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. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/lazar-berman/] and reporter Ariela Karmel [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/ariela-karmel/] join host Jessica Steinberg [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/] for today's episode. As hostage family members met with members of the Trump administration in the White House on Tuesday, Berman discusses the latest developments in the hostage negotiations, as Hamas continues to leverage the remaining living hostages for political gain while negotiators say Hamas must accept US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal. He also looks at Iran's rejection of the nuclear deal proposal, after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the US proposal for a nuclear agreement went against the country’s national interest of continuing to enrich uranium. Berman notes that Iran wants a deal of some kind, particularly one that will protect them against future Israeli attacks, and is continuing to negotiate, with another round slated for this weekend. Berman describes one of the aid sites in Gaza that was created by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and the complications of funneling Gazans into the space to receive their aid packages. He notes that the aid centers are closed today to fine-tune the process and prepare safe access routes after the IDF opened fire toward Palestinians who had approached troops after straying off a pre-approved path for reaching a Rafah distribution site. Berman also looks at Spain and its decision to cancel another arms deal with Israel, spiking a $325 million system that would have been developed in Spain by Pap Tecnos, a subsidiary of Israel’s Rafael Advance Defense Systems. Berman discusses that Spain is a long-time critic of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and that it may be following other European countries with this step. Karmel speaks about ongoing government settlement policies that incentivize Israelis to move to the West Bank due to rising housing costs inside Israel, and how that situation has been concretized by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. She also relates the launch of a book by released hostage Eli Sharabi, the first book by a former hostage, and his determination to keep living despite the personal tragedies he has experienced. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-4-2025/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=spain-reneges-on-325m-purchase-of-anti-tank-missiles-from-israels-rafael] For further reading: Senior Israeli official: Hamas ‘must understand it has to accept the Witkoff outline’ [https://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-israeli-official-hamas-must-understand-it-has-to-accept-the-witkoff-outline/] Key US consulting firm withdraws from American- and Israeli-backed Gaza aid agency [https://www.timesofisrael.com/key-us-consulting-firm-withdraws-from-american-and-israeli-backed-gaza-aid-agency/] Israel punches back at UN chief for demanding probe into Gaza aid site shooting [https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-punches-back-at-un-chief-for-demanding-probe-into-gaza-aid-site-shooting/] Trump insists no enrichment in Iran deal after US said to offer limited nuke activity [https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-insists-no-enrichment-in-iran-deal-after-us-said-to-offer-limited-nuke-activity/] Spain reneges on $325m purchase of anti-tank missiles from Israel’s Rafael [https://www.timesofisrael.com/spain-reneges-on-325m-purchase-of-anti-tank-missiles-from-israels-rafael/] Is the government using the housing crisis to drive the settlement movement? [https://www.timesofisrael.com/is-the-government-using-the-housing-crisis-to-drive-the-settlement-movement/] A book to wake up the world: Ex-hostage Eli Sharabi launches memoir of captivity and survival [https://www.timesofisrael.com/i-always-chose-life-ex-hostage-eli-sharabi-launches-memoir-of-captivity-and-survival/] Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn], YouTube, [https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89] or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: The Al-Ansar Mosque in Gaza's Deir al-Balah after Israeli airstrikes, June 3, 2025. (Photo by Ali Hassan/Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

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. New York reporter Luke Tress [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/luke-tress/] joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/] for today's episode. Twelve people were wounded Sunday in Boulder, Colorado — including at least one person in critical condition — when activists rallying for the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza were attacked by a man shouting “end Zionists,” who fired a makeshift flamethrower and threw firebombs at them. Tress updates us with what we know so far about the suspect, Mohammed Soliman, and his motives. Tress compares Sunday's Boulder attack to the fatal shooting of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, less than two weeks ago. He reminds listeners of Jewish community leaders' warnings of potential copycat attacks on the horizon. To close, we learn about a new facility from the Community Security Service, a nonprofit that trains volunteer synagogue guards throughout the US, the first in the US dedicated to training synagogue guards as American Jews build out an array of connected security measures amid a global surge in antisemitism. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-3-2025/] For further reading: Three IDF soldiers killed by roadside bomb in north Gaza’s Jabalia [https://www.timesofisrael.com/three-idf-soldiers-killed-by-roadside-bomb-in-north-gazas-jabalia/] With attacks in Washington and Colorado, the global intifada lands in America [https://www.timesofisrael.com/with-attacks-in-washington-and-colorado-the-global-intifada-lands-in-america/] Colorado suspect planned attack for a year, wanted to ‘kill all Zionist people’ — FBI [https://www.timesofisrael.com/colorado-attacker-held-on-preliminary-murder-charges-though-cops-say-none-dead-as-of-now/] Trump pins Boulder attack on Biden border policy after suspect named as illegal alien [https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-pins-boulder-attack-on-biden-border-policy-after-suspect-named-as-illegal-alien/] After deadly shooting, US Jewish security leaders urge vigilance amid threat of copycats [https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-shooting-us-jewish-security-leaders-urge-vigilance-amid-threat-of-copycats/] In first, US Jewish security outfit opens boot camp for volunteer synagogue guards [https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-first-us-jewish-security-outfit-opens-boot-camp-for-volunteer-synagogue-guards/] Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn], YouTube, [https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89] or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: Law enforcement officials investigate after an attack on the Pearl Street Mall Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

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. Religions reporter Rossella Tercatin [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/rossella-tercatin/] joins host Jessica Steinberg [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/] for today's episode. Nearly two years after the ancient, nearly complete Codex Sassoon bible was first introduced at the Anu Museum, days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, the book of Torah is inaugurated at the museum, in the presence of released hostage Agam Berger, in a moving, bittersweet ceremony, tells Tercatin. Another ancient bible, the Shem Tov bible, this one only 700 years old, was also inaugurated permanently at the National Library of Israel, both in time for the Shavuot holiday. Tercatin also looks at the ongoing issues of conversion in Israel, following a meeting last week of the Knesset Aliyah Committee devoted to the topic of conversions on Tuesday, ahead of the Shavuot festival. Only about half of those who start the process to convert manage to complete the journey, and the Conversion Authority is currently formally without a director, leaving nobody can sign the official conversion certificates, complex matters that Tercatin discusses. Steinberg talks about an art exhibit currently at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan, marking the 80th anniversary of the kibbutz's Shavuot ceremony, created by two pioneering kibbutz members in the 1940s to mark the agricultural and harvest aspects of the festival. Finally, Tercatin discusses the Messianic community in Israel, and its connection to Yaron Lischinsky, the Israel Embassy staffer who was killed alongside his soon-to-be-fiance, Sarah Milgrim, on May 21 in an antisemitic attack at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-1-2025/] For further reading: Codex Sassoon, oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible, displayed in Israel after Oct. 7 delay [https://www.timesofisrael.com/codex-sassoon-oldest-near-complete-hebrew-bible-displayed-in-israel-after-oct-7-delay/] Ahead of Shavuot, thousands of converts remain unrecognized by state, stuck in limbo [https://www.timesofisrael.com/ahead-of-shavuot-thousands-of-converts-remain-unrecognized-by-state-stuck-in-limbo/] Kibbutz marks 80 years of Shavuot song and dance with pioneering artworks [https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3558266&preview=true] For Messianic Jews in Jerusalem, Yaron Lischinsky’s murder was a personal loss  [https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-messianic-jews-in-jerusalem-yaron-lischinskys-murder-was-a-personal-loss/] Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn], YouTube, [https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89] or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: The 'Codex Sassoon' bible is displayed at Sotheby's in New York on February 15, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

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 [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/emanuel-fabian/] joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/] for today's episode. The IDF confirmed last night that an Israeli airstrike earlier this month killed top Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar while he was in a tunnel underneath a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip. What information is the IDF basing the confirmation on? The IDF claims that Hamas’s hold is slipping, along with its stronghold on food supplies. However, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation effort is being accused of wounding and even killing Gazans who are attempting to secure aid. Fabian weighs in on this increasingly murky endeavor. A 19-year-old Defense Ministry civilian contractor, David Libi, was killed by an explosive device Thursday during Israel Defense Forces operations in the northern Gaza Strip. We learn why the IDF is employing Israeli civilians in the Strip. The IDF carried out airstrikes on Friday near the coastal Syrian city of Latakia, saying its fighter jets targeted weapon depots used to store anti-ship missiles. It was Israel’s first reported strikes in Syria in nearly a month, but the IDF is not being forthcoming as to which terror group -- or state -- was the owner of the missiles. Finally, we learned recently that the Israeli Air Force intercepted 35 drones launched by the Hezbollah terror group using a new laser interception system. The new system used during the fighting is a lower-powered version of the Iron Beam laser interceptor, which is set to be delivered to the Israel Defense Forces later this year. We hear about the IDF's beta-testing of the new system. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-1-2025/] For further reading: Following Netanyahu, IDF confirms Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar killed in May 13 strike [https://www.timesofisrael.com/following-netanyahu-idf-confirms-hamas-leader-muhammad-sinwar-killed-in-may-13-strike/] Israel claims Hamas losing control over Gaza civilians as GHF ramps up aid operations [https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-claims-hamas-losing-control-over-gaza-civilians-as-ghf-ramps-up-aid-operations/] IDF chief said to tell communities near Gaza he will ‘not let war drag on indefinitely’ [https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-said-to-tell-communities-near-gaza-he-will-not-let-war-drag-on-indefinitely/] Defense Ministry civilian contractor killed during IDF operations in northern Gaza [https://www.timesofisrael.com/defense-ministry-civilian-contractor-killed-during-idf-operations-in-northern-gaza/] IDF says it targeted anti-ship missile depots near Syria’s Latakia; one said killed [https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-it-targeted-anti-ship-missile-depots-near-syrias-latakia-one-said-killed/] IDF reveals it used laser system to intercept dozens of Hezbollah drones last year [https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-reveals-it-used-laser-system-to-intercept-dozens-of-hezbollah-drones-last-year/] Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn], YouTube, [https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89] or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: A laser interception system deployed to northern Israel, in an undated photo published by the Defense Ministry on May 28, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan [https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/amanda-borschel-dan/] speaking with Hebrew University Prof. Elie Podeh. Podeh, the Bamberger and Fuld professor in the History of the Muslim Peoples, recently published a research article, "Israel’s 2005 Disengagement from Gaza: A Multilateral Move Under Unilateral Façade." In the article, we learn that while the Gaza Disengagement was a unilateral decision, it was carried out in partnership with the United States, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Among other revelations in the paper, we hear about the committees formed among the partners and their work on arrangements for border control, economic transition, and security cooperation. All elements were negotiated behind the scenes, especially under the guidance of American envoys and Egyptian mediators. Podeh weighs in on prime minister Ariel Sharon's decision not to allow the PA to take credit for any part of the diplomatic cooperation and the question of whether delegitimizing the PA's authority in Gaza may have contributed to the Hamas takeover in 2007. We speak about -- today, as the IDF is poised to retake the Gaza Strip, what the reasons were for the Disengagement 20 years ago -- and, in Podeh's opinion, why the Strip shouldn't be resettled by Israel. And so this week, we ask Prof. Elie Podeh, what matters now. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/times-will-tell/id1067953235?mt=2], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5Hqgs4Cy5VkdXB51eW2jjd], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMHmmVLVJUNrE198zXKQWna] or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves [https://thepodwaves.com/] and video edited by Thomas Girsch.  IMAGE: Young settler prays during the disengagement in Neve Dekalim on August 18, 2005. (Nati Shohat/ Flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.