Daily Briefing Jan. 28 – PM makes explosive charges on Biden-era arms embargo

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman reports on a rare, wide-ranging press conference held by the premier, noting Israel’s two remaining goals for Gaza and chances of Saudi normalization

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Edit 28 January 2026, 1:23 pmUpdated at 11:53 am

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.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

WATCH the full episode here:

Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the final slain hostage kept in Gaza, is buried today. Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a wide-ranging press conference, during which he raised unusual allegations against the Biden administration. We hear from Berman about the mood in the room and the premier’s two remaining focal points — dismantling Hamas’s weapons and demilitarizing Gaza of arms and tunnels.

During the press conference, Berman asked Netanyahu about the changing rhetoric out of Saudi Arabia, which is increasingly aligning itself with actors such as Pakistan and Turkey. We learn what the premier had to say.

Yesterday, International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed across the world. January 27 marks the anniversary of the liberation by Soviet forces of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of the Nazi German death camps. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the day at the Babyn Yar ravine outside of Kyiv, where Nazis and their collaborators murdered more than 33,000 Jews in a two-day rampage in 1941. Berman weighs in.

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

For further reading:

Netanyahu: Israeli soldiers lost their lives in Gaza due to Biden-era arms embargo

Netanyahu: No Gaza rebuild before Hamas disarms, Israel will keep ‘security control’ over Gaza

Netanyahu: If Saudis want deal, we expect them not to align with anti-Israel forces

Zelensky, flanked by Ukrainian rabbis, marks Holocaust Remembrance Day at Babyn Yar

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

Check out yesterday’s episode here:

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