The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
On January 17, a statement from heads of Jerusalem churches touched off a firestorm. It blasted Christian Zionism, leading to an online fight over religious authority, divine promises, and ecclesial divisions.
Christian Zionists, including US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. fought back, releasing robust defenses of their theology and love for Israel and the Jewish people.
ICEJ Senior Vice President David Parsons, who has lived in Israel for over two decades, explains why Christian Zionists back Israel, and what it has to do with the nature of God's promises. He addresses the charge that Christian Zionists are secretly trying to get Jews back to Israel to spark the Armageddon, and answers questions about whether they take sides in partisan issues in Israel.
Parsons reveals surprising details on the effectiveness of ICEJ as a diplomatic tool for Israel, and why continued US support for Israel depends on the tens of millions of Christian Zionists.
Moving to a lighter topic, Parsons discusses the ICEJ's keystone event, the annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem, in which thousands of Christians from dozens of countries come to march in the capital -- even at the height of the war against Hamas.
Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unprompted and incendiary allegation on Tuesday that a Biden administration "embargo" directly caused the deaths of Israeli soldiers, Horovitz explains what might have prompted his remarks and highlights their implications for Israel's already-strained relationship with the Democratic Party.
As US President Donald Trump is expected to decide whether to launch airstrikes against Iran, Horovitz discusses one of the presumed aims of an attack: to weaken the regime's ability to crack down on future protests, and by extension, encourage the Iranian public to return to the streets with greater prospects of bringing down the leadership.
Horovitz also reviews Hamas's revival in Gaza as Trump moves to advance phase two of his peace plan, and the prime minister's press conference acknowledgement that there is next to nobody in the Strip without ties to the terror group or to the Palestinian Authority.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump wants to create conditions for ‘regime change’ in Iran — US sources
Israel warns Hamas may soon formally cede Gaza to technocrats, but maintain actual power
Netanyahu’s incendiary accusation against Biden underlines need for the state inquiry he opposes
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the final hostage that was kept in Gaza, is buried today. Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a wide-ranging press conference, during which he raised unusual allegations against the Biden administration. We hear from Berman about the mood in the room and the premier's two remaining foci -- dismantling Hamas’s weapons and demilitarizing Gaza of arms and tunnels.
During the press conference, Berman asked Netanyahu about the changing rhetoric out of Saudi Arabia, which is increasingly aligning itself with actors such as Pakistan and Turkey. We learn what the premier had to say.
Yesterday, International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed across the world. January 27 marks the anniversary of the liberation by Soviet forces of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of the Nazi German death camps. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the day at the Babyn Yar ravine outside of Kyiv, where Nazis and their collaborators murdered more than 33,000 Jews in a two-day rampage in 1941. Berman weighs in.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Netanyahu: Israeli soldiers lost their lives in Gaza due to Biden-era arms embargo
Netanyahu: No Gaza rebuild before Hamas disarms, Israel will keep ‘security control’ over Gaza
Netanyahu: If Saudis want deal, we expect them not to align with anti-Israel forces
Zelensky, flanked by Ukrainian rabbis, marks Holocaust Remembrance Day at Babyn Yar
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: Then-president Joe Biden, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, in the Oval Office, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Impromptu gatherings across Israel last night marked the first time in over 11 years without hostages being held in Gaza, following the return of Ran Gvili’s body to Israel.
For more than 50 days, he was the only hostage still held in Gaza, amid Hamas’s insistence that it had been unable to locate him, leaving his family and country fearful he might never be recovered.
In today's episode, Fabian takes us through Operation Courageous Heart and its massive team of soldiers and forensics experts, which successfully recovered Gvili's remains after checking over 250 bodies in a Gazan cemetery.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
‘Our pride is greater than our sorrow’: Family of Ran Gvili hail his heroism, Israel’s strength, as body comes home
All of them are home now: Body of last hostage Ran Gvili found in Gaza, returned to Israel
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: A woman walks by chairs with photos of Ran Gvili, the final hostage in Gaza who was killed while fighting Hamas militants during the October 7, 2023 attack and whose remains have been recovered, in a plaza known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The IDF confirmed yesterday it is searching for the remains of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage held in the Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line in the enclave’s north in a cemetery. According to the PMO, The IDF is currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all of the intelligence and upon completion of this operation -- and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US -- Israel will open the Rafah Crossing. Fabian fills us in on the recovery efforts, how the IDF plans to secure the crossing into Egypt and what is happening on the ground in Gaza.
The IDF said Monday that its wave of airstrikes last night against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon hit weapon depots and other infrastructure. We speak about the recent wave of airstrikes and how deeply inside Lebanon the IAF is targeting. We then discuss whether a much weakened Hezbollah would consider joining ranks with Iran in any escalation of hostilities.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF confirms searching for body of Ran Gvili at cemetery in northern Gaza Strip
Israel says Rafah Crossing to reopen when IDF finishes search for last hostage body
IDF reservist injured in Hamas attack in southern Gaza succumbs to wounds
IDF: Wave of strikes targets Hezbollah operatives, infrastructure across Lebanon
Northern Command chief: IDF ready on all fronts if US attack on Iran sparks retaliation
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: A photo of slain hostage Ran Gvili, whose remains are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is displayed during a rally calling for the return of the deceased hostages held in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean, File)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.