Daily Briefing Aug. 4: Banking on politics — Israel and the Palestinian financial crisis

US bureau chief Jacob Magid reports on Trump’s frustration with Iranian regime, Board of Peace disarmament talks, and a deep dive into the Palestinian banking crisis

With:

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.

WATCH the full episode here:

As Iran rebuffs US President Donald Trump, insisting there are no ongoing talks between the two parties, Magid notes that the regime’s denials have frustrated the US leader, while Iran doesn’t seem deterred by the president’s incendiary language.

Magid discusses the sense of anticipation among Board of Peace members about convincing Hamas to agree to its disarmament proposal. The Israeli government, however, is not on board with the plan. And it has continued to carry out strikes against Hamas, notably including terrorists who invaded on October 7, 2023, and those who abducted hostages — which could sabotage the deal. Israel’s objections, says Magid, has apparently led the board to accept a more gradual withdrawal for Israel from the ceasefire lines in Gaza.

In the second half of the podcast, Magid reviews the ongoing banking crisis in the Palestinian Authority, after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed a last-minute waiver that supports Israeli banks providing services crucial to keeping the West Bank economy afloat.

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

For further reading:

Board of Peace appears to shift terms for IDF pullback after meeting PM; Gaza airstrike reported

Trump: ‘Unbelievably duplicitous’ Iran begged for talks, now denies they’re happening

Israel acts to ease Palestinian banking crisis it helped create, but is it moving too late?

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ari Schlacht produced this episode.

Check out yesterday’s episode here:

read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.
Back to top
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering allows you to manage your newsletters and alerts and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.