Temple Mt on Tisha B’Av: Ra’am slams ascent by ’settlers’ * Bennett speaks of ’freedom of worship for Jews’ * Orthodox disruption at pluralistic plaza * PM: COVID charges

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Sunday, July 18, 2021 Live updates [LIVE: Ra’am: Al-Aqsa Mosque ‘is solely the property of Muslims’]( By [TOI staff]( [Islamist party, which is part of ruling coalition, condemns ascent of Jewish ‘settlers’ to Jerusalem holy site during Tisha B’Av fast; Bennett issues statement on ‘maintaining freedom of worship for Jews on Mount’]( [Israel quietly letting Jews pray on Temple Mount, in break with status quo — TV]( By [TOI staff]( [Network airs footage of daily sessions being held in the compound, with police turning a blind eye, in what would appear to be a reversal of decades-long policy]( [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing July 18 – Why Jews are increasingly praying on the Temple Mount]( By [TOI staff]( [Amid tensions at Temple Mount, some 1,000 Jews visit holy site for Tisha B’Av]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Palestinian worshipers clash with police, but no confirmed injuries or arrests; Hamas mocks Jewish visitors to site on fast day as ‘straying herds of settlers’]( [Orthodox activists disrupt Tisha B’Av prayer at Western Wall pluralistic plaza]( By [Jacob Magid and TOI staff]( [Heatwave hits Israel on Tisha B’Av fast, during period of intense global weather]( By [TOI staff]( [PM: Police to track quarantined Israelis, with criminal charges for violators]( By [TOI staff]( [Bennett asks for legal input on system that will send text messages to self-isolating; public health official says new approach needed at airport]( [Israel rolls out pilot for pharmacies to sell rapid home virus tests]( By [TOI staff]( [Over 1,000 COVID cases recorded Friday in nearly 4-month high]( By [TOI staff]( [12 accounts behind most online vaccine misinformation, COVID conspiracy theories]( By [TOI staff and AP]( [Report finds ‘disinformation dozen’ responsible for 65% of anti-vaccine content on social media, reaching more than 59 million followers on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter]( From the blogs [Allen S. Maller]( [A peaceful way to restore the Jerusalem Temple]( [In cooperation with Muslims, a hologram of a Jewish house of worship could be projected worldwide from a small space adjacent to the Dome of the Rock]( Top Ops [Steven Exler]( [Bewilderment, heartbreak, and pain: Mourning Lod]( [The city was alone because its residents suddenly felt alone: they couldn’t speak to each other; something had snapped in the people they had considered friends]( [David Breakstone]( [We even fight over antisemitism. I suppose that’s why the Temple fell.]( [With American Jewry so sorely divided, there is a risk this internal strife will prevent us from warding off the clear and present dangers we are facing]( [David I. Bernstein]( [A lot has changed since I began guiding student trips to Poland]( [Survivors no longer participate, the educators know more, Poland itself is different, and there’s little ’shock value’ for the kids. So why keep doing it?]( [Zack Rothbart]( [Did illicit love lead England to expel its Jews?]( [The harshest edicts against Britain’s Jews may not have been issued because a couple of Dominicans converted to Judaism, but the timing is certainly convenient]( [CRM]( [Merkel to visit flood zone as western Europe death toll tops 180]( By [Christof STACHE and Michelle Fitzpatrick]( [Germany to set up special aid fund as national fatalities reach 156; worst storms in living memory draw attention to climate change policy ahead of elections]( [Israeli president sends Germany condolences over flood deaths, offers aid]( By [TOI staff and AP]( [Survivors recall escapes, ponder future after homes destroyed in Europe’s floods]( By [ERIC FUX and EMILY SCHULTHEIS]( [US slams ‘cruel’ Iran for linking prisoner swap to nuclear deal delays]( By [Matt Lee]( [State Department rejects claims from Tehran that US and Britain are holding swap ‘hostage’ to nuke negotiations, says Iran could simply free the prisoners now if it wanted]( [Iran nuclear negotiator: Vienna talks must wait for new president to take office]( By [TOI staff]( [Israeli director Nadav Lapid’s ‘Ahed’s Knee’ wins jury prize at Cannes]( By [Agencies]( [Ceremony marred by jury president Spike Lee mistakenly revealing ‘Titane’ as Palme d’Or winner at start of evening; top prize goes to female director for only second time]( [Kosher food, Shabbat pitching: Challenges of 1st Orthodox player drafted to MLB]( By [Rob Charry]( [Jacob Steinmetz confident he can maintain his religious lifestyle and thrive in Major League Baseball after being drafted by Arizona Diamondbacks]( [Israeli gymnast Linoy Ashram picks up 5 gold medals at Tel Aviv tourney]( By [TOI staff]( [Ashram is perhaps Israel’s greatest hope for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics; national team also wins two golds]( [Saxony’s only synagogue to survive Kristallnacht restored after decades of work]( By [Toby Axelrod]( [CRM]( More Headlines [Housing prices continue to spike, with 7.2% increase over past year]( By [TOI staff]( [Report: Israel pushed spyware firms to work with Saudis despite Khashoggi murder]( By [TOI staff]( [With much of Joint List set to oppose budget, Ra’am calls party untrustworthy]( By [Michael Bachner and TOI staff]( [In U-turn, British PM Boris Johnson to quarantine after COVID-19 contact]( By [Jill Lawless]( [Family of activist who died in PA custody accuses Ramallah of cover-up]( By [jack jeffery and IMAD ISSEID]( [Egypt releases activists, journalist after US expresses concerns over detentions]( By [AP]( [At Holocaust memorial, French PM urges fight against ‘temptations of barbarism’]( By [AFP]( [US-Israel fund to invest $6 million in six new joint projects]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [Alleged Jaffa crime boss shot dead in suspected mob hit]( By [TOI staff]( [US drone strikes truck in Syria used by Iran-backed militia]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Saudi Arabia holds 2nd scaled-back hajj of coronavirus pandemic]( By [Rania Sanjar]( [In key reform, Saudi Arabia allows businesses to open during prayers]( By [AFP]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? 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