The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, the head of Realign for Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse.
Alkhatib gives us an overview of the conditions on the ground right now in the Gaza Strip. We learn about an uptick in diseases such as chicken pox due to extreme unsanitary conditions and lack of vaccinations. There are new efforts to allow residents to open bank accounts -- but where is the money to be found even as paper bills are so worn they are disintegrating?
Khalil al-Hayya has been elected to be the new leader of Hamas, the terror group announced Monday after months of speculation following a vote in the General Shura Council. We learn how, following the subjugation of protests in the Gaza Strip in late June, al-Hayya's annointing is another signal that the terror group is entrenching its ties with Iran and continuing consultations with Hezbollah.
In the second half of the program, we discuss the intensity of support for Hamas in three population centers: the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan. Alkhatib's comment on the Palestinians living in the Hashemite Kingdom may surprise.
Finally, Alkhatib describes his new short book, "Hamas and its Two Million Hostages." Part memoir, part explainer, the work is an attempt to offer an approachable take on the past almost three years of war and how Hamas's stranglehold is only tightening on the people in the Strip.
And so this week, we ask Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, what matters now?
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
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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, Hoffman starts the program with a unique dvar Torah, tying together the new blockbuster "The Odyssey" with James Joyce's "Ulysses" and antisemitism in Ireland. Goes well with white fish.
Then we turn to the main event: "Reading Lolita in Tehran," which was directed by Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis and is currently playing in select cinemas.
Labeled "a memoir in books," the film is based on the bestselling autobiography by author Azar Nafisi, published in 2003.
The film is divided into chapters based on famous literature, including "The Great Gatsby," "Daisy Miller," and "Pride and Prejudice." It stars Golshifteh Farahani (known from a Hoffman favorite, "Paterson"), Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mina Kavani and Israeli mega-star entertainer Rita.
Let's hear who gave this film 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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Even for Israeli standards, it's been a pretty wild week in Israel's neighborhood.
The ceasefire war between the US and Iran continues to escalate. The threats from US President Donald Trump against Iran grow ever more bombastic, but there is a real feeling that he might carry out a significant attack soon that goes well beyond the limited strikes that we have seen over the past two weeks.
Of course, Iran is hitting back, primarily at Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, saying it is targeting US bases in those countries.
The Iran-backed Houthis struck two Saudi oil tankers, as that conflict begins to heat up. Houthi threats to the Bab al-Mandeb would mean the Iranian axis is closing the two waterways connecting the Middle East and Europe to Asian markets.
There was slightly better news to the north. After six rounds of direct talks and an agreement that envisions peace between Israel and Lebanon, Lebanese forces began moving into the first pilot zone vacated by Israeli forces.
Joined by Times of Israel colleague Nava Freiberg, Lazar made sense of the interconnected but distinct theaters that Israeli leaders and citizens are paying close attention to.
He explained what Iran is trying to do with its attack on Arab countries. It is determined to impose its reading of the MOU on the world, especially as it comes to control over the Strait of Hormuz.
That is why it hasn't hit Israel.
Iran knows that Israel, Lazar said, isn't about to run to Trump and ask him to give in to Iran's demands to get it stop firing. Instead, Israel would relish the opportunity to carry out some of the attacks that it had to call off in April, and would likely go well beyond what the Americans are doing.
It doesn't make sense for Israel to go out of its way to get involved either. For now, Iran is being degraded, it isn't getting economic relief, and Trump is becoming increasingly frustrated with his Iranian interlocutors. Meanwhile, life is fairly normal in Israel, with flights returning to Ben Gurion Airport and citizens focusing on the election fight.
Lazar also shed light on alternative energy pathways being developed in the wake of Iranian threats to the Strait of Hormuz. Israel might have an opportunity to be key element of some of these plans, but it has to change the tenor of relations with some of its Arab partners.
Lazar explained why the Saudi-US nuclear deal is a problem for Israel. First of Israel, it shows that Israel is not being consulted by the White House on strategic decisions. In addition, it represents a potential proliferation risk, especially if the current regime in Riyadh is replaced.
Turning to Lebanon, Lazar said that progress on the first pilot zone is undoubtedly a positive step. Still, the Lebanese army is incapable of taking on Hezbollah at this stage, and a lot will have to happen before disarming Hezbollah is a likely outcome.
It will be important to help the Lebanese government show the public that negotiations with Israel achieve results, especially the return of some civilians to their homes.
Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.
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.
News editor Ben Sales joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Iran-backed Houthis struck two Saudi oil tankers on Thursday that they accused of violating a naval blockade imposed by the group. These attacks signal a potential new front in the US-Iran conflict, as the US military struck Iran for the 12th successive night and Iran lashed out at its neighbors.
Arguably related to stymying Iran and its ambitions, the United States and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday forged a new agreement that could potentially provide the kingdom with uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear program. We hear why Israel is worried.
Overnight, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed its version of a massive defense policy bill, despite Democrats’ concerns about its huge price tag, the Iran war and a provision that would boost Pentagon ties to Israel. The NDAA includes several provisions that allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to US-Israel joint military projects. Sales explains the political considerations in voting for Israel aid right now.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday acknowledged that he cannot actually arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his past pledges to do so. Most legal experts had come to that conclusion years ago. Why is this in the news right now?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Yemen’s Houthis hit tankers in Red Sea as US strikes Iran for 12th consecutive night
US confirms signing a nuclear cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia, to Israel’s alarm
Mamdani’s vision of NY as ‘a city of international law’ runs up against reality
Mamdani admits he lacks power to arrest Netanyahu, after repeated pledges to do so
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.
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 Nava Freiberg joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today's episode.
Following an 11th consecutive night of US strikes on Iran and Iranian strikes on its Gulf and Arab neighbors, Freiberg offers possible paths forward in the war.
Freiberg analyzes US President Donald Trump's claim Tuesday that the US will be striking Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain “probably pretty soon,” amid reports that Tehran has moved nuclear centrifuges, and possibly even enriched uranium, to the secretive underground enrichment site. Is this bombastic threat just part of Trump's strategy to keep Iran guessing or could the US be prepping a ground invasion?
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, where Aoun declared that his country will permanently end hostilities with Israel. Freiberg comments on Trump's remark at the meeting that he is open to speaking directly with the Iran-backed terror group -- if Beirut asked -- after Aoun requested backing in his efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
In the second half, we move on to discuss Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which nine months ago was hailed as an end to the war in the Strip and the beginning of Gaza's reconstruction. Freiberg explains why the framework is only moving forward in “baby steps.”
The episode closes with a special visitor, Sarah Tuttle-Singer, curator of the Peoples of Israel project, who introduces us to her work and the project's goals.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.