defense. Netanyahu's new national [08:03] security doctrine is a framework that [08:05] demands a complete structural shift from [08:08] the passive containment to proactive [08:10] prevention strategic independence and [08:13] aggressively shattering our adversaries [08:15] capabilities. [08:17] And it turns out that that doctrine [08:19] isn't just a conceptual shift on paper. [08:22] The operational tools to back it up are [08:25] already being explored. According to a [08:27] report from Mariv newspaper here in [08:29] Israel, Israel has been engaging with [08:31] Palber Lucky, the billionaire founder of [08:34] the American defense tech firm and [08:36] Durell to develop something straight out [08:39] of science fiction, autonomous unmanned [08:42] systems designed to move directly [08:44] through the Earth itself. [08:47] For years now, subterranean networks, [08:50] the Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza tobah [08:53] bunkers in Lebanon and Iran's deeply [08:56] buried nuclear sites have posed one of [08:58] the most stubborn tactical nightmares [09:00] for Israel and for the United States. Up [09:03] until now, dealing with them meant [09:05] relying on intelligence to find [09:06] openings, sending soldiers into [09:08] dangerous shafts, or dropping heavy [09:10] bunker busters from above. What Nataniel [09:14] revealed is that Lug's firm is working [09:16] on systems that don't just launch into [09:18] the ground, they actually maneuver [09:20] through the Earth's crust, utilizing the [09:23] Earth itself as a three-dimensional [09:26] maneuvering space. When you combine [09:29] Endel's AIdriven command systems like [09:32] their Latis software with revolutionary [09:34] subterranean robotics, it signals a [09:37] stark warning to our enemies. The [09:39] underground sanctuaries that they rely [09:42] on are about to become a death trap. And [09:45] also, we will have less collateral [09:47] damage like the terrorist elements like [09:49] Kamas and even the PLO have relied on [09:52] for so long in order to restrain Israel [09:54] by creating an international campaign of [09:56] the left-wing idiots we see [09:58] demonstrating their self-righteous [10:00] indignation to have Israel stop its [10:02] attacks on these underground facilities. [10:05] We're moving into an era where Israel's [10:07] defense strategy doesn't match the [10:09] asymmetric threat. It digs right [10:11] underneath it. Pun intended. Another [10:14] matter this week has obviously been the [10:16] events in Europe. This is connected [10:17] because the ones leading the destruction [10:19] in cities throughout Europe are the same [10:21] exact forces seeking to destroy Israel. [10:24] Remember them calling for globaliz? [10:27] Well, this is what you're seeing now is [10:30] exactly what they meant. Coming soon to [10:32] a town center near you. All the [10:34] destruction, all the demonstrations, all [10:38] the loss of control, all these things [10:41] that they did here during their [10:42] inifadas, they're now bringing home to [10:44] you. Dr. Inat Wilf, who is a former [10:47] member of Knesset with the Labor Party [10:49] and now running for Knesset and another [10:51] party and one of the sane people on the [10:54] left wing here in Israel, put it best [10:56] this week in a podcast that she gave to [10:57] an Israeli outlet. She described Zionism [11:00] in this way. Zionism is a constructive [11:04] force, a movement fundamentally of [11:06] builders, people who look to the future [11:09] and take responsibility and turn [11:11] difficult conditions into the state of [11:13] Israel. It is an outlook on life [11:16] centered on taking charge rather than [11:18] waiting for miracles. In contrast, that [11:21] same Palestinianism and its supporters [11:24] are a loser ideology rooted in [11:26] complaining, blaming others, self-pity, [11:29] and refusing to take responsibility for [11:32] anything while blaming the rest of the [11:34] world for their hardships. She asserts [11:36] that the west and anybody observing this [11:38] situation need to recognize this [11:40] distinction and ask themselves whether [11:42] they want to align with the builders of [11:44] the future or with the defeist [11:46] complaining mindset of the Islamists and [11:49] the Palestinianists. Another issue this [11:52] week is the growing uh reports about [11:54] settler so-called settler violence in [11:56] Judea and Samaria. Now, I'll maybe [11:59] address this u more in depth next week, [12:01] but at the moment, I need to say that [12:03] what just for you to understand after [12:06] the October 7th massacre here in Israel, [12:09] it was quite clear to most Israelis or [12:11] at least sane Israelis that the [12:13] Palestinian state is done with. You can [12:15] hear what Natao has to say with on this [12:18] in uh Alex's interview with him, that [12:21] there's not going to be a Palestinian [12:22] state. He's made it very clear. So there [12:25] are efforts among people here in Israel, [12:27] but certainly in Europe and others who [12:29] want to make sure that that concept of a [12:31] Palestinian state continues for many [12:33] different reasons. Certainly one of them [12:35] is the fact that they understand that [12:38] the presence of a Palestinian [12:40] independent entity will have Israel [12:43] strangled and they want that to happen. [12:46] They don't want us to be independent and [12:47] strong. And one of the people or the [12:50] groups of people who I know for many [12:52] years working with the foreign press [12:53] here, one of the groups of people who [12:55] have been supportive of this Palestinian [12:57] cause have been many of the foreign [13:00] journalists. They go there deliberately [13:03] knowing exactly what is to be expected [13:05] and they're there to capture as always [13:08] not what is done to the Israelis but [13:10] what happens afterwards when the [13:12] Israelis respond. So when you're seeing [13:14] all these events in Judea and Samaria [13:16] recently and you only see violence by [13:18] the Jews, ask what happened before? What [13:21] caused that? Because when you travel [13:23] around here, you don't have Israelis [13:25] throwing rocks at you. You don't have [13:27] Israelis, even settlers in Judea and [13:29] Samaria, our ancient homeland. You don't [13:32] have them attacking individuals, even [13:34] Arabs. What happens is that when Arabs [13:37] encouraged by left-wing activists and [13:40] certainly media to a certain degree, [13:43] they get encouraged to take violence and [13:45] take steps against the Israeli settlers [13:47] there. And what you're seeing is what's [13:49] then captured by the media and used for [13:52] political purposes against Israel and [13:54] against the state of Israel and the [13:55] settlers in Judea and Samaria. Again, [13:58] before concluding, I want to return, as [14:00] I often do, to our scriptures, which [14:02] stem from that same Judea and Samaria [14:05] that I just spoke about. This week's [14:07] Torah portion that we read is [14:10] my quote. And the Lord said to Avam, "Go [14:13] forth from your land, from your [14:15] birthplace, and from your father's house [14:17] to the land that I will show you." These [14:20] words marked the beginning of the [14:21] covenant between God and Ara. The [14:24] beginning of a people, the beginning of [14:26] a purpose, the beginning of the Jewish [14:28] people. The story of Avam, not yet [14:31] Abraham, has been told countless times. [14:34] But like all great stories, it never [14:36] becomes old because it never was just [14:38] about the past. It's about us. It's [14:40] about now. Leah is more than a [14:43] historical moment. It is the [14:45] introduction of Zionism. It's the first [14:48] aliyah story. It's the story of a man [14:50] who leaves everything familiar behind [14:52] and journeys to the land of Israel with [14:54] nothing but faith and conviction. There [14:56] are no guarantees, no certainty, just a [15:00] calling. And that story echoes through [15:02] the lives of so many of us living here [15:04] today. Some came here early in life, [15:07] others came later, some came with [15:10] dreams, others through necessity. [15:13] But all of us in one one way or another [15:15] have experienced what it means to leave [15:17] the familiar and step in to the unknown. [15:21] Israel is a nation of those who have [15:22] gone forth and have returned because it [15:25] was necessary. Because for the Jewish [15:28] people, this place is more than a [15:30] destination. It is where our story began [15:32] and where it continues to this day. [15:35] What's remarkable is how familiar [15:37] Araham's experience feels. The [15:39] circumstances are different, but the [15:41] principle is very much the same. The [15:44] land was never promised in order to be [15:47] easy. It was promised to be meaningful. [15:51] There would be hardships, conflicts, [15:53] moments that demand sacrifice. We've [15:55] seen that all in the past three years. [15:58] The portion also tells the story of Lot [16:00] and how a member of Avam's family is [16:02] taken captive. Abraham acts without [16:05] hesitation because from the very [16:07] beginning, Jewish civilization was built [16:09] around the principle that we do not [16:11] leave our people behind. It is part of [16:14] who we are and it always has been. And [16:16] after the battle comes the covenant. God [16:19] does not promise Abraham comfort. He [16:22] promises purpose. He promises that there [16:25] will be hardship, exile, struggle, and a [16:28] return. And that may be the most Zionist [16:31] idea of all that the road will not be [16:34] easy and it will be worth the walking. [16:36] And that's the story of Abraham, the [16:38] story of aliyah, the story of the people [16:41] and the state of Israel. And perhaps [16:44] that is why no matter how difficult [16:45] things become, Jews continue to come [16:48] here. Maybe it's the echo of God's call, [16:51] the call to Abraham still resonating [16:53] throughout history. Maybe it's something [16:55] deeper that cannot be fully explained. [16:58] Whatever it is, it continues to draw us [17:00] home. And in coming here, we discover [17:02] something very important. Not just that, [17:05] we find a homeland, we find [17:06] responsibility, we find purpose, we find [17:09] our place in a story much larger than [17:11] ourselves. And that's one of the things [17:13] that Natano said in the interview. And [17:15] in that process, we eventually find [17:18] ourselves. I'm Daniel Seaman. Thank you [17:21] for joining me here on Straight Up from [17:23] the JS TV studios in Jerusalem, Israel. [17:25] I'll be with you again next week. [17:27] Shabbat shalom.
