Podcast: Daily Briefing Mar. 15 – Is the Mossad head Netanyahu’s heir apparent?

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.

Today’s panel comprises senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and United States correspondent Jacob Magid, along with host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

We start the show with a look at Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman’s refusal to apologize for comments he made regarding ultra-Orthodox Jews and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that have been slammed as anti-Semitic. Who is he actually talking to and why is he not backing down?

Then we hear why a government watchdog group has slammed Netanyahu for implying he has a political relationship with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. Our panel breaks down who Israel’s top spy really is and whether he is Netanyahu’s chosen successor.

A new poll has the two quarreling political blocs split 58-58 with Arab party Ra’am potentially serving as a tiebreaker, and therefore a potential kingmaker. We examine what that means for the March 23 election, and its aftermath.

And finally, neither Cairo nor Amman is convinced that the scheduled Palestinian elections will truly happen. But if they do, and with Fatah divided, a Hamas win could ripple out in unwanted ways.

Discussed articles include:

Liberman under fire for saying he’ll dump Netanyahu, Haredim ‘in a landfill’

Mossad chief says no political ties to PM, who vowed to give him cabinet post

Our new spymaster and the demise of Israeli politics

Why Mossad’s Yossi Cohen, shadow warrior against Iran, is PM’s chosen successor

Poll: Blocs split 58-58; Ra’am could be tie-breaker

In Jordan and Egypt, quiet qualms that Palestinian elections will boost Hamas

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.