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.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and News Editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Spiro returned to Israel from Ethiopia yesterday. She explains the conditional immigration of the several hundred new almost Israeli citizens.

Berman was in Paris for a conference about Israel’s relationship with Africa. First of all, let's hear why Paris?

National Security Council chairman Eyal Hulata and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan met Wednesday in Washington for talks largely focused on Iran, with the two pledging economic, diplomatic, and military coordination to stop Teheran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Is this really a big deal?

Berman explains how Israel’s new natural gas exploration is a timely and strategic proposition.

Finally, we hear impressions of a weekend spent with Turkish Jews in Istanbul.

Discussed articles include:

181 Ethiopian immigrants land in Israel as aliyah from African nation restarts

Israel, US pledge economic, diplomatic and military coordination to stop Iran nukes

Top Iran diplomat says IRGC listing not holding up nuke deal, but ‘Zionist lobby’ is

Israel to issue new gas exploration bids, in reversal amid Europe supply crunch

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IMAGE: Members of the Falashmura community arrive at  Ben Gurion Airport, outside Tel Aviv, on June 1, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/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.

Tech editor Ricky Ben-David and political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Keller-Lynn discusses how the right-wing opposition is currently operating in the Knesset, reviewing the bills opposed by the right-wing parties and which pending legislation could potentially bring down the government.

Ben-David speaks about Israel's first free trade agreement with the UAE, and the product and shipping possibilities it will offer Israel, particularly given the UAE's access to Africa and Asia.

She also looks at the opening of Finnish delivery company Wolt's first market in Tel Aviv, letting Israelis get their fix of daily milk and bread without ever leaving home.

Ben-David and Steinberg also discuss the first auction of NFT (non-fungible token) art in Israel, including one sale of $12,000 for digital artist Koketit.

Discussed articles include:

Ideology aside: Right-wing opposition leaders vow to defeat all coalition bills

Israel, UAE ink ‘groundbreaking’ free trade deal, in 1st with Arab state

Wolt launches grocery delivery from new Market store in Tel Aviv

Going, going, gone: First Israeli NFT art heads to auction block

IMAGE: Wolt workers shop for customers at the Wolt Market grocery store in Neve Zedek, in Tel Aviv, May 2022. (Shai Azeri/Wolt Israel)

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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 and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Yesterday the coalition shelved a bill to renew the extension of Israeli criminal and some civil law to Israelis living in the West Bank, just hours before it was set to come up for its first vote. We discuss what the lack of support for the bill may mean.

We received word this morning that the United Arab Emirates and Israel are set to sign a Free Trade Agreement. What does this new agreement signify?

Israeli teachers called a mini-strike yesterday afternoon and tens of thousands protested in Tel Aviv. What was the impetus to the strike right now?

Finally, Schneider recently visited the Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus where the much misunderstood Academy of the Hebrew Language is housed. Did she happen to learn the Hebrew word for podcast?

Discussed articles include:

Lacking votes, coalition pulls bid to extend application of Israeli law to settlers

Ideology aside: Right-wing opposition leaders vow to defeat all coalition bills

20,000 teachers protest in Tel Aviv for higher wages: ‘End the disrespect’

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

Image: FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, left, shakes hands with president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then crown prince of Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 13, 2021. (Haim Zach/Israel Government Press Office via AP, File)

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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.

Palestinian affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman and military reporter Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We hear a wrap-up of yesterday's explosive Jerusalem Day from Boxerman who was onsite with some 70,000 Jewish Israelis during the Flag March in Jerusalem's Old City.

Yesterday marked an all-time high number of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount -- over 2,600. We hear what else went on there.

This month Israelis have experienced four weeks of IDF drills called Chariots of Fire. Now special forces are in Cyprus. What are they doing there?

We hear a preview of the Veteran Games, which has brought 70 British veterans and their families to Israel this week.

Discussed articles include:

Racist chants and clashes as tens of thousands march in Old City for Jerusalem Day

After Flag March, clashes between Palestinians, Jews, cops flare in East Jerusalem

In record, more than 2,600 Jews visit Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day

Amid rising Jerusalem Day tensions, Jewish group waves Israeli flags on Temple Mount

Hamas warns it will react to Jerusalem Flag March ‘at the right time’

IDF special forces head to Cyprus to train for fight against Hezbollah

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IMAGE: Young Jewish men holding Israeli flags as they dance at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, during Jerusalem Day celebrations, May 29, 2022. (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.

ToI founding editor David Horovitz and US correspondent Jacob Magid join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Horovitz reflects on tensions in Jerusalem ahead of the Jerusalem Day flag march that begins later this afternoon and the background to this potentially flammable situation.

Magid discusses the US position on the flag march and attempts to diffuse the political tensions surrounding the event.

Horovitz updates the current status of the government coalition and reviews support for Netanyahu's Likud party in the shaky coalition.

He and Magid also review news about a senior Israeli official visiting Saudi Arabia, what that could mean for Israel and the US involvement in the steps being taken to normalize relations between Jerusalem and Riyadh.

Discussed articles include:

US pushing Israel to reroute controversial Jerusalem march away from Muslim Quarter

Amid rising Jerusalem Day tensions, Jewish group waves Israeli flags on Temple Mount

Senior Israeli official said to visit Saudi Arabia amid growing talk of warming ties

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

IMAGE: Israelis wave the national flag at the Damascus Gate to the Old City Jerusalem's as they mark Jerusalem Day, on May 29, 2022 (AHMAD GHARABLI/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.

Political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn and news editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Keller-Lynn is heading to the West Bank settlement of Homesh to report on what she calls the next big landmine for the coalition. Let's hear why.

A story that spread like wildfire this week is the issue of prayer on the Temple Mount. What happened last night in the case of two youth who were caught reciting the Hebrew prayer "Shma" on the Temple Mount?

Rumors are flying that former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating with the coalition for a rotation government. Keller-Lynn wouldn't bet her money on it, and here's why.

Spiro justifies her addiction to the television program "Married at First Sight" through an analysis, "When reality TV meets the reality of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate." Do depictions of civil and gay marriage on Israel's more popular tv show say anything about Israeli society?

Discussed articles include:

Next coalition crisis? Ahead of High Court debate, Gantz says Homesh to be evacuated

Shaked to do ‘everything’ to prevent evacuation of illegal West Bank outpost Homesh

Judge rules against Jews who prayed at Temple Mount, accepting state’s appeal

US pushing Israel to reroute controversial Jerusalem march away from Muslim Quarter

When reality TV meets the reality of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate

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

Illustrative image: Visitors walk by the water tower on the ruins of the evacuated settlement of Homesh on August 27, 2019. (Hillel Maeir/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.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and Tech Israel editor Ricky Ben-David from Morocco join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed yesterday that US President Joe Biden updated him last month on his final decision to keep Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organizations list. Why is this important and considered a win for Bennett?

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is currently in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But what is perhaps more telling is who didn’t join the entourage.

Israeli and Moroccan organizations signed a number of business and tech agreements on Monday, as part of the inaugural “Connect to Innovate” conference. What’s going on here?

Ben-David shares a personal side to her trip, including what she's hearing from her hotel window.

Discussed articles include:

Bennett mourns ‘horrific murder of innocent children and teachers’ in Texas massacre

Bennett: Biden notified me last month of decision to keep Iran Guards on terror list

FM’s visit shows Turkey eager to accelerate reconciliation, but Israel more cautious

In Casablanca, Morocco and Israel see the beginning of a beautiful tech friendship

Moroccan Jews return to their roots with pilgrimage to Meknes

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: A demonstrator holds an anti-Israeli placard in a pro-Palestinians gathering in Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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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.

Arab Affairs reporter Aaron Boxerman and US correspondent Jacob Magid join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Boxerman takes a deeper dive into the upcoming Jerusalem Day and the recent brouhaha about a minor court ruling regarding the Temple Mount and Jewish prayer at the religious site.

Magid discusses AIPAC's actions ahead of the recent Democratic primaries in certain US states and how the Israel lobbying group is now being viewed in more liberal circles.

Boxerman reviews the recent victory of Hamas at student elections in Bir Zeit University and what that reflects about Palestinian society.

Magid looks at the removal of former Jewish radical group Kach from the US terror list. 

He also offers an update on the new US ambassador's new residence in Jerusalem, off Emek Refaim Street in the German Colony neighborhood.

Discussed articles include:

Authorities seek to tamp down tensions amid backlash over Temple Mount prayer ruling

Pro-Israel groups see mixed results after pouring millions into Democratic primaries

Hamas wins landslide victory in student elections at flagship Birzeit University

US removes radical Jewish group Kach, 4 others from list of terror organizations

US Ambassador Nides moves into new residence in Jerusalem

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

IMAGE: Israeli police accompany a group of Jews touring the Temple Mount on May 5, 2022, as the Jerusalem holy site was reopened to non-Muslim visitors. (Ahmad Gharabli/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.

Political correspondent Tal Schneider and military reporter Mannie Fabian join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Fabian reviews a recent series of seemingly connected events, beginning with an Israeli strike in Syria on Friday night, the assassination of a senior member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Tehran on Sunday and a foiled attempt by the Shin Bet of an Iranian operation to contact and possibly kidnap Israelis.

Schneider looks at the ongoing debate regarding the IDF scholarship bill that is currently dividing the Likud party during the ongoing coalition crisis.

Fabian discusses the plans for a month-long IDF drill that was delayed last spring.

Schneider also talks about the emotional speech offered by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday regarding a bill expanding budgets for people with disabilities, in light of his own experiences raising his adult daughter, who is on the autism spectrum.

Discussed articles include:

Syria says 3 soldiers killed in Israeli missile strikes near Damascus

Slain Iranian officer said to have planned attacks against Israelis, Jews worldwide

Israel says it foiled Iranian operation to lure Israelis abroad, possibly nab them

Lapid in tears as cabinet discusses budget boost for people with disabilities

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

 IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on May 15, 2022 (Courtesy 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.

Editor David Horovitz and political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We will dive in and discuss different scenarios. Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s court case has also had some plot twists. What’s going on there. And finally, we’ll hear about our first ToI@10 live event on Tuesday night.

Keller-Lynn breaks down for us what exactly is happening right now with Meretz. Is this the end of the government? The end of Meretz as a party?

Likud #2 MK Yuli Edelstein has issued an bold statement: On Saturday he called for the opposition faction to hold leadership primaries if its leader, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, cannot form a government in the current Knesset if the ruling coalition collapses. Is this at all possible?

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still having his day in court. What is happening in Case 4000 after the shaky testimony from state’s witness Shlomo Filber?

Finally, we’ll host our first ToI@10 event on Tuesday night. Horovitz gives a sneak preview of his interview with author Matti Friedman.

Discussed articles include:

Progress said made to return Meretz MK to coalition, or have her not vote against it

Likud No. 2 demands primary if coalition falls but Netanyahu can’t form new gov’t

Bribery charge against Netanyahu may be weakened but case not over, say experts

Tickets here! J’lem, May 24: Matti Friedman on Leonard Cohen’s Yom Kippur War tour

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.