Daily Briefing Jan. 25: ‘He said, she said’ in Shas leader’s legal brouhaha

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.

Legal affairs correspondent Jeremy Sharon and Diaspora and religion writer Judah Ari Gross join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s podcast.

Sharon explains the complex legal situation unfolding with the barring of Shas leader Aryeh Deri as a cabinet minister and what he would need to be reinstated.

Gross looks at a conference of left-wing religious Jews gathering for the first time as a grassroots movement from across the religious spectrum.

Sharon discusses the evacuation of an illegal West Bank outpost, and how far-right politicians Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir equated the situation with the ongoing debate over an illegal Bedouin village, Khan al-Ahmar in the West Bank.

Gross talks about the shortage of ulpan teachers, instructors who teach Hebrew to new immigrants, exacerbated by an absence of wage negotiations.

Discussed articles include:

Deri v. High Court: What did he actually pledge in his 2022 plea bargain?

Eyeing their community’s rightward shift, left-wing religious Jews form new movement

Illegal West Bank outpost evacuated for second time as coalition tensions persist

Likud MKs call on government to evacuate Bedouin village Khan al-Ahmar immediately

After clash over West Bank outpost, Gallant and Smotrich meet with Netanyahu

MKs demand solutions to Hebrew teacher shortage that is vexing new immigrants

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode: