Daily Briefing Aug. 12 – How Israeli intel triggered top secret Trump plane ploy
US bureau chief Jacob Magid on the ongoing siege by settlers of a Palestinian home in Qusra and the Board of Peace's new, very flexible definitions of the Yellow Line in Gaza
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.
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More from The Daily Briefing
If Israel truly fulfills its commitments under the 15-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza — ostensibly aimed at the disarmament of the Hamas terror group that staged the October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel — then the IDF is required to pull back to the “Yellow Line” that divides the Strip between Israeli and Hamas control.
On today’s episode, Magid asks: Which Yellow Line — the original one that left Israel in control of 53% of the Strip, or the newer one that gave Israel control of 60% to 70% of the territory? He’s received several answers in a recent reporting trip to Washington, DC.
In a Hollywood-esque moment, during a recent flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom following the G7 summit, US President Donald Trump was clandestinely taken off Air Force One and transferred in a catering truck to a military plane. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that this ploy was triggered after Israel told the United States about an Iranian assassination threat. Magid gives the play-by-play and describes who remained on the original, decoy flight.
The Israeli military on Tuesday denounced the “illegal, reprehensible and unacceptable” establishment of settler outposts inside Palestinian villages in the West Bank in recent days, but did not explain why it had not dismantled them or why, in a recent example, troops prayed alongside civilians rather than removing them from the area. Magid rolls out the situation at Qusra, south of Nablus, which is still playing out on Wednesday as senior military officials, including Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, are meeting with the Palestinian family under siege.
Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Board of Peace blurs Yellow Line as it wages uphill battle to advance Gaza plan
Israeli intel on Iranian plot said to have spurred decision to sneak Trump off Air Force One
IDF slams ‘reprehensible’ settler outposts in Palestinian villages, but doesn’t demolish them
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.