US stalls on J’lem consulate * NASA ’touches’ sun * ALS breakthrough touted * Settler attacks on Palestinians soar * Malls to fight new COVID rules * Tech exits jump 520%

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Wednesday, December 15, 2021 Presented by [American Friends of]( [Magen David Adom]( Exclusive [US holding off on reopening Jerusalem consulate amid strong pushback from Israel]( By [Jacob Magid]( [But the US Embassy’s Palestinian Affairs Unit is now reporting directly to DC, as the shuttered Jerusalem mission did until 2019, in a partial revival of the pre-Trump status quo]( [US, Palestinian officials relaunch economic dialogue after 5-year, Trump-era hiatus]( By [Jacob Magid]( [NASA spacecraft ‘touches’ sun for 1st time, dives into its atmosphere]( By [Marcia Dunn]( [Parker Solar Probe comes within 8 million miles of Earth’s nearest star at it flies along uneven boundary between atmosphere and outgoing solar wind]( [Tel Aviv University breakthrough touted as key to reversing ALS]( By [TOI staff]( [Israeli researchers say they used experimental molecule to break down protein whose buildup can cause the debilitating condition, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease]( [Iranian mouthpiece threatens Israel with map of targets]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [Responding to talk of IDF strike on nuclear sites, state-affiliated Tehran Times publishes piece saying Israelis need reminder that Iranian forces can hit anywhere they want]( [Iran to return UN cameras to nuclear centrifuge site, but keep footage – state media]( By [Amir Vahdat and Jon Gambrell]( [2015 nuclear deal no longer sufficient for reality of Iran in 2022, IAEA chief says]( By [Jon Gambrell and Isabel Debre]( ToI investigates [Settler attacks on Palestinians are on the rise, but justice remains elusive]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Violent assaults against Palestinians in the West Bank went up by nearly 50 percent over the past year, but arrests and indictments remain scant in all but the most extreme cases]( [Israel arrests 11 Nablus university students for pro-Hamas activism]( By [Aaron Boxerman and Judah Ari Gross]( Live updates [LIVE: PA Foreign Ministry praises Israeli minister’s condemnation of settler violence]( By [Amy Spiro]( [Comments by Public Security Minister Omer Barlev — which were rebuked by Bennett — called ‘an initial step in the right direction’ by the Palestinian Authority]( ToI investigates [Celsius suspends official under probe; 2nd staffer founded firm with money launderer]( By [Simona Weinglass]( [Crypto-lending firm offers 17% interest, says it manages $26b; citing ‘open dialogue’ with regulators, it says CRO’s side companies unrelated to his job, didn’t require disclosure]( From our sponsor [It’s not too late to save a life in Israel this year]( [If you want to make a real difference in Israel, no other organization has a greater impact on its people than Magen David Adom. Help save a life in Israel today.]( [Don’t make us choose — you or Israel: Evangelical warns Trump over Netanyahu rift]( By [TOI staff]( [‘There is no possibility you can win again if Bible-believing evangelicals see you as the F–k Netanyahu president,’ one former Trump adviser warns in letter to ex-US president]( [Interior minister forms committee to move ahead with establishing Trump Heights]( By [Stuart Winer and TOI staff]( Top Ops [Onnie Schiffmiller]( [Israel needs us tour guides more than it seems to know]( [We’re the ones who dispel visitors’ ’apartheid’ claims by showing them real Israelis – like hijab-clad women studying with kippa-clad men, in a college cafeteria]( [Judy Mars Kupchan]( [For the birds]( [The sheer numbers of these migrants coming from the heavens suggested what lies beyond, what happens when our souls join the ultimate Oneness]( ToI podcast [TOI staff]( [Daily Briefing Dec. 15 – The human toll the virus has taken on Israeli tourism]( [Health correspondent Nathan Jeffay gives an update on the latest Omicron data and Ops and Blogs editor Miriam Hershlag discusses two recent pieces about the impact of the pandemic]( [Officials believe child who died after COVID recovery succumbed to flu complications]( By [TOI staff]( [2 Pfizer shots 70% effective against Omicron hospitalization — South African data]( By [ANDREW MELDRUM]( [Malls to get Green Pass rules starting Friday; owners plan fightback]( By [TOI staff]( [Proposal will bar those without proof of immunity or a negative COVID test from non-essential stores; numerous shop owners vow to oppose step, which one minister calls ‘madness’]( [Defense minister in quarantine after staffer he flew with contracts COVID]( By [TOI staff]( [Bennett tests negative for COVID after exposure, will remain in isolation]( By [TOI staff]( [Synagogue group helps Afghan family flee Taliban, reunite with relatives in New York]( By [Luke Tress]( [Refugees reach new home after help from Jewish activists and months in transit; still fear for family in Kabul as millions face starvation, drought and disease]( [‘No more excuses’: Conservative Movement slams shelving of Western Wall compromise]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Movement calls apparent decision to hold off on establishing formal egalitarian prayer pavilion ‘entirely unacceptable,’ saying it has waited patiently amid repeated promises]( [CRM]( [Israeli tech exits jump 520% to whopping $82.4b in 2021, hit new records]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [171 M&As and IPOs recorded so far this year, with significant local acquisition activity, says new PwC report]( [New Israeli digital bank raises $120m with Asian, European investors]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [In 2021, should Miss Universe still be a thing? Those involved weigh in]( By [Amy Spiro]( [The competition, hosted this year in Eilat, was the target of vocal criticism from those who view beauty pageants as outdated, sexist and damaging to young women]( [UAE suspends talks with US on $23 billion deal for F-35s, drones]( By [NOMAAN MERCHANT]( [Emiratis say America still their ‘preferred provider for advanced defense requirements,’ but reject Biden administration’s conditions on how and where the aircraft are used]( [Blinken: F-35 deal with UAE still on table but Israel must retain ‘military edge’]( By [AFP]( [US lawmakers call on Biden administration to sanction Israeli spyware firm NSO Group]( By [TOI staff]( [Granted early release, Berland leaves prison after a month and a half]( By [TOI staff]( [Cult leader served sentence for swindling sick and elderly followers out of millions of shekels; while he was in prison he was accused of involvement in 2 decades-old murder cases]( [Former deputy minister Kirshenbaum starts 10-year prison sentence for bribery]( By [TOI staff]( [State prosecutors order prison ‘pimping’ case reopened]( By [TOI staff]( [CRM]( More Headlines [Israel denies citizenship to Jewish Ugandan immigrant, defying High Court ruling]( By [Shira Hanau]( [Hamas blames Fatah for deadly shooting in Lebanon refugee camp]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [NYT walks back story on Israeli poetry in Gaza; it needed ‘more extensive reporting’]( By [Shira Hanau]( [Answering Republican’s ‘jihad’ joke about Ilhan Omar, House passes Islamophobia bill]( By [ISA MASCARO]( [After Israel reported to hit Syria chemical site, minister says WMDs unacceptable]( By [TOI staff]( [Ra’am chief to get security detail; man arrested for wishing ‘lynching’ of minister]( By [TOI staff]( [Sa’ar backs education minister, rejects ‘absurd fake news campaign’ against her]( By [TOI staff]( [Israel Museum appoints Denis Weil director, following extensive search]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [Purple Reign / UK’s Deep Purple, Colombia’s Maluma head to Tel Aviv this spring]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [US Navy announces successful test of laser weapon in Mideast waters]( By [Jon Gambrell]( [Man shot dead in Lod, apparently amid feud between crime families]( By [Stuart Winer and TOI staff]( [Carrie-on clothing / Israel’s Maskit label on display in ‘Sex and the City’ revival]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [The daily edition]() [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2021 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved