Israel angers Christian world in another avoidable scandal
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2026
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
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.
US President Donald Trump reportedly told aides he is willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed and leave a complex operation to reopen it for a later date. At the same time, his administration is reportedly conducting negotiations based on a 15-point document presented to the Iranian regime. Berman attempts to unravel Trump's current strategic thinking, even as American troops are set to reach the region.
How do the Gulf states see this phase of the war? We hear who is on board with continuing the conflict, and who is working to end it.
As top Israeli leaders openly declare their intention to create another security zone in southern Lebanon, Berman reviews the Jewish state's historic trauma with a similar 18-year operation.
And finally, we learn about a now-resolved, but still damaging scandal that erupted this week as top Catholic clergy were barred from worshipping at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Four soldiers killed, 2 wounded in south Lebanon clash with Hezbollah
Trump said to tell aides he’s willing to end Iran war without reopening Hormuz
Israel shifts to hitting Iran’s economy, as it enters ‘completion phase’ of war
Facing a resurgent Hezbollah, Israel slouches back to a security zone in Lebanon
Holy Sepulchre Easter services to go ahead as Church leaders reach deal with police
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and Ari Schlacht produced and edited this episode.
IMAGE: A woman prays in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City, April 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalia)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:06.5 | Today is Tuesday, March 31st. |
| 0:08.6 | I'm your hostess Amanda Borscheldan here in our Jerusalem studio with diplomatic correspondent, Laser Barman. |
| 0:15.1 | Laser, thank you so much for joining me today. |
| 0:16.8 | Happy to be here. |
| 0:17.7 | I'm always very happy to speak with you. |
| 0:19.7 | And today we're going to get updates on the war with Iran. We're also going to hear about historic concerns that are raising their head again as Israel has announced an enlarged buffer zone in Lebanon. Laser wearing his Christian affairs hat, or Kipa, as it were, will tell us about this scandal that |
| 0:38.6 | erupted this week with the church. All of this and more when we're back. |
| 0:47.7 | This episode is brought to you by Jewish Communal Fund, the preferred donor-advised fund of the Jewish |
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| 1:55.3 | How did the Jewish people get to this moment? And where are we headed next? I'm Rabbi Amitai Freeman, |
| 2:00.6 | and this is a long-path podcast. Each week, I sit down with thinkers, leaders, and voices from across the Jewish world, explore the past, present, and future of Jewish life. |
| 2:02.6 | Because the future is not something that we inherit, it is something that we build. |
| 2:05.6 | Join us for conversations that do not shy away from complexity. |
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