Axis Mundi

The Axis Mundi team welcomes Palestinian affairs expert Jumana Jaouni to the show. Evan Gottesman, TJ's Danny Seidemann, and Jumana discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's corrosive influence on the situation at the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif and the chilling of public discourse in Jerusalem since Hamas' October 7 attacks

Ahead of Ramadan, Evan Gottesman and TJ's Danny Seidemann break down the dangerous rumors about Al Aqsa that help fuel tensions between Israelis and Palestinians—and the dangerous realities that persist in the city.Read Danny's article in Al Majalla: "Fears Mount Over Rising Al Aqsa Tensions As Ramadan Nears" (Arabic version available here)Read Danny's article in Foreign Policy:

Evan Gottesman speaks with Danny Seidemann about the role of UNRWA in East Jerusalem in the wake of reports that members of the Palestinian refugee agency's staff participated in Hamas's October 7 terrorist attacks. Plus, Evan and Danny take a look at the International Court of Justice's decision on the case brought against Israel by South Africa over the war in Gaza.

In the final episode of 2023, Evan Gottesman speaks with TJ's Danny Seidemann about a crisis affecting one quarter of the land in the Armenian Quarter—the smallest of the four communities in Jerusalem's Old City. Plus, the "Israeli lawyer who has David Cameron's ear" speaks out.Listen to our August 2023 episode, which also covered events in the Armenian Quarter.

The Gaza war comes to Jerusalem: Evan Gottesman and TJ's Danny Seidemann discuss a Hamas terrorist attack in the western part of the city, while Israeli security forces tighten restrictions in the east.

Evan Gottesman and TJ's Danny Seidemann examine how the fallout from Hamas's brutal October 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel and the ongoing IDF campaign in Gaza is being felt on the streets of Jerusalem.Read Danny Seidemann in Foreign Policy: "This War Is Wrought With Historical Trauma"

Jerusalemites head to the polls at the end of October. TJ's Danny Seidemann and podcast host Evan Gottesman discuss the upcoming municipal elections, the city's politics, and whether demographics are destiny in Jerusalem.Read two perspectives on the future of Jerusalem, referenced in this episode:"Ignore the Doom Merchants: Jerusalem Is Not a Lost Cause – and Neither Is Israel" b

Evan Gottesman and TJ's Danny Seidemann discuss a new Israeli government plan for East Jerusalem that seems to contradict the public aims of Prime Minister Netanyahu's far-right coalition and explore what's behind the paradoxical policy. In the second half of the program, Franciscan Action Network Executive Director Michele Dunne gives a deep-dive on one of Jerusalem's most overloo

Evan Gottesman and TJ's Danny Seidemann break down the latest news on E1 and settlement expansion around Jerusalem, plus developments in the case of the killing of Eyad al Hallaq. In the second half of the episode, the Economic Cooperation Foundation's Celine Touboul joins the show to share her analysis on the state of Israel-Saudi Arabia normalization and how events in Jerusalem c

Evan Gottesman and TJ's Danny Seidemann discuss the origins of the ultra-nationalist Flags March and Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). On the second half of the episode, former Egyptian diplomat Ambassador Hesham Youssef shares his take on Cairo's position on Jerusalem and Egypt's role in mediating between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.