Daily Briefing Feb 16: Day 133 - PM 'categorically' rejects an imposed Palestinian state

Tal Schneider on blowback from Netanyahu’s unilateral halt to hostage talks, how all 120 MKs view haredi conscription; Jessica Steinberg on ramped up hostage families’ efforts

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.

Today is Day 133 of the war. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and culture editor Jessica Steinberg join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

Amid growing tensions between the two leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden again spoke by phone for 40 minutes Thursday evening, talking about the hostages taken during the October 7 onslaught, Rafah and the next stage in the fight against Hamas, and touching on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. After the call, Netanyahu released a statement in the middle of the night insisting that Israel will not be pressured into accepting a Palestinian state. Schneider weighs in on why he felt the need to release this statement.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu ruled out sending an Israeli delegation for further hostage negotiations in Cairo. He apparently made this decision without consulting the war cabinet. Has there been any political blowback?

As the fear for their loved ones’ grows, the hostages’ families are ramping up their efforts to bring global attention to their plight. Steinberg delves into some of the recent campaigns.

Schneider conducted a special project and turned to all 120 members of Knesset to hear their thoughts on the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription. Did she find anything surprising?

Steinberg recently returned from the East Coast of the United States where she spoke to numerous Jewish communities. What was her sense of how the Israel-Hamas war is affecting them?

For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.