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 founding editor David Horovitz and political correspondent Tal Schneider, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Ahead of the March 23 Israeli elections, by midnight tonight, all parties must submit their lists of candidates to the Central Elections Committee until Thursday at midnight -- or announce they aren't running. We discuss some of the surprises so far, including what it's looking like for gender balance in the next Knesset.

One of the announced mergers so far is the Religious Zionism party's cooperation with both the extremist Otzma Yehudit and anti-LGBTQ party Noam.

Finally, Schneider gives impressions of a recent interview she conducted with former US State Department policy director Peter Berkowitz, who until a few weeks ago served in the Trump administration under former secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

Discussed articles include:

Yesh Atid, Yamina, Blue and White file their election slates, ruling out mergers

Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope files election slate, heavy with ex-Likud MKs

Far-right parties led by Smotrich and Ben Gvir, a Kahane disciple, join forces

3 of 4 Arab parties of the Joint List agree on united run as Ra’am decamps

For top policy wonk Peter Berkowitz, 18 months of Pompeo and circumstance

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PHOTO: Head of Otzma Yehudit Israeli attorney Itamar Ben Gvir speaks during a ceremony marking the 27th anniversary of the death of Rabbi Meir Kahane after he was assassinated by an Arab gunman in a Manhattan hotel in November 1990, in Jerusalem, November 7, 2017. (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 is comprised of founding editor David Horovitz and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

By Thursday at midnight, all mergers and acquisitions of Israeli political parties must be registered. Who are the players on the chessboard currently, and who is masterminding potential deals?

Speaking about the Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba recently said, "For me as the guy who negotiated the deal, this was really about stopping annexation and saving the two-state solution." Or is there more to it than that?

Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been a font of seemingly ludicrous theories, including a recently resurfaced 2018 Tweet in which she said that the Rothschild family started the California wildfires with lasers from space. While laughable, is there room for concern?

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu said once again concocting deal to get far-right Kahanists elected

Poll shows Labor rising, predicts Netanyahu’s rivals can form majority coalition

Unveiling party slate, Liberman vows not to enter coalition with ultra-Orthodox

UAE ambassador: ‘Abraham Accords were about preventing annexation’

Democrats seek to censure, expel QAnon-backing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

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PHOTO: People cast their ballot at a voting station in Tel Aviv, during the Knesset Elections, on March 2, 2020. (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 senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and health and science correspondent Nathan Jeffay, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We begin today’s program with an update on Israel's battle with the coronavirus pandemic as it leads the world in both vaccinations and lockdown days.

Can Israel reach herd immunity without vaccinating children? When will the restrictions be lifted? Why is Israel seeing a slowdown in its vaccine drive? When will vaccinations be open for all age groups. Jeffay answers all our questions.

And with two days left until parties must present their final slates before March's national election, we look at the latest mergers, defections and departures from across the political spectrum, and how they may affect the final results.

Discussed articles include:

We will have to live with COVID-19 for a long time, says Israeli expert

Israel’s vaccine drive slowing, with clinics struggling to bring people in

Ya’alon bows out of politics: The ‘battle for change’ has more chance without me

Ex-commando, social activist, Reform rabbi take top slots in Labor primary

Helping make obstacles for TV ninjas, a mom shows girls how to defy life’s tests

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

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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 Palestinian affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We begin today’s program with an update on the "fabled" Palestinian elections. Boxerman explains that signs are again pointing that they will be indefinitely be put on hold.

Israel has begun shipping vaccinations to the Palestinian Authority. Who will receive the 5,000 promised doses -- and where?

The lockdown in Israel has been extended until Friday morning, but enforcement has been uneven. Boxerman explains an Israeli Arab viewpoint on the fines.

And finally, Borschel-Dan gives a synopsis of a new study of the biblical "argaman" or true purple.

Discussed articles include:

Palestinians say they’ll start vaccine rollout by mid-February

Israel to send Palestinians 5,000 coronavirus vaccine doses for health workers

When funerals are fatal

Ministers extend lockdown until Friday morning, keep the airport closed for week

Ancient cloth with Bible’s purple dye found in Israel, dated to King David’s era

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PHOTO: A Palestinian man casts his vote at a polling station in the West Bank city of Nablus, Saturday, May 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

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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 military correspondent Judah Ari Gross, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We begin today's program with an update on what appears to be a terrorist attack near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi. Next, we discuss controversial remarks made by IDF chief of staff Aviv Kohavi in regards to the United States' plan to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal.

How was the IDF deploy at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, and is it being implemented today in enforcing the ongoing lockdown?

Horovitz gives impressions of his interview with New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar, who is angling to become Israel's next prime minister "as a national interest."

Discussed articles include:

Mossad said involved in probe of blast near Israeli embassy in New Delhi

Picking a fight with US over Iran deal, IDF chief baffles even accord’s critics

‘Netanyahu plays a dirty game,’ says challenger Sa’ar, ‘but he doesn’t scare me’

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PHOTO: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi during an event for outstanding soldiers as part of Israel's 71st Independence Day celebrations, at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, May 9, 2019. (Noam Revkin Fenton/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 environmental reporter Sue Surkes, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Today Israel and the rest of the Jewish World is celebrating Tu Bishvat, the new year of the trees. We turn to Surkes for an update on where Israel stands vis a vis the rest of the world in terms of its carbon footprint and renewable energy. She also reveals which tree was named Israel's national tree by the Jewish National Fund.

Surkes speaks about the debate between emphasizing solar versus gas energy between the Environmental and Energy ministries. She speaks about the differences between a zero carb pledge and a zero net carb pledge.

Turning to the country's south, Surkes updates on a new danger to the rare Eilat corals in the Red Sea.

Horovitz updates on more fallout from the Biden administration's new world order, including the Iran nuclear deal and the suspended sale of F-35s to the United Arab Emirates.

Discussed articles include:

Erupting with flowers before spring, almond tree a bounty of Jewish symbolism

Environment minister welcomes Biden, Harris, with zero carbon pledge

UAE pipeline deal will imperil Eilat’s critical coral reefs, scientists warn

US suspends $23 billion sale of F-35s to UAE that followed Abraham Accords

Netanyahu warns virus strain resistant to current vaccines is inevitable

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

PHOTO: Almond tree blossom, January 21, 2016. (Melanie Lidman/Times of 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.

Today’s panel comprises Times of Israel senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we look at the growing debate among US Jewish groups over the IHRA anti-Semitism definition and ask what it represents about Israel's place in the battle against modern Jew hatred.

With the Biden's State Department already announcing renewed relations with Palestinians, our panel assesses the possible coming policy changes and wonders how Israel can avoid conflict with the new administration. And with new diplomatic horizons emerging, we look at how Israel is approaching rapprochement with Turkey.

Finally, Berman discusses his interview with Israel's new envoy to the UAE and how the mission is preparing for the fruits of normalization.

Discussed articles include:

International Holocaust Remembrance Day to focus on 1.5 million children killed by Nazis

Most members of US Jewish umbrella group adopt IHRA definition of anti-Semitism

US announces it’s renewing relations with Palestinians, seeking 2-state solution

At odds on Iran and settlements, Netanyahu and Biden can still avoid a brawl

Boxed-in Turkey tries to rekindle ties, but Israel can now play hard to get

Arriving in UAE, Israeli envoy sets sights on budding trade bonanza

PHOTO: A general view of the Old City skyline, as seen from a roof top in the Christian Quarter, in Jerusalem, on August 5, 2013. (Sliman Khader/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 senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We speak today about the continued rioting in the streets among Israel's ultra-Orthodox population. Is it a matter of faith? United Torah Judaism's MK Yitzhak Pindrus said that Torah study among children "will stop the pandemic... that's what can save the entire world." Or a political ploy?

Facebook sanctioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for fishing for private medical information. In the run-up to the March 23 elections will we see more crack downs?

As the world marks a decade to the Arab Spring, Horovitz relates some of the conflicts he faced when sending a female reporter to cover what became a violent event in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

And finally, Israel has picked its song for the annual Eurovision contest. What are some of the tournament's political implications? And have a listen to the new tune, "Set me free."

Discussed articles include:

Haredi protesters endangered light rail passengers’ lives, operator says

Police, firefighters stood by for an hour as ultra-Orthodox mob torched bus

As 4 cops hurt in fresh clashes, chief rabbi slams ‘delinquent’ Haredi rioters

Under Haredi pressure, PM said to agree to soften bill hiking lockdown fines

Facebook suspends Netanyahu’s chatbot for seeking to ID unvaccinated Israelis

Arab Spring exiles look back 10 years after Egyptian uprising

‘Set me free’: Israel picks Eurovision song entry for 2021

PHOTO: Israeli police officers clash with ultra-Orthodox Jewish men during enforcement of coronavirus emergency regulations in Jerusalem, January 26, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/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.

Today’s panel is comprised of Times of Israel editor David Horovitz and health and science correspondent Nathan Jeffay, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We speak today about what the world is learning from Israel's vaccination drive, and why the data published so far may allow some hope for countries struggling to contain the latest wave of the pandemic -- including the Jewish state.

As Israel pushes ahead with the vaccine campaign, more and more questions arise over its possible responsibility, both moral and legal, to also provide vaccines for Palestinians. We look at what is in Israel's interest, and its obligation.

And with clashes continuing between Israeli police and members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox communities over the ongoing national lockdown, we ask who is responsible for the flagrant flouting of restrictions and the total breakdown of trust, and who can fix it.

Discussed articles include:

Israel sees 60% drop in hospitalizations for age 60-plus 3 weeks after 1st shot

Israel to almost completely shut Ben Gurion Airport for week amid mutation fears

Israeli immunity hinges on Palestinians getting COVID shots too, doctors say

Bus driver recounts ‘nightmare’ after Haredim torch vehicle at closure protest

Fresh clashes in Bnei Brak as Haredi leaders blame police for violence

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

Image: Workers from Chevra Kadisha Kehilat Yerushalayim, getting dressed with full protective gear to prepare a body before a funeral at a morgue for people who died from Covid-19, at the Sanhedriya Cemetery in Jerusalem, January 25, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/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.

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

We speak about today's Labor Party primaries, ahead of the looming Israeli elections on March 23. Also, the recent announcement that Likud "prince" Benny Begin, the son of former prime minister Menachem Begin, has joined with fellow former Likudnik Gideon Sa'ar New Hope party. 

Amidst mixed messaging over the United States' stated intention to rejoin the controversial Iran nuclear deal, the first Israeli official to meet with the Biden administration is head of the Mossad Yossi Cohen.

As a result of flagrant flouting of the coronavirus crisis lockdown, the past few days have seen ongoing clashes between Israeli police and members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox communities in highly populated areas such as the city of Bnei Brak and Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood. What took the police so long to attempt to enforce the rules?

Discussed articles include: 

Labor to pick new leader as frontrunner Michaeli looks to renew struggling party

Former Likud MK Benny Begin, son of late PM, joins Sa’ar’s New Hope

In boost for Bennett, small business owners’ protest leader joins Yamina

TV: Israel warns ‘nothing to discuss’ with Biden if returns to Iran deal as is

TV: Mossad chief to meet Biden, set out terms for overhaul of Iran nuclear deal

Hasidic rabbi calls for reopening ultra-Orthodox schools, then backtracks

Father of ZAKA emergency rescue chief dies of COVID-19, days after his mother

Image: Israeli police officers clash with ultra-Orthodox Jewish men during enforcement of coronavirus emergency regulations, in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, January 24, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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