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The Daily Edition

What Matters Most On Wednesday, February 24, 2021

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Analysis

Bennett: I’m more right-wing than Bibi, but I don’t use the tools of hate

In a landmark interview, the likely election kingmaker sets out hawkish policies but an inclusive Jewish philosophy; assures voters: Israel thrived before Bibi, will soar after him

In this Sunday, November 24, 2019 photo, then-defense minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit an Israeli military base in the Golan Heights, on the Israeli-Syrian border. (Atef Safadi/Pool via AP, File)

Likud MK Fateen Mulla at the Knesset on April 29, 2019. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

Watchdog demands probe of alleged election meddling by Likud MK who spoke to PLO

Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid (R) and Jewish Home head Naftali Bennett present an agreement reached between Israel's technological colleges and the Finance Ministry, at the Knesset, on October 27, 2013. (Flash90)

Bennett: Yamina won’t sit in a ‘left-wing’ government headed by Lapid

But Yesh Atid can still join a potential coalition, Bennett says; recent poll puts Yesh Atid at 18 seats to Yamina’s 11

Gideon Sa'ar, head of the New Hope party makes a statement at the Armon Hanatziv Promenade, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem, February 23, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Joining Bennett, Sa’ar says Lapid won’t be prime minister

Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Benny Gantz. (Yonatan Sindel, David Cohen/Flash90)

Blue and White sees minor bump in poll; Netanyahu’s bloc short of majority

Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, arrives at a press conference in Jerusalem on February 26, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Analysis

Haviv Rettig Gur

Kahane lives? What does Itamar Ben Gvir, backed by Netanyahu, really stand for?

Debate is raging over whether the PM is helping a true disciple of Meir Kahane into the Knesset, or one who is an admirer but less racist. Here’s the evidence, and why it matters

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with his right-wing and religious allies, at the Knesset on November 4, 2019 (Courtesy)

Haredi parties pledge loyalty to Netanyahu; Smotrich’s Religious Zionism doesn’t

Labor party member Ibtisam Mara'ana arrives for a court hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on February 24, 2021 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Defending candidacy in Supreme Court, Arab would-be Labor MK again apologizes

The Daily Briefing

Times of Israel Podcast

PODCAST: Daily Briefing, Feb. 24 — Israel’s worst ecological disaster yet?

Tune in Sunday through Thursday to hear ToI editors and reporters quickly catch you up on what’s important today

The Environmental Protection Ministry clearing tar from Israel's beaches following a major spill that contaminated the coastline, February 24, 2021. (Environmental Protection Ministry)

Israel begins disposal of 1,200 tons of tar, waste from ongoing beach cleanup

Environmental Protection Ministry says devastating spill has contaminated 160 kilometers of coastline; rejecting media reports, operators of Greek-flagged ship deny responsibility

A ladybug rests on tar-covered rocks and shells after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea, at Tel-Dor Nature Reserve in Nahsholim, Israel; Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

Government allocates NIS 45 million to clean up tar-polluted beaches

A 6-month-old green sea turtle is cleaned from tar after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea; at Israel's Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Michmoret, Israel, February 23, 2021.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Mayo clinicIn Israel, mayonnaise proves a miracle cure for tar-covered turtles

By Ariel Schalit

Illustrative: Palestinian medics unpack Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and supplies that are designated for front-line medical workers, at the health ministry, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, February 3, 2021. The Palestinian Authority has administered its first known coronavirus vaccinations after receiving several thousands of doses of the Moderna vaccine from Israel. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Netanyahu said set to give nearly 100,000 vaccine doses to 15+ countries

Reports say list of states not yet finalized, will include Mauritania, Italy, Chad; top ministers say they weren’t informed of PM’s plan to exchange vaccines for diplomatic support

Former Palestinian health minister Jawad al-Tibi receives a shot of the COVID-19 Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, in Gaza City, Febuary 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Blinken said to push Ashkenazi to provide more vaccines to Palestinians

By Jacob Magid and Aaron Boxerman

Arieh Avni. (Screen capture: YouTube)

COVID-denying antivaxxer doctor permanently loses medical license

Iranians drive past missiles on motorcycles during a rally marking the 42nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, at Azadi (Freedom) Square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, February 10, 2021. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Analysis

As Iran plays chicken with Biden, it also moves closer to the bomb

By Lazar Berman

Tehran appears to be jockeying for position ahead of nuke deal talks by blackballing inspectors and threatening to increase enrichment, but the posturing carries dangerous risks

US Vice President Joe Biden, right, offers his condolences to Prince Salman bin Abdel-Aziz upon the death of his brother Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, at Prince Sultan palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Israeli, Saudi officials discuss Biden’s planned return to Iran nuke deal — TV

Susie Gelman and David A. Halperin

Can Biden resolve the Israeli and Palestinian conflict?

Here are 4 policy pillars that would reset US foreign policy in the Middle East and help the region retrace its steps toward a viable two-state solution

The Megillah is named after only one woman

Sure, turn Vashti into a feminist icon, if you want, but don’t forget that the true heroine of the story is her replacement, Esther

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas speaks at the foreign ministry in Berlin, on February 24, 2021 (Michael Sohn/Pool/AFP)

Live updates (closed)

Germany urges Iran to accept diplomacy in nuclear dispute

FM Heiko Maas accuses Tehran of further undermining transparency it is required to show under 2015 accord, after Iran starts restricting inspections of its nuclear facilities

7:26 pm

US report on Saudi journalist's murder expected 'soon,' White House says
7:11 pm

US again refrains from committing to Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem
6:57 pm

Health Ministry bans sale of all seafood from Mediterranean due to oil spill

A paramedic from Magen David Adom medical services, administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a woman at an Ikea store in Rishon Lezion, Israel, Feb. 22, 2021 (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Knesset passes law to give cities info on unvaccinated residents

By ToI Staff and Stuart Winer

Meretz MK says bill is too quick to hand over medical, personal data; Likud committee head pushes back, says saving lives trumps privacy

People who flew back to Israel seen arriving at the Dan Panorama Hotel used as a quarantine facility, on December 20, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Ministers reinstate compulsory hotel quarantine for arrivals from abroad

By Stuart Winer

A pregnant woman gets help walking at the coronavirus ward of Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem, on February 3, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

95% of former COVID patients suffer no irreversible damage, Israeli study finds

Illustrative: Iran's alleged atomic warehouse in Turquzabad, Tehran. (YouTube screenshot)

IAEA deeply troubled by possible nuclear material at Iran site flagged by Israel

By AFP and ToI Staff

Sources say no indication Tehran facility was used for processing uranium, but may have been used for storing it as late as 2018, around when Netanyahu revealed site to UN

Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech at a memorial ceremony in Tel Hai on February 23, 2021. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Netanyahu: Israel will prevent a nuclear Iran whether or not a deal is in place

An Iranian technician works at the Uranium Conversion Facility just outside the city of Isfahan, Iran, on February 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

UK, France and Germany condemn Iran over UN inspection limits

By AFP and ToI Staff

US seeks UN rights council seat, calls for end to disproportionate Israel focus

By AFP and Jacob Magid

In video message, Blinken says international body must ‘look at how it conducts its business’ and eliminate agenda item that singles out Israel for perpetual censure

The UN Human Rights Council in Geneval discusses a resolution condemning Israeli actions on the Golan Heights, on March 22, 2019. (Screenshot/UN WebTV)

Linda Thomas-Greenfield smiles as she testifies during her confirmation hearing for US ambassador to the UN, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill, January 27, 2021, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)

US Senate confirms Biden’s pick for UN ambassador

By AP and ToI Staff

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken introduces President Joe Biden for remarks to State Department staff, February 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden administration says human rights will be ‘central’ to ties with Egypt

Illustration of a black hole with an accretion disk around it. As a result of the accretion of material from a destroyed star, powerful jets are launched. (Elen11 via iStock by Getty Images)

Picking up signal from faraway galaxy, Israelis challenge black hole assumptions

By Nathan Jeffay

Black holes can go months or years before gobbling up last of dead star’s remains, physicists say, after detecting pattern of radio emissions from aftermath of star’s destruction

People celebrate the holiday of Purim in the ultra-orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem on March 11, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Senior ultra-Orthodox rabbis urge against getting drunk on Purim this year

Saying inebriation could lead to violating restrictions and spreading coronavirus, religious authorities call for restraint

Israelis shop for costumes at a Red Pirate toy store in Kiryat Ekron, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim, on February 14, 2021 (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Ministers approve nighttime curfew over Purim, beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Anyone with Purim costumes echoing days of yore is invited to Jerusalem's Old City walls for a selfie and tag #ITravelJerusalem (Courtesy I Travel Jerusalem)

The whole MegillahNo parties or parades, but other possibilities remain for Purim

By Jessica Steinberg

More Headlines

Illustrative: A wounded Israeli soldier is evacuated by ambulance on the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, November 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Soldier critically injured after being shot in head under murky circumstances

By ToI Staff and Judah Ari Gross

Sacha Baron Cohen arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

It's a wrapSacha Baron Cohen says he’s done with disguise pranks

By Gabe Friedman

Israeli soldiers stand on a road in the central West Bank where two improvised explosive devices were uncovered on November 22, 2020. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF searches for suspect after reported stabbing attempt in West Bank

By Judah Ari Gross

Orly, whose personal details as an aguna, a chained woman, are listed on one of the posters plastered in south Tel Aviv as part of Yom HaAguna, February 24, 2021 (Courtesy DODO)

Who will set them free?Tel Aviv street art aims to raise awareness of ‘chained’ women

By Jessica Steinberg

A stun grenade thrown into a Palestinian home in Sarta in the West Bank, apparently by Israeli settlers, January 2021. (Israel Police)

Israeli, 17, indicted for stun grenade attack on Palestinians, vandalism

By Stuart Winer and ToI Staff

Tariq Bin Hendi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, signs a cooperation agreement virtually with David Leffler, director general of the Ministry of Economy and Industry of Israel (on screen). (Courtesy)

Abu Dhabi Investment Office forms alliance with Israel tech, investment bodies

By Shoshanna Solomon

Then-US president Donald Trump talks with Deputy Campaign Manager for Presidential Operations Max Miller, left, before his speech to the Republican National Convention on the South Lawn of the White House, Aug. 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump aide considers challenge to Ohio Republican who voted for impeachment

US actor and comedian Harry Shearer at the Beacon Theatre in New York, April 27, 2019. (Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

The doctor is outHarry Shearer quits voicing Black character on ‘The Simpsons’

By AFP and ToI Staff

Author Lawrence Ferlinghetti appears in Oct. 8, 1988 (AP Photo/Frankie Ziths, File)

ObituaryBeat poet, publisher, City Lights bookseller Lawrence Ferlinghetti dies at 101

By Janie Har and Hillel Italie

A child holds up a KKL-JNF blue box to collect donations in this undated photo. The blue box was one of the first ways to raise money for the fledgling KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund and was common in many Jewish homes. (Courtesy KKL-JNF)

AnalysisKKL-JNF’s support for settlements sparks fierce debate on storied charity

By Joseph Krauss

Illustrative: Brazilian samba dancers perform in Tel Aviv to celebrate the Rio Summer Olympics on August 7, 2016. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Mediterranean CopacabanaRio designated as sister city of Israel’s Brazilian immigrant capital

By Marcus M. Gilban

Azealia Banks performs at the 2015 Coachella Music and Arts Festival on April 10, 2015, in Indio, California. (Rich Fury/Invision/AP)

Jewcy gossip‘I’m Jewish now’: Azealia Banks’ engagement pic ignites storm

By Gabe Friedman

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