Dread in Israel as Trump aims to seal Iran deal

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. As US President Donald Trump seeks to finalize an agreement with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz but won't limit the regime's ballistic missile program, thwart its nuclear ambitions or constrain its capacity to wage terrorism around the world, Horovitz discusses Israel’s absence from the negotiations and its need to assert its independent capacity to defend itself. After National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunted hundreds of detainees from the latest flotilla and received only a light rebuke from Netanyahu, Horovitz recalls that the prime minister just a few years ago said that the hawkish Ben Gvir didn't represent Israel's values and would never have a seat in his government. Ben Gvir is in charge of the prisons that New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has accused of carrying out the strategic sexual assault of Palestinian detainees. Israel, however outraged, will not end up suing the publication, Horovitz assesses, explaining why. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: With Trump conflicted and Iran emboldened, vital bid to end regime’s nuclear drive is being botched Trump’s emerging Iran deal forces Israel to seek guarantees, not victory Netanyahu needs to fire Ben Gvir after his flotilla provocation, but of course he won’t Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee. IMAGE: Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing. (ToI)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.