Daily Briefing Sept. 1 – What makes a Jewish legislator join forces with an Arab party?

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. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode. WATCH the full episode here: Ruling out a nuclear option, US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed a response to Iran’s overnight strikes on US forces in Jordan, as tensions again ramped up between the sides after a monthlong lull in fighting. Horovitz brings us up to speed with what is happening — and not — with the war right now. More from The Daily Briefing August 31, 2026 Daily Briefing Aug. 31: Splinter parties jockey for position as election deadline looms August 30, 2026 Daily Briefing August 30 -- Golan Druze rethink their ties to Syria August 20, 2026 Daily Briefing Aug. 20: Israel risks opening a new front with strike deep in Syria August 19, 2026 Daily Briefing Aug. 19 - Former Hamas hostage fulfills a dream at Nir Oz August 18, 2026 Daily Briefing Aug. 18 - US holds direct talks with Hamas. Why it's the new normal Some 2.6 million students and preschoolers returned to school Tuesday morning at some 28,000 institutions around the country, as Israel marked the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year. Horovitz delves into some of the challenges the system faces and how critical it is to overhaul it. Ra’am party head Mansour Abbas and Yoav Segalovitz — a Jewish, Zionist former police official, lawmaker and deputy minister — announced Monday evening that Segalovitz will run with Ra’am, an Arab party, in the October 27 election. We hear about the reasons for the merger as well as its immediate blowback. Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insinuated without evidence in an interview aired Monday that left-wing politician Yair Golan had advance notice of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught. Of course, this drew a furious response from Golan’s Democrats Party, but could the Israeli public believe this conspiracy theory? Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Trump vows response to Iranian strike on US troops in Jordan as tensions ratchet up ‘What a stupid question’: Trump rules out idea of nuking Iran amid renewed tensions 2.6 million students return to school amid teacher shortages, systemic challenges In unprecedented move, Abbas and Segalovitz announce joint run, bringing Jewish lawmaker to Arab party’s slate Full speech: Yoav Segalovitz joins Arab party Ra’am with hopes for ‘a shared future’ Breaking silence, Netanyahu decries ‘criminal violence’ after settlers again raid besieged village Sara Netanyahu pushes conspiracy theory that left-wing leader Golan had advance knowledge of Oct. 7 Subscribe to The Times of Is rael Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee. Check out yesterday’s episode here: Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? 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