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Daily Briefing July 1: Netanyahu answers Oct. 7 question with joke in TV interview
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 episode.
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After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared for an extensive interview on the pro-government Channel 14 Tuesday night, Magid reports on his messaging regarding achievements in the region, including the elimination of Hamas leaders and the establishment of buffer zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. He also references the prime minister’s attempt at humor in an initial response to a question about how October 7, 2023, has changed him.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have traveled to Qatar for talks with Iranian officials, according to US President Donald Trump, but are only meeting with Qatari mediators, on further implementation of the memorandum of understanding with Iran amid ongoing issues with control of the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s presence in Lebanon.
Magid also briefly discusses the full text of the Israel-Lebanon deal, aimed at resolving the bilateral conflict, and providing for an initial IDF withdrawal from two small pilot zones, based on the Lebanese Armed Forces’ success in disarming Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, the Board of Peace is further along in clarifying its plan for technocrats to take over the administration of Gaza, reports Magid, but there is still no timeline for entry.
Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Netanyahu: Pursuit of ‘total victory’ against Iran and its proxies ‘never ends’
Asked how he changed since October 7, Netanyahu jokes that he lost weight
US envoys in Qatar to meet mediators, but no direct talks with Iran set for coming days
‘Eventual IDF redeployment from Lebanon’: Full text of Israel-Lebanon deal security annex
Board of Peace finalizing plans for Gaza, but implementation timeline up in the air
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
Check out yesterday’s episode here:
