US envoy to ToI on Iran, settlements, Israel’s beautiful gov’t * Syrian missile in North * Friedman’s Netanyahu coalition effort * Missionaries pitch Yiddish Bibles in NY

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Wednesday, February 9, 2022 Presented by [Atlantis Paradise Resorts]( Interview [US envoy to Times of Israel: ‘My job is to calm things down, not to jazz things up’]( By [Lazar Berman, Jacob Magid, Tal Schneider and David Horovitz]( [Two months in, Ambassador Thomas Nides sets out his approach to the role, explains why he won’t visit settlements, hails the ‘beautiful’ government, insists Biden ‘gets it’ on Iran]( [IDF: Syrian anti-aircraft missile explodes over Israel, no interception needed]( By [TOI staff and Judah Ari Gross]( [Launch triggers sirens in Umm al-Fahm and northern West Bank; Syria says air defenses engaged ‘hostile targets’; IDF hits Syrian air defense batteries in response]( [Nasrallah: If Israel attacks Iran, Hezbollah won’t necessarily join fight]( By [TOI staff]( [PM warns of growing threats at sea, hails efforts to combat them]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [Iran unveils new missile said to put Israel, US regional bases within range]( By [AP]( [Manufactured entirely domestically, solid fuel-powered ‘Khaibar-Shekan’ reportedly able to reach 1,450 kilometers with great accuracy]( [Republican senators warn Biden they could block new Iran nuclear deal]( By [Lazar Berman]( [Iran nuclear talks resume amid mounting pressure for results]( By [Agencies]( from our sponsor [Kosher in the Bahamas]( [Inspired by Israeli cooking techniques, Atlantis’ Kosher dining service offers contemporary fare with an array of classic and novel dishes. For events and group functions.]( [Trump envoy tried to convince Liberman to join Netanyahu after first 2019 election]( By [Jacob Magid]( [With US peace plan awaiting a stable Israeli government, David Friedman says in new book that he tried to break ‘logjam’ preventing former PM from forming coalition]( Analysis [Aaron Boxerman]( [As Abbas packs PLO with loyalists, succession struggle looms in Palestinian politics]( [The PA president appears to be backing rise of Hussein al-Sheikh, who has good ties with Israel, but critics decry backroom deals, saying next leader must be chosen by elections]( [Vowing revenge, thousands attend funeral of terror suspects killed by Israeli forces]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Bennett vows ‘no safe harbor for terrorists’ following West Bank raid]( By [TOI staff]( ToI investigates [Seeking converts, Christian missionaries pitch Yiddish Bibles to NY ultra-Orthodox]( By [Luke Tress]( [Missionary group is revamping New Testament in Yiddish for the first time in 80 years, part of a broader outreach effort aimed at the most insular Jewish communities in the US]( [Escape plan found in Palestinian security prisoners’ cell in Ofer Prison]( By [TOI staff]( [Public security minister makes revelation as he testifies in probe into Gilboa jailbreak, says last year’s escape showed ‘serious deficiencies’ and multiple failures]( [Israeli driver detained after being attacked in Nablus while taking taxi for repairs]( By [TOI staff]( [Suspected antiquities looter arrested in West Bank with thousands of coins]( By [Stuart Winer]( ToI podcast [TOI staff]( [Daily Briefing Feb. 9: The 1st female attorney general & IDF unit’s tragic reckoning]( [Legal correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn updates us on NSO and a brouhaha in Ra’anana; military correspondent Judah Ari Gross reports on an inquiry into recent friendly fire deaths]( Top Ops [Antoine Levy]( [I’m a Catholic friar and also a Jew; the Law of Return should work for me]( [Antisemites don’t distinguish between Orthodox Jews, secular Jews, and Jews who became ’members of another religion.’ Israel shouldn’t either]( [Avidan Freedman]( [And then the spyware came for us…]( [Israelis didn’t blink at the damage that the Pegasus program was causing against human rights activists, journalists, and dissidents. Until it attacked us too]( Interview [Carrie Keller-Lynn]( [Emi Palmor: Police hacked my phone for retribution]( [As director-general of the Justice Ministry, she was tasked with investigating the police; now it’s alleged that the police illegally investigated her back]( [Sa’ar: Alleged police spying took place under Likud’s watch, not ours]( By [TOI staff]( [Justice minister says opposition party seems ‘apparently very worried’ by a potential investigation into the matter, and claims Netanyahu is seeking to delegitimize probe]( [Only 1 of 26 people allegedly spied on by was hacked, with judge’s ok – police probe]( By [TOI staff]( [Political hack / Regev ‘answers call from mom’ in Knesset stunt over police spyware]( By [TOI staff]( [CRM]( [Court rejects Olmert request for psychiatric evaluation of Netanyahus in libel case]( By [TOI staff]( [Former PM sought access to successor’s family medical records to shore up his claim that they are ‘mentally ill’]( [Bill restricting prime ministers to 8 years in office cleared for final votes]( By [TOI staff]( Live updates [LIVE: Sa’ar unveils plan to further decriminalize recreational marijuana]( By [Amy Spiro]( [Under proposed regulations, use would be administrative offense and not criminal offense, and fines would be capped at NIS 1,000]( [Over half of Israeli publicly traded firms employ ex-officials, regulators – study]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [Analysis unpacks ‘revolving door’ in which public servants transition to private sector, sheds light on need to balance public trust with market freedom]( [Biden antisemitism envoy nominee faces GOP criticism at confirmation hearing]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Sens. Rubio and Johnson raise old tweet by Deborah Lipstadt calling out Republicans for bigotry; Holocaust scholar insists she speaks out against both sides of the aisle]( [Vowing to be ‘equal-opportunity foe’ of antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt woos senators]( By [Ron Kampeas]( [‘I welcomed terrorist into my shul’: Texas rabbi urges Congress to up security funds]( By [Jacob Magid]( [CRM]( [This New York City cantor is making modern Yiddish music that swings]( By [julia GERGELY]( [When he’s not leading prayers at the Lincoln Square Synagogue, Yisroel Leshes loves jazz – so it’s only natural that he’s doing a fusion of old, new and the swingin’ era in between]( Inside story [Asaf Shalev]( [A new BDS battlefront emerges in investing world, with spotlight on Morningstar]( [Multibillion-dollar Chicago-based investment research firm accused of steering investors away from Israel, and is now being investigated by Illinois Investment Policy Board]( More Headlines [2 construction workers fall to their deaths from 40th floor of Tel Aviv building]( By [TOI staff]( [Security forces demolish structures at Jewish outposts in West Bank, Negev]( By [Stuart Winer and TOI staff]( [Defense Ministry to recognize soldiers who swam in toxic river as disabled veterans]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [Spielberg, Gyllenhaal, Garfield among Jewish nominees for Oscars]( By [Andrew Lapin]( [Meretz minister hospitalized in ICU after suffering stroke]( By [TOI staff]( [Pfizer sees COVID-19 vaccine, therapeutic sales topping $50 billion in 2022]( By [John BIERS]( [Calling to create Nazi party, Brazil podcast star sparks outrage, may face charges]( By [AFP]( [Paste: The final frontier / Israel-NASA project aims to grow hummus chickpeas in space]( By [Rachel Ringer]( [US architect behind New York’s High Line among winners of Israel’s Wolf Prize]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [16 alleged Mossad spies go on trial in Turkey — reports]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [TV talent / Netflix backs Jerusalem film school’s new ‘Series Lab’ for young creatives]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [Obituary / Mel Mermelstein, survivor who beat Holocaust deniers in court, dies at 95]( By [Tom Tugend]( [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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