Daily Briefing Aug. 29: Day 328 – Hamas urges suicide attacks as IDF operates in West Bank
US bureau chief Jacob Magid on a new batch of US sanctions against extremist settlers, and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby’s optimism; also a big oops! in Haifa
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.
The Israeli military has launched a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the wake of last week’s attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that is expected to last at least several days, military sources said yesterday. At the same time, top Hamas official Khaled Mashal in Turkey yesterday called for a resumption of suicide bombings. What is the Biden administration saying about the IDF’s operation in the West Bank so far?
The US issued its sixth batch of sanctions targeting Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, blacklisting a group that provides volunteer guards for illegal outposts and a civilian security guard for a flashpoint settlement who has allegedly engaged in attacks against Palestinians. Magid gives nuance to who was — and what wasn’t — including in this latest batch of sanctions.
After a summit of high-level hostage release negotiations that took place last weekend in Cairo, the result was an agreement to hold another round of lower-level talks this week in Doha. Magid spoke with White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby who is an unapologetic optimist. We hear what he said.
Last week, a five-year-old child accidentally broke a rare Bronze Age clay vessel on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa, but ended up being invited back, along with his family, for a special tour of the museum. After a few days of staycation, Borschel-Dan can definitely identify with this family’s plight.
For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.
Discussed articles include:
11 Palestinians killed as IDF launches major anti-terror raid in West Bank
Top Hamas official Mashaal urges resumption of suicide bombings against Israel
‘This is a war’: FM urges Gaza-style temporary evacuation of Palestinians in West Bank
US issues new batch of sanctions targeting West Bank settlers amid rampant violence
‘We failed’: IDF finds it didn’t act sufficiently to prevent deadly settler rampage
‘Philadelphi is becoming Rafah’: Negotiators lament politicization of ceasefire term
Unapologetic optimism: How US approaches its messaging around hostage negotiations
Kid shatters 3,500-year-old jar in Haifa museum, gets invited back
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Adina Karpuj.
