Trump moves on Gaza, Netanyahu moves on his opponents

**Jonathan Freedland** (0:00)
Donald Trump hails a breakthrough in Gaza. Is it cause for celebration or caution? Electioneering intensifies in Israel, but some votes are already counted in the US, and they have big implications for America's relationship with Israel. It's Unholy. I'm Jonathan Freedland in London. Yonit is away, and sitting in for her is the Economist's Middle East correspondent.
In Jerusalem, Anshel Pfeffer. Anshel, I have to say, I've lived in Jerusalem at different points and at different times, but never in August, and I have to wonder, what is Jerusalem like in August?

**Anshel Pfeffer** (0:41)
Well, I was in London a couple of weeks ago, and it's actually much more pleasant here.
The numbers are similar, I think, on the thermometer, but it's quite, certainly in the evenings, nice, cool and pleasant, and it's dry, it's not humid. And unlike most buildings or certainly homes in London, we have air conditioning here.

**Jonathan Freedland** (1:03)
Yeah, it is big, obviously a big demand here. You know, you actually cannot even get air conditioning installed in this country because they've run out of units because of demand. But Jerusalem life in August, I mean, you know, are you out there on the town or is it very sleepy and quiet in August people are leaving the country to be on holiday? What's it like?

**Anshel Pfeffer** (1:22)
Well, Jerusalem is actually quite packed in August. There's a surprising number of tourists here. I was out last night in the city center and I was really surprised by how bustling things were. And I went last night to the Betzalel Academy of Art, which as many of our listeners will know is the oldest art school in Israel, perhaps in this entire region. And this time of year is when they have the graduates' exhibition in different departments.
All the students who have spent the last four years studying various fine arts and design and fashion and architecture and animation all have been working up for this moment for their final exhibition. And I was walking through, and I was surprised, it was already quite late, it's about 8, 9 in the evening, and it was packed with people.

**Jonathan Freedland** (2:17)
This is Proud Parents, Anshel, surely. Proud Parents.

**Anshel Pfeffer** (2:20)
Well, actually, I'm a previous parent. My eldest did study there, but he's now a graduate. He's now an ex-graduate, so it wasn't his exhibition. But having been a former parent, I still go every year, because it's a fascinating way of looking at Israeli society. You have an incredible diversity of students from all, basically, all communities in the sense that you even have ultra-orthodox, but they're mainly ex-ultra-orthodox artists. Those were brought up in that community.
And walking through the long corridors of Bezalel, I was suddenly struck by the fact that these are students who have spent nearly their entire four years studying in this period of relentless wars in Israel. And you could see it reflected in so many of the works and the exhibitions there in original, sometimes in very poignant ways.

**Jonathan Freedland** (3:18)
For example, give us a flavor of something you saw that in a way wouldn't have come out of any other period.

**Anshel Pfeffer** (3:25)
Well, I mean, the stuff about, you know, in the photography department, certainly, there were so many things, funerals and obviously ruins. I think the most striking experience was down in the basement where some of the fine art students had their exhibitions. And you had these spaces, you know, underground where students actually used this feeling that you're in what Israelis call a mamad, or the protected area where most Israeli homes have and where Israelis have spent a large part of the last nearly three years. Now, in the way that they designed their works around this space, and look through the experience of being in this closed, sometimes rather threatening field with this feeling of a threat outside, and how they took that in different directions.
On the one hand, there was a lot of depressing and poignant works, but also, I think, at least I felt this and I spoke to my son who was with me, but there's also something of an uplifting feeling that during this period, there was this group of young Israelis who were making art, and that's something which I think is encouraging.

**Jonathan Freedland** (4:39)
Yeah, I think that's a good note, and also the idea that, in a way, if you want to know the direction of a country, obviously, you look to the young, but to look to young artists, what's on their mind? What are they thinking? It reminds me ever so slightly of how I would always make a point if I could, when reporting on a place, try and go to a comedy club, try and just hear what people are making jokes about. It often gives you a good sense of the, you know, political temperature.