From COVID to the end of Bibi, Israel's top stories in 2021

In Israeli history, 2021 will be remembered as the end of an era. After 12 years, Benjamin Netanyahu lost power – something many Israelis found unimaginable.

But this big development was only one event in a tempestuous year. There were multiple waves of COVID-19 , a vaccine campaign and a world-leading push for a booster shot. U.S. President Joe Biden entered the White House with a very different attitude toward Iran than his predecessor.

In May, Israel experienced a traumatic 11 days that sent Israelis to the bomb shelters and upended the relationship between the country's Arabs and Jews. This was followed by a major unexpected development: Mansour Abbas, the head of the United Arab List party, joined the new post-Netanyahu government and became a key player.

Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn and senior national security analyst Amos Harel join host Allison Kaplan Sommer on the podעcast to analyze the most dramatic stories of the year – and speculate on what’s in store for 2022, from COVID to the stability of Naftali Bennett's government. 

Plus, Haaretz reporters share their favorite stories of the year - from Capitol Hill to the ruins of ancient Yavneh, and also, Israel's worst falafel. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Israeli history, 2021 will be remembered as the end of an era. After 12 years, Benjamin Netanyahu lost power – something many Israelis found unimaginable.

But this big development was only one event in a tempestuous year. There were multiple waves of COVID-19 , a vaccine campaign and a world-leading push for a booster shot. U.S. President Joe Biden entered the White House with a very different attitude toward Iran than his predecessor.

In May, Israel experienced a traumatic 11 days that sent Israelis to the bomb shelters and upended the relationship between the country's Arabs and Jews. This was followed by a major unexpected development: Mansour Abbas, the head of the United Arab List party, joined the new post-Netanyahu government and became a key player.

Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn and senior national security analyst Amos Harel join host Allison Kaplan Sommer on the podעcast to analyze the most dramatic stories of the year – and speculate on what’s in store for 2022, from COVID to the stability of Naftali Bennett's government. 

Plus, Haaretz reporters share their favorite stories of the year - from Capitol Hill to the ruins of ancient Yavneh, and also, Israel's worst falafel. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.