Israeli COVID variant found; vaccines beat it * Gantz to Arab kingmaker: Don’t trust Netanyahu * The MKs who won’t be back * Political chaos see n hurting US cooperation

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Presented by Leket Israel [Israeli COVID variant found, has infected hundreds, doesn’t challenge vaccines]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Local variant has spread across a large stretch of country, but is thought unlikely to affect vaccine effectiveness or make virus more contagious or dangerous]( [Cops said instructed not to enforce mask-wearing outdoors]( By [TOI staff]( [Pregnant mother and unborn baby die after contracting COVID-19]( By [TOI staff]( [‘He’ll renege’: Gantz meets Abbas, urges him to not back Netanyahu coalition]( By [TOI staff]( [Blue and White leader, who partnered Netanyahu in short-lived unity government, warns Ra’am leader and Naftali Bennett that the PM just wants to use them, won’t keep promises]( [Bennett demands PM role, as majority of Joint List expected to recommend Lapid]( By [TOI staff]( [Sa’ar could agree to government in which Lapid, Bennett rotate as PM — report]( By [TOI staff]( Times of Israel Podcast [Podcast: Daily Briefing Mar. 30 – What does ‘kingmaker’ Mansour Abbas stand for?]( By [TOI staff]( [Tune in Sunday through Thursday to hear ToI editors and reporters quickly catch you up on what’s important today]( [Israel media review / The bloc-less monster: What the media is saying about infighting and outflanking]( By [Joshua Davidovich]( [Bahrain appoints ambassador to Israel following 2020 Abraham Accords]( By [TOI staff]( [Khaled Yousif Al-Jalahma named as envoy; Israel says arrangements to be made ‘in the coming weeks,’ though embassy location remains unclear]( Live updates [LIVE: Cops close ranks around officer who killed mentally ill knifeman in Haifa]( By [Joshua Davidovich]( [Minister and police chief reportedly speak to unnamed officer to offer him support; family of slain man accuses police of acting like criminals]( [Israel warns citizens they could be targeted by Iran, as outbound tourism renews]( By [TOI staff]( [NSC advises caution following bombing at New Delhi embassy, names recent Gulf partners UAE and Bahrain among countries risky for Israelis]( [Israel’s border crossing to Egypt reopens for first time since COVID-19 outbreak]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [Iran rejects halting enriching uranium to 20% in return for some sanction relief]( By [TOI staff]( Out with the old, and with the new [Renegades, rabble-rousers, TV anchors, army chiefs: The MKs who won’t be back]( By [TOI staff]( [Dozens depart in latest election’s political culling — from longest-serving lawmaker to some of the briefest, as well as 3 women of 3 faiths who each made history in their own way]( [Religious Zionism’s Smotrich says he’ll back Netanyahu as PM]( By [Stuart Winer and TOI staff]( [Oldest surviving ‘Righteous Among Nations,’ who saved Jewish boy, dies age 101]( By [TOI staff]( [Anna Kozminska and her stepmother sheltered 8-year-old Abraham Jablonski during the Nazi occupation of Poland; they also helped save three others]( [Uproar in Poland over New Yorker article on efforts to stifle Holocaust studies]( By [Vanessa Gera]( Message from Leket Israel [Help put a meal on their Passover table]( [Over the past year, thousands of Israeli families joined the circle of poverty. You can provide a hot meal for vulnerable Israelis in time for the Passover holiday.]( Analysis [Haviv Rettig Gur]( [Elect, defect, repeat: Could turncoat MKs turn the tide and unjam the Knesset?]( [Each camp is tantalizingly close to outright victory. Each needs only a tiny handful of rebels from the other side. But they won’t be easy to find]( Top Ops [Dan Perry]( [Stagnant or startling? The election by the numbers]( [If the Arabs had voted this time in the same numbers as in 2020, the Knesset margin would have been 66 to 54 in favor of the Change Camp]( [Haviva Ner-David]( [Let’s not forget we were strangers in Egypt]( [Three joyful mikvah immersion celebrations that show what’s possible when a sincere desire to be Jewish is welcomed with open arms]( Analysis [Jacob Magid]( [Israel’s political instability hampering tighter cooperation with US — experts]( [More than the potential election of a leader Biden is politically at odds with, it’s the continued uncertainty that stymies the US president’s ability to expand ties, analysts say]( [CRM]( [Probe launched into megaship’s grounding, as Suez Canal backlog starts to clear]( By [Samy Magdy]( [When the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal it halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce; over 300 vessels now waiting for permission to continue sailing]( [Jubilation in Egypt as Ever Given refloated, Suez Canal reopens to traffic]( By [Hager Harabech and Mona Salem]( [While giant ship was stuck in Suez Canal, nearby village thrust into limelight]( By [Agencies]( [Report: Thousands in Gaza to get vaccine to be able to cross Israel to West Bank]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( [Newspaper says international campaign funded by Qatar aims to inoculate 7,000 Gaza merchants who, prior to pandemic, were allowed to travel to West Bank; Israel said to be on board]( [Palestinian Authority receives 100,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Gaza enters second coronavirus wave, with 25% of tests coming back positive]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Overruling cabinet, Knesset decides to let Shin Bet COVID tracking expire]( By [TOI staff]( [Committee head says that with virus spread ebbing, program’s contribution is ‘negligible,’ but open to renewing it if data changes]( [Health Ministry criticizes vaccine budget delay; Pfizer said miffed as well]( By [TOI staff]( [Pfizer and Moderna vaccines 90% effective in preventing COVID, US finds]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [21 years late, Environment Ministry issues draft bill on oil spill preparedness]( By [Sue Surkes]( [Detailed memorandum, which spells out responsibilities of all bodies involved as well as fines for non-compliance, open for public comment until April 28]( [CRM]( More Headlines [Microsoft reportedly seeking to invest over $1 billion in Israel]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [CBS condemns itself for giving Woody Allen ‘legitimacy’ in interview]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [BioNTech, Pfizer’s vaccine partner, increases output goal to 2.5 billion doses]( By [AFP]( [Pence lays groundwork for 2024 run after defying Trump over 2020 election]( By [Jill Colvin]( [Police shoot dead mentally ill Arab man, say he charged at cops with knife]( By [TOI staff]( [Hamas submits slate for planned Palestinian election]( By [AFP]( [Mr (always) right / ‘Miss me yet?’: At wedding toast, Trump talks about himself]( By [AFP]( [US prosecutors add sex trafficking charges to Ghislaine Maxwell indictment]( By [Larry Neumeister]( [US offers $10 million reward for info on Hezbollah operative]( By [Agencies]( [Assad and wife recover from COVID-19, as Syria sees spike in cases]( By [Bassem Mroue]( [Jurors shown video of George Floyd’s death as ex-cop goes on trial]( By [Steve Karnowski and Amy Forliti]( [Barack Obama’s step-grandmother, Mama Sarah, dies; was at least 99]( By [TOM ODULA]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? 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