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.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he planned to convey Israel’s position on US nuclear talks with Tehran during his meeting with US President Donald Trump today. Horovitz weighs in on what that position may be.
Even as Hamas continues to refuse to lay down its arms, Indonesia is preparing for the potential deployment of 5,000 to 8,000 troops to Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, according to the country’s army chief of staff, Maruli Simanjuntak. We hear why the largest Muslim nation in the world is ready to step into the Strip.
After Israel's security cabinet announced unprecedented steps to regulate the settlement of the West Bank, the Trump administration reiterated its opposition to Israel annexing the territory. What are among the series of measures aimed at expanding Jerusalem’s grip in the areas Palestinians hope will make up their future state?
On Monday night, Netanyahu shared a post on social media accusing former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of falsifying the intelligence agency’s probe into the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault and positioning himself as “de facto prime minister” after the attack. Why lies behind this most recent social media storm?
President Isaac Herzog continues his solidarity tour of Australia this week and is greeted with pro-Palestinian protesters at every stop. Horovitz expresses his shock and dismay.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump: Netanyahu ‘wants a good deal’ with Iran, nuclear talks this time ‘are different’
Jetting to DC, Netanyahu says he’ll present Trump with ‘our approach’ to Iran talks
Trump stresses opposition to annexation after Israel takes steps to expand West Bank grip
Security cabinet okays deepened Israeli control of West Bank; Hamas urges ‘escalation’
Netanyahu shares post accusing ex-Shin Bet chief of appointing himself ‘de facto PM’
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves.
IMAGE: An Israeli soldier stands guard during the inauguration ceremony for the newly legalized Jewish settlement of Yatziv, near the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour, in the West Bank, January 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
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.
Australia correspondent Nomi Kaltmann joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Thousands gathered across Australia on Monday to protest the arrival of President Isaac Herzog, who is on a multi-city trip aimed at expressing solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.
Herzog is visiting Australia this week at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting at a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15.
The visit has attracted the ire of some people in Australia, who accuse Herzog of being complicit in civilian deaths in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups organized protests in cities and towns across the country on Monday evening.
We hear how the Australian Jewish community is welcoming the president's visit, what Herzog's goals may be in Canberra and whether there could be unintended negative consequences in light of the allegations of police brutality from Monday's explosive anti-Israel protest.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Will Herzog’s Australia visit and new legislation assuage Jews’ fears after Bondi attack?
Australia urges calm after violent clashes in Sydney over Herzog visit
Protests in Sydney against Herzog’s visit turn violent amid scuffles with police
Arriving in Australia, Herzog pays tribute to Bondi terror victims: ‘We shall overcome’
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: Pro-Palestinian protesters take part in a demonstration against Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia in Sydney on February 9, 2026. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when Emma Lazarus’s “The New Colossus” is no longer read as a civic creed, but as a provocation about who belongs—and what a democracy owes the vulnerable?
In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on what he perceives as the normalization of cruelty toward immigrants in America, the present state violence being carried out in Minneapolis, and the uneasy silence of Jewish institutions when civil rights are clearly under assault. He then turns his lens toward Israel—asking what it means for Jews in both democracies to draw the line not between “us” and “them,” but between cruelty and compassion.
Learn more here and join our mailing list for more Hartman ideas.
Subscribe to Identity/Crisis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you receive your podcasts.
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 correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The Israel Defense Forces captured a “senior” member of the al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) terror organization during an overnight raid in southern Lebanon. We hear how, according to the IDF, the operative was nabbed late Sunday from a building in the Mount Dov area near the border by a special forces unit operating with troops of the 210th “Bashan” Regional Division.
We then turn to a tour of Israel's borders and learn where are the hot spots and where things are (smuggling) business as usual.
In light of Hamas's continued refusal to lay down its arms, the IDF is preparing plans for a larger ground operation. Fabian fills us in.
And to close out the program, we learn about a new, all-female combat intelligence unit and how the IDF is happy for all the woman-power it can get.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF nabs top terror group figure from Lebanon, targets Hezbollah operative
IDF says it hit Hamas arms depot after issuing evacuation warning for Gaza City building
Hamas terrorist who murdered IDF surveillance soldier Noa Marciano killed in strike
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: Hezbollah supporters raise their group's flags during a protest condemning recent Israeli military actions in Lebanon in Beirut, Lebanon, February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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 correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
We begin the program by speaking about Matti Caspi, a beloved composer, singer, and lyricist who produced some 1,000 songs, who died overnight between Saturday and Sunday. He was 76 and had suffered from cancer in recent years.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss Iran, his office announced Saturday night, a day after US-Iranian talks were held in Oman. Netanyahu will depart for Washington on Tuesday and depart the US on Thursday, landing back in Israel on Friday morning local time. Berman weighs in on the Oman talks and what is likely on the agenda for DC.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Matti Caspi, singer and composer who helped mold Israeli culture, dead at 76
PM to meet Trump in DC this week, says Iran talks must deal with missiles, proxies
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: The presidential seal is seen in the newly renovated Rose Garden of the White House, August 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.