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.

Today’s panel includes diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur.

Berman fills us in on expectations for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's upcoming 48-hour trip to the US, his first time meeting with US President Joe Biden.

The two leaders differ ideologically, and Berman, part of the press corps in attendance, wonders about their chemistry and chances of finding common ground.

Rettig Gur is working this week on a piece about Israel’s firefighting policies in the wake of the destructive forest fire last week in the Jerusalem hills. His research so far shows that Israel needs more than additional firefighters or planes, and must consider bigger picture forestry policies.

Berman closes today's podcast with a look at Foreign Ministry Yair Lapid's visitors this week, the Greek and Cypriot foreign ministers. The visit is part of Lapid's efforts to push toward a broad alliance of Gulf countries and those in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

Discussed articles include:

Bennett and Biden meeting in Washington set for August 26

‘We said it’s all over’: Hospital staff describe recall rescue as flames neared

Lapid hosts Greek, Cypriot FMs, hails regional alliance

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IMAGE: Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett holds a presss conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on August 18, 2021 (Courtesy Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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