The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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.

Our crack team of legal and political experts, Tal Schneider, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Jeremy Sharon, join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's special extended episode.

Yesterday, much of Israel tuned in to the 13-hour unprecedented High Court hearing on the constitutionality of the coalition’s reasonableness-limitation amendment of a Basic Law. In the marathon session, we heard from a variety of petitioners against the amendment, but also the government itself.

The Declaration of Independence also had a starring role as the government's private litigator, Ilan Bombach, called it a "hastily written document." Is that really the case?

There were several aspects of yesterday’s hearing that made it one for the history books. Today we dedicate the entire, double episode to analyzing the key issues and pointing out important statements.

Discussed articles include:

Overhaul hearing sees court, gov’t in bitter fight for quasi-constitutional primacy

Government lawyer spurns Declaration of Independence at fateful High Court hearing

At historic 13-hour hearing, judges challenge assertion they can’t reject Basic Laws

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IMAGE: Protesters outside the the hearing of the government's 'reasonableness-limitation amendment,' at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on September 12, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/FLASH90)

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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.

ToI founding editor David Horovitz and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Horovitz discusses the start of the tense judicial overhaul hearings for petitions against the reasonableness law, a process that could take weeks or months, as justices play devil's advocate in the fateful process.

There is a hard deadline, comments Horovitz, given the upcoming 70th birthday of High Court president Esther Hayut in October, when she must retire, with a three-month window -- through January -- in which she can weigh in on active cases.

Berman talks about the somewhat surprising statement made by National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy (ICT) conference at Reichman University in Herzliya, when he said that regular contact with the Palestinians has been very good since he came into office, and that this government is open to significant concessions.

He also discusses a disagreement taking place between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli press corps traveling with him to the US Sunday night, as the prime minister told the press that they will have to find their own way back to Israel hours before the Yom Kippur holiday.

Discussed articles include:

Israel on edge as Supreme Court convenes for historic, crucial overhaul hearing

Hanegbi says Israel, PA having ‘open’ talks, sees change in Palestinians’ approach

Told to find own way home, journalists threaten to boycott Netanyahu’s US trip

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IMAGE: 15 Supreme Court justices at the first judicial overhaul hearing in Jerusalem, September 12, 2023 (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

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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.

Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and Palestinian affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

Tomorrow, petitions against the coalition’s first piece of legislation limiting the power of the judiciary will be heard by the High Court. Sharon briefs us on what we should know about the so-called reasonableness limitation law that was passed in July.

During the Fatah party’s Revolutionary Council on August 26, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas repeated a number of antisemitic canards he has made over the years. What did he say and why?

Director of the Israel Courts Administration Judge Michael Spitzer said recently that Israel has nearly three times fewer judges per capita than the average in the European Union, although it has more than four times as many lawyers. Sharon explores the current situation that will only be aggravated as long as the Judicial Selection Committee doesn't meet.

Sondos Alhoot is one of the few Arab Israelis to have taken the stage at the weekly protests in Tel Aviv against the government’s judicial overhaul. We hear about her and her motivations for joining the protest movement.

Discussed articles include:

Judiciary vs executive: Israel’s branches of government set for unprecedented clash

Abbas spokesman claims PA chief was quoting academics when he used antisemitic tropes

Abbas: Ashkenazi Jews ‘are not Semites,’ Hitler killed them for their ‘social role’

Case burden on courts ‘unparalleled’ worldwide, says Courts Administration director

The woman who teaches Jewish Israelis how to protest in Arabic

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Image: Demonstrators carry a massive Declaration of Independence during a rally in Tel Aviv to protest the Israeli government's planned overhaul of the judicial system, on February 18, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

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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.

Tech Israel editor Sharon Wrobel and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

A 6.8 magnitude quake on Friday devastated areas across the Morocco, killing over 2,000 and leaving thousands more wounded. It is the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years. What is Israel currently doing -- or planning on doing -- to help the victims?

The shekel depreciated more than 1% on Thursday to around 3.85 against the US dollar, trading around the weakest since March 2020. How much does the judicial overhaul crisis factor into this?

On Monday, the Bank of Israel left the benchmark interest rate steady at 4.75 percent for a second month in a row. While the interest rate is steady, there are rumors that the governor of the bank, Amir Yaron, will be jumping ship. Wrobel weighs in.

Israeli soldiers entered the Arab Israeli city of Kafr Qasim and clashed with locals, lightly injuring five, while chasing after two Palestinian suspects who infiltrated through the West Bank security barrier. Why is this against IDF regulations?

This morning, goods were again allowed to be exported from the Gaza Strip after a week’s suspension. What caused this week's suspension?

Discussed articles include:

Death toll from Morocco quake crosses 2,000, as authorities fear it’ll keep climbing

Fears of constitutional crisis drive shekel to three-year low

Bank of Israel keeps interest rates unchanged, says cycle of jumps may not be over

IDF soldiers enter Arab Israeli city against regulations, clash with locals; 5 hurt

Israel to end suspension of Gaza exports on Sunday

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IMAGE: The new 100 Israeli Shekel bill, December 31, 2017. (Nati Shohat/Flash90) 

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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.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and news editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Masses of right-wing supporters of the current government’s judicial overhaul are set to rally in Jerusalem tonight in a “Liberty Demonstration” to urge the top court not to intervene following a speech last night by Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana last night in which he suggested, among other things, that the coalition may not accept a potential High Court of Justice ruling next week to nullify the so-called reasonableness law. Who was Ohana really speaking to?

Calls for compromise on the judicial overhaul are coming from all sides of the issue. How sincere are they?

A tragic 1974 attack took the lives of 18 in Kiryat Shmona. Hear how the new film “A Haunted House” seeks to restore the incident in public memory and explore why it ended up forgotten.

Discussed articles include:

Knesset speaker signals coalition won’t accept High Court voiding of Basic Laws

Masses expected at Jerusalem pro-overhaul rally ahead of constitutional face-off

Netanyahu is begging for an overhaul lifeline. Nobody wants to give him a way out

Herzog: Dialogue the only solution to ‘constitutional crisis’ public wishes to end

Almost 50 years after forgotten Kiryat Shmona massacre, a new film seeks to remind us

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IMAGE: Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana holds a press conference at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, September 6, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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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.

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and legal affairs reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Anne Gordon for today's podcast.

The tussle between Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Justice Minister Yariv Levin over the fact that Levin has not convened the Judicial Selection Committee is ongoing. Levin has his reasons for not wanting to convene it, and Baharav-Miara has her reasons for insisting he do so. How is the average Israeli citizen affected by this, and what implications does it have for the judicial system? Sharon unpacks it all for us.

Just back from a trip to Bahrain with Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Berman explains what happened there, and why this trip took place now. He also sheds light on an op-ed by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman urging US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salman not to support Israeli-Saudi normalization.

Discussed articles include:

AG: Levin ‘obligated’ to convene judicial selection panel, fill open judgeships

FM Cohen to Bahraini crown prince: We expect normalization with more Arab states

Tom Friedman to Biden: Don’t be Netanyahu’s ‘useful idiot’ with Saudi normalization

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IMAGE: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, welcomes US President Joe Biden to Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. (Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP, File)

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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.

Knesset correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn and Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Keller-Lynn offers update on latest headlines of judicial overhaul, as President Isaac Herzog urged a compromise while lawmakers from both sides were denying any chances for a compromise agreement.

Keller-Lynn also reports on trip to Cyprus, accompanying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who spent two days there for talks with his Cypriot and Greek counterparts about regional relations, pipeline plans and gas fields.

Pacchiani talks about his interviews with various Libyan Jews, following Israel's first-ever diplomatic meeting with Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush that sparked a diplomatic scuffle and her suspension.

He interviewed Libyan Jew Raphael Luzon who lives in London and has played a significant role in some of Israel's diplomatic relations with Libya. Pacchiani also spoke with Libyan-born Israelis about their memories, experiences and thoughts about Israel broaching diplomatic ties with their homeland.

Steinberg mentions the newest exhibit at the Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art, which has finally reopened following its sudden closure in January 2022 due to the mayor's discomfort with a politically sensitive piece of art. The new exhibit offers a broad look at the history of Israeli art through selected works from the collection of the Phoenix Holdings insurance company.

Discussed articles include:

Coalition, opposition come together to reject reported bargain on judicial overhaul

Netanyahu discusses energy ties with Cypriot and Greek leaders

PM: Decision on route for exporting natural gas to Europe expected in ‘3-6 months’

Peace with Libya is doubtful, but contact, aided by local Jews, started years ago

Recalling ‘cruelty’ of former homeland, some Libyan Jews cast wary eye on contacts

New exhibit opens at Ramat Gan museum, spanning century of Israeli art

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IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at joint statement with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on September 3, 2023 in Cyprus (Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO)

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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.

Political correspondent Tal Schneider and religion reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Yesterday, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called on the High Court of Justice to strike down a government law limiting judicial review. Also yesterday, the attorney general approved a request by Justice Minister Yariv Levin that he be allowed to use independent legal counsel to represent his position in an upcoming High Court of Justice hearing over his decision not to convene the Judicial Selection Committee. Schneider weighs in on both.

Lidor spent much of yesterday in south Tel Aviv following the violent riots there on Saturday among supporters and opponents to Eritrea’s 30-year dictatorial regime. What did he see?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Cyprus and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is set to travel to Bahrain this week. Schneider explains the significance of the trips and what they expect to accomplish.

According to a new report by Itim, a nonprofit aiming to help Jews and people converting to Judaism navigate Israel’s religious bureaucracy, of 320 public mikvehs surveyed, only 188 said they would let women immerse without supervision, despite a 2016 Supreme Court ruling affirming the right to privacy at mikvehs. What is going on behind the (shower) curtain?

Discussed articles include:

Attorney general asks court to strike down law curtailing oversight of government

AG approves Levin’s request for independent counsel in judicial selection panel case

Levin says working with AG ‘almost impossible’ but can’t fire her just yet

In Tel Aviv’s tense south, business owners guard stores damaged in Eritrean riots

Netanyahu discusses energy ties with Cypriot and Greek leaders

After 9 months without high-level visits, FM Cohen heads to Bahrain

Public mikvehs routinely violate women’s right to immerse alone, study finds

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IMAGE: Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara at her inauguration ceremony in Jerusalem on February 8, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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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.

Editor David Horovitz and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Yesterday, violent clashes broke out in southern Tel Aviv between Eritrean migrants supporting and opposing the 30-year dictatorial regime. The clashes saw over 150 injured, including some 15 in serious condition. Around 30 policemen were hurt. Although the protest was scheduled, there are allegations the police were unprepared for the level of violence. Fabian weighs in.

Many in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition have released statements since the Eritrean riots. But, as Horovitz explains, in 2018 the prime minister killed a deal with the United Nations that may have prevented them.

On Friday, hundreds of Palestinians rioted in the Gaza Strip on the border with Israel, hurling explosive devices and attempting to break through the security barrier. What prompted them?

An off-duty Israeli soldier was killed and six other people were wounded on Thursday morning in a truck-ramming terror attack at a West Bank checkpoint near the central city of Modiin. Fabian describes the chilling chain of events.

The third anniversary of the Abraham Accords is coming up on September 15. Horovitz shares thoughts from his recent Editor’s Note devoted to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's meeting with the former Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu says government will look into deporting migrants who rioted in Tel Aviv

Officer said hospitalized with serious head injury after migrant clashes in Tel Aviv

Hundreds of Palestinians riot on Gaza border; 9 said wounded by IDF fire

Soldier killed, six injured in truck-ramming terror attack near Modiin

How Netanyahu and his rookie FM turned a breakthrough with Libya into a debacle

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IMAGE: Eritrean protesters clash with Israeli riot police in Tel Aviv, September 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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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.

Legal affairs correspondent Jeremy Sharon and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Sharon explains the background behind Justice Minister Yariv Levin's angry letter send to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing her of a lack of cooperation with him, possibly paving the way to firing the AG.

Rettig Gur talks about the reasons behind Levin's letter, why the justice minister is right to be angry, and what that could mean for the coalition and the attorney general's office.

Sharon then looks at Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron, a junior justice who unusually submitted his own candidacy for the presidency of the high court, bypassing the usual system.

He and Rettig Gur discuss Elron's reasons for making that move, as Elron is the first and only Mizrachi justice on the bench and how that could forward some of the changes Levin has been looking to make in the Supreme Court.

Discussed articles include:

Justice Elron panned for challenging seniority system for Supreme Court president

‘Unacceptable, unprecedented’: Levin slams AG for not representing government in court

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IMAGE: Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara and Justice Minister Yariv Levin during the weekly government conference, held at the Western Wall tunnels on May 21, 2023. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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