Rubio in Jerusalem: The Message Hamas Fears

Rubio in Jerusalem: The Message Hamas Fears

Author: JNS Podcasts September 17, 2025 Duration: 33:38
In this episode of “Israel Undiplomatic,” former Israeli Ambassador to the UK Mark Regev and senior JNS editor Ruthie Blum—both former advisers at the Prime Minister’s Office— break down Israel’s dramatic ground incursion into Gaza City, Hamas’s last stronghold. With Israeli forces advancing, civilians fleeing and Hamas reportedly firing on its own people to keep them in place, the war enters a deadly and decisive phase. At the same time, the diplomatic front is just as volatile. Following controversy over Israel’s covert strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio arrives in Israel to signal strong American support. His visit includes a symbolic moment at the Western Wall with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ambassador Mike Huckabee, and a sharp rebuke of Hamas’ hostage tactics. Regev and Blum dig into the geopolitical fallout: Is the U.S.-Israel alliance as strong as ever or are cracks beginning to show? What message did the Qatar strike send to terrorist sponsors worldwide? And is the West, especially leftist governments and media, fueling extremism through appeasement? This episode also explores the ideological battle raging in Western universities and media, the manipulation of Palestinian victimhood and the global spread of Islamist propaganda bankrolled by Qatar. From Gaza to DC to Doha, this is a war of weapons and narratives, and Regev and Blum expose both. With hostages still in peril, Hamas on the brink and world powers watching, the only question that remains is: Will Israel finish the job?

In Israel Undiplomatic, senior contributing editor Ruthie Blum and former ambassador Mark Regev, both veterans of the Prime Minister’s Office, engage in the kind of frank, detailed debate that happens behind closed doors. This podcast moves beyond headlines and diplomatic niceties to tackle the complex realities Israel navigates both at home and on the world stage. While sharing a foundational worldview, Blum and Regev often clash on strategy, interpretation, and the gritty particulars of policy, proving that the most consequential disagreements arise among those closest to the issues. Each episode is a deep dive into a pressing political, social, or security challenge, dissecting the nuances that shape Israel's present and future. Listeners get a front-row seat to an unfiltered exchange of ideas, where historical context meets current controversy and where the stakes of every decision are laid bare. The conversation is direct, informed by decades of insider experience, and unafraid to explore contentious ground. For anyone seeking to understand the forces shaping Israel beyond superficial narratives, this JNS podcast offers an essential and compelling dialogue.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Israel Undiplomatic
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 44: Bombshell: What nobody is saying about Oct 7 failures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:55
Welcome to Israel Undiplomatic, where JNS senior contributing editor Ruthie Blum and former Israeli ambassador Mark Regev break down the most pressing issues facing Israel today—without the diplomatic filter.In this epis…
Ep. 43: Bibas Murders: The One Thing No One is Talking About [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:38
Ambassador Mark Regev and Journalist Ruthie Blum spar over what Israel’s reaction should be to #Hamas’ brutal murder of two children and their mother (Shiri, Kfir & Ariel) and 83-year-old man (Oded Lifchitz). What should…
Ep. 42: Israel waits for hostage bodies with bated breath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:48
Hamas’s upcoming release of the bodies of four dead hostages has all of Israel on edge. Hamas announced that three of those bodies will be of abducted children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, along with their mother, Shiri. Israe…
Ep. 41: Free hostages or destroy Hamas: Which way for Israel? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:27
President Trump has once again changed the rules of the game by demanding that Hamas free all the remaining hostages in Gaza by Saturday, February 15th. However, Prime Minister Netanyahu must now decide if the IDF will f…
Ep. 40: What exactly is Trump's BOMBSHELL plan for Gaza?! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:00
President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu concluded a historic meeting yesterday with a bombshell press conference that has shocked the world. On today’s episode, Mark Regev and Ruthie Blum will unpack all the details…
Ep. 39: Forever WAR in Gaza or Relocation? Trump Doubles Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:07
U.S. President Donald Trump continues to shake things up not only in America, but across the globe. Recently, he doubled down on the idea of relocating residents of the Gaza Strip to another country, either temporarily o…
Ep. 38: Was the UN Just Caught Red-Handed in Gaza?! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:01
Released Israeli hostages have revealed that Hamas terrorists were hiding them in a "humanitarian zone" designated for displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Were United Nations workers aware of—and maybe even complic…
Ep. 35: Remembering the President Who Sided with Hamas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:19
President Jimmy Carter passed away at age 100 this week. He left behind a legacy of being a peacemaker between Egypt and Israel who subsequently turned on the Jewish state, calling it an “apartheid” nation and claiming H…