Welcome to a special edition of 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.

Editor David Horovitz and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan to talk about the Abraham Accords on the ceremonial signing's two-year anniversary.

On September 15, 2020, then United States president Donald Trump hosted the signing of the Abraham Accords, which are essentially normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and Israel and Bahrain.

The Accords were named after Abraham, a founding father common to all three monotheistic religions.

We begin the episode by hearing excerpts from the White House South Lawn ceremony.

Horovitz and Berman update us on which countries are now part of the accords and which may be next to join. We discuss whether the region has shifted and how, as well as other "allies" of Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

And finally, we talk about whether the accords are helping Israel stave off an Iranian nuclear threat.

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Image: US President Donald Trump, center, with from left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump, and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, during the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, September 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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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.

US correspondent Jacob Magid and Tech Israel editor Ricky Ben David join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Magid discusses the current disagreement between Israel and the US regarding Robert Malley, the American envoy for Iran, and how he has handled the Iran nuclear agreement.

Ben-David looks at the top five topics of Israel’s new national research and development priorities, and how the government decides chooses its areas of focus.

Magid talks about the US decision to back off from suggesting different IDF policies following the findings of the accidental shooting and death of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and how some of their subsequent reactions relate to internal politics and upcoming elections in both countries.

Ben-David reviews the current state of affairs in the Israeli technology industry, looking at investment figures for the year so far.

Discussed articles include:

US redoubles support for Iran talks envoy Israeli official claimed was sidelined

US appears to back off pressuring Israel on IDF rules of engagement after backlash

Food, energy, space tech in top 5 of Israel’s new national R&D priorities

IMAGE: Robert Malley, the Biden administration special envoy for Iran, testifies about the JCPOA during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill, May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Brendan Smialowski/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 settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's podcast.

On Sunday morning, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting that the purpose of his visit to Berlin was “to coordinate positions on the [Iranian] nuclear program and finalize the details on a strategic, economic and security cooperation document, which we are about to sign with them.” Did Lapid meet his goals?

Lapid is the son of well-known Holocaust survivor Tommy Lapid. He was accompanied by several survivors on the trip, one of whom was shocked when seeing the German soldiers. Schneider tells us more.

Schneider, who recently wrote about the sharp uptick in Israeli defense exports, explains how the trip to Germany was also tied to a deal regarding the purchase of Israel’s Arrow-3 system, one of the most advanced air defense systems in the country’s arsenal. Which other countries are being purchased?

The country mourned the double murder of a mother and her daughter in Lod last week, Manar and Khadar Hajaj. Sharon recently spoke with the head of the Abraham Initiative about fighting crime in the Arab sector. Surprisingly, he is positive.

Finally, Sharon brought us the case of some 50 families who have swapped war-torn Ukraine or politically repressive Russia for a hotbed of conflict in the West Bank. Is this a new trend?

Discussed articles include:

In Germany, Lapid says he gave Scholz ‘sensitive’ information on Iran nuke program

In Berlin, Lapid comforts Holocaust survivor who froze at sight of German soldiers

Israel eases restrictions on defense exports but refuses to disclose its customers

Daughter of slain Lod woman unable to attend funeral due to ongoing threat to life

Switching conflicts: The Jews leaving Ukraine and Russia for the West Bank

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IMAGE: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on podium right, welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, on podium left, with military honors for a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, September 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

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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.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and special guests, filmmakers Natan Odenheimer and Eiv Kristal, join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

With a multitude of politicians, from MKs Ayellet Shaked to Yoaz Hendel to Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman anointing themselves as the embodiment of the right, Rettig Gur takes a stab at the burning question: Who actually represents the so-called "normal" right these days?

The Times of Israel has just released the third installment of the Into The Land series with, “A Tale of Two Cities.” The 20-minute documentary is about Ramle and Lod, each mixed cities with about a fifth Arab Israeli residents. The film presents two very different models for Arab/Jewish coexistence in the aftermath of the riots of May 2021. We hear from filmmakers Natan Odenheimer and Eiv Kristal.

And finally, the iconic Krembo dessert is set to get a price hike. Could this be the rallying cry for the next major cost of living protest?

Discussed articles include:

Shaked agrees to run as leader of Jewish Home, days after split with Zionist Spirit

Zionist Spirit’s Shaked and Hendel end their short-lived political partnership

Under banner of ‘real secular right,’ Yisrael Beytenu launches election slate

Into the Land: A Tale of Two Cities

Into the Land: Dead Sea Walking

Into the Land: The Forgery Scandal

Iconic Krembo among Unilever products set for price hike as consumer woes continue

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Image: The production line of the 'Menbo,' the Feldman's Icecream factory's name for the sweet snack better known as 'Krembo' at the factory in Rehovot on October 27, 2015. (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.

Diaspora correspondent Judah Ari Gross and health reporter Nathan Jeffay join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's podcast.

The Polish government has demanded that Germany pay reparations in the sum of about $1.3 trillion for destruction and loss of life during the German Nazi invasion. Gross discusses his deep dive into the 1,300-plus-page document justifying this demand, called, “The Report on the Losses Sustained by Poland as a Result of German Aggression and Occupation during the Second World War, 1939–1945.”

A research team at Tel Aviv University says it has identified two antibodies that are so powerful in neutralizing the coronavirus that they could eliminate the need for more vaccine boosters. Who is this for?

A different study found that all ten of the most common long COVID symptoms were reduced by at least 50 percent among people who had at least two vaccine shots. Most strikingly, the reduction in shortness of breath, for example, was 80%. So should we all go out and get boosters?

And finally, Israeli scientists say they have invented a blood test that will be able to detect colorectal cancer, which is normally found through an invasive test, and pancreatic cancer, which today has no single diagnostic test. Would this eliminate the need for colonoscopies?

Discussed articles include:

In its $1.3t demand from Germany, Poland seeks reparations for Jews killed by Poles

Two antibodies identified in Israel can fight all known COVID strains, study finds

Israeli study: Vaccines slash long COVID cases, with 80% drop in shortness of breath

In first, new Israeli blood test could detect pancreatic, colorectal cancers

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Image: Former Polish President Alekdander Kwasniewski touches the statue after praying for the dead at a ceremony marking 70 years since Poland's villagers murdered hundreds of their Jewish neighbors during World War II in Jedwabne, Poland, Sunday, July 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

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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.

Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz and military corespondent Mannie Fabian join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Horovitz offers a look back at aspects of Queen Elizabeth's long reign, including her relationship to Israel and to the Jews of England, and how King Charles III will offer a different approach in his new role.

Fabian discusses the details of an IDF shooting on Friday night that is being investigated.

He also talks about recent talks and tensions with Lebanon, as US-mediated talks over a maritime dispute are taking place, while an IAF drone crashed into the sea along Israel's border with Lebanon.

Discussed articles include:

King Charles III: A friend to UK Jewry, with special and historic ties to Israel

US mediator notes progress, but says Lebanon-Israel maritime deal needs more work

Report: IDF sees ‘reasonable possibility’ of clash with Hezbollah over gas dispute

IAF grounds fleet of drones after crash at Lebanon sea border

IMAGE: Images of the late Queen Elizabeth II are pictured at bus stops in Edinburgh on September 9, 2022, a day after Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. (Oli SCARFF / 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.

Religions correspondent Judah Ari Gross and political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

The National Unity Party launched with much fanfare on Monday and last night, number three on the list, former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, gave us a peek into his thoughts on the settler movement at a first parlor event in the northern town of Metula. What did he say?

Today, Yesh Atid will launch it’s “Women’s List.” What is the state of female representation in the next Knesset?

The Israeli government recently implemented new regulations to incentivize religious burial societies to perform interment ceremonies for stillbirths. First of all, we hear how Jewish tradition views the situation. What's now being done?

The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has ruled that the still-alive father of an American man who has refused to grant his wife a ritual divorce for nearly two decades will not be able to be buried in Israel, in an effort to pressure the husband into freeing his “chained” wife. We hear more.

Discussed articles include:

Eisenkot slams settler agenda, putting him at odds with own party’s right-wing flank

Israel incentivizes proper burials for stillborns to ‘ease suffering of families’

In precedent, rabbinic court says divorce refuser’s family can’t be buried in Israel

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IMAGE: A general view of the Israeli parliament building, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, July 2015. (Nati Shohat/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.

Political writer Tal Schneider, US correspondent Jacob Magid and Amanda Borschel-Dan join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Schneider looks at the unveiling of the National Unity party’s list of candidates, with Defense Minister Benny Gantz in the top spot. She discusses what Gadi Eisenkot will bring to the party and looks at a possible lack of environmentalists, including MK Alon Tal, in the future government.

Borschel-Dan offers look at two new, unexpected First Temple archaeological discoveries, including a repatriated papryus scroll from Montana.

Magid talks about the US reaction to Israel’s findings in the Shireen Abu Akleh shooting, and the Biden administration's controlled reactions to the results of the investigation.

Discussed articles include:

National Unity party unveils Knesset list

Ingathering of the exiles? Extremely rare First Temple-era papyrus repatriated

Were First Temple Jerusalemites living in lap of luxury? Rare ivory finds offer clue

US again pressing Israel to reconsider open-fire rules after IDF’s Abu Akleh probe

IMAGE: Conservation of the papyrus in the Israel Antiquities Authority Scrolls Conservation Laboratory. (Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority)

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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.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and news editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Shots were fired at a bus carrying Israeli soldiers on a major highway in the Jordan Valley on Sunday, injuring seven people. Footage published Monday showed the moments after the attack. What do we know about the victims and the search for the gunmen?

The IDF finally released a long-awaited report of an internal investigation that looked into the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. What were the findings and how did the United States react?

54-year-old Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi was named the next IDF chief of staff. What do we know about him as a soldier -- and a person?

The IDF also announced the appointment of Lt. Col. Yarden Shukron Yifrah as head of the 498th Shahar (Dawn) Battalion. Yifrah will be the first woman to command a Home Front Command search and rescue unit. Why is this significant?

Pnina Lahav’s new biography of prime minister Golda Meir, "The Only Woman in the Room," asks whether she was a feminist or not. Why isn't this question clear-cut?

Spiro tells us about “Mo,” a new sitcom from comedian Mohammed Amer. Worth watching? And to close the program, she delves into the "tragic" break-up of musicians Static and Ben-El.

Discussed articles include:

7 injured as soldiers’ bus comes under fire by Palestinian gunmen in Jordan Valley

Footage shows chaotic moments after attack on soldiers’ bus in Jordan Valley

IDF probe finds ‘high probability’ soldier accidentally killed Shireen Abu Akleh

US says IDF review of Abu Akleh killing ‘welcome,’ stresses need for accountability

Herzi Halevi, Kohavi’s deputy, named as next IDF chief of staff

In first, IDF appoints woman to command search and rescue battalion

New Netflix series ‘Mo’ tells story of a Palestinian refugee family in Texas

Pop music duo Static and Ben-El announce split after seven years

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Image: Students carry a mock coffin as they hold a symbolic funeral for slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, at al-Azhar University in Mughraqa, central Gaza Strip, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, 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.

Environmental reporter Sue Surkes and health writer Nathan Jeffay joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Jeffay discusses the Israeli research that has identified and destroyed the power source of brain cancer in mice.

Surkes reviews the latest in the future sale of Bazan, the Oil Refineries company that has long dominated the Haifa skyline, polluting it as well.

Jeffay talks about the use of game theory by Israeli researchers to determine whether it makes sense to give extra coronavirus vaccines to countries in need.

Finally, Surkes explains Zooz, an Israeli company's fast electric car chargers being deployed in the US, Europe and Israel.

Discussed articles include:

Brain tumors vanish in mice after Israeli study finds and destroys ‘power source’

Polluting Haifa oil refineries must close by 2025, PM’s economic adviser demands

Israeli study: Western powers can protect own people by donating COVID shots abroad

Israeli systems that charge electric vehicles in 15 minutes to deploy in Europe, US

IMAGE: Illustration showing the inside of a Zoozter-100 EV recharging unit. (Zooz Power)

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