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

Credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service published an issuer comment report that warns of risks to the economy following the passage of the first judicial overhaul legislation. We hear what was in the report and what other finance bodies are saying.

Thousands of reservists have threatened to end their volunteer reserve duty in protest of the overhaul in recent weeks, and yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi issued a rare video statement calling for unity within the military. How are Israel's enemies viewing this possibly weakened army?

In a bold move, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara requested that the High Court of Justice strike down a law passed in March that prevents the court from ordering a prime minister to recuse himself from office. If the High Court agrees to intervene here, it would mark the first time the court strikes down one of Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws. Why else is this move noteworthy?

Discussed articles include:

Moody’s after overhaul law: Israel faces negative economic fallout, significant risk

Almost 70% of Israeli startups act to shift funds, relocate due to judicial shakeup

Israeli shares, shekel slide as passage of overhaul law crushes compromise hopes

IDF says battle-readiness is weeks from being impacted as reservists decamp en masse

IDF says no threat after Hezbollah members seen patrolling on northern border

Attorney general asks High Court to strike down law shielding Netanyahu from recusal

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

IMAGE: Illustration of Israeli currency, July 9, 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.

Editor David Horovitz and Knesset correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

Yesterday, the Knesset passed in a 64-0 vote the first major bill of the government’s judicial overhaul. Chaos immediately erupted and protesters blocked roads and clashed with police across the country for hours. Keller-Lynn sets the scene for us.

Horovitz wrote an op-ed yesterday that ended with the suggestion that while the coalition secured a victory, Israel has sustained a dangerous defeat. He shares thoughts on the mood of the country.

The Biden administration quickly responded to the passage of the reasonableness bill, as did major Diaspora Jewish organizations. What were they saying?

As of recording time, there are at least six petitions to the High Court over the bill's passage, including from the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG) and the Israel Bar Association. What are some of their arguments and are we heading to a showdown between the judicial and executive branches?

This morning an additional bill is being floated by United Torah Judaism -- and it too has societal-rending significance.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul victory spells a tragic, disastrous defeat for Israel

Coalition passes 1st judicial overhaul law, limiting review of government decisions

Gallant explains vote for contentious overhaul bill: ‘Best that I stay at the wheel’

White House laments unilateral passage of overhaul bill, as Democrats echo alarm

‘First step to destroying democracy’: Diaspora groups alarmed as overhaul law passes

High Court justices rush back from abroad to hear petitions against ‘reasonableness’

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

IMAGE: The fully black front pages of several Hebrew-language newspapers, an ad purchased by anti-judicial overhaul protesters, found in a shop in Jerusalem, July 25, 2023, a day after the reasonableness bill passed at the assembly hall of the Knesset. (Chaim Goldbeg/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.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and religions reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. 

President Isaac Herzog, fresh from his trip to the United States, spent yesterday evening visiting each of the major party leaders, trying to find some common ground. We hear how Rettig Gur sees the events of yesterday playing out.

Yesterday began with a prayer for unity at the Western Wall. Lidor tells us what one of the organizers, Malka Puterkovsky, an influential Talmud teacher who lives in the settlement of Tekoa, explained about the motivations for the event.

On Thursday of last week, an editorial in Yated Ne’eman -- an influential newspaper aligned with the United Torah Judaism political party -- seemed to push for compromise on some elements of the judicial overhaul, including the reasonableness bill. Is this a change of heart?

Rettig Gur finishes the program by explaining who may be to blame for the deep-seated lack of trust felt in Israel today. 

Discussed articles include:

‘Time of emergency’: Dueling overhaul rallies as Herzog makes final bid for compromise

Activists on both sides of overhaul debate hold mass Western Wall prayer for unity

Key Haredi newspaper questions wisdom of continued backing of judicial overhaul

As judiciary fight reaches a climax, both sides set to lose

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

IMAGE: Anti-overhaul activists block a road during a protest against the government's judicial overhaul, near the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 24, 2023. (Jamal Awad/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 news editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Spiro updates us on anti-judicial overhaul protest activities taking place in Jerusalem, including a prayer service for unity the Western Wall, an attempt at a human chain to the Knesset, and more.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a pacemaker for his heart overnight. Schneider explains who held down the fort during the procedure and why his lack of a deputy is so problematic.

Schneider gives a forecast for voting in the Knesset this week on the contentious Reasonableness Bill.

The Histadrut, Israel’s largest labor union, held a five-hour “emergency meeting” Saturday night to discuss a general strike if no compromise is reached. Schneider describes why it has no teeth.

Spiro gives a deep dive into Channel 14, Israel's "Fox News," and how it is influencing the face of Israeli media.

Discussed articles include:

Protests expected in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv as coalition set to pass reasonableness law

Netanyahu has pacemaker fitted, on eve of final votes on coalition’s overhaul bill

Netanyahu hasn’t designated an acting PM. What would that mean if he’s out of action?

Knesset begins final votes on reasonableness law, curbing court review of decisions

Top labor union holds 5-hour emergency meeting on overhaul, sets compromise deadline

As divisions sharpen, an incendiary right-wing news channel finally finds an audience

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

IMAGE: Anti-overhaul activists attend a special prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, on July 23, 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 diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman
join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Magid and Berman discuss the details of President Isaac Herzog's speech to the US Congress, including the focus on the judicial overhaul and the protests against it -- and whether or not they mark the strength of Israel's democracy. They note Herzog's skill in walking a diplomatic tightrope, bridging the gaps between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

They also look at Herzog's meeting with Biden prior to the speech, and why the Israeli president came to the US to speak to the US president at this point in time.

Magid discusses a long-awaited pilot of the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) which will begin easing travel restrictions for Palestinian Americans to travel through Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport and at Israeli border crossings.

Discussed articles include:

In speech to Congress, Herzog lauds strong judiciary, says democracy in Israel’s DNA

Herzog tells Biden Israel’s democracy ‘resilient,’ as overhaul protests rage at home

Herzog’s ‘important’ speech to Congress wins plaudits from across political spectrum

Israel launches pilot for US visa waiver, easing travel for Palestinian-Americans

IMAGE: Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrives to speak to a joint meeting of Congress, July 19, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, look on. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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 in today's episode.

Hundreds of anti-judicial overhaul protesters are making their way on foot from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as they seek to increase pressure on lawmakers ahead of an expected vote on the reasonableness legislation on Sunday. Keller-Lynn gives an overview of yesterday’s Day of Resistance, in which over 70 protestors were arrested.

Sharon explains what is the current status of the Reasonableness Bill and discusses how earlier this week, in a rare public statement, conservative Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg distanced himself from the coalition’s bill. What did he say?

On Monday at the faction meetings, Opposition leader Yair Lapid offered his analysis of the US-Israel relationship ahead of President Isaac Herzog’s current official visit to the States. What were his warnings?

And finally, Keller-Lynn summarizes a rare, startling interview US President Joe Biden gave on the US-Israel relationship with The New York Times reporter Tom Friedman.

Discussed articles include:

Hoping to head off ‘reasonableness’ bill, protesters begin 4-day march to Jerusalem

Police clear Ayalon Highway after long day of nationwide protests; 45 arrested in all

Thousands mass at anti-overhaul rallies, block highway after rail station protests

Marathon committee session on ‘reasonableness’ bill enters second day

Judge who ‘inspired’ reasonableness bill says he didn’t intend legislative changes

Biden warns ‘special relationship’ on the line in absence of consensus on overhaul

Lapid: US is pulling away, national tragedy coming; Gantz to PM: It’s not too late

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

IMAGE: Israelis protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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.

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

The anti-judicial overhaul protestors have a full day of demonstrations and PR stunts for today’s Day of Disruption. What are we seeing so far on the streets?

Inside the Knesset, the Opposition has put forward its own protest, in the form of 27,000 reservations to the Reasonableness bill. Is this unusual?

Rettig Gur tells us about some practical applications of the Reasonableness Bill, including in the chief rabbinate elections and the mayoral elections in Tiberias.

Last night, ahead of the official visit to the US of President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden had a long-awaited phone call in which, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu was invited to the US to meet with Biden. Is this the whole story?

Discussed articles include:

LIVE BLOG July 18

Biden invites Netanyahu to meet in US, stresses need for consensus on judicial reform

Israel tells Morocco it recognizes its sovereignty over disputed Western Sahara

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

IMAGE: Israelis block the entrance to IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv as they protest the government's judicial overhaul, July 18, 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 Diaspora reporter Canaan Lidor join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with a number of African officials in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Sunday. Hebrew media has reported on an off-record meetup with an official of a country that does not currently have ties with Israel. Which country could it be?

President Isaac Herzog is flying to the US late tonight. Who is unhappy with the trip and what is planned for the president?

During his weekly Saturday night sermon, Yitzhak Yosef, the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of “sinning and causing others to sin” by visiting the Temple Mount. What instigated this outburst?

In a story that lit up international headlines, a Muslim activist who had received permission to burn a Torah and a Bible outside the Israeli embassy in Sweden on Saturday said he was backing off from the move. What did local Jews have to say?

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration has ended a so-called fast track for Russian and Belarusian applicants, citing low demand for the service despite increasing arrivals amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war. Lidor gives a 360-degree explanation.

Discussed articles include:

In Nairobi, FM said to meet with leader of African country with no ties to Israel

Netanyahu said to bash Israeli ambassador to US over lack of White House invite

Chief Sephardic rabbi: Ben Gvir’s Temple Mount visits are a ‘sin’

Activist backs off Sweden Torah burning: Trying to draw attention to Quran desecration

Government ends fast-tracked immigration option for Russians, drawing criticism

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

Illustrative image: A Hebrew Bible at a synagogue in Jerusalem, July 14, 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.

Health reporter Renee Ghert-Zand and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan. 

A 35-year-old Israeli man was shot and seriously wounded, and his two daughters were lightly hurt, in a terror shooting attack in the West Bank near the settlement of Tekoa on Sunday morning. Fabian briefs us on what we know so far.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained overnight Saturday-Sunday at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan for observation. Ghert-Zand explains what we know about his diagnosis, including new information from this morning about heart monitoring. 

In yet another overt provocation at Israel’s northern border, yesterday morning a group of Lebanese, including a parliamentarian, crossed the border into Israeli sovereign territory before being chased back to Lebanon by the Israel Defense Forces who fired warning shots. Fabian describes how far they get past the so-called “Blue Line” and what has happened there in the past week.

After 28 weeks of anti-judicial overhaul protests, some 170 active reservists in the army’s top special forces unit say they will no longer volunteer for service. How vital are they to IDF operations?

A pertussis outbreak in Jerusalem that began earlier this year spread to the north of the country last week. While the Health Ministry's June campaign raised awareness of the illness commonly known as whooping cough, Ghert-Zand brings some explanations for why it's on the rise. 

Discussed articles include:

Israeli man seriously injured, 2 daughters lightly hurt in West Bank terror shooting

Netanyahu remains in hospital overnight, set to be released Sunday

Lebanese lawmaker leads group across Israeli border; IDF fires warning shots

Hezbollah members seen stealing Israeli surveillance tech from border tower

Elite commando reservists said to refuse volunteer duty as overhaul protest widens

Whooping cough outbreak spreads to north with new case in town near Nahariya

Raz Hershko tops women’s international judo rankings, in historic first for Israeli

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

IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, sits with former prime minister Ehud Barak, left, as former Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz walks during a press conference at the Tel-Nof Air Force base, October 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

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.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and news editor Amy Spiro join host Jacob Magid for Thursday's podcast.

Spiro discusses NYT columnist Thomas Friedman's latest op-ed in which he claimed that the Biden administration has begun reassessing its relationship with the Netanyahu government, given the latter's "extreme" nature.

The column received a lot of attention in both Israel and the US with officials from both governments quick to downplay the notion that times are a-changin', and Spiro helps put it all into perspective.

Rettig Gur gives a sneak peek into a piece he is working on about how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz are struggling to gain support for their judicial overhaul stances beyond their respective bases.

Rettig Gur lays out the dilemma: Neither side will succeed unless they cater to the roughly one-third of Israelis who prefer a more measured approach, but moving toward the political center would mean abandoning the more dominant ends of the political spectrum that are less interested in compromise.

To close, Spiro discusses Hollywood superstar Helen Mirren's appearance Thursday evening at the Jerusalem Film Festival, where she will be receiving a reward for her performance in the biopic "Golda," which premieres at the event.

Discussed articles include:

NY Times’s Friedman: Netanyahu government making rethink of US-Israel ties ‘inevitable’

American, Israeli officials downplay columnist’s claim US reassessing ties with Israel

‘Not over’: Opposition vows to keep up fight after government advances judicial bill

In reversal, Netanyahu beats Gantz in head-to-head race for premiership in TV poll

Golda Meir biopic starring Helen Mirren to open 40th Jerusalem Film Festival

‘Golda’ director defends casting Helen Mirren: ‘She’s got the Jewish chops’

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.