Israel reopens * Lapid to ToI: If reelected, Netanyahu will make Israel an ’illiberal democracy’ * Israel’s US campaign imports * Only 30% see Arabs, Haredim as integral

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Sunday, March 7, 2021 [Restaurants, event venues, other sites reopen after last-minute cabinet approval]( By [TOI staff]( [After delays, ministers approve return of many businesses; citizens allowed to return from abroad; studies to resume for grades 7-10 and in universities, colleges]( [Virus czar says masks outdoors largely unnecessary, may not be enforced]( By [TOI staff]( [Restaurants released from lockdown, yet only half expected to reopen]( By [TOI staff]( Interview [David Horovitz]( [Lapid: My ambitions can wait; if Netanyahu wins, Israel will enter dark times]( [‘I’ll do everything needed for a change of government,’ Yesh Atid head says. If PM is reelected, he’ll make Israel an ‘illiberal democracy, somewhere between Hungary and Turkey’]( [Gantz refuses to commit to recommending Lapid as head of next government]( By [Raoul Wootliff]( [Labor chief calls on Gantz to quit race: ‘Doesn’t really stand for anything’]( By [TOI staff]( [Unmoved by outrage, Meretz leader says the right is responsible for ICC probe]( By [TOI staff]( [Nitzan Horowitz says it is in Israel’s interest ‘to end the occupation, and anyone who thinks settlement policy can continue without a price is mistaken’]( [Meretz head sparks uproar by saying ICC probe against Israel legitimate]( By [TOI staff]( [Amid latest protests, anti-PM groups say violence against them now ‘routine’]( By [TOI staff]( [Woman who sparked national drama by crossing into Syria is charged in court]( By [TOI staff]( [Indictment includes charge of illegally exiting country]( Top Ops [Ronit Lev-Ari]( [I am your future: Today’s teenagers, tomorrow’s women]( [Girls who have known abuse heal and grow in their self-confidence, and avoid patterns of negative behavior; they learn positive alternatives instead]( [Shoshana Gottlieb]( [Those medical dramas with the terrible stereotypes about Orthodox Jews]( [The outcry is justified: Too many episodes have featured religious Jews refusing medical treatment, essentially trying to martyr themselves]( [Tippecanoe and Lapid too: US pollsters import American-style campaigns to Israel]( By [Jacob Magid]( Times of Israel Podcast [Podcast: Daily Briefing Mar. 7 — Israel returns to ‘normalcy,’ chaotically]( By [TOI staff]( [Tune in Sunday through Thursday to hear ToI editors and reporters quickly catch you up on what’s important today]( [Israel opens its doors, largely lifting limits on citizens returning from abroad]( By [TOI staff]( [Travelers no longer be required to quarantine at state-run hotels, can stay at home instead; list of departure points increases]( [Last minute decision-making said to leave many flights up in the air]( By [TOI staff]( [Politicians regularly meddled with arrivals committee to help associates — TV]( By [TOI staff]( [What you need to know / Israel reopens: All the new rules from March 7]( By [TOI staff]( [CRM]( [Three Gazan fishermen killed in suspected Hamas rocket misfire]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Group, which often fires rockets toward the Mediterranean Sea in shows of force, says it is investigating the incident; Hamas military wing calls event “painful”]( [2 years jail for Palestinian who failed to report terror plot which killed teen]( By [TOI staff]( [Gaza girl dons 3D-printed mask to heal face burns caused by bakery blaze]( By [Mai Yaghi]( [Poll: Only 30% of Israelis see Arabs, ultra-Orthodox as integral part of society]( By [TOI staff]( [ADL survey shows Israelis people feel society is increasingly divided; regard politicians, social and news media, rabbis and religious establishment as top contributors to rifts]( [Sa’ar says Netanyahu being ‘extorted’ by ultra-Orthodox on Reform conversions]( By [TOI staff]( [Sephardi chief rabbi disparages Reform Jews: ‘They have nothing’]( By [TOI staff]( [If Israel attacks, we’ll raze Tel Aviv and Haifa, warns Iranian defense minister]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [Amir Hatami says ‘Zionist regime out of desperation’ threatens Islamic Republic but knows the consequences; Rouhani urges Europe not to exert pressure over 2015 nuclear deal]( [Irish foreign minister to meet Iran’s Rouhani in Tehran for nuclear deal talks]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( Live updates [As Israel’s economy reopens, coronavirus czar says 4th lockdown a possibility]( By [Jacob Magid]( [After Netanyahu says pandemic largely behind Israel, Nachman Ash gives more pessimistic prognosis; but his predecessor disagrees and calls for faster reopening of economy]( [With work-from-home here to stay, what will become of the office?]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [Less than 3% of serious COVID cases are fully vaccinated, proving effectiveness]( By [TOI staff]( [Only 175 of the 6,095 coronavirus patients hospitalized in serious or critical condition since the start of Israel’s vaccination campaign have received a second shot]( [Half of serious COVID cases are Arab Israelis, as community’s vaccinations lag]( By [TOI staff]( [Senior Brazil delegation in Israel for talks on Israeli anti-COVID nasal spray]( By [TOI staff]( [CRM]( [Pope sends ‘warm greetings’ to Rivlin during flight over Israel to Iraq]( By [TOI staff]( [Pontiff wishes president and people of Israel ‘harmony and peace’ in recording from Alitalia flight to Israeli air traffic control]( [Amid Mosul church ruins, Pope laments ‘barbarous blow’ of extremism in Iraq]( By [Nicole Winfield and SAMYA KULLAB]( More Headlines [Director of Qalansawe Municipality sprayed with bullets, seriously wounded]( By [TOI staff]( [After 5 years, Iran frees UK-Iranian woman accused of spying, but sets new trial]( By [Amir Vahdat and Isabel Debre]( [EU said looking to secure millions of AstraZeneca vaccines from US]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [Controversial Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky banned from US]( By [AFP]( [Rabbi in Moldova helps save a life and scores matzah for his community]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [Biden, Democrats prevail as Senate approves $1.9 trillion virus relief bill]( By [Alan Fram]( [Police bust illegal outdoor party of some 600 in Negev]( By [TOI staff]( [Lebanon’s caretaker PM warns of chaos as nation’s currency plunges]( By [FAY ABUELGASIM]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? 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