Radio War Nerd EP #647 — Israel Elections, feat. Daniel Levy + Cyrus
Guests: Daniel Levy, Cyrus
Recorded: October 30, 2026
We get two perspectives on the Israeli elections: first, from former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy, and then from MENA researcher & friend of the show Cyrus.
First - Daniel Levy on Israel's election
At 39:01 - Music interlude by Brendon Anderegg. Check out music from his group Mountains here
At 41:08 - Cyrus joins us to expand on Israel's election
Further reading: "Deep dive: The meaning of Israel’s election and the useful dilemma it poses", by Daniel Levy, October 30, 2026
Subscribe to Daniel's substack here.
Total time: 1:51:06
Direct link to this episode's mp3 here
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Sound production by Telescope Audio
Comments (17)
Why does Cyrus not have a last name ? lol
Why are some of the commenters hating on Levy? I honestly don't get it. I mean, I personally prefer East European accents, but hey, I try to have an open mind about these things.
Upper caste societies always double down on their ideologies every defeat until the bitter end. The Gotterdamerungs of 1865 and 1962 didnt change the fundamental politics of any Confederates or French Algerians, it was only generational softening of opinions that allowed forward progress. This is a trend you see across the planet going all the way back to ancient Sparta. I think RWN would actually be well served with an episode on French Algeria, its Gaza-esque counterinsurgency and final end in nihilistic terror as it all became too much to tolerate by the wider world. It’s the most similar scenario to modern Israel I know of, although Israel doesnt have any modern Camus’ begging for reconciliation and addressal of Palestinian grievance.
Daniel Levy strikes me as an utterly delusional fucking moron and it really does not seem like he's moved on from being a Zionist at all.
Absolute cursed thumbnail
I think Seth Harp described the GWOT as essentially a genocide of Arab peoples/west asia, and I hope it will one day be clearly understood that the legacy of "The West" is the invention of industrial global genocide
In the movie, "Deepwater Horizon," the Wahlberg character tells a BP executive, "You are planning to run out of fuel just as you land the plane. That's hope as a strategy, and it isn't smart." Although both guest are clearly knowledgeable and Mark tried to find the nuances to the election, there really are none. Netanyahu did not lose outright, so he wins. The opposition party will not have the intelligence or courage to make common cause with the "Arab" parties so they will be unable to form a government. Hence Netanyahu remains PM in a caretaker government. Six or seven months there's another election which Netanyahu either wins outright or the same scenario occurs again. Lather, rinse, repeat, as it says on the shampoo bottle. Hope and the Middle East are not compatible. This episode could have been half as long with the same information and conclusion.
I always try and be careful when I rag on Israel or Israelis because, as an American, I kinda feel like it’s like the pot and the kettle. But on the issue of discipline in the respective militaries, I feel like it’s not just that the IDF can’t impose it. Their society at large doesn’t demand it. Which is not to say that Americans are more civilized by nature, but next week, Hegseth is probably going to be offered up as a sacrifice because he’s perceived as too much of a barbarian. I don’t see that ever happening in Israel today.
Also regarding discipline: I am from “red state” America and have thus been around guns my entire life. I’ve also traveled around to places where armed soldiers are commonplace, like Kashmir and southern Lebanon. The only time in my entire life I’ve been “flagged” (someone inadvertently pointing their gun barrel at me) is in East Jerusalem by an IDF soldier
Please consider adding the 'Annual Subscription' option as well, even if the price is the same as monthly..✌️
The tumor comment was really perfect. They're incompatible with longevity, but it's infuriating to think evil gets to exit on their own murderous terms and take so many innocents with them. Trump, Bibi, Musk, etc. all these tumors just draining their hosts with no real punishing pushback. May we all live long enough to see some surgical justice.
12 mins in and wow.. Lets make this crystal clear, 95+% of Israelis support genocide full throated. There is no 'left-right' in "Israel" They are all mostly racist, genocidal maniacs and should be talked about and treated as such. Ask yourself, how did we treat and think about Nazis during WW2? That exact same rubric should be applied here. Also, unsubbing i cannot in good conscience give you guys my money after this.
We have countless episodes calling out Israel's evil, including parts of this episode. But the primary goal here was to make sense of the week's election results, in a country gone insane.
30 minutes in and I hate tell you Mark but this guy didn’t “used to be” a liberal Zionist…
He's said on Novara Media he is open to the idea of a one state solution.
Thank you for stepping down as chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Yeah it's really working out well under the new management