Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Palestinian Affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman and Hebrew sister site Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at his home in Rosh Ha’ayin on Tuesday night. It marked the first time the Palestinian leader held talks with a senior Israeli official in Israel since 2010.

Boxerman delves into what was the impetus behind the surprise meeting while Goren discusses its Israeli political blowback. We also hear how the Palestinian Authority views the event, within the context of Abbas's approval ratings.

Next, we discuss the Hebrew word of the year -- tirlul or "lunacy." Thousands of Israelis voted on 10 offerings from the Academy of the Hebrew Language in honor of the annual Hebrew Day last week. What else almost made the cut?

Discussed articles include:

Gantz hosts Abbas at his home, in PA leader’s first meeting in Israel in a decade

Gantz’s right-wing coalition partners assail him for hosting PA chief Abbas

Gantz announces series of gestures to Palestinians after meeting Abbas 

Academy of the Hebrew Language picks ‘lunacy’ as its word of 2021

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE -- From top: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Bottom: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool, File)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.