Friday the 13th in Tel Aviv: Netanyahu, Trump, and a Country Living on Edge

In this week’s Tel Aviv Diary podcast, I’m speaking from Tel Aviv at a moment when the most important details for our immediate future are also the most elusive. Prime Minister Netanyahu is back from a fast, unusually secretive meeting with President Trump — no press conference, no statement, and almost no leaks — leaving Israelis to fill the vacuum with guesses, fears, and competing theories about where the Iran crisis is headed. Under the surface of daily life, the tension is unmistakable: sudden GPS disruptions hint at jamming, suppliers don’t know what to order, and the psychological strain of “waiting for something to happen” is becoming its own kind of trauma.I break down why the nuclear issue remains, in my view, the central existential danger, and why the missile debate often obscures the real strategic question: can there be a deal that truly ends Iran’s path to a bomb — and if so, what price would the region pay for it? From there, I turn to Gaza and the sobering reality of outcomes that are likely to be less than anyone hoped for, alongside the long-term costs Israelis are only beginning to confront, including widespread PTSD after a prolonged war. I also address the political battle over memory itself — including the attempt to soften or rewrite the language around October 7 — and what it says about the country as we edge toward elections. Finally, I take a detour into the accelerating world of AI and what the recent leap forward means for work, productivity, and the future — before closing with a look ahead to next week’s guest from the ADL. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe