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 comprises military reporter Judah Ari Gross and Palestinian affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Yesterday it was announced that some 2,000 new building permits would be given to Israeli Jews in the West Bank, along with some 1,000 to Palestinians. Why now? And how is this being received in the Palestinian Authority?

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett inaugurated a new police unit to fight crime in Arab Israeli communities yesterday. Boxerman weighs in on the new initiative and whether it is enough.

A year to the Abraham Accords, we recently reported that a senior Bahraini official openly met with the IDF commander over Iran. What else has changed in defense cooperation over the past year?

While the Delta variant is surging throughout Israel, PM Bennett this week called on Arab Israelis in particular to step up their vaccination efforts. Is this targeting fair?

And finally, the IDF is changing its decades-long conscription procedures. We hear about how big data is influencing in which unites Israeli soldiers will serve.

Discussed articles include:

Israel set to approve new Palestinian and Jewish building in West Bank

With new policing division, Bennett unveils plan to tackle crime among Arabs

Senior Bahraini official openly meets IDF commander who handles Iran

As Delta variant surges, a third of eligible Arab Israelis remain unvaccinated

In recruiting revamp, IDF turns to data science, ends ‘one-dimensional’ scoring

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IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and Chief of Police Kobi Shabtai during an inauguration ceremony marking the opening of a new police station in the Northern Israeli city of Kiryat Ata, August 11, 2021. (Roni Ofer/Flash90)

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