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The Daily Edition

What Matters Most On Wednesday, May 20, 2026

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Scenes from a video released by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir showing the minister taunting bound and detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Ben Gvir via X)

Ben Gvir posts video of himself taunting bound and detained Gaza flotilla activists, sparks global outcry

By ToI Staff, Agencies and Nava Freiberg

Clip shows minister waving Israeli flag as activists forced to kneel on ground and national anthem blasts over loudspeaker; Italy, France summon Israeli envoys over treatment of their citizens

Israeli naval forces sail a confiscated Gaza-bound flotilla boat into Israel's Ashdod port after intercepting the vessel on the Mediterranean Sea, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

IDF intercepts all ships in Gaza-bound flotilla, over 400 activists being transferred to Israel

By Stav Levaton, Agencies and ToI Staff

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, April 13, 2026. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korea says Israel’s detention of flotilla activists ‘way out of line’

By Agencies and ToI Staff

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunts detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Screen grab/Ben Gvir's X account)

Live updates (closed)

May 20: Prisons chief reportedly approved Ben Gvir’s behavior in clip of flotilla activists

Canada, Belgium, Netherlands summon Israeli envoys to protest Ben Gvir’s flotilla video * Seven IDF soldiers injured, one seriously, in south Lebanon drone strike

7:53 pm

Trump says he is willing to wait a few days to get the 'right answer' from Iran
7:25 pm

Erdogan says he told Trump a 'reasonable solution' can be reached with Iran
7:24 pm

Seven soldiers injured, one seriously, in south Lebanon drone strike

NYT: Israeli-developed plan sought to have Ahmadinejad run Iran after Khamenei killed

Assessing that bombing and expected Kurdish invasion would collapse regime, Israel reportedly used airstrike to free Holocaust-denying ex-president from house arrest, but he soured on plan

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashes the V-sign for victory after registering his candidacy for Iran's presidential election in Tehran on June 2, 2024 (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during the Senate Democrat policy luncheon news conference at the Capitol, on May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

With GOP rebels’ help, Senate advances measure to curb Trump’s Iran war powers for 1st time

A bride and groom hold a rose as they pose for pictures during a mass wedding ceremony for participants in the "Janfada" ("Sacrifice for Iran") pro-government campaign in Tehran, Iran, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran stages mass weddings for couples pledging to sacrifice lives in war with US, Israel

By AFP

Promoted ContentIsrael Bonds

Israel Bonds unveils new stamp marking 75 years of investment in Israel

Just days before its 75th anniversary, Israel Bonds marked a rare and symbolic milestone in Tel Aviv with the unveiling of a commemorative stamp issued by the Israel Postal Service.

Op-ed

With Trump conflicted and Iran emboldened, vital bid to end regime’s nuclear drive is being botched

The Islamic Republic retains its highly enriched uranium stockpile, has 10 tons of lower-enriched uranium that nobody’s even asking for, and is holding the world to ransom at the Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he returns from a trip to Beijing, China, on May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jets head to carry out strikes in Iran, in a photo published by the military on March 15, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israel said preparing for renewal of Iran war; Trump says Tehran has days to make deal

By Nava Freiberg, Jacob Magid and Agencies

TV report points to signs of heightened readiness, including 5-hour cabinet meeting, cancellation of PM’s trial hearing; Trump says he is ‘not sure’ when attack will happen

US President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, December 29, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Trump says Netanyahu will ‘do whatever I want’ on Iran after pair said to hold tense call

By Agencies, Nava Freiberg and Jacob Magid

Right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson during an interview with Channel 13, May 19, 2026. (Screenshot)

White House pans Tucker Carlson for telling Israeli TV Netanyahu dragged US into war

This combination of pictures created on May 19, 2026 shows US Representatives Thomas Massie (L) and former US Navy SEALs officer Ed Gallrein. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds and Jim Watson/AFP)

Anti-Israel Republican Thomas Massie loses primary to Trump-backed candidate

By PHILISSA CRAMER

Lawmaker from Kentucky, who was only member of US House to vote against resolution affirming Israel’s right to exist, says he had to find his opponent ‘in Tel Aviv’ to concede race

Pennsylvania State Rep. Chris Rabb takes the stage to deliver remarks during a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Matthew Hatcher / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Anti-Israel ‘squad’ member Chris Rabb wins Democratic Congress nod in Pennsylvania

Lawmakers attend a vote on dissolving the 25th Knesset in the Knesset plenum, May 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

MKs advance bill to dissolve Knesset, potentially trigger slightly earlier elections

By Sam Sokol and Ariela Karmel

Netanyahu absent from preliminary vote, which left-wing leader calls ‘beginning of end of worst government in Israel’s history’; bill does not set date for elections, which must in any case be held by Oct. 27

Yisrael Beytenu party chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 18, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Liberman says his goal for the upcoming election is to become prime minister

By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff

Political correspondent Ariela Karmel joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing. (ToI)

ToI podcastDaily Briefing May 20: Drama at Knesset as coalition plows ahead with legislation

By Jessica Steinberg, Ariela Karmel and Amy Spiro

Cap: Maj. (res.) Itamar Sapir. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF reservist killed in exchange of fire with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff

Itamar Sapir, 27, survived by wife and one-year-old son, was killed when a Hezbollah operative fired at him from inside a church

Prof. Iris Shai of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, dean of the School of Sustainability at Reichman University, and an adjunct professor at Harvard University, left (courtesy Nir Slakman), and Dr. Dafna Pachter, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. (Courtesy)

Internal fat rather than obesity may lead to brain atrophy

Reducing deep stomach fat can improve your brain function, Israeli scientists find

By Diana Bletter

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Leipzig and Harvard, say visceral fat reduction even for 18 months can decrease cognitive deterioration 5-10 years later

First person

Charlie Summers

Getting mobbed by far-right teens at Flag March was distressing, but no surprise

Flag March in Muslim Quarter, once a fringe event, now casts a bleak shadow over Jerusalem Day as increasingly violent parade eclipses other festivities

Scuffles near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, during Jerusalem Day activities, May 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

What Torah will we receive this year?

We must choose the Torah that perceives Divinity throughout the world and not one that teaches contempt for everything that is not Jewish

When Pete Seeger met Reb Zalman

An unforgettable encounter between two spiritual giants before Shavuot gave me a timeless lesson in compassion, curiosity, and human dignity

Sara T. Friedman

The kids are alright

On campus, online, and even at Eurovision, a new generation of young Jews is meeting hatred not with fear, but with pride and faith

Why Jewish teens aren’t ready to take a stand against biased reporting

When adults streamline reality, they erode kids’ trust; instead, we must help them navigate the complexities of the information they source in their pockets

Inside story

Board of Peace urges countries that promised funds for Gaza to pay up

Document obtained by ToI acknowledges ‘gap’ between the $17B pledged to reconstruct Strip and actual donations; Smotrich nixes US request to transfer withheld PA funds to US-led body

Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war, in Gaza City, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the destruction caused by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

IDF says strike in southern Gaza killed Hamas operative who invaded Israel on Oct. 7

By Stav Levaton, Emanuel Fabian and Agencies

Inside story

Charlie Summers

Mourning IDF veteran slain by police, alienated Bedouin say community souring on state

A once positive relationship between community and cops has been replaced by deep distrust of Border Police, with younger Bedouin showing signs of deepening estrangement from Jewish state amid claims of worsening discrimination

Mourners gather next to the grave of Ahmad al-Naami, a 50-year-old man killed by Border Police gunfire, during his funeral on May 10, 2026. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Incoming Mossad director Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 5, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Court says committee’s vetting of Mossad chief appointment ‘deficient,’ asks for review

By Jeremy Sharon

High Court recommends appointments panel examine new documents, interview two key figures over affair at heart of petitions against Maj. Gen. Gofman’s selection

MK Tally Gotliv attends a meeting of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, September 16, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Firebrand Likud MK indicted for disclosing Shin Bet agent’s identity

Yishai Ishi Ron, author of the award-winning novel 'Dog,' appears on the May 19 What Matters Now podcast (Courtesy)

What Matters Now podcast

Yishai Ishi Ron: Ex-commando writes novels about trauma and recovery

By Jessica Steinberg

Award-winning author of ‘Dog’ discusses PTSD and how writing aided his healing process

Reporter's notebook

Ahead of Shavuot, a Jerusalem cheesecake tour offers a slice of the city’s sweet side

Sampling 14 different cakes at seven capital cafes and bakeries, kosher food influencer Jamie Geller explores recipes and history as she looks to start a new holiday tradition

More Headlines

President Isaac Herzog (center right) with Somaliland’s first ambassador to Israel, Dr. Mohamed Hagi (center left), during a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, May 18, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Somaliland’s first-ever embassy anywhere will open in Jerusalem, envoy says

By Nava Freiberg

Alon Ohel, far right, and his brother, Ronen Ohel, perform at the Israeli ambassador's residence in Berlin on May 18, 2026 (WJC / Nicolai Froundjian)

In Berlin, ex-hostage Alon Ohel plays piano in appreciation of support

By Jessica Steinberg

Israelis sit at a restaurant in Tel Aviv, April 4, 2021. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

New ‘PTSD-friendly’ scheme aims to adapt Israel’s public spaces

An urban crow collects plastic to build its nest in the city center of Jerusalem. March 6, 2013. (Nati Shohat/ Flash90/ File)

Pecking disorderBullying crows attack children, parents at Tel Aviv kindergarten

US acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing to address the Trump administration's budget request for the Justice Department, on May 19, 2026, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

US acting AG doesn’t rule out Trump payouts to Capitol rioters who assaulted police

By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff

People embrace near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP/Gregory Bull)

Police investigating deadly San Diego mosque shooting as hate crime

Sally Rooney takes part in a panel during the Winter 2020 Television Critics Association Press Tour on January 17, 2020, in Pasadena, California. (Richard Shotwell/ Invision/ AP)

Sally Rooney to publish novel in Hebrew with ‘BDS-compliant’ Israeli publisher

By Andrew Silow-Carroll

Illustrative: A technician working with a tablet inside a big data center room. (iStock/Getty)

Big data AI startup will open Tel Aviv engineering hub to tap into local tech talent

By Sharon Wrobel

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks on stage during an America First Workers Special Event on May 18, 2026 in Hebron, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images/AFP)

Imitation gameHegseth impersonates Trump at rally: ‘Gonna have to be tough as sh*t’

By ToI Staff and AP

Harry Styles performs during the Brit Awards 2026 in Manchester, England, February 28, 2026. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Harry Styles says ‘correct’ after concertgoer in Amsterdam yells ‘Viva Palestina’

By Jackie Hajdenberg

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