US: Invasion of Ukraine under way * Israel moves embassy to Lviv * Blow to coalition: Minister quits * Jewish extremist finds her parents are Muslim * 10,000 COVID deaths

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Live updates [LIVE: White House official calls Russian moves on Ukraine an ‘invasion’]( By [TOI staff]( [Move sets stage for strong sanctions by the US; Israeli diplomatic staff in Ukraine complete relocation to Lviv amid fears of Russian attack]( [Germany halts gas pipeline project; EU says Russian troops already in Ukraine]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [Scholz takes step to suspend Nord Stream 2 project with Russia; Duma legislates troop deployment; bloc policy head says Russia hasn’t fully invaded but soldiers are on Ukraine soil]( [US, UK, EU set to impose sanctions after Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [Explainer / The story behind Ukraine’s separatist regions and their support from Russia]( By [VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV]( [Avidar resigns as minister; says PM aping Netanyahu, won’t honor rotation with Lapid]( By [TOI staff]( [Blow for gov’t as Yisrael Beytenu maverick returns to Knesset, where his vote may be vital on any bill; claims coalition focused on ‘selfies, TikTok’ as opposition works to oust it]( [Blue and White boycotts Knesset votes over legislative holdup, angering partners]( By [Amy Spiro]( ToI podcast [TOI staff]( [Daily Briefing Feb. 22: Looking ahead to 2023’s budget; Mount of Olives park shelved]( [Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur discusses 2023 budget plans and US correspondent Jacob Magid looks at highlights of US Democrats’ visit and a church land brouhaha]( [Israel’s COVID death toll crosses 10,000 as fifth wave wanes]( By [Amy Spiro]( [More than 1,700 COVID fatalities recorded so far in 2022; over 75% of deaths overall were among those above age 70]( [Seriously ill cases drop, but top health official warns Omicron wave still not over]( By [TOI staff]( [Liberman ‘at peace’ with not locking down in Omicron wave, despite rising death toll]( By [Tobias Siegal]( Top Ops [Masresha Dessie]( [I am in the Promised Land, my other half is trapped in Ethiopia]( [I lack the means and power to fight an impersonal bureaucracy that denies the right of my wife and child to live in our homeland as Jews]( [Alon Tal]( [Blue and White shut down the Knesset to defend our future]( [The coalition reneged on support for Benny Gantz’s visionary plan to mandate national service and compensate IDF fighters fairly. Press responded with disinformation.]( [US rejects Bennett’s criticism of Iran nuke talks: ‘We cannot make the same mistake’]( By [TOI staff]( [Amid signs that deal to restore 2015 pact could soon be reached, State Department touts diplomacy and coordination with regional allies as ‘the best way to achieve our goal’]( [Netanyahu warns US Congress members: No accord will stop Iran’s nuclear program]( By [TOI staff]( [Dozens of US lawmakers descend on Israel with AIPAC-affiliated trip]( By [Amy Spiro]( [’Astonishing recovery’: 10 months after self-immolating, IDF vet is again walking]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Tormented by PTSD and what he saw as state’s neglect, Itzik Saidyan set himself alight last year, burning 97% of his body; after 30+ surgeries, he’s on the way to recovery]( [Can zero gravity help cure cancer? Israelis sent a drug to space to find out]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Orthodox Diaspora delegation to lobby Bennett against Western Wall compromise]( By [Luke Tress]( [Group including Agudath Israel of America leadership to present PM with 150,000 signatures opposing changes at holy site that are widely supported by Reform and Conservative Jews]( [Lapid orders relocation of Ukraine embassy amid Russian invasion threat]( By [Lazar Berman and TOI staff]( [Israeli mission to move from Kyiv to Lviv, as Foreign Ministry officials prepare for possible land evacuation of the country’s 150,000-200,000 Jews]( [Israel said worried US sanctions on Russia could affect Syria operations]( By [TOI staff]( [US slaps sanctions on Ukraine breakaway regions recognized by Putin]( By [AFP]( [Russia assailed at UN Security Council for bringing world to brink of war]( By [AFP]( [US ambassador warns consequences of Putin’s action will be ‘dire’ as most countries defend Ukraine; Moscow envoy says Kremlin ‘won’t allow bloodbath in Donbass’]( [Defiant Putin orders Russian troops to eastern Ukraine as West vows response]( By [Agencies]( [Putin recognizes Ukraine separatist territories as independent, defying West]( By [LORNE COOK, YURAS KARMANAU and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV]( [Far-right Jewish extremist discovers her biological parents are Muslim]( By [Tobias Siegal]( [Or Leibler, a member of a Jewish supremacist group who describes herself as a ‘proud Jew,’ forced to reevaluate beliefs after making unexpected discovery]( [CRM]( [Deputy AG’s probe finds ‘no indication’ police illegally hacked citizens’ phones]( By [Amy Spiro]( [Justice Ministry says NSO cooperated with investigation into claims that its Pegasus spyware was used against dozens of civilians; police minister hails ‘resounding acquittal’]( [Sa’ar: Report on illegal NSO spyware use was incorrect, no need for state inquiry]( By [TOI staff and Amy Spiro]( [Ex-AG Mandelblit says Netanyahu’s attacks didn’t affect charges or plea deal talks]( By [TOI staff]( [Drone flew 30 km into Israel before IDF detected it, Hezbollah sources claim]( By [Emanuel Fabian]( [Terror group officials say Hassan craft evaded monitoring systems on border; Lebanese daily publishes ostensible map of UAV’s route]( [US Navy to establish Mideast drone task force with regional allies]( By [Isabel Debre and Jon Gambrell]( [Terror funding charge dropped in plea deal with Palestinian aid worker]( By [Stuart Winer and TOI staff]( [Khitam Sa’afin convicted of membership in PFLP but not of funneling money to the terror group, and of leading Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees before it was outlawed]( [4 Palestinians arrested for breaking into IDF base in south]( By [Emanuel Fabian]( Archaeology [Beach-combing police find 1,500-year-old marble pillar near Ashdod]( By [Amanda Borschel-Dan]( [Believed to once have been part of a Byzantine era church, massive artifact likely exposed during recent winter storms]( [Archaeology / New analysis of 3,200-year-old lead ingots sinks theories about Bronze Age trade]( By [Amanda Borschel-Dan]( [Bouncing around the Balkans, Lev Tahor cultists struggle to evade attention]( By [David I. Klein]( [Dozens of members of the extremist Jewish sect are sequestered in a North Macedonian hotel after locals threatened them; they reportedly arrived via Romania, Bosnia and Montenegro]( [After Europe expansion, Israeli shared mobility firm hits Tel Aviv Stock Exchange]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [GoTo Global sets sights on solving congestion in city centers with micro-mobility solutions such as e-scooters, bikes, and shared cars]( [Bank of Israel signals upcoming interest rate hike, citing strong economy]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [CRM]( More Headlines [Senior Bahraini diplomat says Mossad active in his country, boosting security]( By [TOI staff]( [Israel hopes to increase trade with Morocco to $500m, says economy minister in Rabat]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( [Iran blames West for Ukraine crisis, urges Moscow and Kyiv to show restraint]( By [AFP]( [From the web / Ukraine’s Jewish community faces threat of war, still scarred by past violence]( [Iran spurns over 800,000 donated COVID shots because they are made in US]( By [AP]( [Israel’s birthrate trended downward in 2020, statistics bureau says]( By [TOI staff]( [Child’s death caused by runaway car, not donkey, say police]( By [TOI staff]( [Woman arrested on suspicion of killing her infant children over 25 years ago]( By [TOI staff]( [16 hurt as drone targets Saudi airport; Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis blamed]( By [AP]( [An inconvenient truth / Trump rolls out social media app, but few able to get on]( By [AP]( [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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