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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged with the Hebrew media on the pro-government Channel 14 Tuesday night, Magid reports on the Israeli leader’s messaging and his description of improvements in the region, including the elimination of Hamas leaders and wider buffer zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. He also references the prime minister’s attempt at humor in an initial response to a question about how October 7, 2023, has changed him.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Qatar — ostensibly for talks with Iranian officials, according to US President Donald Trump, notes Magid — but will only be meeting with Qatari mediators to discuss further implementation of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, amid ongoing issues with control of the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s presence in Lebanon.
Magid briefly discusses the full text of the Israel-Lebanon deal, which features the establishment of pilot zones from which the IDF will be expected to withdraw, based on the Lebanese Armed Forces’ success in disarming Hezbollah.
The Board of Peace is further along in clarifying its plan for technocrats to take over the administration of Gaza, reports Magid, but there is still no timeline for entry.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Netanyahu: Pursuit of ‘total victory’ against Iran and its proxies ‘never ends’
Asked how he changed since October 7, Netanyahu jokes that he lost weight
US envoys in Qatar to meet mediators, but no direct talks with Iran set for coming days
‘Eventual IDF redeployment from Lebanon’: Full text of Israel-Lebanon deal security annex
Board of Peace finalizing plans for Gaza, but implementation timeline up in the air
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: US bureau chief Jacob Magid appears on the Daily Briefing podcast with host Jessica Steinberg (YouTube screenshot)
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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.
News editor Ben Sales joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As the US-Iran deal progresses, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows he can’t mount the same kind of campaign he did 11 years ago against the 2015 Iran deal spearheaded by then-President Barack Obama, Sales discusses, noting that the Israeli leader can only operate behind the scenes this time around.
Sales reviews the three Democratic candidates who won the New York City Congressional primaries last week, two with virulently anti-Israel politics, and notes that support for Israel was once a unifying factor, but now opposition to Israel is a unifying factor in American politics.
As the 50th anniversary of the July 4, 1976 raid on Entebbe approaches, Sales reports on the release of a huge trove of archival material that relates salient details about the operation, including that it was not a foregone conclusion in the hours before it took place.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Netanyahu can’t run the playbook he used to fight the 2015 Iran deal — and Trump knows it
American pro-Israel activists may have just had their worst week ever
‘Zero hour is coming’: How Israel went from negotiating over hostages to the daring raid at Entebbe
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
IMAGE: Netanyahu speaking to Congress in 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
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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.
Political correspondent Ariela Karmel joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today's episode.
Karmel opens the episode with a look at what's expected to dominate the Knesset agenda this week. Lawmakers are set to hold marathon committee sessions to advance the coalition's controversial proposed Basic Law enshrining Torah study as a foundational value of the State of Israel, legislation promoted by the ultra-Orthodox parties as part of ongoing efforts to shield yeshiva students from military conscription.
She also walks us through other contentious bills making their way through the Knesset, including proposed changes to the attorney general's powers and a government's communications bill, which could have broad implications for broadcast and media independence, as the coalition pushes to advance key pieces of legislation before the summer recess.
In the second half of the episode, we turn to the political landscape ahead of Israel's October election. Karmel breaks down reports of a possible alliance between Benny Gantz's Blue and White party, Yoaz Hendel's Reservists party and political newcomer Dedy Simhi, explaining why significant issues between the parties remain unresolved.
We close by taking stock of the broader political field, discussing the status of several key figures, including Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as parties continue to weigh alliances and position themselves for the campaign ahead.
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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 joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
After Israel and Lebanon signed a deal that includes a partial IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Fabian discusses the strikes against Hezbollah on Saturday and Israel's ability to continue acting against threats from the terrorist organization.
For now, Israel will remain in the security zone it established in southern Lebanon, reports Fabian, withdrawing from only two trial areas as part of the agreement.
Fabian notes that the deal's efficacy will depend on whether the Lebanese army will be able to exercise control over Hezbollah, which has already stated that it does not respect the deal.
An IDF strike killed another Hamas terrorist, the nephew of the terrorist organization's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, reports Fabian, part of the ongoing Shin Bet effort to locate all Hamas members who took part in the bloody October 7, 2023 assault.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir utilized a televised cadet ceremony to make it clear that the army will not back down from a pilot program to bring women into the armored corps, says Fabian, given the need for more combat soldiers and the availability of women who want to serve in tank units.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF says it struck terror operatives in south Lebanon, after framework deal announced
PM: Iran, Hezbollah to have ‘no role in Lebanon’ under deal, Israel can maintain security zone
IDF says strike killed Oct. 7 terrorist commander, nephew of ex-Hamas chief Haniyeh
IDF chief says military needs ‘every male and female combat soldier’
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: Military correspondent Emanual Fabian joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing (AP/ Mohammed Zaatari)
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Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.
This week, Borschel-Dan starts the episode with important news: She finally finished "My Name Is Barbra," Barbra Streisand's much-discussed 900+-page autobiography.
Turning to the main event: Fifty years since the daring IDF rescue of over 100 hostages from Entebbe, Uganda, we dedicated this week's The Reel Schmooze to two movies, the 1977 feature film "Operation Thunderbolt" and the 2012 documentary, "Live or Die in Entebbe."
Shot with the help of the Israeli government only a year after the raid, "Operation Thunderbolt" presents a fictionalized account grounded in the realism of documentary footage of Israeli leaders, including then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and defense minister Shimon Peres.
Directed and co-written by Menachem Golan, it stars Israeli actor/singer Yehoram Gaon, who plays the head of the sayeret matkal unit, Yoni Netanyahu (the brother of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu). We hear about other key performances from Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning playing the villainous German terrorists, as well as appearances from notable Israeli actors.
In the final segment of the program, we hear about a documentary that focuses on the family of one of the fallen hostages, Jean-Jacques Mimouni, a 19-year-old French-Israeli.
Let's hear who gave these two films an "oy," "meh" or the prized "not bad" this week on The Reel Schmooze.
The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.
IMAGE: A cheering crowd at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport raises a member of the rescue squad which freed the hijack hostages from Uganda earlier in the day, July 4, 1976. In the background is the C-130 transport plane which took part in the raid. The rescuer's face is obscured for security reasons. (AP Photo/Pool)
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