Day 157 - And the Oscar goes to... the Hamas propaganda machine

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Today is day 157 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

At the Oscars last night, the acceptance speech from Jonathan Glazer -- writer-director of the Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” -- was used to comment on the Israel-Hamas war. Glazer appears to equate the massacre perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 with the ongoing war in Gaza. Berman weighs in on how prevalent this thinking may be in the wider population.

Berman attempts to make sense of conflicting reports over the status of negotiations to secure a hostage release deal.

At the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv on Thursday, Berman had a long in-depth sit-down conversation with retired US Gen. David Petraeus who commanded US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan among other high-level assignments during a 37-year military career. We hear what Petraeus has to say about IDF tactics in Gaza.

In a session at the INSS conference, former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman said the organization had pushed for a surprise attack on Hamas’s top leadership for years before the devastating October 7 terror onslaught, but Israel’s political leadership repeatedly shot the idea down. We hear more about the politicized atmosphere at the conference.

For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Live blog March 11, 2024

‘Oppenheimer’ wins big at Academy Awards where Gaza, Ukraine wars cast shadow

‘He’s wrong’: PM bluntly rejects Biden critique, says most Israelis back his policies

Former Shin Bet chief: Government repeatedly rejected plans to kill Hamas’s Sinwar

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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IMAGE: James Wilson, from left, Leonard Blavatnik, and Jonathan Glazer accept the award for 'The Zone of Interest' for best international feature film during the Oscars, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, March 10, 2024. (Chris Pizzello/AP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.