Israel’s Independence Day celebrations last week were marred by some of the severest wildfires in the country’s history. While it is still unclear whether the fires were man-made, and if so, whether they were set on purpose, it seems likely that at least some of them resulted from acts of terrorist arson. Israeli police have already made multiple arrests.

Yossi Klein Halevi and Dan Senor begin this conversation by talking about the fires, but move on from there to discuss the resilience and heroism of the younger generation of Israelis who have borne the brunt of the fighting in the current war, and the lessons to be learned from the deep divisions among Israelis—which once led to armed conflict—during the War of Independence. (Video, 45 minutes. Also available on podcast platforms.)

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.