Iraqis storm US embassy * Israeli gas goes online amid pollution fears * Hanukkah in Kurdistan * UK and Cyprus dispute rape verdict * Wary judges hear petition against PM

[Visit timesofisrael.com for 24/7 updates]( The Daily Edition Tuesday, December 31, 2019 [Iraqi supporters of Iran-backed militia break into US embassy in Baghdad]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Ambassador evacuated; with cries of ‘Death to Israel,’ protesters vent their anger over US attacks on Kataeb Hezbollah group, seen as violation of Iraqi sovereignty]( [Trump accuses Iran of ‘orchestrating’ Baghdad embassy breach and violence]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [Netanyahu praises ‘important’ US strikes on Iran-backed militia]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [Thousands flee their homes for fear of pollution as gas field goes online]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Venting and checks at Leviathan offshore rig worry coastal residents, who remain wary of assurances the activities are safe]( [Despite pollution fears, gas flow begins from behemoth Leviathan field]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( Live updates [Activists seek crowdfunded pollution monitoring of Leviathan gas platform]( By [TOI staff]( [Thousands fled their homes today in protest over concerns gas flow could release dangerous levels of pollutants toward towns on Israel’s northern coast]( [Hanukkah candles burn in Iraqi Kurdistan, where few Jews remain]( By [AFP]( [High Court hears petition, to rule later on whether Netanyahu can form coalition]( By [Raoul Wootliff and TOI staff]( [3 judges grill petitioners; ‘Why now?’ asks top justice, indicating a wariness to intervene; AG’s representatives tell court it should not express opinion during an election period]( [Israel media review / Will he, won’t he: 6 things to know for December 31]( By [Jacob Magid]( Inside Story [Raoul Wootliff and Raphael Ahren]( [Netanyahu’s ‘cornerstone’: How the PM will seek immunity from prosecution]( [After two years of speculation, Israel will soon find out whether the premier plans to appeal to parliament to avert corruption charges. But that’s just the start of the process]( [Netanyahu said to formulate immunity request, inform Knesset speaker of plan]( By [Raoul Wootliff and TOI staff]( [Lapid: Netanyahu deceived the public, lied to his voters on immunity bid]( By [TOI staff]( Top Ops [Yael Shahar]( [Synagogue security: Not a do-it-yourself job!]( [5 rules from a veteran of ’various security services,’ or how a well-trained team can make the difference between life and death in an emergency]( [Avi Issacharoff]( [With Hamas truce bid, Netanyahu and Bennett head to disastrous new 2-state idea]( [The PM and defense minister seem to be moving toward creating a de-facto state in Gaza, and another comprising Israel and the West Bank. This would have dire consequences]( [Shuki Friedman]( [The decade in review: Religion and state]( [Israel’s once sacrosanct status quo seems less relevant than ever, with the essence of what it means to be a Jewish state in flux and at stake]( [James R. Russell]( [Who started World War II?]( [If we really need to ask, let’s take care not forget which country bore the brunt of it, paying a high price to end the war]( [Monsey suspect searched Hitler, anti-Semitism ahead of attack, prosecution says]( By [RYAN TARINELLI, Jim Mustian and Larry Neumeister]( [Grafton Thomas hit with additional hate crime charges and denied bail, but family insists he has deep mental health issues, not motivated by hatred of Jews]( [New York City to launch three initiatives to combat anti-Semitism]( By [Adi Eshman]( [In New York, fear and defiance as Jews wrestle with anti-Semitism crisis]( By [Peter HUTCHISON]( [New York Jewish community hires security czar amid rash of attacks]( By [TOI staff]( [Mitchell Silber, who headed NYPD Intelligence unit, to lead effort aimed at helping Jewish institutions in city and some surrounding areas protect themselves]( [Al Sharpton gathers black leaders for meet with rabbi in wake of Monsey attack]( By [Marcy Oster]( [After cancer announcement, praise for US congressman who built Jewish-black ties]( By [Ron Kampeas]( [Not a ‘fair trial’? UK expresses unhappiness with Cyprus over rape claim verdict]( By [TOI staff and AP]( [London says it is ‘seriously concerned about … deeply distressing case’ after British woman convicted of lying about gang rape by Israelis; some allege political motives]( [Cyprus defends court after UK protests British teen’s conviction over rape claim]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [587 exits worth $70b: Startup Nation had booming decade, has still bigger dreams]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [Israeli terror victims sue Arab Bank for NIS 20 billion for financing attacks]( By [Stuart Winer]( [In first case filed in Israel, 1,132 plaintiffs claim Jordan-based bank played an active role in funding and encouraging terrorism that killed hundreds in 1995-2005]( [‘A strange paradox’: Abbas derides Israel for softening on Hamas, punishing PA]( By [Adam Rasgon]( [PA claims Israel-Hamas ceasefire would further divide Gaza from West Bank]( By [TOI staff]( [CRM]( [2019 saw 10% rise in traffic accident deaths, official data shows]( By [TOI staff]( [National Road Safety Authority chief laments insufficient budget to reduce crashes; leader of road safety group says ‘cutting funds and shirking responsibility costs lives’]( [Woman, 40, dies in crash; medics fight to save girl, 14]( By [TOI staff]( [1.8 million Israelis, half of them children, live in poverty — government]( By [TOI staff]( More Headlines [Thousands trapped on Australia beach as devastating wildfires close in]( By [Andrew BEATTY]( [Two arrested in Germany over vandalism to Jewish cemetery]( By [AFP]( [Israeli, German envoys take a stand against Putin’s claim Poland started WWII]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reportedly seizes ship in Gulf over ‘smuggled fuel’]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [US businessman said swindled by Israeli wife is a major donor for Israel causes]( By [TOI staff]( [Man shot to death in car amid wave of violence in Arab towns]( By [TOI staff]( [Report: Yad Vashem denies Gantz request to speak at anti-Semitism summit]( By [TOI staff]( [Ex-Nissan chief Ghosn skips bail in Japan, arrives in Beirut]( By [AP]( [Bernie Sanders healthy enough for presidency, doctors say after heart attack]( By [Will Weissert and LAURAN NEERGAARD]( [Jews in Ukraine spice up fundraising with the country’s first zhug factory]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [Tradition! / Hillary Clinton gets teary-eyed watching Yiddish ‘Fiddler on the Roof’]( By [Emily Burack]( [Hard hit / ‘Fauda’ a smash in 3rd season as 1 million Israelis watch debut]( By [Marcy Oster]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( © 2019 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, All Rights Reserved