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 founding editor David Horovitz and Knesset correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast. Horovitz discusses 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, expanding on the two candidates for the position of chairman. Schneider and Horovitz discuss Netanyahu's statement that the coalition’s original legislation aimed at securing control over the Judicial Selection Committee will not be revived and what that means in terms of the judicial overhaul. 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 Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits at the Intel's Kiryat Gat plant on November 14, 2016 (Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.