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 panel comprises deputy editor Josh Davidovich and environmental reporter Sue Surkes, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Israeli Environmental Minister Gila Gamliel announced yesterday that the cause of the massive environmental disaster that hit Israel's shores in mid-February was a ship called the Emerald, calling it "environmental terrorism" on the part of Iran. What exactly was going on there?

We discuss the ongoing cleanup efforts to make Israel's shoreline safe for visitation and the "traffic light" system the government has implemented.

Surkes visited the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center this week and caught up with efforts there to save a handful of rare species -- using mayonnaise. She discusses the center's work in general and shares a couple of colorful nicknames.

[caption id="attachment_2494369" align="alignnone" width="600"] A 6-month-old green sea turtle is cleaned from tar after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea; at Israel's Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Michmoret, Israel, February 23, 2021.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)[/caption]

The NBA's Washington Wizards is celebrating Jewish Heritage Night tonight with a special performance of the United States national anthem sung by Israeli pop star Kobi Aflalo. Davidovich updates with what else is Israeli about the Wizards.

David Mintz, the inventor of Tofutti, died this week aged 99. The panel remembers the luscious ice cream and salutes the great man of kosher desserts.

Discussed articles include:

Israel says it has identified ship that caused massive oil leak in Mediterranean

As more tar sweeps beaches, nature authority says sand will never be 100% clean

As tar keeps coming, Environment and Finance ministries spar over funds

After surviving marine oil spill, young turtles heal with fish, mayo and love

DC Wizards to hold Jewish heritage night featuring Israeli singer

David Mintz, who invented Tofutti as a dairy substitute for kosher meals, dies

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PHOTO: Results of an offshore oil spill that drenched most of the Israeli coastline, February 23, 2021. (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.

Today’s panel comprises our diplomacy reporter Lazar Berman and United States correspondent Jacob Magid, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

US President Joe Biden is signaling a change in the relationship with Saudia Arabia, with a mixed message of cracking down on human rights violations, alongside continued military support. How does this influence Israel?

US State Department Spokesman Ned Price said in a briefing this week that the country is open to helping the Saudis forge "a historic peace with Israel." Magid explains the conditions and Berman updates on current back-channel Israel-Saudi cooperation.

Last Thursday, in a Mission Impossible-like mission, an Israeli-owned vessel in the Gulf of Oman was attacked in a stealth operation that planted explosives on the MV Helios Ray, leaving four holes just above the water line. Berman posits there is nothing new under the sun here.

Magid suggests it's "not a good look" that, after intense international pressure on Israel to release more vaccinations to the Palestinian Authority, some of the PA's scant vaccines earmarked for frontline health workers were dispersed to the PA soccer team -- and Jordan's royal court.

Finally, we weigh in on the announcement that six of Dr. Seuss's children's books will no longer be printed due to racist imagery.

Discussed articles include:

As Biden weighs human rights and security in Mideast, some see peril for Israel

US says it wants to push Israel-Saudi pact, but only if Riyadh honors its values

Israel urges UN Security Council to censure Iran for blast on Israeli-owned ship

Israel said to hit Iranian targets in Syria after Tehran blamed for ship blast

Netanyahu: Iran clearly behind blast that hit Israeli-owned ship in Gulf

PA admits some of its 1st vaccines went to gov’t officials, soccer stars, Jordan

6 Dr. Seuss books will no longer be published over racist images

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PHOTO: In this Nov. 21, 2020 handout image provided by Saudi Royal Palace, Saudi King Salman gives his opening remarks at a virtual G20 summit hosted by Saudi Arabia and held over video conference amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace 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 panel comprises senior analyst Haviv Rettig-Gur and our Hebrew sister-site Zman Yisrael's political reporter Tal Schneider, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We break down the groundbreaking Israeli Supreme Court ruling in which in an 8-1 vote, the judges decided that Reform and Conservative conversions conducted in Israel are kosher for citizenship purposes through the Law of Return. Rettig Gur explains why this is -- and is not -- significant.

Next, Schneider explores the strange saga of the $3 billion Abraham Fund, created in conjunction with the Abraham Accords, which may be tapped out before it gets off the ground.

With two political analysts on the panel, we chat about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent antics and name-calling ahead of the election, and why Defense Minister Benny Gantz doesn't really have a solid reason to stay in the running.

Finally, Israeli actor Shira Hass may have missed out on a Golden Globe this week, but she could very well have another chance soon. She was cast as a young Golda Meir for a new Barbra Streisand-produced production of "Lioness," Meir's life story.

Discussed articles include:

High Court recognizes Reform, Conservative conversions carried out in Israel

Conversion ruling ends decades of official shunning of Reform, Conservative

Court ruling for non-Orthodox conversions sets up battle at the heart of Judaism

Trump’s $3 billion Abraham Fund may be tapped out before staking a dime

Netanyahu accused of sexism, racism for deriding New Hope’s Shasha-Biton

Na na na na na Netanyahu: PM’s mockery of media critics goes viral

Benny Gantz won’t quit the election race. Is that for Israel’s sake, or his own?

Shira Haas to play Golda Meir in American TV series

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ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: A mikveh or ritual bath in the Jewish settlement of Bat Ayin in Gush Etzion, West Bank, on November 6, 2019. (Gershon Elinson/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 panel comprises Times of Israel health reporter Nathan Jeffay and culture editor Jessica Steinberg, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Jeffay updates with optimistic studies regarding the effects of the coronavirus vaccination and how it is preventing death and hospital ventilation as the country is swept by the new British variant.

We speak about a new study that has found that spirulina is effective in combatting the COVID cytokine storm and a lovely initiative in which Holocaust survivors are treated to a day out at the beach on the way back from being vaccinated.

Steinberg fills us in about what cultural activities have come back to life throughout the country. Museums are open and shows must go on -- with hefty regulations. We'll keep an eye on what's going on.

As COVID furloughs continue, many are "pivoting" to new careers and cottage industries. Steinberg gives us a few examples.

And finally, as the Golden Globes are over, Steinberg lets us now what could be Israeli about the upcoming April 25 Oscars.

Discussed articles include:

Vaccines in action: Over-70s now use no more ventilators than under-50s

Study: Vaccine saved Israel elderly from full force of UK strain in nick of time

Algae extract may avert severe COVID deterioration, say Israeli researchers

EMT group pushes to get Holocaust survivors out of the house and vaccinated

After 11-month hiatus, Israeli cultural events come roaring back, cautiously

From tempeh to yoga, pandemic downtime fuels cottage industry boom

Israeli actress Shira Haas misses out on Golden Globe for ‘Unorthodox’ role

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PHOTO: Tel Aviv kicks off the return of live performances with a concert by singer Nurit Galron for the city’s older residents in Ganei Yehoshua park, February 24, 2021. (Jack Guez/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 panel comprises Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

With Horovitz and Rettig Gur having both recently written about would-be-kingmaker Naftali Bennett, we open today's show with a look at the Yamina party chair who wants to replace Netanyahu -- but won't commit to not backing him. What's his play at this stage? Has he limited his (and the center's) options by giving into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "left-shaming"?

Following a Channel 12 report claiming that the vast majority of Israelis being approved to enter the country during a general border closure are ultra-Orthodox, several parties accuse the prime minister of allowing entry "only for his voters" during the airport’s general closure. What's the policy and why is Israel the only democracy in the world to keep out its own citizens?

The Knesset gave final approval last week to controversial legislation allowing the Health Ministry to give local authorities and the Education Ministry personal details of residents who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Is this a step too far in the battle between fighting COVID-19 and maintaining personal liberties?

And finally, with Sacha Baron Cohen once again in the Golden Globe spotlight, we look at his recent roles and the impact they have had.

Discussed articles include:

Bennett: I’m more right-wing than Bibi, but I don’t use the tools of hate

Derided by Netanyahu as Lapid ally, Bennett shifts course, moves closer to Sa’ar

Joining Bennett, Sa’ar says Lapid won’t be prime minister

Gantz, opposition scrutinize claim Haredim let into Israel while secular denied

Israel’s entry ban on citizens ‘unparalleled in democratic world,’ watchdog says

Knesset passes law to give cities info on unvaccinated residents

Sacha Baron Cohen: An outrageous comic with a serious point, and 2 Globes nods 

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PHOTO: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waiting for government ministers to join him before a special cabinet meeting for Jerusalem Day in Jerusalem, June 2, 2016. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool)

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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 panel comprises Times of Israel diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and Palestinian affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We start today's show with a look at how Tehran appears to be jockeying for position ahead of nuclear deal talks by blackballing inspectors and threatening to increase enrichment. Berman tells us the dangerous risks that come with Iran's posturing.

Boxerman gives us the lowdown on the murky West Bank "terror attack" that left the Palestinian family of Khaled Nofal grasping for answers. He then updates us on the latest West Bank coronavirus outbreak and ongoing efforts to vaccinate Palestinians and increased international pressure on Israel to participate.

Plus, we look at how the destruction of an ancient wall at an Iron Age Israelite cultic site deep in Palestinian Authority-controlled Area B created a media maelstrom, as a right-wing campaign claimed that Palestinians are destroying Jewish heritage sites.

And finally, we hear an excerpt from an interview with popular Israeli philosopher Dr. Micah Goodman from The Times of Israel's weekly "Times Will Tell" podcast on why the Talmud says you are commanded to get drunk on Purim.

Discussed articles include:

As Iran plays chicken with Biden, it also moves closer to the bomb

Israel: Iran’s nuclear actions require immediate international response

Murky West Bank ‘terror attack’ leaves Palestinian family grasping for answers

Blinken said to push Ashkenazi to provide more vaccines to Palestinians

West Bank enters 3rd wave with surging infections, no mass vaccination in sight

Settlers take on West Bank archaeology as ancient ‘Joshua’ wall tumbles down

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Photo: A Palestinian’s car outside the home of an Israeli man on the illegal Sdeh Efraim Farm outpost in the northern West Bank, where the Israeli military says the Palestinian man attacked someone before being shot dead on February 5, 2021. (Israel Defense Forces)

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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 panel comprises Times of Israel senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and our environment reporter Sue Surkes, along with producer Raoul Wootliff in the host's chair.

On today's show, we focus on the devastating oil spill that coated Israel’s coast this week with thick black tar.

Is this the biggest ecological disaster in Israel's history? What's the extent of the damage and how long will it take to clean up? What do we know about the cause? How ready were the authorities to deal with a disaster of this magnitude? And, what's the likelihood of it happening again?

Turning to Israeli politics, we look at Rettig Gur's profile of Otzmah Yehudit leader and Religious Zionism number three, Itamar Ben Gvir, and ask -- is he really a Kahanist? And why is Netanyahu pushing him into the Knesset?

Finally, looking for some light amid the black tar, we hear about an Israeli miracle cure for tar-covered sea turtles, and find out how the public can get involved in the cleanup efforts.

Discussed articles include:

Tarred and shuttered: Anatomy of the oil disaster that closed Israel’s beaches

Report: Greek tanker suspected in oil spill that polluted Israeli beaches

Long battle ahead to rid beaches of tar, senior official says after flyover

After oil spill, Environment Ministry to pursue funding pledged 12 years ago

Government allocates NIS 45 million to clean up tar-polluted beaches

In Israel, mayonnaise proves a miracle cure for tar-covered turtles

Kahane lives? What does Itamar Ben Gvir, backed by Netanyahu, really stand for?

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PHOTO: Israeli soldiers clean tar off the Palmachim beach following an offshore oil spill that covered most of the Israeli coastline in tar. February 22, 2021. (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.

Today’s panel comprises Times of Israel editor David Horovitz and our Hebrew sister-site's political correspondent Tal Schneider, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

In an effort coordinated by the Israeli Health Ministry and the IDF Central Command, Magen David Adom paramedics set up a vaccination station in East Jerusalem at the Qalandiya Checkpoint to give residents behind the security barrier an opportunity to get the shot. Horovitz fills us in, and gives cautious hope for the fight on the worldwide level.

According to reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party is reaching out to the Palestinian Authority through Druze MK Fateen Mulla to urge Israeli Arabs to vote Likud. What is going on here?

Some 130 former IDF defense officials, including former prime minister Ehud Barak, have written an open letter asking Defense Minister Benny Gantz to pull his Blue and White party out of the upcoming elections. Schneider explains why, due to the change in legislation ahead of the current Knesset, it is not as simple as that.

The Netanyahu trial has been delayed until April 5. Horovitz and Schneider have differing opinions on whether this is fair. 

Discussed articles include:

Israel starts vaccinating its East Jerusalem residents beyond security barrier

Likud said in touch with PA, asking help to get Arab Israeli votes for Netanyahu

Sa’ar slams Netanyahu over reported Likud outreach to PLO ahead of election

130 former top defense officials call on Gantz to pull out of election

Evidence stage of Netanyahu’s trial postponed until after elections

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

Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is surrounded by Likud lawmakers, May 24, 2020. (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.

Today’s panel comprises Times of Israel senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and health reporter Nathan Jeffay, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We begin today's episode with a discussion of the sad case of mother-of-four Osnat Ben Shitrit, who died from the coronavirus Saturday night, along with her 30-week fetus. 

Jeffay then apprises us of new research and explains just what some of the headline's statistics mean. 

We turn to a "joke" made by Weekend Update co-host Michael Che on this week's Saturday Night Live that not all (or many?) are finding funny.

And finally, we hear a few tidbits from everybody's favorite bubbe, Effie Hertzke, who won hearts -- and chuckles -- during her interview on Sunday with top Israeli anchor Raffi Reshef.

Discussed articles include:

Pregnant 32-year-old woman and her fetus die of COVID at Jerusalem hospital

Death of mother, fetus highlights sharp rise in COVID infections among pregnant

Israeli study: 75% protection from 1st Pfizer vaccine dose, so okay to delay 2nd

US study suggests efficacy of 1st Pfizer, Moderna shot increases with time

Health Ministry: Recovered COVID patients should get single vaccine shot

Vaccine prevents 98.9% of COVID deaths, Israel’s Health Ministry data shows

Defying government, 17 cities prepare to reopen classes for grades 7-10

SNL under fire after actor jokes that Israel only vaccinating Jews

Great-grandma flexes for camera, hits on news anchor as gyms reopen

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PHOTO: Nurses from Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Hospital hug after a patient passed away in the coronavirus ward on January 19, 2021. (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.

Today’s panel comprises Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz and military correspondent Judah Ari Gross, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

To begin the program, Gross lays out what we know -- and what we're allowed to say -- about the 25-year-old Israeli woman who crossed into Syria in early February and was returned to Israel on Friday. What was Russia's role, and what did Israel give up?

Next, Horovitz discusses the role of the Israeli military censor and the push-pull relationship Israeli journalists conduct with it. 

United States President Joe Biden announced that his administration is ready to reengage with Iran on the nuclear deal through talks with the United Nations Security Council and the P5+1. Will Israel also be in the loop?

And finally, a brief update on two sporting events from last week: the Australian Open that saw Russian-Israeli tennis player Aslan Karatsev reach unparalleled heights, and Tel Aviv's Judo Grand Slam.  

Discussed articles include:

Israeli woman who crossed into Syria returns to Israel on flight from Moscow

Israel agreed to more than just a prisoner exchange to get woman back from Syria

In exchange for captive, Israel said to buy $1m of Russian COVID doses for Syria

Diplomatic immunity: Netanyahu said to raise trading vaccines for normalization

In major speech, Biden indicates US ready to reengage with Iran on nuke deal

‘Life will never be the same’ for ex-Israeli tennis star who lost to world No.1

Winning silver in Tel Aviv, Iranian judoka ‘will never forget Israeli kindness’

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PHOTO: The Israeli woman who crossed into Syria and was returned in a deal brokered by Russia, in a photo shown by Channel 12 on February 20, 2021 (Channel 12 screenshot)

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