Daily Briefing Sept 6: Would Israeli-Saudi normalization make Biden a 'useful idiot'?

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman reviews FM Cohen’s Bahrain trip and Tom Friedman’s critique; legal affairs reporter Jeremy Sharon summarizes the AG-justice minister conflict

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.

Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and legal affairs reporter Jeremy Sharon join host Anne Gordon for today’s podcast.

The tussle between Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Justice Minister Yariv Levin over the fact that Levin has not convened the Judicial Selection Committee is ongoing. Levin has his reasons for not wanting to convene it, and Baharav-Miara has her reasons for insisting he do so. How is the average Israeli citizen affected by this, and what implications does it have for the judicial system? Sharon unpacks it all for us.

Just back from a trip to Bahrain with Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Berman explains what happened there, and why this trip took place now. He also sheds light on an op-ed by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman urging US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salman not to support Israeli-Saudi normalization.

Discussed articles include:

AG: Levin ‘obligated’ to convene judicial selection panel, fill open judgeships

FM Cohen to Bahraini crown prince: We expect normalization with more Arab states

Tom Friedman to Biden: Don’t be Netanyahu’s ‘useful idiot’ with Saudi normalization

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