Understand the motivation of the genocide perpetrator
Sat 6:41 am +00:00, 11 Apr 2026Gilad Atzmon served in the IDF. He left Israel at 30. He now identifies as neither Israeli nor Jewish. And he argues that what’s driving the war on Iran isn’t Zionism — it’s something older, deeper, and far more dangerous. In this episode, Atzmon — international jazz musician, bestselling author and former IDF conscript — makes the case that Israel has undergone a fundamental transformation: from a secular Zionist project into a theocratic, religiously-driven state shaped by Judaic scripture, Rabbi Kook’s philosophy, and a political culture of impunity.
He traces this shift from the kibbutz era through Likud’s 1977 victory, Netanyahu’s 1996 electoral realignment, and into the religious nationalism of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich that now drives Israeli state policy — including the war on Iran.
🔍 In This Episode:
✔️Why Gilad Atzmon identifies as “ex-Israeli” and “ex-Jew” — and what it cost him
✔️The difference between Zionism and Judaism — and why that distinction matters for understanding the current war ✔️How Israel shifted from a secular to a theocratic state: from kibbutzim to Ben-Gvir
✔️Netanyahu’s 1996 electoral discovery — and how it accelerated Israel’s religious turn
✔️Rabbi Kook’s philosophy and the roots of Greater Israel and the settler movement
✔️The role of AIPAC, political influence, and the “tail wagging the dog” debate
✔️Purim and Passover as religious frameworks shaping Israel’s military conduct
✔️How the Nakba of 1948 was driven by secular ideology — and why Gaza is fundamentally different
✔️The distinction between anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews (Satmar, Neturei Karta) and the mainstream
✔️Jewish “chosenness” — as duty, or as supremacy? The political implications
✔️Why Atzmon argues Zionism has been defeated by Judaism — and what that means for peace
✔️The Iran war as the logical endpoint of Israel’s religious-ideological transformation
🎙️ Guest: Gilad Atzmon — International Jazz Musician, Bestselling Author & Former IDF Conscript









