Day 697 - Lapid dips into election rhetoric, appeals for unity

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.

Political correspondent Sam Sokol and tech reporter Sharon Wrobel join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel said she won't follow foreign minister and New Hope party head Gideon Sa'ar into a merger with the Likud party, Sokol discusses Haskel's position on the front lines of Israel's information battle and her concerns about Likud's representation of moderate voters.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid warned of the end of Zionism if Netanyahu's coalition wins the next election, which Sokol calls Lapid's election rhetoric, consistent with how Lapid has been speaking for the last few years.

Sokol analyzes rising tensions between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Haredi parties and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth's new approach to Haredi conscription law.

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air plans to establish a base in Israel, notes Wrobel, offering it advantages in the Israeli air transportation market.

Wrobel also discusses milk shortages in Israel due to production issues and consumer panic.

IMAGE: Yesh Atid chairman MK Yair Lapid attends a Yesh Atid party conference in Tel Aviv, September 1, 2025 (Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.