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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim

@shaielb.bsky.social
2.8K followers 85 following 956 posts

Hoping for a more connected and empathetic world. Host of the Israel Explained YouTube channel and the History of the Land of Israel Podcast.

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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Check out my new Substack article. It is free! Subscribe now!
shaielbenephraim.substack.com
The Unraveling: The Unusually Slow Death of the Liberal International Morality
We had a moral consensus surrounding basic human rights that the international community created with painstaking effort. Now we look around and it is completely gone. What happened?
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Subscribe to my Substack! My first post is on the foreign policy orientation of Marco Rubio. shaielbenephraim.substack.com/p/what-kind-...
shaielbenephraim.substack.com
What Kind of Secretary of State Will Marco Rubio Be?
Marco Rubio's Foreign Policy Evolution: Between Hawkish Roots and Trump's America First
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Netanyahu tried to avoid sending a team to Qatar to start discussions over the second phase of the ceasefire as required by the deal on the 16th day of the 1st phase.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
When the war in Gaza started I supported it. I still think it had to be fought. But I realized the war had to end months ago. People wonder what happened to me and why I changed my mind. I realized three things, that would not give me respite. I simply couldn't ignore them.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Zakaria Zubeidi will be released tomorrow. That is a massive deal because he is one of the biggest symbols of the Second Intifada to the Palestinians. He was the Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Two months ago, my doctor told me I should stop drinking. I did not know if I could do it. But I have succeeded. Two months sober. Two months of meditating every day. I am so grateful.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
What a lot of people are missing is that Trump is declaring war on science and education. His policies include: * Stopping funding for scientific research. * Defund universities and replace them with his own online college. * Close the Department of Education.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
One of the weirdest things about Trump's turn towards Iran is how he is punishing Brian Hook, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, the Iran hawks by revoking their security despite warnings that there are threats to assassinate them.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
The execution of "collaborators" by Hamas is a reminder of a few things that many of you forgot: 1) There are plenty of innocent people in Gaza and even people far braver than we are willing to fight Hamas. They deserve better.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
With every day of sobriety and meditation, I feel closer to understanding the unity of creation. “All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything” - Swami Vivekananda
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Because Trump won and there is a new cultural moment, it can be tempting for liberals to try and moderate their opinions to try and maintain relevance.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Today was one of the best days of my life. Romi, Emily, and Doron were reunited with their families. I inspired someone to stop drinking. I managed to maintain my sobriety meeting friends at a bar. I was there for a friend going through a rough time. The world is a beautiful place. Namaste.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
The government meeting where the deal was approved, has been described by all concerned as more cordial and serious than the usual. Everyone involved understood the gravity of the moment and what was at stake.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Hamas is blaming the delay in passing the names of the hostages on technical problems. However, more likely, it is yet another attempt to terrorize Israeli society psychologically and the hostage families. Nonetheless, Israeli officials believe the list will arrive soon.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Trump screwed Israel and Netanyahu over again. Dermer traveled to DC to get US assistance in a strike on Iran and was told to buzz off.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
The withdrawal Israel will make during the first step is quite deep. It includes all of the Netzarim corridor and everywhere else, aside from a strip 700 meters from the border, which can be expanded to 1.1 kilometers in 5 specific points.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
On Tuesday, Trump will send up to 200 agents into Chicago to deport undocumented immigrants to America. It will be the start of what he hopes will be the largest deportation in history.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
The reason Netanyahu's policies on this war and the Palestinian issue, in general, have been so inept is that they do not follow any strategic logic. Left-wing policies have the advantage of encouraging conciliation. Right-wing of being firm against enemies and deterring them.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
It is now final, the heaviest prisoners will NOT be released in the first phase: * Abbas al-Sayed (responsible for the 2001 Sharon shopping mall 2002 Park Hotel bombing) * Ibrahim Hamed (responsible for the Zion Square and Ben Yehuda St. attack)
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
The hostage families are begging Netanyahu not to delay the release of the hostages for Monday. In their letter, they wrote, "For the 98 hostages, every night is another night of a terrible nightmare.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Israel, Hamas, Qatar and Egypt have signed the ceasefire deal. Our people are coming home. Not ashamed to say I have tears of joy in my eyes.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Remember, Netanyahu is now dealing with terrorists who are extorting him and will stop at nothing to destroy Israel. And Hamas is a problem, too.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Let's cut the bullshit. If the hostage deal breaks up this government: GOOD. After screwing up October 7th and the war, tearing the country apart with their judicial reform and running Israel's reputation abroad, they have no reason to exist. They should agree to the deal and dissolve.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
n order to understand the current crisis in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, you need to separate two things: A) The normal last-minute haggling in Middle Eastern ceasefire negotiations. B) The coalition crisis is facing Netanyahu, with Smotrich threatening to leave.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
People keep asking me if I think Hamas will keep the ceasefire. Yes. But not because they are trustworthy, They are anything but. They will do what every terror group does when they get a ceasefire they want.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
My hot take on the ceasefire is that stopping the bloodshed and saving the hostages is good actually.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Biden deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. He ended the Afghanistan War. Ended the war in Lebanon and ended the war in Gaza. A true peacemaker, handing a more peaceful world over to Trump.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
A draft of the deal has been published. The transition from Phase A to Phase B is the most problematic part of the current structure. Although Israel claims otherwise, the deal has guarantees for a smooth transition.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
There is a reason Trump is more effective than Biden at getting Middle Eastern countries to cooperate with him. Biden is a born legislator. Trump speaks fluent dictator. What makes him dangerous at home makes him effective in the Middle East.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Hegseth is not fit to be Sec Def due to his insistent defense of war crimes. Appointing a man who supports war crimes to run the Pentagon while sanctioning the main court dealing with it sends a clear message. The Trump administration does not plan to obey international law.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Some Jews say this war taught them to embrace and stand up for Jewish lives. I understand that. However, the overall arch of the suffering from October 7th to today has shown me something different.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
One of the reasons the negotiations in Qatar were more successful than other iterations is because the Hamas and Israeli working groups sat near each other.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Time for some hot gossip. But it's politically relevant. Sara Netanyahu and Bibi are on the outs. She has been in the US for almost 50 days and has made up all sorts of excuses for not returning. One reason is that the investigation against her is developing, and she may be called to testify soon.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
What is going on with Trump? First, he pressures Israel into surrendering to Hamas. Then, he invites a Hezbollah imam to his inauguration. His Middle East envoy praised Qatar. He has just gone mask off here. He used his Jewish proxies and threw them in the garbage
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Let's all take a step back and appreciate the incredible irony here. Those of us who wanted a ceasefire spent months supporting Kamala and Biden, who let the war keep going. Meanwhile, those against the deal spent months promoting Trump, who stopped it immediately.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
The deal that is emerging will look like this: * Phase 1: 33 hostages released, most (but not all) alive. They will include all the women (including IDF), the elderly, and the sick and injured. Releases will start on the first day of the ceasefire, which will continue for 42 days.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
The working groups in Doha have finished drafting a proposal. It will now be sent to Hamas Gaza, after Hamas Qatar has agreed. The fate of Gaza and the hostages is in their hands.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Another day of meditation and sobriety is behind me. There were so many provocations and moments of disquiet today. But I handled them all well. I have new spiritual tools to deal with challenges. Ones I never had before. Nothing can bring us peace but ourselves.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
People say now that Trump won and everyone is becoming MAGA it proves liberals were wrong and we need to adapt. Hell no. I’m not worried about being fashionable and this isn’t the first time terrible ideas won. My only concern is being right. You can all keep being wrong.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Lies and hatred dominate the current information environment, plunging us into darkness. It can be tempting to push back with lies and anger. But that adds darkness. Use your online presence to promote truth and compassion. It is the only way to keep our light shining.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in Beit Hanoun today from an IED. They join three who fell on January 9th. Three more were killed two days before that. Hamas has become highly adept at using IED's to extract a high price from the IDF.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Watch my new video on why Trump is pushing Israel into a ceasefire. Also, like and subscribe to my channel! www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6kM...
youtube.com
Why Is Trump Pressuring Israel Into Accepting A Ceasefire?
YouTube video by Shaiel Ben-Ephraim Explains Israel
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Biden leaves as the only president with exclusively positive job reports, ending the forever wars and with Iran and Russia seriously weakened. Facts are facts. This was a successful presidency. With the elections over, there is no need to pretend otherwise anymore.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
The UAE is responsible for the genocide in Sudan. They are the leading supplier of arms to the RSF, which was recently judged to be committing genocide by the United States.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
The deputy IDF Chief of Staff Ami Baram, has decided to step down. In his letter, which was leaked to the press (likely by him) he cites that the main reason he does not wish to continue in the current role is "because the intensity of the war has diminished significantly."
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
A source in IDF intelligence told me that he does not believe Hamas is worried about Trump's threat that "all hell will break out in the Middle East." The source said, "Gaza is already doing so badly that there is little for Hamas to lose.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
We are so busy making a joke out of Trump's plans with Canada and Greenland that we forget it's serious. The US has strategic adversaries. Mainly Russia, China, and Iran. It needs to cooperate with allies, especially NATO, against them. Fights between allies serve our rivals.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Everyone is focused on Israel, and that is understandable. However, it is immensely irresponsible to sanction the ICC while it is investigating several genocides and conflicts.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Three soldiers were killed in Beit Hanoun as a tank was hit by an IED today. Meanwhile, Hamas is shooting rockets at Israel daily. Hamas is said to have recruited between 10,000 and 20,000 members in the last few months. The truth is, the war is nowhere near won.
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Shaiel Ben-Ephraim @shaielb.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
According to court documents, the IDF will be able to draft 3,000 Haredi men this year. Starting in 2026, there will be no limitations. The IDF is confident that they can take any number and incorporate them into their fighting forces.
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