Day 440 - Biden and Trump teams join forces in hostage talks

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 on today's episode.

Magid speaks about the ongoing hostage negotiations and intense speculation in the media. He notes that any agreed-upon ceasefire would be longer and less fragile than the week-long pause in fighting that took place in November 2023. He also discusses the unusual cooperation taking place between the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration in the ceasefire negotiations.

Magid discusses a reckoning by Biden officials following the Israeli attack on Hezbollah and the panic initially felt among US intelligence officials and the Israeli government beforehand, as the concerns were that an Israeli strike on Hezbollah could lead to an all-out war with Lebanon.

He also reviews the Biden administration's decision not to sanction Netanyahu coalition partners, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, after months of considering such a move because of their roles in increasing settler violence and destabilizing the West Bank.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu said set to huddle with top brass Thursday to discuss Gaza deal latest

Hamas fears Trump will allow Israel to resume Gaza war after 1st phase of hostage deal

US intel wrongly envisioned catastrophic outcome if IDF escalated against Hezbollah

US won’t sanction Smotrich and Ben Gvir before end of Biden’s term — officials

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

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