Friday Focus: A landmark Israel–Lebanon ceasefire and the erosion of party loyalty in Canada

The historic Israel-Lebanon ceasefire announced this week is the result of a direct conversation between the President of Lebanon and the Prime Minister of Israel. And yet, this deal was brokered by the U.S. against the wishes of Bibi Netanyahu as it has impeded Israel's ability to push Hezbollah back from its border. Coupled with the halting of the Iran war - and being excluded from that negotiating table - the events of the past few weeks have resulted in a political and strategic defeat for Israel. What effect will this have on Netanyahu's standing ahead of the next election in Israel? And are these unfavourable outcomes the result of growing daylight between Washington and Jerusalem? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to Canadian domestic politics and the Liberals securing a majority rule via floor crossings and by-elections. Why are we seeing an unprecedented exodus of MPs to the Liberals? Is there something more going on behind the scenes? And how will this growing collapse of party loyalty and the bonds of party affiliation weaken our democracy? Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to to sign up.

You can listen to Friday Focus: A landmark Israel–Lebanon ceasefire and the erosion of party loyalty in Canada online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Friday Focus: A landmark Israel–Lebanon ceasefire and the erosion of party loyalty in Canada is an episode from The Munk Debates Podcast by iHeartRadio Podcasts.

This episode is 16:22 long.

This episode was published on Apr 17, 2026.

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