NATO, US: Putin not pulling back from Ukraine * ToI investigates: In Cyprus gang-rape case, will truth prevail? * Herzog protests elderly Palestinian’s death, is heckled

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Wednesday, February 16, 2022 Presented by [Atlantis Paradise]( [NATO: Russia still upping troops on Ukraine border: Blinken: We’ve not seen pullback]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [Alliance chief disputes Russia’s avowed drawdown; UK defense secretary says intel shows 60% of all Russian land troops plus flotilla encircling Ukraine: ‘Judge with your own eyes’]( [Ukraine says defense ministry, banks hit with cyberattack; Russia suspected]( By [AFP]( [Biden says US has ‘not yet verified’ Russian pullback from Ukraine border]( By [VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, YURAS KARMANAU and AAMER MADHANI]( Inside story [The long arc: 3 years on, the Cyprus gang rape case begins to bend the other way]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [A UK teen convicted of lying about being gang raped by Israeli tourists in Ayia Napa has cleared her name. Will the truth of what happened in that Cyprus hotel room now prevail?]( Interview [Lazar Berman]( [Kyiv envoy urges Israelis to leave, warns rescue flights might not be possible]( [Diplomats working furiously to help Israelis out of Ukraine before threatened war with Russia; they also note Israel could suffer, with Ukraine a major supplier of wheat]( [Reporter's Notebook / At historic Kyiv synagogue, congregants scoff at talk of war]( By [Lazar Berman]( [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Feb. 16: ToI reporter finds business as usual in bustling, blasé Kyiv]( By [TOI staff]( [Pelosi at Knesset: US, Israel are together in fight against Iran terror, nuke threat]( By [TOI staff]( [Leading delegation of Democrats, US House speaker says security bond between two nations is ‘ironclad’ and Israel’s creation ‘greatest political achievement of the 20th century’]( [Head of IAEA says it is helping Saudi Arabia, Egypt with nuclear power]( By [TOI staff]( 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.]( [US mulls Israel-made unmanned boats to bolster Mideast operations amid Iran tensions]( By [TOI staff]( [Report says further Israeli involvement in Gulf could anger Tehran; US official says Israel sending military attaché to 5th fleet to ‘keep lines of communication open’]( [Israel sends diplomats to sidelines of Vienna nuclear talks, annoying Iran]( By [Tobias Siegal]( [Iran calls for US Congress to make a ‘political statement’ on nuclear deal]( By [AFP]( Live updates [LIVE: France warns Iran must accept nuclear deal within ‘days’ or face ‘serious crisis’]( By [Amy Spiro]( [French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian tells Senate ‘it is not a question of weeks, it is a question of days’ remaining for Tehran to sign agreement]( [Wrapping up visit, Bennett says Bahrain clearly seeking closer ties with Israel]( By [Tal Schneider]( [PM says his trip to Gulf kingdom, the first by an Israeli premier, aimed ‘to establish a regional network of ties, a ring of alliances’]( [Herzog heckled at national religious confab for raising death of elderly Palestinian]( By [TOI staff]( [President tells meeting marking 40th anniversary of death of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook that Omar As’ad’s case is a ‘warning sign’ to all Israelis]( [17 right-wing suspects arrested over stoning attack in West Bank town last month]( By [TOI staff]( Top Ops [Jared Armstrong]( [I am a Jew and I just want to come home]( [My rabbi and I are shocked by the Israeli government’s denial of my application for citizenship. They told us we don’t trust you, you’re not sincere]( [Rebecca Wald]( [Circumcision doesn’t make someone Jewish]( [As Israel debates expanding free circumcision services to non-Orthodox streams, some in the US hope to join the tribe without it]( [As Omicron wave keeps receding, Bennett said to mull lifting most restrictions]( By [TOI staff]( [Health Ministry data shows daily caseload, serious cases dropping; PM reportedly set to further open borders to tourists, roll back Green Pass rules]( [Undetected COVID infections are rare, Tel Aviv hospital finds in staff survey]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [CDC says COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy may protect babies after birth]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Israel fears Sheikh Jarrah clashes could spiral into fighting with Gaza again]( By [Tal Schneider]( [Senior official traveling in prime minister’s delegation to Bahrain says tensions in Jerusalem neighborhood similar to situation ahead of last year’s 11-day war with Hamas]( [Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops in West Bank — PA]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Hamas TV series glorifies fight against Israel, but it’s no ‘Fauda’]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( Interview [US Jewish leaders warn of growing antisemitism, say they helped fight Amnesty report]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [The heads of the Conference of Presidents, William Daroff and Malcolm Hoenlein, speak with ToI about Whoopi Goldberg, Ben & Jerry’s, and the centrality of Israel in US Jewish life]( [Jewish Federations names its second-ever woman chair, Julie Platt]( By [Ron Kampeas]( Cold war [Firing at Stars of David, Hezbollah shows off alpine warfare skills]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [Terror group and Lebanese army release video clips of winter training; Iran-backed group’s fighters open fire at ‘Israeli’ targets, with their colleagues inexplicably alongside]( [Russia sends warplanes, hypersonic missiles to Syria for major naval drills]( By [VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV]( [CRM]( Exclusive [Israel lobbying Biden for Houthi terror listing, at UAE’s behest]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Jerusalem says Abu Dhabi initiative an opportunity to curb Iranian hegemony, as Biden weighs desire to align with allies against concern over humanitarian fallout]( [Defense Ministry, Innovation Authority to fund Israel’s first quantum computer]( By [Ricky Ben-David and TOI staff]( [With $62m budget, Israel to lay foundation for quantum computational ability and infrastructure, as world powers race to develop own quantum expertise]( [Connecticut governor leading fintech, business delegation to Israel next week]( By [Lazar Berman]( [‘Medical selfie’ company Healthy.io to bring innovative health tech to UAE]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [Interview / Silicon Valley lawmaker seeking to spread the wealth looks to Israel for inspiration]( By [Jacob Magid]( Exclusive [Environment Ministry to propose minimum target for Dead Sea water level]( By [Sue Surkes]( [With unique saline lake level falling by around 1.10 meters per year, call to government will be made in coming weeks, with search for alternative water sources to sustain it]( [Environment ministry sets 40% renewable power production goal by 2030]( By [Sue Surkes]( [State owned pipeline, former executives, convicted over Zin Stream pollution]( By [Sue Surkes]( [CRM]( More Headlines [UK’s Prince Andrew settles with accuser in sexual assault lawsuit]( By [Peter HUTCHISON]( [Louisville council candidate accused in shooting attack on Jewish mayoral hopeful]( By [bruce schreiner]( [Netanyahu urges supporters to attend rally demanding inquiry into spyware affair]( By [TOI staff]( [Two minor earthquakes rattle northern Israel within hours]( By [TOI staff]( [Erdogan: Visit by Herzog will be ‘good for Turkey-Israel relations’]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( [Beijing 2022 / Israeli skier Szollos caps off successful Olympic run with 23rd place in slalom]( By [Amy Spiro]( [Tea-sipping Liberman appears impassive in face of sobbing worker]( By [Tobias Siegal]( [Ex-senator David Perdue likens social media restrictions to Nazi rule]( By [Ron Kampeas]( [Netflix and cheat / ‘Tinder Swindler’ seduces way to top of Netflix charts]( By [TOI staff]( [Gantz denies hand in Army Radio decision to move Netanyahu-backing anchor]( By [TOI staff]( [People of the prize / Sami Rohr literary award inks alliance with Israel National Library]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [Sweet success / Israeli strawberry wins Guinness record as world’s largest]( By [Stuart Winer]( [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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