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.
Magid first discusses the legal bombshell of the International Criminal Court's decision Thursday to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The prime minister has stated that he won't comply, but Magid points out that there are countries abroad that would comply and whose recognition matters to Israel.
Magid also looks at the recent Senate vote, in which more Democrats supported efforts to withhold aid against Israel, and he points out that several Democrats who are not usually part of that progressive camp also voted for it.
He talks about the UN Security Council measure calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the US veto because the measure did not couple the truce with the immediate release of all remaining hostages.
Finally, Magid turns to Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein who may face a life term for allegedly transferring information to the German Bild newspaper, to skew the public debate over the hostage negotiations at a time when the public was turning against Netanyahu and his government.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
US ‘fundamentally rejects’ ICC warrants, says it’s working with Israel on next steps
World split over Netanyahu, Gallant arrest warrants, as some in EU vow to uphold them
Israel breathes small sigh of relief after most US Senate Democrats back arms transfers
Senate motions blocking arms sales to Israel fail, but pick up Democrat support
US vetoes Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN as it didn’t condition truce on hostages’ release
Netanyahu aide charged with harming state security in leaked document case, could face life term
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 in the Knesset on November 13, 2024 (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)