Rivlin rejects Gantz bid for more time to form coalition; Likud: Let PM try * Haredim in lockdown * Blog: China did this * Hi-tech test shatters ancient Christian ’proof’

[Visit timesofisrael.com for 24/7 updates]( The Daily Edition Sunday, April 12, 2020 [Rivlin rejects Gantz bid for more time to form gov’t; may not give PM a chance]( By [Raoul Wootliff]( [President warns if agreement between Blue and White chair and Netanyahu not reached by Monday deadline, he will ask Knesset to recommend candidate]( [Joining right, Levy-Abekasis says Netanyahu should form government]( By [Raoul Wootliff]( Live updates [Likud-led bloc demands president give Netanyahu shot at forming government]( By [TOI staff]( [Heads of Likud and allied parties say Rivlin should transfer mandate to interim PM, rather than giving Knesset choice; High Court petition seeks to block indicted MK from being PM]( [Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods go into lockdown to stop virus spread]( By [TOI staff]( [Residents of neighborhoods with high infection rates confined to one of seven zones, but can leave for work or other essential needs; 100 checkpoints and 1,000 cops enforce closure]( [Deri announces new yeshiva for students infected with virus]( By [TOI staff]( [‘Litzman is a murderer’ graffiti daubed in Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox neighborhood]( By [TOI staff]( Op-ed [David Horovitz]( [Israel got the macro decisions right on COVID-19, but it’s in danger of slipping]( [The failures to quarantine new arrivals from abroad, and to evacuate virus carriers from ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, underline concerns that we’re far from out of the woods]( [Health Ministry says fall in number of tests caused by switch to local chemicals]( By [TOI staff]( From the blogs [Irwin Cotler and Judith Abitan]( [Xi Jinping’s China did this]( [The corrupt, criminal regime wasted 40 days blocking information while it crushed domestic dissent and ensured COVID-19 would become a global pandemic]( [Gilad Cohen]( [From the East, good shall come]( [UK’s Johnson out of the hospital, says staff saved his life]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Premier’s office says he will continue his recovery at his country house, not immediately returning to work after a week in hospital including 3 days in intensive care]( [US death toll passes 20,000 as New York stabilizes at ‘horrific rate’]( By [Agencies]( [Europe’s virus toll passes 75,000; Spain’s fatalities up after 3 days of decline]( By [Agencies]( Archaeology [Hi-tech test shatters claim ancient inscription is 1st proof of Christianity]( By [Amanda Borschel-Dan]( [Study indicates the marble bearing the ‘Nazareth Inscription,’ a mysterious 1st century text linked by some to Jesus’s resurrection, was quarried in Greece, not the Holy Land]( [Just in time for Easter: Jordan River baptismal site is mine-free after 53 years]( By [Melanie Lidman]( [Netanyahu urges solitary Easter as Christians worldwide mark holiday at home]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [Israelis required to wear face masks when out in public]( By [TOI staff]( [As Health Ministry directive takes effect Sunday, police to allow grace period]( [Report: Finance Ministry proposes swift return to work for hundreds of thousands]( By [TOI staff]( [Coronavirus ‘extremely dangerous’ for Palestinian areas, UN envoy warns]( By [Raphael Ahren]( [Israel’s first 100 virus deaths: More men than women; nearly 1/4 from Jerusalem]( By [TOI staff]( [Majority of victims over the age of 70; youngest victim was 37 and oldest was 98; Bnei Brak has highest infection rate per capita]( [Plan to randomly test Bnei Brak residents for virus reportedly scrapped]( By [TOI staff]( [2 more fatalities take Israel’s COVID-19 death toll to 103; 10,878 infected]( By [TOI staff]( [Mandatory stay at quarantine hotels finally imposed on all arrivals from abroad]( By [TOI staff]( [Regulations approved by cabinet after passengers have for days been allowed to enter Israel unchecked, take taxis home, despite PM’s repeated instructions]( [Israel media review / Making decisions on the fly: 6 things to know for April 12]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Israeli nonprofits set up portal for all things ‘corona-tech’]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [Western Wall priestly blessing held with 10 worshipers, including US envoy]( By [TOI staff]( [Traditional Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which usually draws tens of thousands, cut back drastically due to restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus]( [Kidding around / Jack Black croons ‘Chad Gadya’ for Passover]( By [TOI staff]( [Whine and dine / Star-studded Seder raises money for CDC virus battle]( By [JTA and TOI staff]( Top Ops [Pamela Laufer-Ukeles]( [Who should get out of lockdown first? The kids]( [Prioritize the children, for their well-being is at risk during this long confinement without healthy socialization – and they are our future]( [Libbie Snyder]( [My COVID-19 maternity leave]( [My 3-year-old has the most questions of all about why she can’t see her friends or go to the playground — and frankly, our answers suck]( [To survive pandemic, migrants ask government to return money taken from them]( By [Jacob Magid]( [CRM]( More Headlines [Fun-demic / Israeli family stranded on ‘paradise’ resort island in Maldives]( By [TOI staff]( [Fiddler on the balcony / Madrid violinist serenades neighbors with ‘Hatikva’]( By [TOI staff]( [UK Labour said to quash internal anti-Semitism probe meant for racism watchdog]( By [TOI staff]( [HMO won’t work with Chinese firm on virus tests over DNA privacy fears — report]( By [TOI staff]( [Biden wins Alaska primary after Sanders drops out]( By [AFP]( [Estonian boy, 13, headed neo-Nazi group that plotted synagogue attack in US]( By [Michael Kunzelman and JARI TANNER]( [Coronavirus vaccine may be ready by September, says Oxford scientist]( By [TOI staff and AP]( [UN Mideast envoys plead for ceasefires amid coronavirus threat]( By [Agencies]( [The fifth cup / A hametz-free Passover doesn’t mean you have to give up beer]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [Israel said willing to take steps toward prisoner swap with Hamas]( By [TOI staff]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( © 2020 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, All Rights Reserved