Why a Mideast peace deal seems further away than ever

Yochi, Jenn, and Zack ease out of the summer with a look at the one of the most complicated, explosive, and genuinely fascinating issues in the world: the decades-long fight between Israel and the Palestinians. They look at Israel’s promise this week to hold onto its West Bank settlements forever, why Donald Trump may have killed the idea of an independent Palestine, and how Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians — and Israel’s harsh responses — have made the chances of a peace deal seem more remote than ever. On Elsewhere, they use political science and international relations theory to evaluate which Game of Thrones character had the most effective strategy for consolidating their power and influence and which one failed most completely. Producer Peter Leonard chimes in with his first-ever hot takes.