Daily Briefing June 19: Tension before Israel Bar election; Intel vote of confidence

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

ToI editor David Horovitz and Knesset correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s podcast.

Horovitz discusses an extraordinary decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich full authority to expand existing settlements in Judea and Samaria.

He also examines Netanyahu’s disapproval of talks between Washington and Tehran and what that means for the US-Israel relationship.

Schneider explains how Tuesday’s elections at the Israel Bar Association could affect the Judicial Selection Committee and discusses the two candidates for the position of IBA chairman.

Schneider and Horovitz discuss Netanyahu’s statement that the coalition will this week begin legislating unspecified parts of the judicial overhaul, and his reported remarks to ministers that a core element of the planned overhaul package, aimed at securing control over the Judicial Selection Committee, will not be enacted in its current form.

They also look at US semiconductor giant Intel Corp.’s agreement in principle to build a chip manufacturing plant at an investment of $25 billion, and whether it is indeed a show of faith in the current economy.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu hands Smotrich full authority to expand existing settlements

Netanyahu says Israel opposes nuclear ‘mini-agreements’ with Iran

Intel to invest ‘unprecedented’ $25 billion in chip manufacturing plant in Israel

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