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.

Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Israeli media is abuzz with the power struggle between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich over NIS 200 million ($55 million) budgeted for Arab Israeli economic development and education initiatives.

We dedicate the entire episode to the ripple effects of this showdown and check in on Netanyahu's right-wing coalition.

Discussed articles include:

As Smotrich defends freeze, PM vows to transfer funds to Arab towns ‘with oversight’

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

IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a press conference on the planned construction of a new railway line from the northern city of Kiryat Shmona to the city of Eilat, in Jerusalem, July 30, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 religions reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

The Anti-Defamation League and partner organizations in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain released a report focussing on on left-wing antisemitism. Why is this unusual?

Yesterday, Opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid met with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed in Italy to discuss bilateral ties and advance joint projects. Was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the know?

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman announced last week that two nature reserves near Jerusalem will remain open outside of the usual operating hours for visitors who require gender-segregated bathing. What happened next?

Early this week in a Bloomberg English-language interview, Netanyahu indicated that his government will move ahead with changing the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee and then stop. But will his own Likud MKs support him?

We end with a curious story out of Haifa’s Stella Maris church where ultra-Orthodox Jews are increasingly making pilgrimage to what they consider is grave of the Prophet Elisha, Elijah’s disciple. Why the Jews’ sudden interest in this site?

Discussed articles include:

Europe’s far-left is normalizing antisemitism, report co-authored by ADL warns

Lapid meets UAE foreign minister in Italy, amid hiatus in high-level visits

Environment minister announces sex-segregated hours at parks, prompting legal review

Netanyahu: Coalition will probably remake judicial selection panel, then halt overhaul

PM doesn’t have the votes to remake judicial selection panel, Likud said to believe

At a Haifa church, Jewish pilgrims test coexistence strained by painful history

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

IMAGE: View of the Stella Maris Monastery in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, August 1, 2023. (Shir Torem/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Luke Tress join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Magid discusses Washington equating two weekend attacks, one in which a Palestinian shot and killed a Tel Aviv patrolman and another in which a Palestinian was shot and killed by a Jewish settler.

Tress looks at the incident in Memphis, Tennessee, during which a man unsuccessfully fired a handgun at a Jewish school, and was later discovered to be Jewish, and a former student at the school who had suffered a familial trauma years earlier.

Magid looks at some of the provocative comments made by the outgoing EU ambassador to the Palestinians, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, as he left his post and headed toward retirement.

Tress talks about the recent incident with entertainer Jamie Foxx, who made antisemitic statement on social media, and later apologized.

Steinberg mentions the small but meaningful new exhibit opening this week at the Israel Museum of the work of American artist Rashid Johnson, a Chicago born New Yorker who has long used his art to talk about life as a Black man.

Discussed articles include:

US calls both shooting of Israeli patrolman and young Palestinian ‘terror attacks’

Suspect in shooting at Memphis Jewish school was haunted by police killing of father

Departing EU envoy: I won’t accuse Israel of apartheid, but it’s worthy of discussion

Jamie Foxx apologizes for Instagram post that echoed antisemitic trope

Rashid Johnson exhibit at Israel Museum seeks to create ‘discourse about Blackness’

IMAGE: EU Ambassador to the Palestinians Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff paraglides over Gaza on July 17, 2023. (EU Mission to the Palestinians) 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 correspondent Lazar Berman and features writer Melanie Lidman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

The security cabinet debated a series of measures on Sunday meant to prop up the Palestinian Authority. What could these measures be?

In an interview published yesterday in the London-based Elaph Arabic-language new site, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen made a few promises regarding the Palestinian Authority and a potential Abraham Accords agreement with Saudi Arabia. What did Cohen say?

Israelis increasingly report feeling pushed out of the country due to the judicial overhaul crisis. A recently published feature looks at the issue and includes an interview with Prof. Sergio Della Pergola, who explained why Israelis have left in large numbers in the past. What did he say?

Many point to the idea that this judicial overhaul crisis could be Israel’s constitutional moment. Berman noted in an in-depth piece on the subject that having a constitution doesn’t necessarily mean all our problems will go away. What happened in the United States in the 1790s?

A unique online exhibit, “Unsilencing the Archives: The Laborers of the Tell en-Nasbeh Excavations (1926-1935),” focuses on the Palestinian excavators who made archaeological digs possible in this era. What was the impetus for the exhibit?

Discussed articles include:

Security cabinet said set to advance measures to prop up PA, but delay announcement

FM Cohen to Arabic outlet: Israel will make gestures to Palestinians for Saudi deal

'This is my red line’: Anguished Israelis talk relocation amid judicial overhaul push

Why the deepening judicial crisis could be Israel’s constitutional moment

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

IMAGE: FILE: Passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport, June 6, 2022. (Gili Yaari/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 legal reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Yesterday evening, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group opened fire in a bustling area of Tel Aviv and critically shot 42-year-old patrolman Chen Amir, a married father of three. What do we know about the incident and its perpetrator?

Two settlers suspected in the killing of a Palestinian man on Friday have been remanded until Wednesday. We hear about the suspects, Elisha Yered, a former spokesman for the far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s MK Limor Son Har-Melech, and Yehiel Indore.

Last week Fabian toured the area straddling Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. We hear his first-hand impressions on how Hezbollah's escalations are affected residents.

On Thursday, the High Court held a hearing over the recusal amendment to a Basic Law and a lot of very strong statements. Sharon weighs in on what we could see coming out from the court.

Discussed articles include:

Terrorist kills patrolman in Tel Aviv, is shot dead by 2nd officer

IDF troops map West Bank home of Tel Aviv shooter for demolition

Lawyers for settlers suspected in killing of Palestinian claim self-defense

Jitters grow along Lebanon border as Hezbollah provocations become more brazen

High Court calls PM recusal law ‘clearly personal,’ indicates it may intervene

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

IMAGE: Elisha Yered, a suspect in the death of 19-year-old Palestinian Qusai Jamal Maatan in the West Bank village of Burqa last night, arrives for a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, August 5, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

This morning, the High Court of Justice was holding a pivotal hearing on petitions against the Recusal Law, a Basic Law passed earlier this year that prevents the court from ordering the removal of a sitting prime minister. What is significant about this first, unprecedented showdown?

Yesterday, the High Court of Justice ruled against a petition demanding the removal of the illegal West Bank outpost of Homesh. How does this square with the court’s reputation as left-leaning?

For the first time ever, come September 12, the High Court of Justice will convene a 15-judge panel to hear petitions against the Reasonableness law passed last week to limit the court’s oversight of its own actions. Both Schneider and Rettig Gur weigh in on the hearing's implications.

Discussed articles include:

Top court holds key hearing on law shielding Netanyahu from removal from office

High Court shoots down petition to evacuate illegal Homesh outpost in West Bank

Unprecedented 15-judge panel to hear petitions against coalition’s reasonableness law

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

IMAGE: Stickers for the struggle against the judicial overhaul seen on a street sign reading 'Supreme Court' in Jerusalem, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 correspondent Lazar Berman and health reporter Renee Ghert-Zand join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. 

Six Israelis were shot and wounded, one of them seriously, in a terror attack yesterday in the West Bank city of Ma'ale Adumim. Hamas claims it is in response to Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's recent visit to the Temple Mount. What do we know?

Yesterday, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi described the tent that Hezbollah has set up in Israeli territory north of the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon as a “childish game.” We hear how Berman views Hezbollah’s seemingly increasing belligerence in this semi-border area.

In a procedure Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem is calling the first known case of its kind in the world, doctors saved both ovaries of a newborn preemie after delivering her in an emergency cesarean section and performing surgery on her just half an hour after birth. How did the doctors realize her ovaries were in danger?

A leading Israeli researcher is baking immunotherapy cookies to combat food allergies. How does this work?

Finally, a group of presidents and chancellors of prominent historically Black colleges and universities in the US recently visited Israel. We hear from Berman and Ghert-Zand about the purposes of their visit and what they're taking back home. 

Discussed articles include:

6 Israelis wounded, one seriously, in terror shooting in Ma’ale Adumim

National security adviser: Hezbollah tent in Israeli territory is ‘childish’ move

In what it says is world first, Hadassah medical team saves fetus’s twisted ovaries

Years in the baking, Israeli doctor’s cookie could take bite out of peanut allergies

In Israel, leaders of US Black universities laud partnership with Jewish community

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

IMAGE: Police inspect the site of a terrorist shooting attack in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Tech Israel editor Sharon Wrobel join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Magid looks at possible progress in talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, with White House visits to Jeddah and Israel’s Mossad chief in the White House.

He discusses Bahrain's postponement of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's planned visit following National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's visit to the Temple Mount last week.

Magid also speaks about unexpected comments made by a senior Palestinian Authority Preventive Security Service officer in Washington, DC regarding Hamas pressure on impoverished Palestinian youth to carry out attacks on Jewish settlers.

Wrobel discusses warnings made by credit agency Standard & Poor and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange regarding the effect Israel’s continued political turmoil over the judicial overhaul could have on economic growth.

She also comments on the Knesset's approval of the Angels Law, granting tax benefits to investors in Israeli high-tech, a law that's been under discussion for some time, prior to the current political unrest.

Finally, Steinberg briefly comments on the opening of the Israel Festival on August 1 and the likely closure of historic Jerusalem movie theater Smadar.

Discussed articles include:

Biden hints at possible progress in potential Israel-Saudi normalization deal

Bahrain postpones plans to host Israeli FM, hours after Ben Gvir tours Temple Mount

Senior PA security official: Hamas, PIJ recruiting youth ‘with nothing to live for’

Moody’s ‘wake-up call’: Tel Aviv Stock Exchange head warns of looming financial crisis

Credit rating agency S&P warns lack of overhaul consensus imperils Israeli economy

Israel approves tax benefits to boost tech, as judicial jitters imperil investments

Mark Eliyahu lines up Rita, Shai Tsabari and more for Tu B’Av concert

Doors may close on German Colony’s 95-year cinema Lev Smadar

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

IMAGE: (L) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. (Saudi Press Agency via AP); (C) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem (Alex Kolomoisky/Pool/Flash90); (L) US President Joe Biden on November 2, 2022 in Washington, DC (Michael A. McCoy / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 legal reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

The Knesset finished its summer session yesterday and managed to pass a few lingering pieces of legislation as well as start the wheels turning on others, including a loyalty pledge for senior diplomats and laws relating to domestic and sex abuse. Keller-Lynn breaks them down.

Last night in a unanimous decision by a nine-judge panel, the High Court of Justice ruled that the so-called Tiberias law passed by the coalition earlier this month should enter into effect only after the upcoming municipal elections. Why is this important?

Speaking from the Knesset podium yesterday, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid demanded an 18-month freeze on judicial overhaul legislation as a condition for his Yesh Atid party to return to negotiations with the coalition. What are the chances of agreement on that period?

All eyes are on September when the High Court has slated hearings for many petitions against the newly passed reasonableness law, an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary. Sharon explains what scholars are saying about the chances of the legislation being struck down.

Discussed articles include:

Knesset advances bill demanding loyalty pledge from senior diplomats serving abroad

Knesset passes domestic abuse monitoring law after long delays and squabbles

Knesset okays stronger punishment for sex offenses motivated by terrorism or racism

High Court rules unanimously against mayoral election law that would benefit Deri ally

Lapid: Freeze judicial overhaul until 2025, or we won’t return to talks

A time for reason: Will the High Court strike down government’s reasonableness law?

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

IMAGE: President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut and Supreme Court justices at the High Court in Jerusalem to hear in petitions against the so-called 'Tiberias law,' on July 30, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Last night marked the first weekend of protests against the government's judicial overhaul following the passage of its first piece of legislation last Monday. Have the protests changed in numbers or tone?

Israeli media has reported on murmurings among some Likud MKs that they may not support more overhaul legislation. Likewise, Opposition head Yair Lapid has claimed that an agreement was almost reached. Horovitz weighs in.

Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that ahead of last week’s passage of the reasonableness law, the Military Intelligence Directorate sent four letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning of the security consequences of his coalition’s judicial overhaul plans. The report breaks down how Israel’s enemies view deterrence into four areas.

Last week, three Palestinian gunmen who were claimed as members of the Hamas terror group, were killed by Israeli forces while attempting to attack a small Samaritan community in the northern West Bank. How unusual is it for Hamas to attack non-Jews?

And finally, we hear Borschel-Dan's quick impressions of the very Jewish "Barbie" movie.

Discussed articles include:

‘Damage is enormous’: Over 200,000 at first weekend rallies since overhaul law passed

Cabinet to discuss siphoning NIS 164 million from ministries to fund yeshiva students

How do we safeguard Israel, when the government is at war with much of the people?

Lapid: We had deal with Netanyahu on overhaul last week; he caved to Levin, Ben Gvir

Likud denies any ‘rebellion’ in its ranks over judicial overhaul

Military Intelligence warned PM 4 times overhaul rift harming deterrence – report

3 Palestinian gunmen killed by IDF when attacking Samaritan community near Nablus

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

IMAGE: Activists protest against the government's judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, on July 29, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.