From snorkeling at Straits of Tiran to harnessing Saudi sun

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. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and Tech Israel editor Ricky Ben-David join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast. Schneider briefly discusses possibility of former Meretz leader Zehava Galon taking on the party's leadership role once again. She also dives into a piece about the Straits of Tiran and Sanafir, the Saudi-controlled islands that were briefly under Israel's control, and where Schneider's father spent a month, more than 50 years ago, as the officer of an IDF unit that was the first to step foot on the island. Ben-David discusses more Saudi Arabian news, as Israeli-founded smart energy tech firm SolarEdge Technologies signed an agreement last week with a Saudi entity. She also looks at how Israel is moving ahead with plans to lay the foundation for quantum computational ability, which harnesses quantum mechanics to quickly solve problems too complex for classical computers. Steinberg speaks about Israeli wine, and the newly tinted appellations of Judean, the lower Judean Foothills and Judean Hills, with 30 boutique wineries in place. Discussed articles include: Zehava Galon announces political comeback in bid to recapture Meretz leadership Israeli-American energy tech firm SolarEdge inks investment deal with Saudi group Israel to establish quantum computing R&D center, build quantum computer It’s a quick ride from Bordeaux red to sparkling Champagne in the Judean Hills Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: A facility outfitted with SolarEdge's technology. Illustrative. (Screenshot/YouTube)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.