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 guests are diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and science and health writer Nathan Jeffay, with Jessica Steinberg hosting.

Jeffay fills us in on the current debate regarding the third COVID-19 booster shot that is only being recommended in the US by the FDA for people 65 and older, while Israel is already well into its campaign to administer the third shot to the general population.

Berman discusses the Zoom event hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to mark the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in which leaders of all five countries spoke about their hopes moving forward with the accords.

He also gives us a look at Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s upcoming trip to the UN General Assembly at the end of the week, and the sideline conversations that can happen at that annual meeting.

Jeffay closes the podcast with a description of an antibacterial weapon created in a Tel Aviv University lab that arms good germs to kill bad germs.

Discussed articles include:

Bennett defends booster shots, says US to soon follow Israel with widespread use

After FDA panel limits US boosters, minister says Israel proves 3rd dose works

Israel said worried FDA limit on booster shots will hamper its 3rd shot campaign

Blinken pledges US backing to expand Abraham Accords between Israel, Arab states

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PHOTO: A healthcare worker fills a syringe with Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a community vaccination event in Los Angeles, California, August 11, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP)

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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.

Today's guests are US correspondent Jacob Magid and culture editor Jessica Steinberg, with Raoul Wootliff hosting.

On today's show, we look at the Abraham Accords a year on as officials from Israel, the US, UAE, Bahrain and Morocco mark the anniversary of their signing.

What were the various messages that came out of the anniversary ceremonies and what can be gleaned from them about the future of the Accords?

And, ahead of Yom Kippur and Succot, we look at various cultural events on offer in Israel over the next few weeks and hear about a new collection of photos from the Yom Kippur War that has been added to the National Library's archives.

Discussed articles include:

‘We’ve only just begun’: Abraham Accords partners mark one year since signing

Kushner warns against neglecting Abraham Accords at one-year anniversary event

Blinken to honor Abraham Accords with Israel, UAE, Bahrain and Morocco ministers

‘A great honor’: Bahrain’s first-ever envoy to Israel presents credentials

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PHOTO: US President Donald Trump, center, with from left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, during the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on September 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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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.

Today's guests are diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur, with Jessica Steinberg hosting.

Berman leads the podcast with a conversation about Monday's meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the first between the two countries’ leaders in a decade, and one that could offer signals about their intentions.

Rettig Gur filled us in on a piece he's writing about Knesset committees and the 2021 budget -- the wrangling, politicking and negotiations that plague Bennett's weak coalition -- with plenty of political drama.

Discussed articles include:

Bennett, after meeting Egypt’s Sissi: ‘We laid the foundation for deep ties’

Exuding warmth, Egypt’s Sissi hosts PM for talks, in first such visit in decade

EgyptAir to launch direct Tel Aviv-Cairo flights next month

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PHOTO: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (L) and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi meet on September 13, 2021, in Sharm el-Sheikh. (Kobi Gideon/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.

Today's guests are military writer Judah Ari Gross and political reporter Tal Schneider, with host Jessica Steinberg.

Gross fills us in on the recent uptick in Gazan violence, and examines what that really means in terms of Hamas control over the Gaza Strip, a situation that recent Israeli governments have allowed, rather than risk escalating the situation.

Schneider discusses how she came about her latest feature regarding a secret 2017 mission by Israeli engineers and an American Jewish lawyer to steal into Iraq in order to rehabilitate the tomb of the prophet Nachum. That feature will be in the Times of Israel on Wednesday, after first appearing on Zman Yisrael in Hebrew.

Gross and Schneider close the podcast with a conversation about recent statements on the part of Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid regarding Iran, Israel and the US.

Discussed articles include:

Israeli jets strike Gaza after 2nd rocket attack in 24 hours

Terrorists fire one rocket from Gaza, then another as IDF strikes Hamas targets

Gantz reveals Iranian drone base, says it is used to train terror groups

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PHOTO: Palestinians protest near the border with Israel, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on September 2, 2021. (Abed Rahim Khatib/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.

Today's guests are founding editor David Horovitz and science and health reporter Nathan Jeffay with Jessica Steinberg hosting.

Horovitz fills us in on the events of the last six days, as four of the six Palestinian security prisoners were captured over the weekend, after having escaped last Monday from a high-security jail in northern Israel. Two of the fugitives are still at large, and an overhaul of the prison system is also in question.

Jeffay updates us about a possible, significant drop in COVID-19 numbers, looking at the effects of the third vaccination shot, the start of the school year and the return of religious pilgrims from Uman, the Ukranian town where thousands travel to over Rosh Hashanah.

We also talk about Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's call for the international community to act immediately against Iran, after the report that it has dramatically increased its production of highly enriched uranium in recent months and is not allowing full inspection of its activities.

Finally, we end on a more positive note, with Jeffay's update about his interview with a Moslem British doctor who traveled to Israel to help Israeli doctors successfully separate twins conjoined at the head.

Discussed articles include:

Exhausted, out of food: How 4 fugitives were caught, with help of Arab Israelis

As manhunt continues, minister concerned fugitives could stage attack

COVID spread appears to ebb, fueling optimism for end of Delta blitz

Bennett calls for ‘rapid international action’ against Iran’s enrichment surge

‘Unbelievable joy’: In Israeli 1st, doctors separate heads of conjoined twins

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IMAGE: In this photo provided by Israel Police, Zakaria Zubeidi, left, and Mohammed el-Aride, two of six Palestinian security Prisoners who broke out of Gilboa Prison, are blindfolded and handcuffed after being recaptured in the Arab town of Umm al-Ghanam, northern Israel, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (Israeli Police via AP)

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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.

Today's guests are founding editor David Horovitz and Startup Israel editor Ricky Ben-David, with Jessica Steinberg hosting.

Horovitz opens today's podcast with a description of the surprising jailbreak at Gilboa Prison, in which six high-profile Palestinian prisoners escaped Monday through a tunnel they dug, exposing clear weaknesses in the Israeli prison system and putting a major terrorist leader back on the streets.

Ben-David explains the potentially dramatic banking reforms that will pave the way for more competitive rates and new financial services for customers, part of the Economic Arrangements Bill of the state budget that passed its first reading last week.

Horovitz also spoke briefly about the UN report showing that Iran has dramatically increased its production of highly enriched uranium in recent months, while refusing to resume full cooperation with inspectors, and how Israel and the US differ in their response to that news.

Finally, Ben-David discussed Mobileye's pilot for autonomous taxis and ride-hailing services in Munich and Tel Aviv next year, a major change for traffic possibilities.

Discussed articles include:

High-profile jailbreak exposes holes in prison security, sparks copycat fears

Israel’s fintech community readies for ‘dramatic’ changes in banking sector

UN watchdog: Iran has quadrupled its stocks of 60%-enriched uranium since May

IDF chief says Israel accelerating Iran strike plans, acting throughout Mideast

Mobileye to launch pilot scheme for autonomous taxis in Tel Aviv, Munich in 2022

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IMAGE: Palestinians attends a rally in solidarity to the escape of the six Palestinian prisoners from the Israeli prison of Gilboa on September 8, 2021 in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/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.

Today's guests are health and science correspondent Nathan Jeffay and breaking news editor Amy Spiro, with Raoul Wootliff hosting.

On today's show, we look at the preparations for the first Jewish festival in Israel without restrictions on family gatherings since before the pandemic began early last year.

On Rosh Hashanna eve, we take a look back at the year that was 5781 and ask how Israel and its citizens have coped with the virus over the past 12 months.

A day after the Paralympics -- held this year in the shadow of the virus -- ended, we review the past two weeks of Israeli sporting achievements in Tokyo.

And finally, doctors in Israel have separated conjoined twins — and say that after the tense 12-hour operation, both babies are likely to live completely normal lives. We'll look at the seeming miracle operation that took place days ago.

Discussed articles include:

Health minister optimistic as daily COVID infections fall below 10,000

As Israel makes loose lockdown tighter, its decisions risk alienating the people

Decision-making on COVID was ‘defective’ under Netanyahu, ombudsman charges

Israel celebrates trove of 9 Paralympic medals as Tokyo Games wrap up

‘Unbelievable joy’: In Israeli 1st, doctors separate heads of conjoined twins

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PHOTO: A person rides a bicycle on an empty street as the sun sets on the first day of a three-week lockdown in Tel Aviv, September 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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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.

Today's guests are senior analyst Haviv Rettig-Gur and Arab affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman, with Jessica Steinberg hosting.

Boxerman leads today's podcast with a look back at the various talks taking place between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Jordanian monarch Abdullah II in Cairo, as well as President Isaac Herzog's secret meeting last week in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II.

The two reporters discussed the regional dimension of the meetings, and whether they herald anything new for the region, a very faint possibility. Finally, Boxerman and Rettig-Gur take a look at why Defense Minister Gantz has been so defensive of his recent meeting with Abbas in Ramallah, and why Bennett seemed to be critical of that conversation. 

Discussed articles include:

PA’s Abbas meets Egypt’s Sissi, Jordan’s Abdullah in rare trilateral summit

Herzog secretly visited Jordan for meeting with king

Gantz defends his meeting with Abbas, says it had Bennett’s backing

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IMAGE: Jordanian King Abdullah II, right, as Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein, second right, looks on, speaks to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Tuesday, July 20, 2021 at the State Department in Washington. (Nicholas Kamm /Pool via AP)

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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.

Today's guests are Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz and senior analyst Haviv Rettig-Gur, with Jessica Steinberg as host.

Horovitz and Rettig-Gur begin with a discussion of this morning's headline and the challenge of Israel’s fledgling government attempting to pass the state budget in a first reading in the Knesset. It’s been three years since Israel has had an approved budget and a failure to succeed could bring down the coalition.

Rettig-Gur reviews some of the many remaining contentious budget issues, including reforms for the agricultural industry, small businesses and retirement age for women and what that could portend as a tax issue.

Horovitz weighs in on the start of the school year and the calculated risk taken by the government in its push to open school on time, despite the many issues regarding the coronavirus, testing and vaccinations.

Horovitz and Rettig-Gur also discussed Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and a remark he madeWednesday about the poor execution of the US pullout from Afghanistan, a comment more akin to his former role as a columnist than as a politician.

Discussed articles include:

In major challenge for coalition, Knesset to vote on 1st reading of state budget

Amid COVID and other challenges, hoping for a year of energy, humility, health

Right move, wrong way: Lapid pans US pullout from Afghanistan

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IMAGE: Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman presents the the state budget at the assembly hall in the Israeli parliament, September 2, 2021 (Courtesy Olivier Fitoussi/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.

Today's guests are Zman Yisrael editor-in-chief Biranit Goren and military correspondent Judah Ari Gross with Jessica Steinberg hosting.

September 1 brings the first day of school in Israel, with questions about vaccinated students, rapid testing and Green Passes.

Despite tales of some parents and teachers rebelling against the current system, Goren takes a more positive spin on the bumpy beginning, looking at the 80% vaccination rate among older students, and the chance for teachers to finally look at their students, face to face.

Gross weighs in on his report about the approved NIS 500 million loan to the Palestinian Authority, which was agreed upon during last week's talks between Defense Minister Benny Gantz and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Finally, Gross and Goren discuss the deeper meaning of the slight thaw in Israel-Palestinian relations, agreeing that it could be due to the current government and the play between left and right under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Discussed articles include:

Israel hands every child a DIY virus test, in bold bid for safe school restart<

Full text: The Education Ministry’s rules for opening schools

Israel agrees to send NIS 500 million to PA, bypassing terror stipend freeze

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IMAGE: Young Israeli students on their first day back at school, at Gabrieli school, in Tel Aviv. September 01, 2021 (Courtesy Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

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