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.

Diaspora correspondents Tal Schneider and Lazar Berman join host Jacob Magid for Wednesday’s podcast.

Schneider and Berman take us through the past 72 hours since Foreign Minister Eli Cohen’s decision to publicize his recent meeting with Libyan counterpart. They discuss why Cohen chose to blow the story open, what other Israeli ministries are saying about the decision, how countries abroad have reacted and why Libya is interested in warming ties with Israel in the first place.

They also explain how Cohen’s conduct may impact efforts by Israel to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and expand the Abraham Accords more broadly.

Later on during the episode, Schneider and Berman talk about Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s awkward trip the United States during which he is barred by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from meeting with Biden officials in Washington since the premier has yet to do himself.

They highlight Opposition chairman Yair Lapid’s plan to head to DC next week and what’s behind his anticipated meetings with US officials.

Discussed articles include:

Foreign minister met Libyan counterpart to discuss joint cooperation, Israel says

Libya suspends FM, announces investigation after her meeting with Israeli counterpart

Libya fires its FM amid furor over her unprecedented meet with Israeli counterpart

FM Cohen blasted for dangerous amateurism after hyping meet with Libyan counterpart

Cohen blames political opponents for firestorm over meet he publicized with Libya FM

Seeking distance from Libya debacle, Netanyahu says he must approve any secret talks

Netanyahu knew in advance of FM’s meeting with Libyan counterpart – reports

Arab diplomats: Israeli publication of Libya talks harms bid to reconvene Negev Forum

Libya’s anti-Israel protests fueled by rage at unelected leaders clinging to power

US said furious with Israel for revealing meeting with Libyan foreign minister

Gallant warns UN chief: Potential for violence growing amid Hezbollah provocations

Gallant meets US officials in NYC after Netanyahu said to bar talks in Washington

Lapid headed to Washington, while Netanyahu still awaits date for Biden meeting

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IMAGE: People burn photos showing Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush in Tripoli, Libya, on August 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad)

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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.

Diaspora affairs correspondent Canaan Lidor and Arab Affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Lidor explains op-ed in Russian newspaper Pravda theorizing that Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky is causing Ukrainians to die in the war with Russia as payback for antisemitic pogroms by his non-Jewish compatriots, with brief look back at Ukrainian history as context for the conspiracy theory.

Pacchiani discusses interview with Arab criminologist who explains several reasons for the rising wave of Arab violence, including gun availability and changing policies of Israeli government toward Arab towns and politics.

Lidor talks about the major women's protest in Bnei Brak that brought thousands of liberal women to the ultra-Orthodox enclave, spurring unexpected discussions between liberal protestors and Haredi women, along with discomfort.

Pacchiani speaks about his interview with Waleed Abu Tayeh, the first Arab mayoral candidate for Jerusalem since 1967, and the politician's belief that younger Arab voters are ready to get involved in the democratic process.

Discussed articles include:

Russian newspaper: Jewish Zelensky sending Ukrainians to die to avenge pogroms

Arab local officials are under threat, criminologist warns as violence skyrockets

At Bnei Brak women’s rights march, angry rhetoric drowns out Haredi-secular dialogue

Fighting community’s boycott of politics, lawyer runs to be Jerusalem’s 1st Arab mayor

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IMAGE: Members of the Arab community holding hundreds of fake coffins as they protest against the violence in their community, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on August 6, 2023 (Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/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.

Political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn and health and science reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Keller-Lynn talks about the structural changes Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is proposing for Israel's media sphere, including those made by previous government, as well as new ones that could increase political influence over the media.

Ghert-Zand looks at the suggestion made by Israeli allergy doctors to bring allergenic foods back to schools, following research showing that children with food allergies are not at risk of a severe or systemic reaction just from smelling or touching a food they are allergic to — and could benefit from the exposure.

She also discusses efforts being made by the Health Ministry to address the rising numbers of smokers and vapers, currently in the planning stages and open to public commentary.

Discussed articles include:

Health Ministry launches new plan to stub out worrisome rise in Israeli smoking

Allergy doctors say it’s time to bring back Bamba as new school year set to start

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IMAGE: Children eating peanut-flavored snack Bamba (Courtesy Osem)

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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.

Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Fabian discusses the warning to Israel by the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau against targeted killings of terror leaders, and whether Hamas was reacting to statements made during an Israeli security cabinet meeting and if Israel would respond to the Hamas veiled threat.

Horovitz deciphers the complicated messaging in National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's comments on television regarding Palestinian freedom of movement, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defense of Ben Gvir.

Horovitz also talks about the steady uptick in violent, mafioso-like Arab deaths, related to Ben Gvir's responsibilities as national security minister, and the lack of a proper police response to the situation.

Fabian speaks about the high court decision to reject an appeal against demolishing the home of a 13-year-old Palestinian who stabbed a Border Police officer to death on a bus at a checkpoint in Jerusalem earlier this year. He explains why it took months to come to a decision, and why the court generally decides in favor of demolitions.

Steinberg mentions latest Adam Sandler movie drop on Netflix, featuring his own wife and daughters and a family bat mitzvah.

Discussed articles include:

Senior Hamas official threatens ‘regional war’ if Israel resumes targeted killings

After Ben Gvir storm, PM says Palestinians get ‘maximum freedom of movement’

‘A minister who hates Arabs will protect Arab children?’: 100k at Tel Aviv protests

High Court rejects appeal against demolishing 13-year-old Palestinian stabber’s home

‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ is an endearing Sandler family affair

Adam Sandler spends 6 weeks at Toronto shul shooting bat mitzvah film

IMAGE: Police guard at the scene where family members were injured after a gunman opened fire in the Arab Town of Kafr Kanna, northern Israel, August 26, 2023. (Photo by 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 political and legal correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn join host Anne Gordon on today's episode.

The relationship between the United States and Israel is precious, and sometimes finicky. Of course Israel is glad to welcome American visiting dignitaries -- but Israel is also often on tenterhooks with concern about whether the big powers-that-be will tell Israel what to do (never mind that Israel won’t necessarily listen). New York City Mayor Eric Adams was recently in Israel for three days, and managed those tensions.

When National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took to the airwaves last night, he expressed his view of Jewish entitlement in Israel, with some divisive, dramatic, and troubling statements. The real question, however, is whether he will yet become a competent minister.

And the next Knesset session is coming fast -- after the Jewish holidays in the fall. With the ultra-Orthodox parties looking to cement yeshiva student draft exemptions into law, the coalition and its protestors are expected to face a contentious, complicated winter session.

Discussed articles include:

‘I listened, I didn’t weigh in’: NYC mayor meets protest leaders, PM, a settler head

NYC mayor says he wants to adopt Israeli drone tech for policing

Ben Gvir says his rights outweigh those of Arabs in West Bank

Ben Gvir: There’s a bigger threat than 150 Arabs killed — it could spill over to Jews

Coalition whip: We’ll pass IDF draft law next, then continue with judicial overhaul

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IMAGE: National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, left, and Coastal Region Police Commander Yoram Sofer present a new proposal to eradicate crime in the Arab community, in Jerusalem on August 17, 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.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid and news editor Amy Spiro join host Anne Gordon on today's episode.

One of the ongoing stories of this year is the ultra-high incidence of Arab homicide. On Tuesday, four people were gunned down in Abu Snan, an Arab town in northern Israel, including a candidate running in the upcoming municipal elections. Should the vote be postponed?

Terror attacks have also been on the rise in recent weeks. A leaked report from a recent cabinet meeting suggests a renewed tough stance against terror may be in the works.

Nearly 45 years after Golda Meir’s death, and some 50 years since she was prime minister, her story, including but not limited to her time in office, is the subject of scrutiny. Deborah Lipstadt has a new book out, "Golda Meir: Israel’s Matriarch," and a new movie simply called “Golda,” starring Helen Mirren, is due to be released tomorrow in Israel and on Friday in the US.

Adam Sandler, who has made a name for himself as a proud Jew in popular culture, stars in a new Netflix movie, also due out this week. The question is whether "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah" will be the crowd-pleaser that cements American Judaism in pop culture.

Discussed articles include:

4 killed, including mayoral candidate, amid spiraling gun violence in Arab community

Director-general of Arab municipality killed, drawing call for Shin Bet intervention

Security cabinet meets as far-right advocates sharp crackdown in West Bank

How should Golda Meir be remembered? Deborah Lipstadt weighs in

In Jerusalem, Helen Mirren says Golda Meir ‘one of the greatest’ roles she’s played

‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ is an endearing Sandler family affair

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IMAGE: Police at the scene where four men were shot dead in the Arab Town of Abu Snan, northern Israel, August 22, 2023. (Shir Torem/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.

Political correspondent Tal Schneider joins host Jacob Magid on Tuesday's episode.

With a second deadly shooting attack in the West Bank in as many days and a 2023 fatality count not seen since the Second Intifada, Schneider explains why the government is having a hard time combating the phenomenon after spending much of last year criticizing the previous unity coalition for being soft on terror.

Last week saw the opening of the Tel Aviv light rail after decades of planning and promises. It's an impressive feat that has already served hundreds of thousands of Israelis, even though many are still bitter about the government's refusal to operate the train system on Shabbat.

Schneider shares how the government has emboldened opponents to protest issues beyond just the judicial overhaul, such as the lack of public transportation on Shabbat, which they may have otherwise continued to begrudgingly accept.

Discussed articles include:

Israeli woman killed, man seriously wounded in terror shooting near Hebron

At scene of deadly West Bank attack, Netanyahu and Gallant blame Iran for terror spike

Far-right ministers blame Gallant for deadly terror wave; one MK urges ‘revenge’

‘We waited a long time for this’: Tel Aviv light rail sets off after years of delays

Hundreds protest at Tel Aviv light rail stations because train won’t run on Shabbat

Ramat Gan to launch Shabbat shuttle service along Tel Aviv light route

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

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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.

Deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and religions and Diaspora affairs reporter Canaan Lidor join host Anne Gordon on today's episode.

Israel’s current government is thought to be its most right-wing government ever, and also the most religious government in Israeli history -- the secular Likud party is working in lockstep cooperation (or so it seems most of the time) with the Haredi parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, as well as the Religious Zionism party and Otzma Yehudit, which is largely religious as well. Why, then, are the ultra-Orthodox parties on the verge of stepping out of this united front?

In Hungary, the country's oldest Orthodox Jewish community may be out of funds to continue. Will Chabad-Lubavitch, historically less welcome in Hungary than elsewhere, step in with the cash to help out?

An enterprising American scientist is encouraging STEM education in Ethiopia, with projects designed based on what the students find lacking in their own society.

That same enterprising scientist is using data-driven farming to help prevent starvation in Uganda. And Uganda's novel Jewish community may be key to improving the economy there with new jobs.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu, Levin said to seek pause to overhaul after Haredi party revolt

How a Boston-based retired physicist is spreading the gospel of science in Africa

Seeding STEM centers in Africa, NGO looks for crop of scientists to cultivate continent

How homegrown data-driven farming may save sub-Saharan Africa’s Jews from starvation

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

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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.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and health reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Anne Gordon on today's episode.

Saturday saw an Israeli father and son gunned down in a fatal terror shooting at a carwash in the hotspot town of Huwara in the northern West Bank. What differentiated this terror attack from others? Moreover, given the predictable grassroots outrage at this attack, what led the IDF to shoot an individual?

After reservists in Israel's Navy and Air Force quit as part of their protest against the government's reforms, the IDF suspended them. But they had already quit, so what did the military accomplish?

A brand-new COVID variant that is dramatically different from previous variants has been detected in Israel and elsewhere. What do we know? And what are the implications of this variant for the new COVID vaccine on the horizon?

Two new treatments should help lung cancer patients -- those suffering from recurrence and those who develop hypoglycemia due to the disease. And new research drills down to the biology of how men and women react to stress differently.

Discussed articles include:

Israeli father and son gunned down and killed in terror shooting at Huwara carwash

IDF soldiers shoot masked settler allegedly hurling stones at Palestinians

Air Force suspends several senior reservists as overhaul protests roil military

New ‘very different’ COVID-19 variant detected in Israel, Denmark and US

Israeli study may open door to preventing relapse of certain types of lung cancer

Doctors use breast cancer drug to treat life-threatening hypoglycemia in lung cancer patient

Study shows how brain cells of males and females respond differently to stress

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Note: Israeli security forces secure the scene of a shooting attack in Huwara, in the West Bank, August 19, 2023. (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 environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

A full front-page ad taken out in many if not most Israeli newspapers this morning with an image of IDF chief Herzi Halevi and the famous David Ben-Gurion quote, "Every Israeli mother will know that she’s entrusted the fate of her children into the hands of commanders who are worthy of it."
Who took out the ad and what is its purpose?

On Tuesday this week, several ultra-Orthodox newspapers appeared to jump on the anti-judicial overhaul bandwagon. What is the motivation here?

Temperatures in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Eilat are reaching near-record highs this year. How is this expected to affect the seas’ ecospheres?

The First International Resources public relations firm, headed by political strategist Zev Furst, has been employed by Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, Masdar, to improve the image of oil magnate Sultan al-Jaber, the controversial pick to lead this year’s United Nations COP28 climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hear how the US Jewish community is being targeted.

The Environmental Protection Ministry recently published its annual index of wrongdoers. What topped this year’s list?

Discussed articles include:

Ultra-Orthodox push for draft exemption law strains the coalition’s docile unanimity

Netanyahu, Levin said to seek pause to overhaul after Haredi party revolt

Eastern Mediterranean turning tropical, as warming waters force native species out

PR firm says it may tap US Jews to boost image of UAE oil boss ahead of climate meet

Phosphate mining company ICL Rotem tops latest list of worst environmental offenders

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IMAGE: An ultra-Orthodox Jew walks outside the army recruitment office in Jerusalem, August 16, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

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