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The Daily Edition

What Matters Most On Wednesday, December 9, 2020

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein attend the arrival of a DHL freight plane transporting the first batch of Pfizer vaccines at Ben Gurion Airport on December 9, 2020. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool)

1st doses of Pfizer vaccine arrive in Israel ahead of mass inoculation program

3,000-4,000 shots flown in from Brussels in initial shipment to test logistics; PM says he will be 1st to receive vaccine because he wants to encourage people to get the shot

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touches the first batch of Pfizer vaccines to arrive in Israel at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, December 9, 2020. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool)

Israel media reviewOpening shots: What the press is saying on December 9

By Joshua Davidovich

Shoppers at the Ayalon Mall in Ramat Gan, November 29, 2020. (Flash90)

Ministers decide to reopen malls after pushing off planned nightly virus curfew

Analysis

Haviv Rettig Gur

Sa’ar steps out of Netanyahu’s shadow, and will likely cost him the premiership

Former Likud No. 2 vows not to serve with Netanyahu again, joining the swelling ranks of parliamentary leaders systematically denying the PM a clear path to retain power

Then-Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar speaks to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, February 19, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

The Knesset votes on an initial reading of a bill to dissolve the government on December 2, 2020 (Credit: Knesset spokesperson)

Committee advances bill to dissolve Knesset, setting election date for March 16

MK Gideon Sa'ar announces he is leaving Likud to form his own party, in a televised statement on December 8, 2020. (Screen capture: Facebook)

Gideon Sa’ar quits Likud, ‘a tool for Netanyahu’s interests,’ to lead ‘New Hope’

By ToI Staff and Raoul Wootliff

Likud hawk says he’ll run for PM at head of his own new list with ‘best forces in public life’; claims dignified, unifying party he loved has fallen into grip of ‘personality cult’

Screen capture from video of Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar as he announced he was resigning from the party, December 8, 2020. (Channel 13 news)

Likud slams Sa’ar for quitting and forming new party, predicts he will ‘crash’

Then-Blue and White party MKs Yoaz Hendel and Zvi Hauser seen in the Knesset in Jerusalem, April 29, 2019. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

More MKs expected to join Sa’ar’s party, which poll predicts will be 3rd biggest

By Stuart Winer

Palestinian students affiliated with the United Nations "UNRWA" wear face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, on November 25, 2020. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Inside Story

As world scrambles for COVID-19 vaccines, Palestinians pin hopes on WHO program

By Aaron Boxerman

UN-backed initiative Covax is set to provide 20% of Palestinians’ inoculations for free, but the timeline is uncertain — and the rest of the needed shots are up in the air

Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff (C), head of the European Union's mission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, along with other EU representatives, visits a desalination plant in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on December 8, 2020. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)

EU delegation promises to help Gaza get virus vaccines

By AFP and ToI Staff

A nurse holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy's Hospital in London, December 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

US regulators confirm Pfizer vaccine strongly protective against COVID-19

By AP and ToI Staff

Times of Israel Podcast

LISTEN: Filmmaker takes the Bible into ‘The Wilderness’ in new 10-part series

The Israeli desert is a crucible for a slew of biblical characters, from Abraham to Jesus. Israeli-Canadian documentary director Igal Hecht tells you why

Debra Orenstein

8 essentials for zooming on Hanukkah

Advance planning can make all the difference this year, when you gather to celebrate the holiday together, over sufganiyot, candles, dreidls, and technology

Gideon Sa’ar is sane, but not the solution

What is actually killing Israel is not only Netanyahu, but his right-wing policies that Sa’ar does not disavow

The tragedy of Benny Gantz

Joining a unity government with Netanyahu was the responsible move of the kind of leadership that Israel has been sorely lacking, and it likely cost Gantz his political career

Overcoming darkness

For many survivors, the menorah was a symbol of light and a beacon of hope through the darkest times of Jewish history. This year is no different

A conceptual schematic for the Beresheet 2 lander, released to the media on December 9, 2020. (Haim Zach/GPO)

Israel launches second bid to put a lander on the moon; UAE may join

Joint SpaceIL and IAI venture will comprise orbiter and 2 landers; science minister says Emirates one of 7 countries interested in partnering on project

An airplane of budget airline Flydubai lands at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on November 26, 2020, on the first scheduled commercial service between the two cities, following the normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)

Fearing rift, Foreign Ministry said to veto declaration of UAE as virus hotspot

Health Ministry says Emirati infection levels do not justify quarantining returnees, and Foreign Ministry denies report that diplomats intervened to protect burgeoning ties

A man searches in a garbage container in downtown Jerusalem, August 17, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Number of Israelis in poverty shot up 50% since pandemic’s start, report finds

A nurse prepares a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy's Hospital in London, UK, December 8, 2020. (Frank Augstein/AP)

UK probes possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 shot after 2 adverse responses

By AP and ToI Staff

Beatle John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, hold a bed-in for peace in room 902, the presidential suite at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, on March 25, 1969. (AP Photo)

Israel TV broadcasts clip of John Lennon singing ‘Oath to Jerusalem’ in Hebrew

On 40th anniversary of his murder, journalist and songwriter Akiva Nof recalls interviewing Beatle in Amsterdam, teaching him words to his song about never abandoning the holy city

Tura Winery co-owner Vered Ben Sa’adon, right, and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, second from left, attend a signing ceremony for a business deal in Dubai, December 7, 2020 (courtesy Tura Winery)

Analysis

No labels: Israel’s new Gulf partners seem happy to do business with settlements

Wine from the Golan, olive oil from the West Bank — despite the political sensitivities, companies in UAE and Bahrain appear unfazed about where their trading partners are located

Screen capture from video of Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (YouTube)

Dubai trade official: We have no problem with Israeli products from West Bank

Container ships dock at the Dubai Port in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

UAE shipping chief says initial trade with Israel could be worth over $5 billion

Two US Navy F-35C Lightning II jets fly in formation during an exercise out of Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, November 16, 2018. (US Navy/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon E. Renfroe)

AIPAC says not opposed to US arms deal to UAE amid progressive backlash

Pro-Israel lobby cites recent normalization agreement between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi, along with US assurances that weapons sale won’t harm Jewish state’s regional military edge

Then US Central Command Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin III testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Biden pitches retired general Lloyd Austin for US secretary of defense

By Robert Burns and Jonathan Lemire

Manama, the capital of Bahrain, September 21, 2011. (Hasan Jamali/AP)

Israel scouting out sites to set up embassy in Bahrain before year’s end

By Stuart Winer

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touches the first batch of Pfizer vaccines to arrive in Israel at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, December 9, 2020. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool)

Live updates (closed)

Netanyahu: Vaccine drive to begin Dec. 27, with 60,000 shots given a day

Health minister says hundreds of thousands of Israelis will be inoculated in coming weeks, encourages all to get the vaccine

7:21 pm

Number of active virus cases tops 15,000
7:08 pm

PM on Sa'ar: I'm busy saving Israel, while he saves his political career
6:54 pm

Channel 13 poll: Neither Sa'ar nor Netanyahu can form government without each other

An Israeli flag and sign reading 'Thank you, Mossad' in a Tehran suburb (screencapture via Twitter)

Israel flag, ‘Thank you, Mossad’ sign appear in Iran after nuke scientist killed

Display in Tehran suburb comes 10 days after assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, allegedly by Israeli intelligence

Rouhani says Iran ready for swift return to nuclear deal compliance

By AFP

Iran official claims several arrested over nuclear scientist’s killing

By AFP and ToI Staff

Iran not destabilizing Mideast, Israeli-Arab conflict is, says Russian envoy

Beersheba dance studio owner and community organizer Melina Gefterman (center, with short white hair), who has leaned on the organizational help and emotional support of nonprofit organization Creative Independence during the coronavirus (Courtesy Melina Gefterman)

And step and pivot: Performing artists get business help amid pandemic

By Jessica Steinberg

More Headlines

Illustrative: M-16 assault rifles retrieved by police after they were stolen from an army base on May 27, 2017. (Police spokesperson)

Four IDF officers dismissed, 11 others punished after guns stolen from base

By Judah Ari Gross

Democratic challenger for US Senate Raphael Warnock speaks during a debate with Republican US Senator Kelly Loeffler in Atlanta, December 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, Pool)

Denying anti-Israel charges, Georgia’s Warnock says he recognizes Hamas danger

By Jacob Magid and JTA

Illustrative -- Demonstrators of Iranian opposition group PMOI (People's Mujahedin Organization) protest near the Iran's embassy in Paris, Jan. 3, 2018, in solidarity with those demonstrating in Iran (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Amnesty hails ‘breakthrough’ as UN presses Iran on 1988 massacres of dissidents

By AFP

US Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a campaign event on the grounds of Kuharchik Construction, Inc., September 1, 2020, in Exeter, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Pence tells Jewish leaders Barrett helped safeguard religious freedom

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, November 29, 2020. (AP Photo/ Patrick Semansky)

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump buy $31 million estate on elite Miami island

Boy George, left, and Israeli singer Asaf Goren launch their new song, 'Rainbow in the Dark,' December 2020 (YouTube screengrab)

Boy oh boyBoy George launches new single, written with Israeli reality star

By Jessica Steinberg

Illustrative: A kangaroo jumping in a field amidst smoke from a bushfire in Snowy Valley Australia (SAEED KHAN / AFP, January 4, 2020)

Poll: Climate change worries Israelis — but not enough to sway their vote

The so-called "Judensau," or "Jew pig," sculpture is displayed on the facade of the Stadtkirche (Town Church) in Wittenberg, Germany, Jan. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File )

Bavaria to leave medieval anti-Semitic ‘Jew pig’ sculptures on churches

By AP

Israeli singer Omer Adam poses for a photo with a falcon in the United Arab Emirates (Instagram photo)

For the birdsIsraeli singers scolded for posing with endangered falcons in UAE

Istanbul Basaksehir's French forward Demba Ba (L) talks to a referee after a game was suspended amid allegations of racism by one of the match officials during a UEFA Champions League game between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Istanbul Basaksehir FK in Paris, December 8, 2020. (Franck Fife/AFP)

Champions League soccer game suspended after alleged racist abuse by official

By AFP

Tourists stand near a disputed Wassily Kandinsky painting at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, July 10, 2019. (Canaan Lidor)

Dutch government criticizes its own policy on Holocaust-stolen art

By Cnaan Liphshiz

Barry Manilow is among the performers set to appear in “A Star-Studded Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular," debuting online December 8, 2020. (Wikimedia Commons via JTA)

2 virtual Yiddish specials debut online for Hanukkah

By Curt Schleier

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November	December 2020					January
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