Daily Briefing Feb. 5 – Inside Abbas’s call for unprecedented PLO elections

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.

WATCH the full episode here:

In the wake of reports that suggested that planned nuclear talks set for the end of the week were unraveling, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “should be very worried.” Magid describes the media storm and what may be in store on Friday in Oman — if the talks do indeed take place.

Last week, Magid was able to get his hands on a draft resolution laying out the powers of various bodies tasked with managing postwar Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative. We hear how it appears to limit the significance of a panel that had sparked worries in Israel because it included Turkey and Qatar. We also learn about the current activities of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG, which is still sitting in Cairo.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that elections will be held on November 1 for the Palestinian National Council, the parliament of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Magid explains why this may not be the big deal it appears to be.

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

For further reading:

US-Iran talks back on track after Trump warns Khamenei ‘should be very worried’

Board of Peace proposal appears to relegate Gaza panel with Turkey, Qatar to ‘advisory’ role

Palestinian Authority’s Abbas calls first-ever direct PLO parliament elections

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

Check out yesterday’s episode here: