Day 431 - Decrying 'witch hunt,' PM begins to testify in trial

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 and political correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Magid and Schneider speak about the cautious optimism of some Israeli government officials regarding renewed hostage talks, amid the arrival of US National security adviser Jake Sullivan to the region. Magid also looks at the request of Trump advisors who asked for the return of Hamas leaders to Qatar as they view the Gulf country's mediation efforts as vital to the hostage negotiations, and want the entire situation completed by the January 20 inauguration. Magid and Schneider discuss the latest in the Golan Heights and IDF activity in the buffer zone with Syria following the rebel group takeover.  Several European countries asked for Israel's restraint as no one wants Israel and the rebel groups to set off on an antagonistic relationship. Finally, Schneider looks at the latest in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal trial, as the prime minister claims he was never favored by any of the Israeli media that he attempted to influence, but rather received hostile coverage. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Sullivan heads to Israel for Biden administration’s likely final hostage deal push 1st hostage to return from Gaza meets Trump, urges him to do all he can to free captives Security chiefs discuss hostage deal in Cairo as Israel sees growing chances Trump aides asked Qatar to recall ousted Hamas chiefs in bid to revive hostage talks Netanyahu argues ‘hostile’ Walla coverage, telecoms reforms prove bribery claims ‘absurd’ 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: Hostage family members speak to the media after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, December 8, 2024. (Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)See 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. Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and reporter Diana Bletter join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Part of Israel’s strategy to deter the Syrian rebel forces from expanding into Israel is the decision to fill the vacuum in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria with IDF forces. Bletter reports back from a trip to a Druze town within shouting distance of Syria -- Majdal Shamas, which saw 12 youths killed in July when a Hezbollah bomb struck a soccer pitch. We hear how the residents, many who have relatives living on the other side of the border, view the fall of the Assad regime. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally took to the witness stand on Tuesday in his criminal trial on corruption charges, the first time in Israeli history that a serving prime minister has appeared in court to testify as a defendant. Sharon was there and discusses the festive circus-like atmosphere in the courtroom as well as some choice Netanyahu anecdotes. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: In war-struck Majdal Shams, Assad’s fall sparks hope for Israel’s Druze In historic campaign across Syria, IDF says it destroyed 80% of Assad regime’s military Netanyahu, 1st PM to testify as criminal defendant, ridicules charges, denies illicit media ties Netanyahu regales court with story of John Kerry’s invitation to visit Afghanistan Coalition MKs, ministers line up at court to back Netanyahu as trial testimony kicks off 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: Residents in the Israeli Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights celebrate on December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they had taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Menahem Kahana / AFP)See 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. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defendant in three corruption cases, took the stand today for the first time and presented long-anticipated testimony. Horovitz reminds us what are the key allegations against the prime minister and what Netanyahu said last night at a press conference that gives insight into his goals in testifying. Last night, the Israeli Navy carried out a large-scale operation to destroy the former Assad regime’s navy fleet in Syria to prevent the Syrian navy capabilities and weaponry from falling into the hands of hostile forces, following the collapse of the Assad regime. Likewise, the Israeli Air Force, meanwhile, has carried out some 300 airstrikes in Syria since the collapse of the regime, destroying advanced weapons. Yesterday, the United Nations accused Israel on Monday of having violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria after Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon explained Israel’s reasons for entering the demilitarized buffer zone. Horovitz speaks about Israel's goals. During a press conference last night, Netanyahu repeated his previous assertion that Assad’s fall was the “direct result of the heavy blows we landed on Hamas, on Hezbollah, and on Iran,” and said that ever since the October 7 attacks, Israel has been working in a “systematic, measured and orderly fashion” to dismantle the Iranian axis. Horovitz weighs in. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: The State of Israel vs. Benjamin Netanyahu: PM finally set to take the witness stand On eve of court testimony, Netanyahu pans legal system, media in heated press conference Coalition MKs, ministers line up at court to back Netanyahu as trial testimony kicks off After fall of Assad, PM says Israel is ‘transforming the face of the Middle East’ Israel pounds Syrian military sites; regional sources claim ‘nothing left’ of army assets UN slams ‘violation’ of 1974 Syria disengagement deal as Israel acts in buffer zone 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, center, arrives to attend a hearing at the district court for his long-running corruption trial, in Tel Aviv, December 10, 2024. (Menahem Kahana / POOL / AFP)See 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. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Israeli Air Force fighter jets on Sunday struck dozens of targets across Syria, taking out weaponry that Israel feared could fall into the hands of hostile forces in light of the dramatic fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime some two weeks into a lightning offensive by rebel groups. Also on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces seized control of a buffer zone between the Israel-Syria border in the Golan Heights, in what it described as a temporary defensive measure. We discuss why we have a buffer zone with Syria, when it was established and the legal standing of the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed credit for starting the chain of events that led to the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, hailing it as an “historic day.” According to Berman, "Seeing that Hezbollah and Iran were exhausted and that Russia was stretched to the limit in Ukraine, Syrian rebels poured out of their statelet in the northwest, driving south until they took the capital." He explains some of the scenarios of what may happen next. On Sunday night, Netanyahu told the family members of hostages held in Gaza that the regime change in Syria could help advance a deal, while US President-elect Donald Trump said he did not believe there were many captives left alive. This morning, it was reported that mediated negotiations between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have advanced to the point where the sides are discussing lists of those who would be released. Berman updates. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Sinwar’s ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ washed Iran’s axis away, but new groups could reach Israel As Assad falls, Israeli jets destroy his deadly arsenals before they fall to rebels Netanyahu claims credit for starting ‘historic’ process that led to fall of Assad regime Netanyahu tells hostage families fall of Assad regime could advance negotiations Israel and Hamas exchange lists of names for release as talks advance – report 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: Troops of the elite Shaldag unit are seen on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, December 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)See 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. Arab Affairs correspondent Gianluca Pacchiani and Jewish World reporter Zev Stub join host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Pacchiani reviews the latest in the stunning takeover in Syria by rebel forces followed by celebrations in the streets of Damascus as the Assad family appears to have fled the country. He discusses the Russian, Kurdish and Turkish strongholds in the country, the Islamic tone of the rebel forces and what that could mean in the country's new political reality. Stub discusses the details of the early Friday morning arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, the reactions within the Jewish community and the eventual designation of the fire as a terrorist attack by the Australian government. Steinberg briefly discusses the latest in the Hamas hostages and the release of a video of hostage Matan Zangauker on Saturday. Zangauker's mother, Einav Zangauker, has emerged as one of the most vocal anti-government voices in the ongoing hostage situation. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Rebels declare Damascus captured in stunning end to Assad family rule in Syria Syria rebels take areas near Israel border; IDF warns them not to ‘turn in our direction’ Syrian rebel commander urges Israel to support uprising, strike Iran-backed forces Who are the rebels battering Syria’s regime, and do they pose a risk to Israel? Australia rebuffs Netanyahu’s claim synagogue arson due to ‘anti-Israel’ government Police hunt 2 suspects in devastating arson attack on Melbourne’s Addas Israel synagogue Hamas video shows Gaza hostage Zangauker for first time as thousands rally for deal 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: Israeli soldiers near the Israeli border with Syria on December 8, 2024 (Photo by David Cohen/Flash90)See 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. In today's episode, ToI senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for a special bonus episode of our weekly What Matters Now podcast. Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, an Iranian career diplomat who participated in the previous round of nuclear talks, has been Iran's vice president for strategic affairs since August. In that role, he wrote an op-ed in the bimonthly Foreign Affairs journal. The century-old magazine focuses on international relations and policy and can serve as a platform to float ideas and hear reasoned responses. In Zarif's article, "How Iran Sees the Path to Peace," among the arguments raised was the idea of a "referendum" voting on the governance of the territory that largely includes the Jewish state. "Iran can continue to play a constructive role in ending the current humanitarian nightmare in Gaza and work with the international community to pursue a lasting and democratic solution to the conflict," writes Zarif. "Iran will agree to any solution acceptable to Palestinians, but our government believes that the best way out of this century-long ordeal would be a referendum in which everyone living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea — Muslims, Christians, and Jews — and Palestinians driven to diaspora in the twentieth century (along with their descendants) would be able to determine a viable future system of governance. This is in line with international law and would build on the success of South Africa, where an apartheid system was transformed into a viable democratic state." To Rettig Gur, Zarif's op-ed -- filled with posturing and warnings to the Western world -- is a sign of Iran's faltering regime and he explains why. So this week, we discuss this new era of Iranian potential weakness and how the West needs to handle it wisely, as Haviv Rettig Gur weighs in on what matters now. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IAEA chief: Iran poised to ‘dramatically’ increase stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium US deepens sanctions on Iranian oil as smuggling said to rake in billions for Tehran 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: Masoud Pezeshkian, center, flashes a victory sign after casting his vote in Iran's presidential election as he is accompanied by former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, at a polling station in Shahr-e-Qods near Tehran, Iran, July 5, 2024. (AP/Vahid Salemi)See 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. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode, recorded in our Jerusalem offices. We’re doing something different today and Berman and Borschel-Dan have an informal conversation about a mid-November report that Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide. These remarks were included in a new book celebrating the pontiff’s jubilee year and they marked the first time that Francis has openly urged for an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. The revolution in ties between the Catholic Church and Jews began with a brief document -- Nostra Aetate -- issued on October 28, 1965, by more than 1700 Catholic bishops gathered in Rome for the Second Vatican Council. We speak about what this document states and what it represents. We learn about the relationship between the Catholic Church and Israel -- and the Jewish people writ large -- and how it has evolved from accusations of Jews as Christ-killers to a relatively Golden Age. Lately, however, observers wonder if remarks made by Pope Francis and others could mark a turning point.For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Pope calls for probe into whether Israel is committing ‘genocide’ 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: Pope Francis waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, December 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)See 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. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened those holding hostages in the Middle East with unprecedented American firepower if they are not released by the time he enters office on January 20.The latest warning was posted on Truth Social came two days after Hamas released a propaganda video showing American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander pleading with the president-elect to secure his release and hours after the IDF revealed that another American-Israeli hostage — Omer Neutra — was killed during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and that his body is being held in Gaza. We discuss what efforts have not yet been brought to the table and how Neutra's death was covered in US media. Israel’s Channel 12 reported yesterday that an Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo early next week after Egypt has put together a new multi-stage hostage deal proposal. Also, earlier in the week, we heard that the Palestinian terror group Hamas and the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah party have agreed to create a committee to jointly administer postwar Gaza. Magid weighs in whether this new alliance could be enough to give Hamas the lifeline it needs to claim post-war victory. US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday announced the appointment of his Lebanese-American in-law Massad Boulos to be his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Boulos will likely work alongside Steve Witkoff, who Trump last month appointed as his special envoy for the Middle East to work on expanding the Abraham Accords that he brokered at the end of his first term. Are these the right men for the job? For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Trump warns there will be ‘all hell to pay’ if hostages aren’t released by Jan. 20 Slain Israeli-American hostage remembered as ‘hero of Israel’ at NY memorial service Fatah, Hamas agree to form committee to run postwar Gaza Trump says Lebanese-American in-law will be senior aide on Arab and Mideast affairs 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: Illustrative: Campaigning for a second term, former US President Donald Trump speaks before prominent Jewish donors at an event titled 'Fighting Antisemitism in America' at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, Washington DC, September 19, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via JTA)See 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. Arab Affairs correspondent Gianluca Pacchiani and environmental reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Pacchiani reviews the reactions from Lebanese Shiites following the temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah, and how the Iran-backed terrorist organization will presumably lay low after being battered during the last months of the war with the IDF. He also looks at rebel groups in northwestern Syria fighting the weakened regime of the Bashar Al Assad regime. The rebel forces, who are against Hezbollah, hope that Israel will strike Iranian convoys and Hezbollah forces inside Syria, aiding their cause. Surkes discusses the weak climate bill that's being pushed through the Knesset, a piece of legislation that lacks targets, has no budget and won't serve as a tool in petitioning the government on climate targets. She also looks at a Greenpeace Israel project that tracked used clothing by using AirTags, and found that the used textiles ended up mostly in the West Bank and Africa, where they were primarily dumped or turned into rags. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Lebanon’s Shiites increasingly reject role of scapegoat in Hezbollah’s war on Israel Who are the rebels battering Syria’s regime, and do they pose a risk to Israel? Most used clothes deposited in textile recycling bins end up in Africa — report 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: Children take part in recycling and environmental activities in southern Tel Aviv, November 28, 2024 (Photo by Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)See 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 joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode. The Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes in Lebanon on Monday evening after Hezbollah fired two mortars at the Mount Dov area for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect last week. Fabian will tells us what’s happening on the ground as well as efforts to stop Iranian weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah — including the Israel Air Force making a plane turn back to Tehran. Fourteen months after Hamas’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, was killed during the attack and his body was being held hostage in the Gaza Strip. We hear of a new kind of evidence may have allowed the IDF to draw this conclusion. The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) says that some 780 aid trucks are awaiting pickup on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, after just 43 were collected yesterday by international organizations. We hear what the current holdup is — and what may be a solution. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IDF launches wave of strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah mortar attack Israeli jets block Iranian plane suspected of ferrying arms to Hezbollah over Syria IDF says US-Israeli hostage Cpt. Omer Neutra killed on Oct. 7 and his body held in Gaza Fatah, Hamas agree to form committee to run postwar 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: A view of south Lebanon from a destroyed home in Kibbutz Manara, November 27, 2024. (Eli Katzoff)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.