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.

Today’s panel comprises health and science correspondent Nathan Jeffay and economy editor Shoshanna Solomon, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

On today's show, we open with a look at a groundbreaking Israeli technique that could lead to human gestation outside the human womb and is already giving new insights into organ formation. What more could we learn?

We then hear about a new Israeli study that shows that babies born to vaccinated mothers have COVID-fighting antibodies, suggesting they are born with immunity to coronavirus.

And as vaccinations kick in and the chance of children infecting elderly Israelis diminishes, Israeli doctors say quarantine for children could come to an end soon, although health officials continue to demure. Jeffay clues us in on the considerations behind the decision.

Looking to the post-COVID economy, Solomon updates on how Israel's Finance Ministry is offering grants to encourage furloughed employees to return to work, as former officials warn that tackling unemployment is key to recovery.

And finally, we take a very little look at a trio of tiny Israeli satellites set to orbit the Earth on just 1 gram of fuel a day.

Discussed articles include:

In breakthrough, Israelis grow hundreds of mouse embryos in artificial wombs

Israeli study: Babies born to vaccinated moms have COVID-fighting antibodies

Kids’ quarantine, every parent’s nightmare, could soon be eased, doctors predict

As economy reawakens, fears of sluggish rebound for labor market linger

3 tiny Israeli satellites to orbit earth on just 1 gram of fuel a day

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PHOTO: A mouse embryo grows in the artificial womb at the Weizmann Institute of Science (courtesy of the Weizmann Institute of Science)

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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 Raoul Wootliff.

On today's show, with six days remaining until the election, we start with a look at the latest polls and ask what they tell us about the final stretch of the race.

Asking if a fifth election could be in the offing, we analyze Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid's tactics and question how they could affect the outcome for anti-Netanyahu bloc.

Then, we look at two recent stories by our panelists - - a piece by Rettig Gur on how party funding may be keeping some in the race to pay off their debts, and a piece by Schneider on one man's efforts to keep Kahanist Itamar Ben Gvir out of the Knesset.

And finally, could there be a debate between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid before the election? Our panelists throw very cold water on the idea.

Discussed articles include:

Week to election, 1 poll shows deadlock, another gives PM a majority with Yamina

In pitch to undecided voters, Lapid urges them not to back small parties

Blue and White and in the red, Gantz may be hanging in race to pay off debt

Anyone but Ben Gvir: One man’s mission to keep a Kahanist out of the Knesset

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

Netanyahu says he’ll debate Lapid if the two can agree on moderator

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PHOTO: Workers hang a large election campaign poster of the Blue and White party, as part of the Blue and White election campaign, in Jerusalem on March 11, 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 founding editor David Horovitz and Palestinian affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman, along with host/archaeology reporter Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Today's show opens with a role reversal as Horovitz quizzes Borschel-Dan on the "dazzling" recent archeological finds discovered in the Judean desert by the Israel Antiquities Authority in cooperation with COGAT. We hear about the new Dead Sea Scrolls fragments, the world’s oldest woven basket, a 6,000-year-old mummified child, Bar Kochba Revolt coins and more amazing artifacts discovered in the Cave of Horror and others.

Boxerman gives us an update on the Palestinian battle against the coronavirus in the West Bank and how it has gone from bad to worse in recent days.

We then hear about the Palestinian Authority's special broadcast honoring Dalal Mughrabi, who killed 38 civilians in 1978, and Fatima Bernawi, who served 10 years for failed Jerusalem bombing, and what it says about Palestinian praise of terror.

And finally, with a week remaining until election day, we bring an update on the latest political news with a look at the possibility of cooperation between the Israeli Arab Ra'am party and Netanyahu's Likud.

Discussed articles include:

Bible scroll fragments among dazzling artifacts found in Dead Sea Cave of Horror

PA orders new lockdown in West Bank as hospitals reach 100% capacity

Female terrorists become Palestinian role models on International Women’s Day

Ra’am said to be leaving door open to cooperation with anti-Netanyahu bloc

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PHOTO: 60-year-old Ofer Sion rappels to the Cave of Horror. (IAA)

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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 United States correspondent Jacob Magid, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We start the show with a look at Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman's refusal to apologize for comments regarding ultra-Orthodox Jews and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that have been slammed as anti-Semitic. Who is he actually talking to and why is he not backing down?

Then we hear why a government watchdog group has slammed Netanyahu for implying a political relationship with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. Our panel breaks down who Israel's top spy really is and whether he is Netanyahu's chosen successor.

A new poll has the two quarreling political blocs split 58-58 with Israeli Arab party Ra’am potentially serving as a tie-breaker, and therefore a potential kingmaker. We break down what that means for the March 23 election, and its aftermath.

And finally, neither Cairo nor Amman is convinced that the scheduled Palestinian elections will truly happen. But with Fatah divided, a Hamas win could ripple out in unwanted ways.

Discussed articles include:

Liberman under fire for saying he’ll dump Netanyahu, Haredim ‘in a landfill’

Mossad chief says no political ties to PM, who vowed to give him cabinet post

Our new spymaster and the demise of Israeli politics

Why Mossad’s Yossi Cohen, shadow warrior against Iran, is PM’s chosen successor

Poll: Blocs split 58-58; Ra’am could be tie-breaker

In Jordan and Egypt, quiet qualms that Palestinian elections will boost Hamas

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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 editor David Horovitz and diplomacy reporter Lazar Berman, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned flight to the United Arab Emirates was suddenly canceled because he was refused permission to fly over Jordanian airspace. This is part of an ongoing tangle in the Israeli-Jordanian relationship, which Berman unravels for us.

Tomorrow marks 10 years from the beginning of Syrian civil protests that led to the ongoing civil war. Berman gives a sneak preview of an analysis he'll publish on the anniversary.

Vaccine diplomacy has been in the headlines for the past month. Was the opening of the new Czech Republic office in Jerusalem on Thursday linked to COVID vaccines?

The recently announced winner of the prestigious Israel Prize and ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav is publicly accused of ongoing systemic sexual abuse dating back over four decades. Called by insiders an "open secret" in the ultra-Orthodox community, Meshi-Zahav's alleged behavior was tamped down by the same "code of silence" he railed against when calling on religious leadership to push for communal COVID vaccinations.

Finally, we end on a quick blurb about the wild tulips temporarily seen all across Israel.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu forced to cancel trip to UAE amid dispute with Jordan

Jordan confirms holding up Netanyahu flight permission due to Temple Mount spat

Long-frustrated Jordan finally finds a way to hit Netanyahu where it hurts

Czech prime minister opens embassy office in Jerusalem

Netanyahu meets Hungarian, Czech leaders to discuss vaccine cooperation

ZAKA emergency group co-founder accused of multiple cases of rape, sexual abuse

More speak up about ‘widely known’ alleged sexual abuse by ZAKA head

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PHOTO: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II in the East Room of the White House in Washington, September 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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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 health reporter Nathan Jeffay and United States correspondent Jacob Maggid, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Jeffay updates with new studies and research on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including the use of regular household aspirin in fending off a serious infection. Likewise, Jeffay explains why testing sewage could be the answer for countries that don't have the vaccine, or are worried about resistant variant strains.

Maggid recently arrived in Israel from New York. Now that he's out and about in Tel Aviv, he describes the differences he's seeing in terms of behavior and vaccination rates between the two major cities.

The US and Israel are holding a first strategic meeting on Iran today. Maggid explains its significance.

Finally, Maggid gives a teaser for his in-depth feature on the rise of American spin doctors and pollsters who are helping Israeli politicians run their election campaigns.

Discussed articles include:

Aspirin may protect against COVID-19, Israeli research finds

Full vaccine effect only kicks in 15 days after second dose, Israeli HMO says

Tweaked Israeli sewage test can check spread of coronavirus variants

Hadassah hospital said to furlough 80 workers who haven’t taken COVID shots

Israel and US to convene 1st strategic group meeting on Iran

Tippecanoe and Lapid too: US pollsters import American-style campaigns to Israel

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PHOTO: This August 23, 2018 file photo shows an arrangement of aspirin pills in New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, 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.

Today’s panel comprises founding editor David Horovitz and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

It's less than two weeks until the Israeli national elections and the crystal ball of polling is still looking cloudy. Horovitz and Rettig Gur discuss the implications of the changeable polls -- and their influences on the electorate.

Rettig Gur proposes that what is different in this current election is that instead of parties fighting opposing political/religious affiliations, they are fighting their closest "kin-party."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the recent High Court ruling which accepts Reform and Conservative conversions for citizenship purposes. What was his stance, and why is it problematic?

Israel's skies are increasingly opening up and coronavirus Czar Nachman Ash has tentatively stated there won't be another lockdown ahead of Passover. Horovitz brings an update.

Discussed articles include:

Likud, Yesh Atid see boost in latest poll, New Hope plunges to under 10 seats

Just 29% of Israelis think elections will end the political deadlock, poll shows

‘We have to prevent fake conversions,’ PM says when asked about court ruling

Virus czar: Lockdown unlikely before Passover due to ‘significant’ drop in cases

El Al trials rapid COVID testing for passengers prior to flight

Following pressure, flights to be allowed from four more international locations

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PHOTO: Large campaign posters of the head of the Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu been printed ahead of the Israeli elections, at a printing factory in Rosh Haayin, March 9, 2021. (Yossi Zeliger/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 diplomacy reporter Lazar Berman and Palestinian and Arab affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Berman gives us an update on the International Criminal Court's investigation into the summer of 2014. The start date of the investigation is June 13, 2014 -- just after the kidnapping and brutal murder of teens Eyal Yifrach, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel. Coincidence? And Boxerman explains why both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are elated at the ongoing trial proceedings.

Israel launched a vaccination campaign for 120,000 Palestinian workers crossing into the Jewish state on Monday. Boxerman was there and gives impressions, including the lack of "fake news," even as Israeli Arab communities are among the lowest vaccinated.

Violent crime is up at unprecedented levels and some 10,000 Israelis gathered in Umm al-Fahm on Friday in protest. One Israeli politician -- MK Mansour Abbas -- was resoundingly rebuffed. Why?

Finally, Berman gives us a teaser of a nuanced, thought provoking he published this week.

Discussed articles include:

ICC announces investigation into Israeli, Palestinian war crimes

Abbas praises ICC prosecutor’s ‘courage’ in opening Israel war crimes probe

Meretz head sparks uproar by saying ICC probe against Israel legitimate

Israel’s dilemma: To work with ICC war crimes probe or not?

After delays, Israel kicks off vaccination drive for 120,000 Palestinian workers

Arab Israelis fret over lagging vaccination rates as Ramadan approaches

Thousands protest police response to Arab crime; dissident MK Abbas chased away

Renegade Arab MK heckled, chased away from Arab Israeli protest

After walling itself in, Israel learns to hazard the jungle beyond

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PHOTO: Family and friends of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Fraenkel , three Israeli teenagers who were abducted and murdered mourn over the grave of Eyal Yifrah during their funeral in Modiin, Israel, Tuesday, July 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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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 Biranit Goren, the editor of Zman Yisrael (The Times of Israel's Hebrew-sister site), and ToI's ops and blogs editor Miriam Herschlag, along with host Raoul Wootliff.

Goren and Herschlag discuss how each amplifies women's voices on their platforms and the role gender plays when they are choosing material to feature.

Veteran Israeli journalist Goren discusses how the lack of female voices in creating government policy influences families' lives in debilitating ways.

Herschlag chose a selection of three blogs that illuminate different aspects of women in Israel. The first is a personal blog, "Planting an Audrey" by Kally Rubin Kislowicz, which illustrates "all the elements of the pandemic (without directly mentioning it) and how, the private has become public and how central women's experience is in that," says Herschlag.

The second piece is an oped from the Israel Democracy Institute written by Ofer Kenig called "No one since Golda: Woman politicians in Israel and beyond," which is chock full of cold hard numerical facts. Read 'em and weep.

The third post "Agunah Day: 3 times public outrage rescued chained women," says Herschlag, was written by Susan Weiss and represents "the fierce, badass Orthodox women warriors changing Judaism and fighting the Israeli Chief Rabbinate," specifically on the issue of "chained women" stuck in marriages because their husbands will not grant a writ of divorce, or a get.

Discussed articles include:

Planting an Audrey

No one since Golda: Woman politicians in Israel and beyond

Agunah Day: 3 times public outrage rescued chained women

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FILE PHOTO: Hundreds of members from the 'Women Wage Peace' do a flash mob dance at the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, during a demonstration calling for peace on International Women’s Day, March 6, 2018. (Hadas Parush/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 United States correspondent Jacob Magid, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

With ministers having approved the reopening of many businesses, the return of more citizens from abroad and the resumption of studies for grades 7-10, we open the show by asking if the virus is really "behind us," as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said.

We then look at a pair of interviews conducted by Horovitz with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Blue and White chair Benny Ganz. What is each of their criticisms of the current government, and how are they proposing to remedy the problems?

Last week's High Court ruling on non-Orthodox conversions for purposes of citizenship continues to send shockwaves across Israel. We look at the continued disparaging of Reform and Conservative Jews and ask what will it take for the Jews in the Jewish state to fully recognize them.

And finally, we hear Pope Francis's message to President Rivlin as he entered Israeli airspace on the way to Abraham's birthplace in Iraq.

Discussed articles include:

Restaurants, event venues, other sites reopen after last-minute cabinet approval

Lapid: My ambitions can wait; if Netanyahu wins, Israel will enter dark times

Gantz: What does Israel want in its leaders? Integrity or lies and manipulation?

Sephardi chief rabbi disparages Reform Jews: ‘They have nothing’

Sa’ar says Netanyahu being ‘extorted’ by ultra-Orthodox on Reform conversions

In ancient Ur, birthplace of Abraham, pope urges peace among monotheistic faiths

Pope sends ‘warm greetings’ to Rivlin during flight over Israel to Iraq

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PHOTO: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after visiting a restaurant in Jerusalem on March 7, 2021. (Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

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