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 Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, Prince Turki bin Faisal, spoke with Magid on Sunday and said that Riyadh is currently not even entertaining the idea of normalizing relations with Israel and will only do so if Jerusalem begins acting like a “normal country.” We hear how Israel could behave more "normally" and what else the royal family member said.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee held a rare meeting with Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Ramallah last Wednesday to discuss ongoing tensions in the West Bank. We speak about the fraught US-PA ties and how this meeting comes on the heels of increased cooperation surrounding ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip.
And finally, US Vice President JD Vance claimed in an interview on Sunday that almost no Americans are antisemitic and that concerns about antisemitic voices are raised as a way to avoid discussing “a real backlash to a consensus view in American foreign policy” on Israel. Magid delves into this thorny issue, even as attacks against Jews in the US continue to be at a high since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Ex-Saudi intel chief to ToI: Riyadh will consider normalization when Israel acts normally
Huckabee holds rare meeting with PA official to discuss West Bank tensions — officials
Huckabee: Iran ‘didn’t get the full message’ when US bombed its nuclear sites
Vance: Almost no Americans are antisemitic, real issue is ‘backlash’ to US policy on Israel
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IMAGE: Illustrative: Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal talks to the Associated Press in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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