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 affairs correspondent Canaan Lidor and Arab Affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Lidor explains op-ed in Russian newspaper Pravda theorizing that Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky is causing Ukrainians to die in the war with Russia as payback for antisemitic pogroms by his non-Jewish compatriots, with brief look back at Ukrainian history as context for the conspiracy theory.

Pacchiani discusses interview with Arab criminologist who explains several reasons for the rising wave of Arab violence, including gun availability and changing policies of Israeli government toward Arab towns and politics.

Lidor talks about the major women's protest in Bnei Brak that brought thousands of liberal women to the ultra-Orthodox enclave, spurring unexpected discussions between liberal protestors and Haredi women, along with discomfort.

Pacchiani speaks about his interview with Waleed Abu Tayeh, the first Arab mayoral candidate for Jerusalem since 1967, and the politician's belief that younger Arab voters are ready to get involved in the democratic process.

Discussed articles include:

Russian newspaper: Jewish Zelensky sending Ukrainians to die to avenge pogroms

Arab local officials are under threat, criminologist warns as violence skyrockets

At Bnei Brak women’s rights march, angry rhetoric drowns out Haredi-secular dialogue

Fighting community’s boycott of politics, lawyer runs to be Jerusalem’s 1st Arab mayor

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IMAGE: Members of the Arab community holding hundreds of fake coffins as they protest against the violence in their community, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on August 6, 2023 (Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

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