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 Jessica Steinberg for today’s Daily Briefing.
Following US President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Magid notes that Trump did not mention any of the former Israeli hostages by name, though some were in the audience.
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Magid speaks about his interview with a senior Qatari official who emphasized the need to stick to the current hostage deal and said that any new ideas won’t work, insisting that Hamas won’t accept releasing hostages en masse as suggested by the US unless there’s an end to the war.
He reviews the summit of Arab states that gathered Tuesday to discuss an alternative to Trump’s plan of reconstructing Gaza and relocating its inhabitants. The plan, led by Egypt, would see technocrats ruling Gaza for an interim period and dividing the area into zones before handing it over to the Palestinian Authority.
Magid also discusses the positioning of the PA on the Gaza plans and the frustration of Arab countries with PA President Mahmoud Abbas as they try to get him to be more flexible.
Finally, Magid briefly looks at PA prisoner payment reform after an interview with a senior official, who also warned of cutting ties with the Trump administration if the US president advances with his plan to take over Gaza.
Please see today’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
‘We are bringing back our hostages from Gaza,’ Trump says in address to Congress
As Israel, US align on new hostage proposal, Qatar urges sticking to existing framework
Aiming to stymie Trump’s ‘Riviera’ vision, Arab leaders endorse $53 billion Gaza plan
Seeking funds abroad, Abbas ally touts prisoner payment reform that’s ‘unpopular’ at home
Feeling heat from Trump to ‘solve’ Gaza, Arab states losing patience with PA’s Abbas
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