Daily Briefing Jan. 9 – Rising Omicron numbers and Israel’s new consul general in NY

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

ToI’s editor David Horovitz and US correspondent Jacob Magid join host Jessica Steinberg.

Horovitz looks at the rising numbers of those infected with the Omicron variant in Israel, with 200 serious cases so far, and how that is affecting the country’s approach to the ongoing pandemic.

He also discusses the tragic death of the 4-year-old child shot dead by a stray bullet in a playground, and whether that portends any change for the government’s approach to dealing with the ongoing wave of Arab violence.

Magid speaks about his soon-to-be-published interview with Israel’s new consul general in New York, Asaf Zamir, and their conversation about the lack of good responses to tough questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as Zamir’s plan to work closely with college students.

Magid also looks at Israel’s resolution aimed at combating Holocaust denial, and the lobbying process prior to the vote on the text at the United Nations General Assembly, ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.

Discussed articles include:

Number of seriously ill COVID patients jumps past 200 as pandemic surges

Who can travel to Israel and how, as country reopens to visitors on Sunday

Thousands at funeral of Arab child shot dead in north, president expresses ‘horror’

Arab communities shattered, as organized crime fuels a skyrocketing murder rate

Israel advancing UN General Assembly resolution aimed at combating Holocaust denial

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