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 81 of the war. Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that before there is peace between Israel and the Palestinians, “Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized," which he also laid out in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Rettig Gur delves into the remarks and posits who was the target audience.
Also yesterday, in his first public message since the massacres of October 7, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar spoke defiantly against Israel the "occupying force" and grossly inflated the terror group’s achievements in the war. What was he really saying -- and why yesterday?
Rettig Gur was among the hundreds who attended the funeral of IDF Master Sgt. (res.) Nitai Meisels, 30, on Monday, a day after he was killed in the Gaza Strip. Born in Baltimore during a family relocation to the US for his father’s postdoctoral fellowship, Meisels was laid to rest in his hometown of Rehovot. We hear about the always-smiling man.
For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Live blog December 26, 2023
PM: For peace, Hamas must be crushed, Gaza demilitarized, Palestinians deradicalized
In first public message since Oct. 7, Sinwar says Hamas won’t surrender
‘You will forever remain 30’: Soldier Nitai Meisels, killed in Gaza, laid to rest
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: Left: Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, Gaza City, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Right: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, December 10, 2023. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 81 - Netanyahu and Sinwar both vow to see other crushed

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 239 of the war with Hamas. In this special deep-dive episode, Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in The Times of Israel's Jerusalem offices.
The ADL was founded over a 100 years ago at a time in which antisemitism was on the rise in the United States. As Greenblatt shares, those days are not over and in the past decade, he's marked a 900% rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States alone.
While headquartered in New York, the organization has dozens of regional offices throughout the US and is now partnering with international organizations and institutions, such as Tel Aviv University in its endeavor to document antisemitic incidents worldwide and in as real-time as possible.
This spring was marked with a new crop of threats against Jewish students as pro-Palestinian encampments sprung up on campuses. We discuss when freedom of expression crosses the line into dehumanization and how, with every new social media platform, there is a rapidly changing buffet of opportunities for hate speech.
Discussed articles include:
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: ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt at the Never is Now conference in New York, March 5, 2024. (courtesy) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 239 - ADL head Greenblatt on 900% rise in US antisemitism

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 238 of the war with Hamas. US correspondent Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Former US president Donald Trump was convicted by a Manhattan Criminal Court jury of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election. And, of course, there’s an alleged Jewish connection. Magid explains.
Israel and Egypt have reportedly reached an agreement in principle to reopen the Rafah Border Crossing in southern Gaza to humanitarian aid for the first time since the Israel Defense Forces took control of the Gazan side of the crossing in early May. But there are still several wrinkles to iron out, says Magid.
National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi reportedly said Thursday that the current government will not agree to end its war against Hamas in exchange for the release of all the remaining hostages held by the terror group. The leaked message was made during a heated meeting during which Hanegbi reportedly rebuked and insulted the relatives of several hostages. With all the leaks, are officials now purposefully stating out loud what they want to get to the press?
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Biden administration’s recent announcement that it won’t support sanctions against the International Criminal Court after its top prosecutor asked the tribunal to issue arrest warrants against the premier and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Magid describes how this lack of sanctions is in line with previous Biden administration decisions.
Fifty percent of Israeli Jews support Israel maintaining control of the Gaza Strip after the war against the Hamas terror group ends, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Thursday. What else did it show?
For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
‘Real verdict’ will be November 5 election, Trump says, blasting ‘Soros-backed DA’
Israel, Egypt said moving toward reopening Rafah Crossing amid US pressure
Blinken: In the absence of Israeli plan for day after, there won’t be a day after
Israel won’t end war for deal to free all hostages, PM’s aide said to tell families
Netanyahu ‘surprised, disappointed’ by US refusal to sanction ICC over warrants
Poll: Half of Jewish Israelis say Israel should run Gaza after the war; 0% say Hamas
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: Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds up a fist as he arrives back at Trump Tower after being convicted in his criminal trial in New York City, on May 30, 2024. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 238 - Will Trump verdict give an antisemitic trope new life?

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 237 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Two soldiers seriously hurt in a car-ramming attack near the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday night have died of their wounds, the military announced. An initial investigation into a ramming attack has found that the incident unfolded in a matter of seconds and that soldiers did not have time to open fire to attempt to stop the attack. Hebrew media reports said the suspect turned himself over to the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, after fleeing into Nablus. Berman was recently in Nablus with the IDF unit in charge of the region. What did he learn?
According to early results from South Africa’s elections yesterday, the African National Congress appears set to lose the parliamentary majority it has held for 30 years. Could Israel see any real change in agenda, for example at the International Court of Justice case alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza?
Brazil has reportedly formally recalled its ambassador to Israel and will not immediately appoint a replacement. Is this move as particularly harmful to Israel?
Yesterday National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in an interview with Kan public radio that “this year, we expect another seven months of combat, in order to deepen our achievement and achieve what we define as the destruction of the military and governing capabilities of both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.” Berman gives an overview of the IDF's recent achievements, including the operational control of the Philadelphi Corridor.
For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Two soldiers killed in car-ramming attack outside West Bank city of Nablus
Israel watches as South Africa’s hostile ANC set to lose support but remain in power
Brazil said to withdraw ambassador from Israel, no plans to appoint new envoy
3 soldiers killed in blast in booby-trapped building in Gaza’s Rafah
IDF takes control of key Gaza-Egypt border road, locating at least 20 tunnels
Top Israeli official says fighting in Gaza likely to last at least another 7 months
Reports: In Rafah strike, IDF used US bombs designed to reduce casualties
Under a rug in Gazan home, IDF troops found shaft leading to bodies of 4 hostages
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 Defense Forces operations in Nablus following October 7, 2023. (IDF Spokesperson) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 237 - ToI reports back from inside Nablus and the Gaza Strip

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 236 of the war with Hamas. Political correspondent Sam Sokol joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Sokol discusses an upcoming meeting on Wednesday of right-wing party leaders Gideon Sa'ar and Avigdor Liberman with opposition leader Yair Lapid, as they look to create a wider, right-wing alliance to oppose the current government, representing a constellation of hawkish parties that believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition is damaging the country.
He also talks about the landslide victory of former Meretz Knesset member and IDF general Yair Golan in Wednesday's Labor party primaries, and Golan's plan to unite all left-wing parties and protest movements into one bloc, aiming to reignite the Israeli left.
Sokol mentions the visit of former American UN envoy Nikki Haley to Israel's southern region on Tuesday, where she asserted that Russian intelligence and Chinese funds directly facilitated the devastating October 7 Hamas attacks.
For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
Sa’ar willing to make ‘concessions’ to create right-wing bloc opposing Netanyahu
Yair Golan wins landslide victory in Labor primary with promise to unite the left
Visiting southern Israel, Nikki Haley blames Iran, Russia and China for October 7
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: Former IDF general and former Meretz MK Yair Golan attended a protest outside of Jerusalem on May 4, 2024 (Photo by Yossi Zamir/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 236 - MKs on right and left seek alliances, oppose PM

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 235 of the war with Hamas. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Berman comments about Israel's operation in Rafah and reactions to Sunday night's strike on two senior Hamas commanders that resulted in a fire that killed Gazans sheltering nearby. He notes that the US response has been muted compared with other countries, because the Israeli operation has been limited, as requested by the Biden administration.
He also looks at a shooting incident between Egyptian forces and Israel, in which an Egyptian soldier was killed. With Egypt positioning itself as a mediator in hostage talks, it is continuing to engage with Israel and appears to be more interested in brushing this incident aside.
Berman talks about the push to restart hostage talks and the leaked comments made by leading IDF hostage negotiator, Major General Nitzan Alon, who remarked that the current government will never sign on a deal. That said, Berman says it isn't clear if talks would take place in Egypt or Qatar, and who is Israel's preferred mediator right now.
Berman also speaks about Spain, Ireland and Norway planning to formally recognize Palestine as a state, which he believes is "a shameful move" that strengthens Hamas, offering them another small political victory by way of liberal Western states.
For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
US laments ‘devastating’ Rafah strike, urges Israel to better protect civilians
Shrapnel from Israeli strike may have ignited fuel tank near Rafah tents — report
‘No longer justifiable’: Israel faces international condemnation for strike in Rafah
Egyptian soldier killed in clash with Israeli troops at Rafah Crossing
Netanyahu denies claim he’s blocking hostage deal, calls Rafah strike ‘tragic mishap’
IDF negotiator said to pan PM’s handling of hostage talks as they’re set to resume
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: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at debate in the Knesset on May 27, 2024 (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day 81 - Netanyahu and Sinwar both vow to see other crushed

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