Special Episode: A Stranger in My Homeland – Nir Avishai Cohen on Israel, the military and breaking with the occupation

What does it feel like to serve in the Israeli military for over 24 years and then publicly oppose the occupation? In this episode, I speak with Nir Avishai Cohen. He is an Israeli peace activist, former spokesperson for Breaking the Silence and author. In 2023, he publicly declared that he no longer wanted to serve in the IDF. Yet after October 7, he returned to reserve duty for three months. Today, he accompanies Palestinian communities in the northern Jordan Valley who are threatened by settler violence. In his 2025 book A Stranger in My Homeland, he documents the collapse of Israeli democracy, his experiences during the war and state repression. He also writes about the loss of his father, who took his own life out of despair over the country’s trajectory. We talk about the growing influence of Religious Zionism within the military, a left that has become a minority, and the question of why liberal Israelis call for democracy while often ignoring the occupation. We also discuss the upcoming elections in Israel and what political future might be possible for a democratic, Jewish-Arab coalition. Guest: Nir Avishai CohenHost: Shai Hoffmann Links:  https://www.facebook.com/JordanValleyActivists?rdid=wBVj7DgCJXWyWRGd&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F14s8RoPUi4x%2F https://mistaclim.org/en/ https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Stranger-Homeland-Nir-Avishai-Cohen/dp/B0H231MB1C https://www.instagram.com/nir.a.cohen?utm_source=qr&cplk=MWt4ODN6b25xaXA4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1LLC91J?lv=shuf&bestFormat=true&rsd=Q4Yif8GIlVO7gtrds3%2B7QCOpZCExHeLIjNw2zj4Fs4ZCHOjXYnbCC5KwRGkV7cKVD8yQnrZ2gp9eLHpz6MtVWtoTCoH3LaMZANDDQSg4KW6H&edk=AQIDAHi1lw%2FM8UbbSMD9ScOOFEmBMHMthHeEhqDaQYPJUAX3jQGD4CMAve2tjCCcbN4Qz%2F1YAAAAfjB8BgkqhkiG9w0BBwagbzBtAgEAMGgGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMnH0lnWykhFCrsMpfAgEQgDu1nFcwuxq3nWcVBEZET4QIOGFLnrwv6HOuKvbhnAhRPXxNNdklcZMCVSvvAXr646KS14PY0wgzIvX7NA%3D%3D&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_wa_apan_dp_2KJJ0R9T0XCTY7QAFB70&channelId=704&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_wa_apan_dp_2KJJ0R9T0XCTY7QAFB70&plpRedirect=mhFallback Ein Podcast der Gesellschaft im Wandel gGmbH, gefördert durch die Robert Bosch Stiftung.  Tausend Dank an das ganze Team! Video und Postproduktion: Jordi Kuragari · Redaktion: Lea Volz & 365 Sherpas ·  Falls ihr unsere Bildungsarbeit unterstützen wollt: Per Spendenplattform bcause: https://bcause.com/orgs/gesellschaft-im-wandel Per Banküberweisung: Konto: Gesellschaft im Wandel gGmbH IBAN: DE61 4306 0967 1060 2814 03 Bank: GLS Gemeinschaftsbank