Daily Briefing July 26: US-Israel camaraderie; not a bird, not a plane, but an eVTOL

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.

US correspondent Jacob Magid and Tech Israel editor Ricky Ben-David join host Anne Gordon on today’s episode.

Magid updates us on how the United States has been handling its relationship with Israel since President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East — from the East Jerusalem Augusta Victoria Hospital visit to the investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh’s death and Palestinian dissatisfaction with the US approach.

Ben-David describes the successful hover test of Israeli startup AIR’s prototype electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, that may herald flying cars. She also updates us about both the layoffs and the labor shortage in the tech sector.

Discussed articles include:

How Israel nearly turned Biden’s East Jerusalem visit into a diplomatic incident

Biden holds firm on refusal to open new Abu Akleh probe, despite push from Democrats

Biden pressing Palestinians to cooperate on Abraham Accords, but Abbas undecided

Biden unfazed by Saudi denial of advancement in Israel ties — senior US official

Liftoff: Israeli startup’s ‘flying car’ aces first test

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Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode: