1 in 10 Hadassah medical staff sick with COVID * Spyware use on citizens probed * Self-defense program trains US Jews to fight it out * Experts debate Netanyahu charges

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Wednesday, January 19, 2022 [COVID so rampant that 1 in 10 medical staff at Jerusalem’s Hadassah are home sick]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [‘It’s not bringing down the hospital to point we can’t function but it does make it very hard,’ says director-general; nationally 7,716 health employees in isolation]( [Over 71,000 new cases as health officials mull scrapping quarantine for kids]( By [TOI staff]( [Serious cases still rising but expert says Israel may be at wave’s peak with tens of thousands of undetected daily infections; finance, culture ministers announce aid for art world]( [US warns against travel to Israel due to surging Omicron infections]( By [Luke Tress]( [COVID-19 pandemic ‘nowhere near over,’ WHO chief says]( By [AFP]( [Jerusalem police evict Palestinian family overnight, ending standoff; 18 arrested]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Eviction is first to take place in flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood since 2017; city hall says it will use plot to build special needs school for Palestinians, kindergartens]( [Comptroller to probe spyware use on citizens, as outraged lawmakers demand inquiry]( By [TOI staff]( [MKs seek parliamentary probe into explosive report police took over civilians’ cellphones without oversight; attorney general said to demand answers from cops]( [Police chief doesn’t deny use of spyware, says it wasn’t deployed against protesters]( By [TOI staff]( [Polish chief auditor seeks to question deputy PM over NSO-aided illegal surveillance]( By [Vanessa Gera]( ToI podcast [TOI staff]( [Daily Briefing Jan. 19 – Big Brother really is watching; Sheikh Jarrah sees eviction]( [Palestinian affairs reporter Aaron Boxerman briefs us on an overnight eviction in East Jerusalem; military correspondent Judah Ari Gross delves into NSO spyware use in Israel]( Interviews [Carrie Keller-Lynn]( [Talk of Netanyahu plea deal prompts renewed focus on legal strength of the charges]( [The Times of Israel speaks with two legal experts for differing perspectives on the merits of the three cases against the former PM]( [‘Critical days’ ahead in Netanyahu plea deal talks, after they briefly stall]( By [TOI staff]( [Former state attorney calls potential Netanyahu plea deal ‘shameful’]( By [TOI staff]( Top Ops [Irwin Cotler]( [Raoul Wallenberg rescued 100,000 Jews. He deserves better.]( [Those who know the Swedish diplomat as the ‘greatest humanitarian of the 20th century’ should unite to secure the truth about what befell him in the Soviet gulag]( [Francis Nataf]( [Shockingly, I like the Bennett-Lapid government. Here’s why.]( [It’s a fractious coalition that must compromise to survive. The Jewish approach to law views making concessions as a feature, not a bug]( [Reports: Israeli delegation lands in Sudan for meeting with ruling general]( By [TOI staff]( [Israeli officials said set to meet Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as country is beset by anti-coup demonstrations and violence]( Live updates [LIVE: Serious COVID cases surge past 500 as total infections pass 2 million mark]( By [Amy Spiro]( [Close to 150,000 children are out of school with coronavirus infections, while more than 1,200 doctors and 2,540 nurses are missing work after testing positive]( Analysis [Lazar Berman]( [Despite deadly oil field strike by Iranian proxy, UAE careful not to escalate]( [Emiratis are taking care not to blame Tehran after Houthis send a violent message from Yemen; Israel’s offers of support will be well-received]( [Bennett offers UAE ‘security and intelligence support’ after attack by Houthis]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [Ex-head developer of Israeli COVID vaccine slams Genesis Prize for Pfizer CEO]( By [TOI staff]( [Prof. Shmuel Shapira, former head of the Defense Ministry’s Biological Institute, calls pharma giant’s vaccines ‘mediocre,’ says company only wanted to ‘rake in billions’]( [Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla awarded $1 million Genesis Prize for 2022]( By [TOI staff]( [Golan covered in white as Jerusalem braces for snow]( By [TOI staff]( [Schools in northern region shuttered due to weather; heavy rainfall expected along the coast throughout the day]( Interview [Ricky Ben-David]( [Privacy experts slam police ‘abuse of power’ in alleged use of spyware on civilians]( [Researchers say revelations that police deployed NSO cyberweapon expose an organization in urgent need of oversight]( [CRM]( [‘I wasn’t gonna die that way’: Transcript of ToI interview with hostage Jeff Cohen]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Beth Israel congregant explains decision to remain inside, despite opportunities to flee, as doing so would have endangered other hostages; reveals gunman’s ‘goodwill’ gesture]( [White House says Texas hostage-taker raised no red flags when entering US]( By [MICHAEL BALSAMO, Jake Bleiberg and Eric Tucker]( [Texas synagogue gunman was probed by UK’s MI5 in 2020 as possible terror threat]( By [AFP and AP]( [‘Not small, not a victim’: Self-defense program trains US Jews to fight it out]( By [Luke Tress]( [Legion organizes Krav Maga classes, connects Jewish Americans with defense training, as antisemitic attacks remain most common hate crime in New York]( [Top US officials meet Jewish groups on synagogue security after Texas attack]( By [Andrew Lapin]( [‘Aggressive’ security training paid off, saved lives in Texas synagogue attack]( By [AFP]( [Texas shul founder, daughter of Holocaust survivors, still optimistic despite attack]( By [Andrew Lapin]( [Anna Salton Eisen says she finds comfort in fact that community received so much support from government officials and neighboring communities]( [White House says it believes Russia could attack Ukraine ‘at any point’]( By [AFP]( [Press secretary says sides have reached ‘stark’ point in bubbling escalation, as Blinken set to meet Lavrov in effort to find common ground]( [US boosts military aid to Ukraine as tensions with Russia soar]( By [Matthew Lee]( [CRM]( More Headlines [Florida governor candidate Nikki Fried says incumbent reminds her of Hitler]( By [JTA and TOI staff]( [‘Bennett is a danger’: Thousands of right-wing protesters rally against government]( By [Luke Tress]( [Rabbi arrested on suspicion he sexually assaulted minors]( By [TOI staff]( [Tel Aviv greenlights construction of one of Israel’s tallest towers]( By [David Brummer]( [US Supreme Court to rule in case involving Pissarro painting looted by Nazis]( By [Jessica Gresko]( [Germany puts Syrian doctor on trial for crimes against humanity]( By [Michelle Fitzpatrick and Yann Schreiber]( [Two killed, two seriously injured as car collides with bus near Ramat Gan]( By [TOI staff]( [Erdogan says his Israeli counterpart may visit Turkey soon, seeks cooperation on gas]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [UN Palestinian refugee agency seeks $1.6b to counter ‘chronic’ budget shortfalls]( By [AFP and Jacob Magid]( [Man survives suspected criminal car bombing in central city]( By [TOI staff]( [Norway extremist makes Nazi salute as he seeks parole just 10 years after killing 77]( By [Pierre-Henry DESHAYES]( [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? 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