The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Following US President Donald Trump's comment about the ceasefire with Iran being on "life support," Magid reports on possible Iranian willingness to give up on stockpiles of highly enriched uranium that are buried far underground and Trump's frustration when those terms weren't included in their latest proposal.

The European Union approved a round of sanctions against violent Jewish settlers, and Magid names the settler organizations involved in establishing settlements and outposts and the individuals associated with them, which now won't have access to funds from Europe.

A donation of $100 million from the United Arab Emirates will help set up a Gaza police force to maintain internal security in the Gaza Strip, reports Magid, although he notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not fully on board with this latest Board of Peace plan.

Yasser Abbas, the millionaire son of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, is up for a position on the powerful central committee of Fatah, and Magid discusses the possible scenarios that could take place during the upcoming conference.

Magid briefly notes a slight kerfuffle between Israel's US ambassador Yechiel Leiter and several American Jewish organizations that are cosponsoring an event with the Spanish government that has been strongly critical of Israel.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Trump says Iran ceasefire ‘on life support’ after Tehran submitted ‘garbage’ proposal

EU foreign ministers approve sanctions on violent Israeli settlers, Hamas leaders

UAE sends Board of Peace $100 million for training of new Gaza police force — officials

Abbas seen positioning son for Palestinian leadership, dismaying those seeking new blood

Israeli envoy takes rare swipe at US Jewish groups for cosponsoring Spanish exhibit

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg in today's Daily Briefing podcast. (ToI)

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Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring one key issue currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World. This week, host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaks with legal expert Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy.

Almost immediately following Hamas’s murderous onslaught on southern Israel, humanitarian law expert Elkayam-Levy established and now heads The Civil Commission on Oct. 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children.

On May 12, the commission released a massive report that documents and chronicles Hamas’s systemic use of rape and sexual violence against women -- and men -- on October 7, while taking hostages and during their captivities.

Elkayam-Levy visited The Times of Israel's Jerusalem studio for this wide-ranging conversation. Listener discretion is advised.

Since the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel, Elkayam-Levy and her team of forensics and legal experts, alongside professional archivists and others, have carefully gathered witness testimony and over 10,000 pieces of visual evidence that prove the terrorists' use of sex abuse as a tactical war crime.

We hear about 13 categories of abuse perpetrated on people from over 50 nationalities. We learn that the tactic of broadcasting the crimes via livestreams has made Hamas heroes in the eyes of some fundamentalists who are already importing the terror group's sadistic methods, as seen in Syrian attacks on Druze in July.

Elkayam-Levy discusses the impossible mission of providing a voice for the voiceless and creating a historical database that accurately portrays the scope of the horror. She has faced unfathomable blowback and is clear-eyed about how the commission's report will be received.

So this week, we ask Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, what matters now?

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee. 

IMAGE: Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy (Muki Schwartz) / On October 13, 2023, Israeli soldiers inspect the site of the Nova music festival where at least 340 Israeli festival-goers were killed during the attack by Hamas militants on Oct 7, near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Yesterday, Iran handed over its much-anticipated response to the latest US peace proposal. US President Donald Trump quickly declared it "totally unacceptable." We delve into the ongoing skirmishes between Iranian drones and Gulf states, including Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and speak about potential scenarios facing Trump in the near future.

In a lengthy "60 Minutes" interview last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the war is “not over” despite Trump’s apparent desire to end hostilities and insistence that Iran had been roundly defeated. We hear highlights from what was on -- and off -- camera, including his quasi-acceptance of some responsibility for the October 7, 2023, massacre on Israeli soil.

The US will host the third round of ambassador-level talks between representatives from Israel and Lebanon on May 14 and 15. What are the aims of the ongoing talks -- and how feasible is any kind of agreement as long as Hezbollah is still firmly entrenched in Israel's neighbor to the north?

A former senior US official and a former senior Israeli official are offering a new vision to restart their nations' bilateral relationship. Berman met with former US ambassador to Israel Tom Nides and former IDF Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin last week and brings back a vision with some cautious optimism.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

‘Unacceptable’: Trump rejects Iran response to US peace offer, as Netanyahu insists war ‘not over’

UAE, Kuwait and Qatar all report drone attacks as Iran ramps up its threats

Netanyahu concedes he bears some responsibility for Oct. 7, but says ‘everyone’ shares it

IDF reservist killed in Hezbollah explosive drone attack in northern Israel

Past top Israeli, US officials reveal new vision for ties rooted in tech partnership

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and edited this episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Political correspondents Sam Sokol and Ariela Karmel join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

The opposition parties are shaping up ahead of the upcoming elections, as Sokol and Karmel discuss the familiar and new political figures and the jockeying among parties to maximize votes.

Karmel also reports on a new Druze political party, the first time the community has formed one in decades, following their deep sense of frustration with the government.

As the Knesset returns to its first session after a prolonged break, Sokol and Karmel discuss the expected legislative blitz, including proposed laws to split the role of the attorney general, a controversial proposed political probe into October 7, restricting Israel’s broadcast media landscape, as well as the military exemption service law for the ultra-Orthodox.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen joins Eisenkot’s Yashar party

After joining Yashar, ex-head of Shin Bet says Smotrich a ‘legitimate’ partner, but not Ben Gvir

Amid speculation of merger, Eisenkot and Liberman say they’re ‘deepening cooperation’

Golan: Zionist opposition must partner with Arab party Ra’am to topple government

Yisrael Beytenu, said to eye merger with Eisenkot, adds hostages’ brother to ranks

Contentious proposals dominate planned legislative blitz as Knesset readies to resume

PM said to ask Haredim to again shelve draft exemption bill — this time until after election

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: ToI political correspondents Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg on today's Daily Briefing podcast. (ToI)

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Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, the head of Realign for Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse.

This week, the Board of Peace’s top Gaza envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, is in Israel in an attempt to kick-start the Trump peace plan. He has previously urged the international community to pressure the Hamas Palestinian terror group to disarm and prevent another cycle of violence in the Gaza Strip.

This week, we hear why Alkhatib believes the current stalemate in Gaza is being embraced by both Hamas and official Israel.

But first, Alkhatib paints a dismal picture of life in the Strip -- rat infestations, sewage in the streets and a strong Hamas presence on the ground.

We learn about the recent elections for Hamas leadership and hear background about the leading candidates.

Finally, among all the darkness, Alkhatib shares pinpoints of light from among the people who are still not cowed by the terrorist regime.

And so this week, we ask Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, what matters now?

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

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Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

This week, we dive straight into our two films for this week, the 2021 documentary "Bernstein's Wall" and Bradley Cooper's 2023 "Maestro."

Our two classical music fans begin with the documentary, highlighting the parts of conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein's life that were previously unknown to them. We hear how the movie employs Bernstein himself as its narrator by weaving together clips from dozens of revealing interviews the celebrity gave over his life. 

Shifting over to the Hollywood treatment, we zero in on the Maestro's relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. We learn where Cooper stayed true to the contours of the musician's life -- and where he missed the mark.

Stick around to see if "Bernstein's Wall" and "Maestro" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze.

The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

Israel has had a rough time of it on the international stage since the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023 and the subsequent wars. Allegations of collective punishment, genocide, and targeting of religious sites have been made by some of Israel's closest allies, and support for the Jewish state is plummeting in the West.

Much of the criticism leveled at Israel, justified or not, revolves around what the world sees from the battlefield.

The IDF has a large, well-oiled public communications machine. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit does things other militaries can only dream of.

At the same time, there is a feeling in Israel and among its friends that the IDF is too slow and bureaucratic to effectively get its message out in the age of social media and AI.

LTC Nadav Shoshani, who returned to active duty in the wake of October 7, argues that despite Israel's inherent disadvantages, the IDF is effectively communicating to the world.

In an interview the day before he steps down as the IDF's international spokesman, Shoshani reveals his approach to speaking to the world about the war in Gaza.

He admits that Israel's reputation is at a nadir and that the problem must be dealt with. Yet he stresses that Israel is facing structural disadvantages. Much of the world simply doesn't like war. Israel's enemies aren't held to the same standard of truth and accuracy, which allows them to quickly spread lies while Israel is still carrying out investigations.

Shoshani lays out some of the lessons he's learned in the position. Israel has to fill information vaccuums, he says, even if it is a message that the country is investigating the incident at hand. He also opened many new social media accounts, in order "to be everywhere and to be active everywhere."

Pressed on the persistent problem of IDF soldiers posting problematic content on social media, Shoshani says that he has invested significant effort into confronting the problem, with tangible results. "They understand what's happening," says Shoshani. "They're more sensitive. It's still not where we want it to be, but it is much better."

Shoshani takes listeners back to key episodes in the Gaza war like the 2025 announcement by Defense Minister Israel Katz that nothing would be going into Gaza, and the GHF aid site fiasco in which Gazans were killed nearly daily around the food distribution sites.

He says that the IDF has acted properly around prisoners taken from Gaza. Shoshani visited the Sde Teiman base, and says Hamas terrorists there are receiving food and medical care, and that there are lawyers on site to make sure the guards adhere to the law.

Shoshani also argues that the IDF is doing everything it can to combat settler violence in the West Bank: "We see this as a core mission. Our mission in Judea and Samaria is to keep stability and to keep safety for all the people living in that area, to make sure there is no violence."

The military recognizes the problem, he says, and is dealing with it, but that it takes time.

Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As the US and Iran continue talks regarding a permanent deal, Horovitz says the regime feels it has established control over the Strait of Hormuz and views the US as vulnerable.

Horovitz discusses the deal-making tendencies of Trump, a way of thinking that ultimately worked in favor of the Hamas hostage deal, but is harder to achieve with the dilemmas in Iran, with Hezbollah in Lebanon and with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Following Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's recent comment that former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s decision to include the Islamist Ra’am party in his 2021-2022 government was far worse than the governmental failures tied to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, Horovitz comments on the level of political hostility and the absence of empathy among Netanyahu's government for all the bereaved Israelis and hostage families.

Finally, Horovitz reflects on the recent Golders Green stabbing attack, an iteration of the antisemitic attacks happening all over the Jewish diaspora, and how the British government has handled the situation.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

US, Iran said closing in on framework for permanent deal, as Trump renews bomb threats

Board of Peace won’t hold Israel to truce terms if Hamas doesn’t okay disarmament offer

Smotrich: Including Arab party in government ‘a thousand times’ worse than Oct. 7 failures

We’re not in the 1930s… yet

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.

IMAGE: ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg on today's Daily Briefing podcast. (ToI)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

US President Donald Trump says the US will be pausing the operation Project Freedom that it launched on Monday to assist vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz due to progress made in talks toward a permanent ceasefire with Iran. Magid parses Trump's Truth Social post announcement and updates us on statements made earlier in the day by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The US-led Board of Peace, the newly formed body tasked with overseeing the postwar management of Gaza, does not intend to hold Israel to the terms of the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire if Hamas does not accept the international panel’s framework for the terror group’s disarmament, a document obtained by Magid shows. We hear the potential implications of this new approach.

And finally, we turn to a new report on a recurring issue: The US State Department informed Congress last month that the Palestinian Authority has not ceased making payments to the families of security prisoners and slain attackers, despite reforming, and ostensibly ending, its system of cash transfers awarded in accordance with the amount of time served behind Israeli bars. Magid unravels this knotty issue.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Iran threatens Hormuz shipping, as Trump said to shelve strikes amid diplomacy

Iran ceasefire ‘not over,’ US ‘not looking for a fight,’ Hegseth says after Tehran fires on Gulf

Draft UN resolution threatens sanctions on Iran unless it opens Strait of Hormuz

Board of Peace won’t hold Israel to truce terms if Hamas doesn’t okay disarmament offer

US says PA continuing to pay security prisoners despite reformed welfare criteria

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Iran fired over a dozen missiles and several drones at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, renewing attacks on the Gulf state for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold last month. Berman explains how US President Donald Trump really doesn't want to go back to war. But, at the same time, he might.

Lebanon’s parliament speaker said on Monday there could be no negotiations with Israel without a halt to the war that has raged on in southern Lebanon in spite of a ceasefire. Since the Iran negotiations are so intrinsically tied to the conflict in Lebanon, Berman speaks about Israel's difficult position.

In the final half of the program, we turn to the concept of "strategic independence." We hear how European leaders on Monday said that Trump’s snap decision to pull thousands of US troops out of Germany is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security. And earlier this week, we heard from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that future defense procurement will focus on expanding Israel’s capabilities and its independence. Berman weighs in.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Iran restarts attacks on Emirates as US fights to restore traffic in Strait of Hormuz

Lebanon’s Hezbollah-allied parliament speaker: No talks with Israel until war ends

Europe seeks to ‘take charge’ of its own defense as US to cut presence of troops

Netanyahu says project to counter drone threat underway, but ‘will take time’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and edited this episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.