On this special edition of the Munk Debates podcast we are sharing the opening statements from the Munk Debate on anti-Zionism, which took place on June 17th in front of a sold out crowd of 3,000 people at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall.

The debate resolution was: Be it resolved, anti-Zionism is antisemitism

Arguing for the motion was award winning journalist, best-selling author, and former Munk Debater Douglas Murray. His debate partner was Natasha Hausdorff. She’s an attorney, international law expert, and legal director for the UK Lawyer for Israel Charitable Trust.

Opposing the resolution was Mehdi Hasan. Mehdi is a best-selling author, former MSNBC anchor, and the CEO and editor-in-chief of the new media company Zeteo. He was joined on stage by the award winning Israeli journalist and Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy.

As with all our live Munk Debates, the audience voted on this resolution prior to hearing the debate. Initially, 61% of attendees were in favour of the debate motion, and 39% were opposed.

We did another poll after the debate to find out how many people had changed their minds once they listened to arguments from both sides.

The full 90 minute debate is available exclusively to Munk Donors. Find out how to become a Munk Donor here.

The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths

Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/

To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.

To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership

Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/

Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Producer: Daniel Kitts

Editor: Kieran Lynch

One could be forgiven for thinking reality, these days, is stranger than fiction.

Fears of civil war in the United States if Donald Trump doesn’t get his way in the presidential election; a major armed conflict in Europe for the first time since the 1940s; and talk that the Russians were actually thinking of launching a nuclear missile into space to destroy all of the world’s satellites. All of it sounds like it was lifted off the pages of a Hollywood script.

One can therefore forgive veteran Washington Post journalist David Ignatius for turning to fiction to try and help us understand our current reality. Having covered international affairs and the CIA for decades, Ignatius has written a new novel called Phantom Orbit. The book is a work of imagination that aims to educate readers about a very real possibility: warfare in outer space.

Ignatius also shares his views on how the Biden Administration is handling the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths.

Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/

To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.

To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership

Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/

Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Senior Producer: Daniel Kitts

Editor: Kieran Lynch

On June 17th four debaters will take to the stage at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall for a sold out debate on Anti-Zionism.

The motion up for debate: Be it Resolved, anti-Zionism is antisemitism

On this special Munk Dialogue, we speak with each of the debaters to get a sense of their arguments heading into the debate, and what it is about this particular topic that made them want to participate.

Arguing for the resolution is award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and former Munk Debater Douglas Murray. His debate partner is Natasha Hausdorff, an international law expert and legal commentator on antisemitism.

Opposing the resolution is Mehdi Hasan. Mehdi is a best-selling author, former MSNBC anchor, and the CEO and editor-in-chief of the new media company Zeteo. He will be joined by the award-winning Israeli broadcaster and Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy.

The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths

Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/

To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.

To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership

Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, and ticketing privileges at our live events.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/

Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Senior Producer: Daniel Kitts

Editor: Kieran Lynch