Daily Briefing Mar. 13: Day 524 – Is Steve Witkoff the only hope for a hostage deal?
Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz discusses how to save the talks on freeing the hostages, the March 31 budget deadline, and Trump's latest comments on Gazans' future
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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.
Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s Daily Briefing.
With Israel’s negotiating team remaining in the Qatari capital Doha overnight, Horovitz reviews the latest on the Gaza ceasefire and says US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff appears to be the only person who can push Israel toward finalizing a deal. Horovitz reminds us that it was Witkoff who helped finalize implementation of the first stage of the deal, which brought 33 hostages home, eight of them dead.
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Horovitz also notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition are on a tight deadline to pass the budget by March 31, and if they fail, the government will fall. Horovitz notes that Netanyahu has to mollify far-right coalition partner Bezalel Smotrich, who has threatened to bolt if Israel doesn’t return to war in Gaza, as well as the ultra-Orthodox, who want a legally enshrined IDF exemption for most Haredi males.
At the same time, also on the docket for the coalition this month is legislation that seeks to give the political echelon control over how Israel’s judges are selected — a central element of the government’s revived wider bid to radically constrain the independence of Israel’s judiciary and the powers of the Supreme Court to strike down government legislation and decisions.
Horovitz also talks about US President Donald Trump’s softening of some of his previous comments regarding the relocation of Gazans.
Please see today’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Steve Witkoff, Israel looks to you
Meet Adam Boehler, Trump’s complacent, confused and dangerously naive hostage envoy
Coalition to drive forward budget, judicial appointments bills in intense Knesset push
Trump says ‘nobody’s expelling any Palestinians,’ in apparent softening of Gaza plan
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