Daily Briefing Dec. 13 – What they talked about in the hallways of the IAC summit

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Political reporter Tal Schneider and US correspondent Jacob Magid join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s podcast.

Both Schneider and Magid were at the Israeli American Council’s national summit in Florida last week, attended by some 3,000 participants, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Magid discusses a briefing with Gantz regarding construction in settlement blocs in the West Bank. He senses that Gantz is thinking strategically about his own political positioning, given his comments about expanding the so-called settlement blocs.

Schneider offers some details about who attended the summit, noting the high participation during the COVID pandemic and in the wake of AIPAC’s canceled conferences.

Magid also talks about his interview with MK Nir Barkat, who voiced a harsh line with regard to Iran, while Schneider gives some insights as to Barkat’s plans to become the Likud party leader and his current position as a Knesset member without a particular role.

Discussed articles include:

Senior defense official: ‘Blocs’ prioritized but all settlements have right to exist

Likud’s Barkat: Tehran should be targeted if Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel

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