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 96 of the war. Political writer Tal Schneider and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Jessica Steinberg.
Berman talks about the latest visit to the region by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, seen as part of ongoing US support for the war, as well as US pressure on Israel to formulate a day-after plan for Gaza.
He also looks at US views toward Lebanon and the joint desire from Israel and US to find a diplomatic solution for that volatile border region.
Schneider discusses how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been postponing the cabinet discussions about the day-after plans for the Gaza Strip, as he vacillates between his own political considerations and the strategic issues at play.
For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Live blog January 10, 2024
In Israel, Blinken says peace with neighbors hinges on path to Palestinian state
Stop harming Gaza civilians, Blinken tells Netanyahu as fighting rages in Khan Younis
Blinken meets Israel’s war leadership as US concerns grow
PM on Lebanon border: We’ll restore security, preferably without a widespread campaign
Gallant’s post-war Gaza plan: Palestinians to run civil affairs with global task force
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: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his way to meeting with President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on January 9, 2024. (Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 96 - Blinken's back, but does Netanyahu agree with him?

Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what&rsquo;s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.

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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.
It is day 251 of the war with Hamas. ToI senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's special episode of What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring one key issue currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World.
This week, host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaks with senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur.
On Tuesday, the United Nations published an annual report on children in armed conflict, which for the first time added the Israeli military, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to its list of worst offenders. The decision to add the IDF to what has become known as “the list of shame” was due to what the report said was its killing and maiming of children and attacking schools and hospitals. Israel asserts that it operates according to international law, taking steps to avoid civilian casualties.
And on Wednesday, a UN inquiry alleged both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, saying Israel’s actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses, and that they included acts of “extermination.”
This week, we discuss the use of international bodies to delegitimize Israel and how international law -- developed in part by Jews -- no longer protects the little guys.
Discussed articles include:
UN reports accuse Israel of ‘extermination,’ crimes against humanity; Hamas of war crimes
UN publishes report with IDF, Hamas, PIJ added to ‘list of shame’ for first time
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
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 
IMAGE: Israel's legal team waits to hear the arguments of South Africa's legal team as part of South Africa case against Israel over Rafah offensive at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, on May 16, 2024. (Nick Gammon/AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 253 - UN reports show the weakness of international law

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.
It is day 251 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told CNN that nobody in the organization knows how many of the 116 remaining hostages kidnapped on October 7 are still alive. Magid dives into what else he said, including Hamas's stance on the ongoing hostage release negotiations.
US President Joe Biden said Thursday said he doesn’t expect a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza to be reached in the near future, saying Hamas needs to shift its position closer to Israel’s US-backed proposal on the table. Is the US losing patience?
On Thursday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweeted that he signed an order to transfer some NIS 130 million ($35 million) of tax funds Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to victims of terror. The issue of the PA frozen funds apparently came up during Sect. of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. Magid explains potential fallout of a West Bank pushed over the brink.
A poll released Wednesday found rising support for the Hamas terror group among Palestinians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza. Magid delves into the poll, which was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) between May 26 and June 1.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Top Hamas official: Nobody has any clue how many hostages still alive
Biden says Hamas needs ‘to move’ on truce deal, blaming terror group for hold-up
Smotrich says he transferred $35 million in PA funds to terror victims
US official: Netanyahu refusal to release PA tax funds due to pressure from right
Poll: Support for Hamas on the rise among Palestinians, now double Fatah’s
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
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 
IMAGE: Students of Birzeit University in the West Bank chant slogans during a protest in support of Gaza on June 10, 2024. (Zain Jaafar / AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 252 - As US loses patience, Hamas support rises in Gaza

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.
It is day 251 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Yesterday, Hezbollah launched some 215 rockets and several more missiles and drones at northern Israel. The barrages marked the largest attack carried out by Hezbollah during ongoing fighting on the Lebanon border amid the war in the Gaza Strip. This came after the Israel Air Force struck southern Lebanon and killed Hezbollah top commander Taleb Abdullah on Tuesday night. Fabian fills us in.
After the past several days of conflict along the northern border -- due to an escalation from both side -- Berman examines what a war between Israel and Hezbollah would not look like.
The IDF said Wednesday it would recognize a reservist with post-traumatic stress disorder who took his own life as a fallen soldier, and he will receive a military burial as his family had requested. Fabian tells us more about the case of combat engineer Sgt. Maj. (res.) Eliran Mizrahi.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said today while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting of leaders in southern Italy that Israel is standing behind a ceasefire proposal for the eight-month-old war in the Gaza Strip, and the goal is to bridge gaps with Hamas and get to a deal soon. Berman examines Hamas's statements and the ability to carry on negotiations.
A UN Commission of Inquiry alleged on Wednesday that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, saying Israel’s actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses, and that they included acts of “extermination.” What happens next?
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
215 rockets fired at north after IDF killing of ‘most senior’ Hezbollah officer yet
IDF to recognize reservist with PTSD who took own life as a fallen soldier
Blinken pans Hamas response to Israeli offer, says some of its changes ‘not workable’
UN reports accuse Israel of ‘extermination,’ crimes against humanity; Hamas of war crimes
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
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 
IMAGE: The coffin of Taleb Abdallah, known as Abu Taleb, a senior field commander of Hezbollah who was killed in what security forces say was an Israel strike, is carried during his funeral in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 12, 2024. (Anwar Amro / AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 251 - Will Hezbollah's 215 rockets spark full-out war?

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.
It is day 250 of the war with Hamas. Political psychologist Nimrod Nir joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's special episode.
Since mere days after the October 7 Hamas onslaught on southern Israel, in which some 1,200 were killed, mostly civilians, and 250 taken hostage to Gaza, Nir has been consistently taking the temperature of Israelis’ feelings about the ensuing war. Working with a massive pool of some 5,000 people, Nimrod has collected vast amounts of data and published some of it in a War Omnibus.
Nir is a fellow at The Hebrew University’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and also the CEO of Agam Labs, a multi-disciplinary research facility that aims to aid decision-makers in understanding the Israeli psyche.
The findings from the past eight months of war include how people view the zero-sum equation of hostages or war, how conspiracy theories affect public opinion and whether or not the Israeli people will be “together” in victory.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 
IMAGE: Nimrod Nir, a fellow at The Hebrew University’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and the CEO of Agam Labs, a multi-disciplinary research facility. (courtesy) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 250 - A political psychologist takes Israel's temperature

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.
It is day 249 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Schneider discusses latest regarding hostage deal, including Channel 12 release of details regarding permanent ceasefire, countering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing statements about not ending the war. She also speaks about the US proposal for a hostage deal for captives with US citizenship, and what could be discussed regarding that possibility with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Israel Tuesday.
Schneider then looks at discussions in the Knesset on Monday, following Knesset member Benny Gantz's resignation from the coalition and war cabinet, and how that could affect the rest of the Netanyahu coalition.
She speaks about the vote and Knesset approval to revive an ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill that would lower the current age of exemption from service for Haredi yeshiva students from 26 to 21. The only coalition member to vote against the bill was Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a brave political move for him, says Schneider, but unclear how that will affect the bill or coalition going forward.
Steinberg mentions the Shavuot cookbook put together by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, with recipes and stories about hostages from their families and loved ones, as they move forward into another holiday.
For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Israel’s full offer said to provide for ‘permanent’ truce before all hostages return
Blinken discusses hostage proposal, ‘day after’ Gaza war in meeting with Netanyahu
Knesset approves revival of ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill; Gallant votes against
Gantz quits war government, says PM preventing ‘true victory’ over Hamas, urges elections
Hostages’ families share favorite Shavuot recipes as they hold out hope for loved ones
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
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. 
IMAGE: Hostage families wait outside Tel Aviv's Kempinski Hotel on June 11, 2024 to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Credit Yael Gadot) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 96 - Blinken's back, but does Netanyahu agree with him?

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