Daily Briefing Apr. 29: Day 571 – Fake news may be muddying hostage talks

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 Sam Sokol join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.

As an Israeli official states that Qatar isn’t being helpful in the hostage talks and an Arab official tells The Times of Israel that reports are being manufactured by Israeli officials looking to harm the negotiations, Magid offers a deeper look. We hear about the talks over last few days and the government’s push for victory in Gaza, which could lead Israel into a deeper, more extensive battle against Hamas.

Magid reports on a conversation he had with Republican lawmaker Rep. Marlin Stutzman, one of the first US lawmakers to meet Syria’s new Islamist leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Stutzman cautions against Israel’s interest in seeing Syria divided into several autonomous regions and notes the Syrian president’s vehement opposition to that idea.

Several top aides to former US president Joe Biden commented in a TV interview on aspects of Israeli relations with the US during the Biden administration, including a missed opportunity to reach a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia last year. Magid fills us in.

Sokol speaks about a demonstration of Haredi protesters outside two IDF recruitment centers on Monday, where ultra-Orthodox men harassed conscripts to the new ultra-Orthodox brigade.

He discusses the IDF’s inability to enlist more than a tiny number of its intended 4,800 Haredi men during the most recent draft cycle, while Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Likud MK Yuli Edelstein is determined to finalize the draft of a law regulating ultra-Orthodox military service.

This conversation can also be viewed here:

Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Arab source: To shield Netanyahu, Israel leaking false claim Qatar sabotaged talks

GOP lawmaker cautions Israel against ‘dividing’ Syria, after meeting with Sharaa

Biden officials vent frustrations in dealing with Netanyahu, decry missed chance of Saudi deal

‘Zionists are not Jews’: Haredi extremists harass recruits from their community at IDF centers

IDF won’t meet 2024-2025 Haredi conscription targets, official tells Knesset defense committee

Edelstein says Knesset close to drafting new enlistment law, won’t accept ultimatums

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 and video edited by Thomas Girsch.

Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode here: