Carrie Keller-Lynn

Shas party leader Aryeh Deri leaves the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court after pleading guilty on charges of tax offenses as part of a negotiated plea bargain, on January 25, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

January 27, 2022, 6:54 pm

Despite resigning as MK in plea deal, Deri to continue leading Shas Knesset activity

After conviction for tax offenses, Shas leader will still run party’s weekly faction meetings, steer its intricate political life. He just won’t be able to vote, says party source

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a Likud Party election event in Safed, March 8, 2021. (David Cohen/Flash90)

January 26, 2022, 2:57 am

As Netanyahu plea fizzles out, so does jockeying for Likud leadership

After opposition leader announces he has no plans to leave politics, presumed contenders for Likud leadership swiftly fall back in line behind him, except for Yuli Edelstein

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev attends a ceremony at the Israel Police National Headquarters in Jerusalem, September 5, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/ Flash90)

January 24, 2022, 7:40 pm

Amid NSO scandal, minister says wiretap laws must be ‘adapted to the 21st century’

Public Security Minister Barlev calls current legislation ‘old’; Knesset committee opens discussion on claims that police used Pegasus spyware to track civilians without oversight

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid walks through a protest supporting the establishment of a committee of inquiry into the submarine affair, outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, January 23, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

January 23, 2022, 5:50 pm

Cabinet votes to establish state inquiry into submarine affair

Committee will evaluate decision-making by political echelon surrounding sensitive procurement, in case that has already snared several close associates of Netanyahu

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

January 19, 2022, 5:52 pm

Legislators examine gaps in surveillance laws: ‘No one foresaw’ NSO spyware tech

Amid outrage over claims police spied on citizens, key Knesset panel head acknowledges regulations are insufficient for current technological capabilities

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing in his ongoing corruption trial, on November 22, 2021. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)

January 19, 2022, 6:40 am

Talk of Netanyahu plea deal prompts renewed focus on legal strength of the charges

The Times of Israel speaks with two legal experts for differing perspectives on the merits of the three cases against the former PM

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in the Knesset plenum, January 5, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

January 18, 2022, 1:59 am

Coalition projects confidence amid fears of a break-up if Netanyahu leaves politics

‘This government will last,’ says Lapid amid speculation right-wing parties could unite; power struggle brewing in Likud as contenders eye top spot, Hanegbi joins race

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Head of opposition and of the Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, November 15, 2021. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

January 17, 2022, 4:19 am

Likud struggles for unified response amid reports that Netanyahu seeks a plea deal

Likud MKs alternately rail against deal and profess loyalty, but some ponder succeeding long-time party leader; supporters donate NIS 2 million to fund continued legal fight

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

A Jerusalem father tests his daughter with a home rapid test ahead of her first day of school, August 31, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

January 12, 2022, 9:09 pm

‘Disgraceful’ home COVID test prices might soon come under state control

Tests that wholesale for 6-10 shekels are marketed for up to 35 shekels; MK Ali Salalha initiates bill to place home kits under price control

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Illustrative image: woman on a hospital bed (iStock by Getty Images)

January 4, 2022, 12:53 pm

Easy to access, but hard to stomach, ‘humiliating’ abortion process may soon change

Women seeking to terminate a pregnancy must justify themselves before an impersonal panel, a step reformers want to abolish. After decades, the Health Ministry is now on their side

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

An arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, on November 28, 2021, heads to a mandatory COVID test. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

December 27, 2021, 3:03 pm

In Israel’s month-long COVID flight ban, staff of 20 handling 24,000 urgent requests

Almost 2 years into pandemic, entry and exit appeals are being reviewed on emergency basis, with consequent confusion and error, rather than within an effective, longterm framework

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Main picture: Rabbi Jacob Yisrael Herzog in Riyadh, 2021. (Courtesy)

December 27, 2021, 6:23 am

In Saudi Arabia, a rabbi angles to lead a Jewish community that doesn’t exist

Jacob Herzog is loudly trying to build Jewish life in a country where non-Islamic displays are forbidden, raising concerns among local Jews who prefer to stay under the radar

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Tesla being charged by a homemade contraption to bring power from its owner's Ramat Gan home to public street parking, December 8, 2021. (Courtesy of Sharon B.)

December 17, 2021, 5:52 am

Grid locked: Many Tesla owners ‘home charge’ via living room windows

As battery-powered vehicle adoption rapidly accelerates, Israel’s new car owners embrace creative solutions to power up while waiting for the infrastructure to catch up

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Ronit Aldouby looks at her Givat Amal home, with luxury towers overlooking, on November 23, 2021. (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

December 13, 2021, 2:46 pm

A Tel Aviv neighborhood is gone, but evicted residents are still mired in struggle

The working-class Givat Amal is to be replaced by luxury high-rises, but its last residents, scarred and scattered by their removal, say they’re still seeking fair compensation

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Traffic jams on the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, December 27, 2020. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)

December 8, 2021, 6:51 am

It’s the errands, not the commute: What’s really driving Israel’s traffic crisis

Why, if COVID has left many working from home, is the country so gridlocked? Partly because people jump into their newly bought cars for trips they once took on public transit

By Carrie Keller-Lynn