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.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Yesterday, Rettig Gur and Borschel-Dan attended a joint press conference for the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and Tel Aviv University, where they heard the findings of the latest Palestine-Israel Pulse survey.

They heard eye-opening perspectives of massive distrust in the other and how that influences any kind of vision of the future. They also learned that there is one sector -- Arab Israelis -- that is still optimistic and still thinks that peace can be achieved.

The survey was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in Ramallah and the International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University with funding from the Netherlands Representative Office in Ramallah and the Representative Office of Japan to Palestine through UNDP/PAPP. The lead authors were Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, Dr. Khalil Shikaki and Dr. Nimrod Rosler.

It polled 1200± Palestinians — over 800 from the West Bank and over 400 from Gaza in person — and 900 Israeli adults online, in the last half of July.

Among other things, its findings addressed the impact of October 7 and the ongoing war on support for the two-state solution and support for various alternatives to the two-state solution, including one democratic state, one undemocratic state, a two-state confederation.
We hear about attitudes toward the war and massive distrust of the other, extreme perceptions of the other and each side’s sense of victimization.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Palestinian-Israeli Pulse: A Joint Poll

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

IMAGE: Displaced Palestinians live in shelter tents in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, September 12, 2024. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

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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.

Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and Arab Affairs correspondent Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg on today's episode.

Sharon discusses the latest attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through Israel's Attorney General to stave off the International Criminal Court from issuing arrest warrants for him and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

He also reviews what Justice Minister Yariv Levin may do to circumvent the court order he was given this week to finally appoint a new president of Israel's Supreme Court.

Pacchiani talks about the insights offered by an exiled Egyptian analyst regarding Gaza's Philadelphi Corridor, and Egypt's longstanding involvement with that stretch of land.

Sharon looks at what is happening with a Hebron Hills Palestinian enclave whose residents could finally return to their homes following Jewish settler violence, only to be told by Israel's civil administration that they may have to leave again.

Pacchiani discusses a Middle East confab in Baku, Azerbaijan where academics and high-tech types came together to discuss cooperation in the region.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu said to ask AG to probe him and Gallant in bid to avert ICC arrest warrant

High Court orders Levin to appoint new court president; he calls its ruling undemocratic

Egypt is embarrassed to admit failure to control Philadelphi, says exiled analyst

Israel warns Palestinian village will be demolished if residents refuse to relocate

In Baku, emerging Israeli and Arab leaders prepare for a post-conflict Middle East

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

IMAGE: A large billboard depicting an image of Benjamin Netanyhau with the words 'You're the head, you're guilty' in Tel Aviv, February 14, 2024 (Photo by Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

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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.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian and political reporter Tal Schneider join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Late yesterday, the IDF released a video filmed in the tunnel where hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi were executed by their captors on August 29 before being discovered by the IDF on August 31. Fabian explains what we learned from the video about the hostages’ conditions.

An American peace activist who was shot dead in the West Bank last week had “with high probability” been hit by IDF troops’ mistaken gunfire, the army said Tuesday, expressing regret for the killing. What further steps are being taken?

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told foreign journalists on Monday that Hamas is no longer an organized military force in the Gaza Strip after Israel’s 11-month ongoing military campaign, sparked by the terror group’s October 7 massacre. We hear about Gallant’s assessment of Hamas’s capabilities and the need for the continued quenching of its guerrilla operations. How does that square with the IDF’s projections for the war against Hamas?

On Tuesday, Gallant told troops that the IDF was shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern front and that they should prepare for a ground offensive there. Fabian describes how Gallant delivered this news to a group of soldiers.

US Vice President Kamala Harris asserted that Israel has the right to defend itself after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, as Republican candidate Donald Trump accused her of “hating” the Jewish state. Schneider describes what else the two said about Israel.

After the official echelons decided not to pursue a widespread investigation into the failures of October 7, an independent civilian commission of inquiry was launched. Schneider explains who and how this got off the ground and what we're hearing so far.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF video shows ‘horrific conditions’ in tunnel where 6 hostages were held, executed

IDF regrets ‘indirect and unintended’ fire that likely killed US woman in West Bank

Gallant: Hamas as ‘military formation’ in Gaza is gone, IDF focus shifting to north

IDF hits Hezbollah launchers after rocket fire; Gallant to troops: Prepare for ground op

At debate, Harris backs Israel’s right to self defense; Trump says she ‘hates Israel’

Witness: For years before Oct. 7, ‘PM told me he’d never order IDF to topple Hamas’

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

IMAGE: This image released by the IDF on September 10, 2024, shows bottles filled with urine and a makeshift toilet inside of a tunnel in southern Gaza's Rafah where six Israeli hostages were murdered by Hamas terrorists (Israel Defense Forces) 

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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 on today's episode.

Horovitz discusses the latest Hezbollah attack in the northern coastal town of Nahariya, and the mounting concerns regarding the terrorist organization in Lebanon, and whether the threat can be contained by diplomatic means.

Horovitz then describes the anguished but clear comments made to the prime minister by the bereaved father Rabbi Elhanan Danino, whose son, Ori Danino, was one of the six hostages killed in Hamas captivity ten days ago. During a condolence call visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Danino told Netanyahu that it was his policies that led to the death of his eldest son.

Horovitz also reviews the latest machinations on the part of Justice Minister Yariv Levin regarding the appointment of a new High Court president.

He also speaks about the Toronto Film Festival screening of 'Bibi Files,' the documentary about the Netanyahu graft trials, and the prime minister's attempts to stop the Canadian screening.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Hezbollah drone hits Nahariya high-rise, as over 20 rockets fired at north

After Hezbollah strike on Nahariya, residents say government abandoned them

Gantz says military focus should shift from Gaza to Lebanon: ‘We’re late on this’

Top US official warns of ‘catastrophic consequences’ to war in Lebanon – reports

Bereaved father of hostage to Netanyahu: ‘My son was murdered in a tunnel you built’

Levin mulls legislation to change majority for appointing Supreme Court president

‘Bibi Files’ Canada premiere puts PM interrogation footage on screen for first time

Court denies Netanyahu bid to block Canadian screening of leaked interrogation footage

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

IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walking outside his office at the Knesset in Jerusalem on September 9, 2024. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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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 reporter Lazar Berman and editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Reports came out last night that the chances of a phased hostage-ceasefire agreement being achieved on the basis of Israel’s May proposal are “close to zero” and there is “very broad pessimism.” The US, which had indicated it was planning to present a new bridging proposal in the next two or three days, is now regarded as unlikely to do so, it added. Berman brings an update.

Amid public criticism from top Israeli officials last week, Egypt’s army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Ahmed Fathy Khalifa made a surprise visit on Thursday to the country’s border with the Gaza Strip to inspect the security situation. At around the same time, the Egyptian leader, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made a first Egyptian presidential visit to Turkey in 12 years, where he discussed the Gaza war and ways to further repair the long-frozen ties between the regional powers during talks in Ankara. How is the growing daylight between Israel and Egypt affecting the region?

Israel wrapped up its time at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on Sunday with 10 medals, including four gold, its best showing at the Games in 20 years. In this year’s games, only three of the 28 Paralympians representing Israel this year were wounded during military service. One of the sad byproducts of the war is a sharp uptick in other potential candidates. We hear about the highlights of the games and how the organization is working towards using the 2028 games as a goal for this war's wounded warriors.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Slain hostages struggled with their killers in final moments, IDF probe said to find

Negotiators said to believe chance of hostage deal ‘close to zero’; US also pessimistic

Erdogan seeks Islamic alliance against Israel, says its ‘expansionism’ won’t stop in Gaza

Egypt’s army chief visits Gaza border after Israel says Sissi failed on smuggling

Israel celebrates its best Paralympic showing in 20 years with 10-medal haul

From Gaza to LA: Can Paralympics dream help wounded soldiers get back their fighting spirit?

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

Illustrative: Mossad chief David Barnea attends a farewell ceremony in his honor, at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, on July 14, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

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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.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Three Israeli men were shot dead by a terrorist at the Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. The assailant, reportedly a truck driver from Jordan, arrived at the terminal and opened fire at the crossing’s employees. One of the three victims of the terror shooting attack at the Allenby Bridge Crossing this morning is named as Yohanan Shchori, 61, from the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Efraim. The second victim of the shooting attack at the Allenby Bridge crossing is named as Yuri Birnbaum, 65, from the West Bank settlement of Na’ama.

An American woman was shot and killed by IDF troops during a protest near Nablus in the northern West Bank on Friday. Separately, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl was reported shot dead when extremist settlers stormed a village near Nablus and clashed with villagers. We learn about both incidents.

Two Palestinian Islamic Jihad battalion commanders were killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Also on Saturday, the IDF said it had carried out airstrikes on command rooms operating from two former schools in Gaza City. We learn first about the strikes in the school compounds and then hear about a strike in the humanitarian zone near a hospital that killed the two PIJ commanders.

More than 50 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle and Kiryat Shmona area overnight, some of which impacted Kiryat Shmona, causing damage. On Friday, during a tour of the Golan Heights, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the IDF is “very focused” on fighting Hezbollah and preparing offensive actions in Lebanon against the Iran-backed terror group. What is offensive is Halevi referring to?

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

3 Israelis killed in terror shooting at crossing between West Bank and Jordan

US activist said shot dead by IDF at W. Bank protest; girl killed as settlers storm village

Two PIJ commanders killed in IDF strike in central Gaza, IDF and Shin Bet say

IDF says over 50 rockets fired at north overnight; some damage, no injuries

Military ‘very focused’ on fighting Hezbollah, prepping offensive, IDF chief says

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

IMAGE: Police at the scene where three Israelis were killed in a terror shooting attack at Allenby Bridge, a crossing between West Bank and Jordan, September 8, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring one key issue currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur.

This week, Israel was shattered by the news that six hostages, all previously thought alive, were discovered dead in a Gaza tunnel. The six hostages whose bodies were recovered over the weekend — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi — were killed just days before troops found them, according to autopsies and the IDF.

They were all buried this week and hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday demanding a hostage release deal, now.

Rettig Gur and Borschel-Dan have an open, painful conversation about what may be the two sides of Israel’s Sophie’s Choice: between live hostages and, potentially, the military deterrence to prevent more Israelis from being taken.

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

IMAGE: A display of 27 coffins of the hostages who were killed while in captivity in Gaza set up at Habima Square in Tel Aviv. (Zohar Ben Yehuda)

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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 Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Magid says the Biden administration has a slightly more positive outlook regarding the hostage negotiations, indicating that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on some 90% of the issues in the potential hostage deal. The two thorniest remaining issues are the Philadelphi corridor and which Palestinian prisoners would be released, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said are two major issues.

He also comments on Israeli negotiators telling mediators they still support a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Philadelphi Corridor, and the prime minister's "wishywashy" comments and double-speak on that topic to the Israeli press, foreign press and Fox News in the last week, as the prime minister wants to "appear tougher."

Magid turns to the US elections, and remarks made by presidential candidate Donald Trump questioning the continued existence of the state of Israel if Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, is elected.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

‘It must serve as wakeup call’: Hersh’s family okays release of Hamas propaganda clip

Blinken indicates mediators will present updated hostage deal offer to Israel, Hamas ‘in coming days’

US: 2 issues holding up deal, Netanyahu comments on Philadelphi make things ‘difficult’

Israel assured Qatar IDF would fully pull out of Philadelphi in ceasefire’s 2nd phase

Vote for me or Israel will be annihilated, Trump says in pitch to Republican Jews

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

IMAGE: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a press conference at the end of his one-day visit to Haiti, at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (Roberto Schmidt/Pool photo via AP)

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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.

Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

At a press conference to the foreign press last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his positions on the state of the war in Gaza, and particularly his focus on the Strip’s border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and his refusal to remove Israeli troops from there for a potential ceasefire-and-hostage release deal. Horovitz assesses whether there was different messaging coming out of the two languages and speaks about the Philadelphi sticking point and how other Israeli officials view it.

August saw the most rockets fired from Lebanon amid the ongoing war, according to new data published by the Shin Bet security agency this morning. There are some 68,000 displaced people from the northern district from 43 settlements and their return is now a stated war goal. But, has Netanyahu given any indication of when?

The first phase of a large-scale polio vaccination campaign in Gaza has concluded successfully, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, providing nearly 200,000 children in the center of the Strip with their initial dose. More than 500 teams, consisting of nearly 2,200 health and community outreach workers, took part in the campaign. Horovitz weighs in on what this cooperation may indicate.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Under Netanyahu, Israel is in existential danger

‘A step away from victory’? Netanyahu says his April claim was not intended literally

Top Netanyahu aide doesn’t rule out pullout from Gaza-Egypt border in deal’s 2nd phase

Hezbollah pounds Galilee with over 100 rockets, causing heavy damage but no injuries

WHO hails success of polio 1st phase vaccination campaign in Gaza

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

IMAGE: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands before a map during a press conference at the Government Press Office in Jerusalem, Sept. 4, 2024. (Abir Sultan/Pool via AP)

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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.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Fabian reports on the latest from the West Bank city of Jenin, where IDF troops have been operating in the major terror hotspot since last week, an operation dubbed Summer Camps by the IDF, ripping up explosive devices and enabling the army to be able to return to the area more easily in the future.

He also discusses a strike that killed Hamas Nukhba force company commander Ahmed Fawzi Nasser Muhammad Wadiyya, who led the invasion of Netiv Ha’asara on October 7 that killed 22 people.

Surkes speaks about the start of the school year in Sderot, where parents uneasily welcomed the return to their hometown. She also reports about Kibbutz Re'im, where families are slowly returning, unsure if they feel ready to return home yet.

Surkes also relates some research about vultures, and the uncanny resemblance in some of the bird's personality traits to humans.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

In longest West Bank raid in 20 years, IDF aims to set stage for future, smaller ops

IDF says it killed Hamas commander who murdered father in front of his kids on Oct. 7

While Israeli kids near Gaza rejoice at return to school, parents remain ambivalent

While young vultures gad about, older ones prefer to stay home – study

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

IMAGE: Idit Dayan (center, wearing yellow), the principal of the Gil Rabin School in Sderot, southern Israel, welcomes children back for the new school year, on September 1, 2024. (Sue Surkes/Times of Israel)

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