Daily Briefing Dec. 30: Day 451 – Democracy in Syria? De facto leader says not so fast

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.

Arab affairs reporter Gianluca Pacchiani and reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today’s show.

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa spoke on Al Arabiya and gave a glimpse of his plans for the country, including divulging that holding elections in Syria could take up to four years and that drafting a new constitution could take up to three years. Pacchiani weighs in.

For the past week and more, swaths of Israelis from many parts of the country have found themselves seeking shelter in the middle of the night as the Houthis continue their campaign of projectiles, vowing to continue their attacks on Israel “until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.” We hear when they rose to power — and how.

Sweden-based Yemeni activist Luai Ahmed, 31, has become something of a celebrity in Israel and he comes by it genetically, it seems: After fleeing Sanaa in 2014, Ahmed, who is openly gay, received refugee status in Sweden and later acquired Swedish citizenship. But his family still lives between Yemen and Egypt, and his mother, Amal Basha, is one of the most prominent women’s rights advocates in Yemen. We hear about Ahmed.

Surkes has done a deep dive into Israeli international aid organizations and has discovered that their funding has dried up for two main reasons: antisemitism — people don’t want to give to a Zionist body — and patriotism — funders prefer to donate to a group doing work inside Israel proper. She explains why.

The Energy Ministry has identified geological formations capable of holding 10 million tons of carbon dioxide a year and kickstarting a carbon storage industry worth an annual estimated NIS 1 billion ($275 million). Surkes is cautiously optimistic.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Syrian leader: New elections could take up to 4 years, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will be dissolved

‘Houthis are simply insane’: In Tel Aviv, Yemeni activist explains current conflict

Energy Ministry: Geological formations could store 10 million tons of CO₂ annually

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Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode here: