Day 816 - In Florida, a jovial Trump is hawkish on Gaza and Iran
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 30 December 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
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Summary
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.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump held a meeting yesterday in Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. We start with the collegial atmosphere of the press conference and how it belied fears of US frustration with Israel.
Berman takes us through the stances expressed by the two leaders, starting with the possibility of a strike on Iran. Trump, standing next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says yes when asked whether he’d support an Israeli attack if Iran resumes production of its missile and nuclear programs. Berman then takes us to the Lebanon front and discusses a looming disarmament deadline there, before discussing the interesting comments made about Turkey and Syria during the meetup.
Much focus was naturally on the Gaza war and, asked twice whether he would allow for the commencement of the second phase of the ceasefire plan before the return of the final hostage from Gaza, slain Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, Trump declined to answer directly. Trump did say he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “talked about Hamas and we talked about disarmament.” However, we learn that there is no timeline for the disarmament.
Asked whether the Palestinian Authority should be allowed to play a role in the postwar management of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the PA would have to implement “real reforms.” Borschel-Dan wonders why the premier did not dismiss it out of hand, and indeed, whether Fatah could be a threat to Hamas in Gaza. Berman answers.
The press conference launched a mini media storm in Israel after Trump claimed that President Isaac Herzog had recently told him that a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “on its way.” We learn what the response was in Florida.
And finally, we also hear how, during his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump took a phone call from Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who told him he had been awarded the Israel Prize. Israel’s top civilian honor has never been bestowed on a foreign leader. Trump will receive the Israel Prize for special contribution to the Jewish people. But will Trump take the bait and visit Israel on Independence Day?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Meeting PM, Trump warns of ‘hell to pay’ if Hamas doesn’t disarm in ‘very short’ time
Trump claims Herzog told him Netanyahu pardon ‘on its way’; Israeli president denies it
Trump to be awarded Israel Prize next year, the country’s top honor
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, December 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:06.3 | Today is Tuesday, December 30th, Day 816 of the war. |
| 0:12.4 | Amanda Borchelle Dan here in Israel with our diplomatic correspondent, Laser |
| 0:16.7 | Bearman in Florida. |
| 0:18.9 | Laser, thank you so much for joining me today. |
| 0:20.7 | Good to be here. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also in Florida. Laser, thank you so much for joining me today. Good to be here. |
| 0:21.7 | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also in Florida following a series of meetings with high-level |
| 0:27.5 | officials, including, of course, U.S. President Donald Trump. Laser is there and will fill us |
| 0:33.7 | in on what was said and unsaid following these meetings. We'll also hear about a mini |
| 0:40.0 | media storm that was touched off by one of Trump's off-the-cuff statements and learn what |
| 0:45.4 | else the Prime Minister is set to accomplish this trip. All this and more when we're back. |
| 0:59.9 | Thank you. and more. When we're back. And we're back. I'm Amanda Borchelle, Dan, here with our diplomatic correspondent, |
| 1:04.1 | Laser Bearman. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a series of meetings yesterday in Florida, |
| 1:10.1 | and we are going to speak about |
| 1:12.0 | all the very important details that came out of them. But Laser, let's start with the atmosphere, |
| 1:18.6 | and I just couldn't help but notice that our prime minister and the U.S. president were basically |
| 1:24.9 | wearing matching suits. I don't know if that was noticed as well |
| 1:29.3 | where you are. But of course, the first question is who wore it better? Now, I'm totally kidding. |
| 1:34.7 | I just want to know what was the atmosphere like among the two leaders? |
| 1:40.0 | Yeah, so you could see that the body language and obviously what they said, the content to the remarks, was extremely, extremely positive. |
| 1:48.4 | You heard Trump praising Netanyahu again and again. |
| 1:51.9 | Obviously, Netanyahu praised Trump as Israel's best friend ever. |
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