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}); }; advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#div-gpt-ad-top")){ googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-top"); }); }; home page analysis putin will maintain ties with israel, as well as its enemies warm meeting with bennett is part of moscow’s broader regional strategy, which includes strategic partnerships with iran and syria by lazar berman 24 october 2021, 6:27 pm edit facebook twitter linkedin email print lazar berman is the times of israel's diplomatic reporter russian president vladimir putin (right) and prime minister naftali bennett speak during their meeting in sochi, russia, on october 22, 2021. (evgeny biyatov, sputnik, kremlin pool photo via ap) in the telling of both the israeli and the russian governments, prime minister naftali bennett’s first official visit with russian president vladimir putin was an unmitigated success. housing minister ze’ev elkin, a native russian speaker who accompanied benjamin netanyahu on his trips to russia before breaking with the former prime minister, said in a friday briefing to israeli journalists that the meeting was “among the warmest and most intimate held this decade” — and that the two men also discussed “personal matters” like leadership. the meeting ran long over the expected two hours, as the leaders strolled through the grounds of putin’s bocharov ruchey residence in sochi and went inside to chat over drinks. var crmuservar = null; if(typeof crmuser == 'undefined'){ crmuservar = decodeuricomponent( getcookie('crmuser') ); if( crmuservar ) { try { crmuservar = json.parse( crmuservar ); } catch(e) { console.log(e); } } } else { crmuservar = crmuser; } var localuservar = null; if(typeof localuser == 'undefined'){ localuservar = localstorage.getitem('userid'+crmuservar.id); if( localuservar ) { try { localuservar = json.parse( localuservar ); } catch(e) { console.log(e); } } } else { localuservar = localuser; } console.log('rgb_get_toi_videoplayer_code'); console.log(! rgbremoveheadbanners('crmsession') || crmuservar.status != 'active' || ('status' in localuservar && localuservar.status != 'active')); if( ! rgbremoveheadbanners('crmsession') || crmuservar.status != 'active' || ('status' in localuservar && localuservar.status != 'active') ) { window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineslot('/3933714/toi_video/toi_videoplayer_test', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addservice(googletag.pubads()); googletag.enableservices(); googletag.display('gpt-passback'); }); } else { var element = document.queryselector('#gpt-passback'); if(typeof(element) != 'undefined' && element != null){ document.queryselector('#gpt-passback').remove(); } } the bennett-lapid government’s interest in stressing the personal connection is clear. netanyahu’s camp has long claimed that israel and russia were able to navigate dangerous tensions solely because of the rapport between the former prime minister and putin. but the russian side, too, sought to put forward a narrative of continuity with israel’s new government, with putin hailing the “quite businesslike and trusting relations” he’d had with netanyahu and expressing his hope that they continue with bennett. get the times of israel's daily edition by email and never miss our top stories newsletter email address get it by signing up, you agree to the terms the warmth emanating from both sides certainly indicates a desire for constructive dialogue over difficult issues, but israel’s optimism should be tempered by the fact that russia supports jerusalem’s most bitter adversaries, and will continue to do so during bennett’s tenure. chief of staff of iran’s armed forces, general mohammad hossein bagheri delivers a speech during a military parade marking the 36th anniversary of iraq’s 1980 invasion of iran, in front of the shrine of late revolutionary founder ayatollah khomeini, just outside tehran, iran, on september 21, 2016. (ap photo/ebrahim noroozi) a leading player in the region “there clearly is a desire for continuity,” said jonathan spyer, director of the middle east center for reporting and analysis. at the same time, according to ksenia svetlova, middle east expert at the mitvim institute, maintaining open dialogue with israel is part of the kremlin’s broader regional strategy, one that includes a partnership with countries like iran and syria. advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#div-gpt-ad-336x280_middle_1")){ googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-336x280_middle_1"); }); }; “russia is playing in a number of theaters in the middle east,” she told the times of israel. “it sees itself as a leading player that can pull strings, and for this it needs positive relations with all sides.” there is no better illustration of russia’s approach to the region and israel than the visit to moscow by iran’s military chief of staff in the leadup to bennett’s trip. only days before bennett and putin chatted amicably on the shores of the black sea, iranian chief of staff mohammad hossein baqeri was in moscow to drastically expand russian arms sales to tehran. prime minister benjamin netanyahu, right, russian president vladimir putin, left, and then-environmental protection minister ze’ev elkin meet in moscow, russia, january 29, 2018. (courtesy pmo) “the conclusion of weapons agreements and their implementation in the near future will significantly deepen our relationship,” said iran’s military chief, after holding talks with russia’s defense minister and chief of staff. journalist and political analyst ksenia svetlova, formerly an mk from the zionist union party. (miriam alster/flash90) “when elkin or bennett say putin is attentive to israel’s security needs, how exactly does this attentiveness line up with providing advanced weaponry, advanced systems and more to iran?” asked svetlova. “i wouldn’t give too much importance to the warmth or to the length of the meeting. i’d pay attention more to russia’s strategy.” while backing the bashar assad regime in syria, and developing deep operational ties with hezbollah in the battle-torn country, russia does see a core interest in continuing its cooperation with israel, the one us-allied democratic state with which it has such positive ties. advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#div-gpt-ad-336x280_middle_2")){ googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-336x280_middle_2"); }); }; a major component of israeli-russian cooperation is the deconfliction mechanism for syria, through which the israel defense forces informs russia’s commanders at the hmeimim air base on the syrian coast shortly before it carries out airstrikes in the country. illustrative: smoke billows following an alleged israeli airstrike targeting south of damascus, syria, on july 20, 2020 (afp) russia is well aware that israel’s years-long “campaign between wars” against iranian entrenchment in syria complicates its own cooperation with both damascus and tehran, and its attempts to rebuild syria. “there also appears to be a clear desire to coexist with israel and to make sure these projects don’t collide with each other,” said spyer. “it comes from a russian acceptance of the view that israel’s actions do not fundamentally challenge the russian project.” putin also recognizes that israeli airstrikes are directed at iran, not russia, and are not especially directed at assad either. there is something of a convergence of interests in syria, argued efraim inbar, president of the jerusalem institute for strategy and security. “they don’t want iran to get too strong in syria either.” moscow also recognizes israel’s military advantage in the region, and has no desire to pick a fight with one of the most powerful air forces in the world while it has only minimal forces in syria. still, there are important russian voices pushing for a harder line against israeli operations in syria. in recent months, senior russian defense officials have been increasingly critical of the idf campaign, and the defense establishment is said to be advocating for russia to push back harder on jerusalem. “putin and the foreign minister see israel’s activity quite differently,” said svetlova. “they believe they must maintain good relations with most or all the players, and give everyone something they want. they understand that israel cannot accept an  expansion of iranian influence in syria.” advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#div-gpt-ad-336x280_middle_3")){ googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-336x280_middle_3"); }); }; a computer simulation released by the russian defense ministry september 23, 2018, purports to show israeli jets near a russian reconnaissance plane, in red, off syria’s coast before it was accidentally shot down by syria forces responding to the israeli air strike. (russian defense ministry press service via ap) since russia publicly blamed israel for the syrian military shooting down one of its il-20 military planes in 2018, a new mechanism has been in place in which the russians are given more warning time. though moscow will continue to press for more advance notice, the system is working well enough. moreover, the good cop, bad cop routine between putin and the military is likely to continue as well, reminding israel not to push the envelope too far, and to continue showing its gratitude to russia’s president for his cooperative approach. if putin didn’t want the deconfliction over syria to persist, it would come to a sudden halt. while the russia-israel relationship in syria will continue to be useful for both sides, bennett and putin are also not about to come to any surprise revelations over the 2015 nuclear agreement between the p5+1 and tehran or over the talks in vienna to restore it. “we shouldn’t have any illusions that we can coordinate with them on the iranian nuclear program,” said inbar. “they see iran as an anti-american force that weakens the us position in the region.” the tenor of public statements coming from russian officials about israeli attacks in syria, especially from civilians, will be an important indication of the state of the relationship. for now, israel should expect tactical cooperation with russia to continue in syria, while russia remains a strategic partner for some of israel’s most dangerous foes. .wrap-article-single .crm-post-module + .banner { padding-top: 50px; } --> in 2022, support independent journalism do you appreciate the times of israel's non-partisan coverage of israel and the jewish world? if so, please support our work by joining the times of israel community. for as little as $6/month, you will: support our fast, free and fair journalism; enjoy an ad-free experience on the toi site, apps and emails; and gain access to exclusive content shared only with the toi 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region israel-russia relations vladimir putin naftali bennett syrian civil war facebook twitter linkedin email print comments report inappropriate comments view comments hide comments advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#div-gpt-ad-300x250_sidebar_right_1")){ googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250_sidebar_right_1"); }); }; advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#div-gpt-ad-300x250_sidebar_right_2")){ googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250_sidebar_right_2"); }); }; january 14, 2022 current top stories fresh clashes erupt between police and bedouin protesters in southern israel by toi staff locals continue to riot over controversial government tree planting program in lands they consider their own shin bet probing several violent incidents during negev riots as potential ‘terror’ by emanuel fabian and toi staff hundreds of bedouins clash with police over controversial negev tree planting by emanuel fabian and toi staff amid crisis, government said advancing plan to recognize 10-12 bedouin villages by toi staff interview jacob magid israel’s new man in ny: bring on the broad — but legitimate — criticism of israel consul general asaf zamir says providing us youth with tools to sell both progressive and zionist identities requires explaining conflict’s complexity more honestly than in past top eu official: i was previously pessimistic, but nuclear deal with iran possible by afp and toi staff foreign policy chief josep borrell says final accord could be concluded ‘in coming weeks,’ but french fm warns talks progressing ‘much too slowly to be able to reach a result’ us: only ‘a few weeks left’ to save iran nuclear deal, we’re eyeing ‘other options’ by afp and toi staff bennett to putin: world must stand firm against iran’s nuclear progress by amy spiro iran leader’s website showcases animation of drone strike killing trump by ap report: prosecutors believe netanyahu will sign plea deal, perhaps even next week by toi staffchannel 12 says ex-pm’s family does not oppose move; former supreme court chief aharon barak said to urge attorney general mandelblit to go for a deal israel media reviewnetanyahu at the plea market: what the press says about bargain hunting with bibi by joshua davidovich sara netanyahu ruled out previous effort to reach plea deal in husband’s case by shalom yerushalmi and toi staff new us envoy says ‘absolutely won’t’ visit settlements, to avoid inflaming tensions by jacob magid breaking from annexation-backing predecessor, tom nides tells hebrew paper he’s entering job with ‘no ideology,’ says unlike trump, biden believes us must care for palestinians in a creative covid union, wedding guests helped craft the huppah and ketubah by alix wall wanting to be surrounded by loved ones but aware some may not feel safe attending, julie plaut warwick and ben schreiber literally construct their canopy out of mailed-in blessings number of seriously ill covid patients climbs to over 300, with 40,000 new cases by toi staff data shows close to 320,000 tests carried out, with over 12% positivity rate; more than half a million israelis receive fourth vaccine jab as of friday morning covid czar: non-essential medical treatment may need to be halted in omicron wave by amy spiro at least 20 cases of omicron sub-variant ba2 detected in israel by toi staff who approves two new covid-19 treatments by afp repositioned news channel 14 aims for mainstream while keeping pro-netanyahu script by jessica steinberg the former channel 20 is trying to make itself into a true conservative alternative to news channels 12 and 13, but critics say doing so will mean breaking with the former pm gantz, lapid say ministers to vote sunday on state inquiry into murky submarine deal by toi staff but tv report says pm may not agree to hold vote; gantz says panel ‘a necessary step to safeguard security,’ lapid says government will leave ‘no stone unturned’ to reach truth times will tell podcast: bereaved mothers portray mourning and renewal in koby mandell play by toi staff a conversation with writer and mother sherri mandell, along with director yael valier and actress rebecca sykes, about their production of ‘the blessing of a broken heart’ us says russia readying ‘false-flag’ operation to invade ukraine by afp official claims moscow has already placed positioned operatives to carry out acts of sabotage against its own proxy forces; kremlin dismisses the claim as ‘unfounded’ analysisjacob magid biden administration not waiting for nuclear talk denouement to begin damage control to prepare for either stalemate or an unpopular deal coming out of vienna talks, us doubles down on message that intractable conflict is a result of trump’s jcpoa withdrawal as time runs low at iran nuke talks, white house focuses blame on ‘reckless’ trump by toi staff and jacob magid israeli consumer goods prices rose by 2.8% in 2021 — highest increase in 13 years by toi staff national housing prices continue their steep rise, growing by 10.6% in the past year idf airs clip of failed attempt by hezbollah to launch spy drone into israel by toi staff military’s arabic spokesman says army managed to obtain photos of terror group members that were left on memory cards of drones downed by the idf analysisdavid horovitz it’s all about ‘turpitude’: making sense of the netanyahu plea bargain reports the former pm wants to stay out of jail. the departing ag wants to secure a conviction. the sides can agree on all that. but there’s one crucial issue that’s dividing them report: prosecutors could close case 2000, nix netanyahu bribery charge in plea deal by toi staff from the hartman institute what does liberal zionism mean in 2022? why is there such reticence, in both israel and north america, to talk about values and zionism? donniel hartman and yossi klein halevi discuss. sponsored leaving no one behind this tu b’shvat lotem and jnf-usa’s emek hashalom “valley of peace” sensory path is making nature accessible for the disabled as they experience the majesty and beauty of israel’s forests. toi video state of jerusalem: the maqdasyin in this final part of our three-part miniseries, we focus on how the status of the ‘maqdasyin’ – east jerusalem arabs – affects the city, and the rest of israel state of jerusalem: the christian community state of jerusalem: the ‘secular’ struggle toi community david horovitz times of israel community — if the work we do is important to you, join us! together, we ensure high-quality israel journalism reaches far and wide join the toi communitywatch: how simona weinglass’s reporting on fraud changed israeli law more headlines police to pay nis 1.8 million to family of ethiopian-israeli teen killed by cop by toi staff case dropped against swiss man thought linked to 2020 jihadist attack in vienna by afp beitar jerusalem announces sale to french businessman as hogeg battles charges by toi staff novak djokovic faces deportation as australia revokes visa again by john pye and rod mcguirk seditious conspiracy: us indicts 11 far-right oath keepers for jan. 6 capitol attack by paul handley israel braces for unseasonably cold, rainy weekend by toi staff ‘most notorious’: california governor denies parole to rfk assassin sirhan sirhan by don thompson queen strips prince andrew of his military roles, public duties, amid abuse claims by danica kirka and sylvia hui 2021 was earth’s 6th warmest year on record since 1800s by seth borenstein 8 tiny satellites built by israeli students launched into space by amy spiro belgium expels imam who called for burning of jews by afp ohio gop congressman apologizes for comparing vaccine mandates to nazi measures by ron kampeas top ops elazar stern they are not ‘others’ – they are a part of us israel thankfully accepted my request to apply the status of extended jewish population for immigrants who identify as jews, though their mothers are not jewish leah herzog how a tree turns bitter water to sweet bitterness is a corrosive and debilitating, often born out of trauma. it takes time, care, and deep roots to outgrow it (beshalach) sarah tuttle-singer what i inherited when my mother died the same knuckles, the same tapered fingers…what is it about our mothers that make us look at ourselves for the sameness? yitzhak santis when fathers weep a bedouin child’s violent death. his family’s extra bitter coffee of mourning. and my effort to share the pain in an embrace that said what i couldn’t in words sandra cohen 20 years and counting: my stroke my life didn’t turn out as i expected, which is painful, but on this ’strokaversary,’ i celebrate the blessings made possible by my miraculous medical team jonathan ariel sovereignty begins at homesh by not enforcing israeli law for illegal west bank outposts and other de-facto separatist communities, israel is steadily turning itself into a shtetl with an army kally rubin kislowicz what to eat during armageddon omicron has made it impossible to plan and impractical not to worry. but my life necessitates both preparation and heavy denial, so how am i to proceed? ori golan when i was 7, aliza was my savior. i just learned who she really was. i was about to switch off the clip after watching the horrific story of a holocaust survivor from lodz, poland, but decided to read the credits danielle nagler don’t take it out on the testers with so many waiting for so long, tempers fray, but the volunteers, among them my daughter, are already working 11-hour shifts, barely stopping for a drink michael feldstein better than a ’jewish disneyland’ the current long hiatus away from israel may be just what we need to renew our appreciation of the jewish state, when we are finally able to return easily naomi chazan urgently needed: a new social pact the government’s ceding of its duty to manage the pandemic by handing the job to individual citizens has resulted in the mayhem of the past few days steven e. zipperstein how not to make the case for palestinian statehood with a long history of rejecting offers, making a legal case for sovereignty is a losing battle. the conflict isn’t a legal dispute, it’s an inherently political one latest articles 32 minutes ago fresh clashes erupt between police and bedouin protesters in southern israel 2 hours ago in a creative covid union, wedding guests helped craft the huppah and ketubah 2 hours ago case dropped against swiss man thought linked to 2020 jihadist attack in vienna 3 hours ago new us envoy says ‘absolutely won’t’ visit settlements, to avoid inflaming tensions 3 hours ago us says russia readying ‘false-flag’ operation to invade ukraine 3 hours ago report: prosecutors believe netanyahu will sign plea deal, perhaps even next week 5 hours ago shin bet probing several violent incidents during negev riots as potential ‘terror’ 5 hours ago top eu official: i was previously pessimistic, but nuclear deal with iran possible 6 hours ago interviewisrael’s new man in ny: bring on the broad — but legitimate — criticism of israel 6 hours ago idf airs clip of failed attempt by hezbollah to launch spy drone into israel 6 hours ago israeli consumer goods prices rose by 2.8% in 2021 — highest increase in 13 years 8 hours ago sara netanyahu ruled out previous effort to reach plea deal in husband’s case 9 hours ago repositioned news channel 14 aims for mainstream while keeping pro-netanyahu script 9 hours ago gantz, lapid say ministers to vote sunday on state inquiry into murky submarine deal 10 hours ago israel media reviewnetanyahu at the plea market: what the press says about bargain hunting with bibi 10 hours ago times will tellpodcast: bereaved mothers portray mourning and renewal in koby mandell play 11 hours ago number of seriously ill covid patients climbs to over 300, with 40,000 new cases 13 hours ago novak djokovic faces deportation as australia revokes visa again 14 hours ago israel braces for unseasonably cold, rainy weekend 15 hours ago police to pay nis 1.8 million to family of ethiopian-israeli teen killed by cop see all latest blogs dmytro spilka israel’s tech ecosystem holds g... ellen ginsberg simon enough with the holocaust analogi... mordechai soskil a blessing for tu b'shevat craig lebrau survey reveals that more than hal... larry jacob martin luther king, jr. a civil r... alan kotlyar the arrogance of vaccine mandates flora rosefsky new year of trees- a jewish holid... leon kushner is bennett the right wing leader ... dov linzer fire in the bronx and the pillar ... daniel markind fighting the last war see all full coverage the daily briefing daily briefing jan. 13 – who are the israelis spying for iran? by toi staff daily briefing jan. 12 – negev tree crisis puts coalition out on a limb by toi staff daily briefing jan. 11 – you calling me crazy? two former pms face off in court by toi staff see all coronavirus latest israel statistics: 6,666,863 vaccinated: 1st dose 1,718,989 cases 6,010,232 vaccinated: 2nd dose 248,169 active cases 4,385,857 vaccinated: 3rd dose 317 serious cases 513,865 vaccinated: 4th dose 8,298 deaths global statistics: 323,263,843 cases 5,544,829 deaths 265,009,179 recovered all toi's coverage virus must-reads: number of seriously ill covid patients climbs to over 300, with 40,000 new cases at least 20 cases of omicron sub-variant ba2 detected in israel covid vaccine for israeli babies, toddlers expected by april, says health official 1st kids’ omicron ward opens with classes, clowns, and doctors bracing for ‘war’ view from a covid ward: with omicron, even the sickest patients are breathing easier number of youths seeking mental health hospitalization doubled during covid – report coronavirus worldmeter health ministry stats (hebrew) health ministry coronavirus homepage (english) all toi's coverage full coverage covid-19 number of seriously ill covid patients climbs to over 300, with 40,000 new cases by toi staff novak djokovic faces deportation as australia revokes visa again by john pye and rod mcguirk who approves two new covid-19 treatments by afp see all full coverage times will tell podcast: bereaved mothers portray mourning and renewal in koby mandell play by toi staff podcast: author digs into wacky-but-true tales of jerusalem archaeology by toi staff podcast: producer behind ‘fauda,’ ‘shtisel’ and others on what makes successful tv by toi staff see all the times of israel daily edition free to your inbox the email is either missing or invalid. by signing up, you agree to our terms you hereby accept the times of israel terms of use and privacy policy, and you agree to receive the latest news & offers from the times of israel and its partners or ad sponsors. full coverage israel media review netanyahu at the plea market: what the press says about bargain hunting with bibi by joshua davidovich we’re going down: what the press says about the coalition’s flubs and fights by joshua davidovich countdown to the shoe drop: what the press is saying as it awaits the omicroncalypse by joshua davidovich see all tales of the times the quirky, improbable, infuriating and uplifting high hopes study: cannabis compounds prevent coronavirus entering cells by toi staff to catch a role gal gadot to step into grace kelly’s shoes in hitchcock remake by toi staff kindling the crazies? fauci heard calling gop senator ‘a moron’ at testy senate hearing by issam ahmed sign up ‘fauda’ creators sell production company to former disney executives by jessica steinberg headache israeli woman sues after unwittingly inspiring a sex doll by stuart winer family affair israeli singer shares shabbat food, tunes with mary j. blige and ll cool j by jessica steinberg norwegian bingin' netflix series ‘the girl from oslo’ brings drama, twists and turns by jessica steinberg infer-no turkmenistan’s leader wants to close the fiery ‘gates of hell’ by ap what day is it? uae works on friday for 1st time in switch to western-style weekend by shatha yaish king of the corner israeli soccer star hailed for ‘greatest time-wasting performance ever’ by toi staff on a different note after composing for top artists, conductor finds his own voice by jessica steinberg come what may air supply plans two-show jaunt to israel in spring by jessica steinberg irritable bowel macron uses vulgar term to target unvaccinated, sparking outcry by john leicester and sylvie corbet harmful cocktail omer adam’s new song ‘kakdila’ called out for racist overtones by jessica steinberg just keep driving israeli scientists train goldfish to steer car around room by toi staff like it's 1999 y2k redux? 2022 microsoft bug glitches email program by toi staff the show must go on spielberg’s rescue of welsh town movie theater hits big screen by stuart winer forbidden fruit lebanon seizes shipment of drugs hidden in fake oranges by afp ball's in his court amar’e stoudemire says he’s looking for a jewish wife by shira hanau what is to kvell? what is rabbi? angela buchdahl becomes ‘jeopardy!’ clue by philissa cramer full coveragecoronavirus in a creative covid union, wedding guests helped craft the huppah and ketubah by alix wall at least 20 cases of omicron sub-variant ba2 detected in israel by toi staff number of seriously ill covid patients rises, with over 48,000 new virus cases by stuart winer israel sees less need for ventilators, shorter hospitalization times with omicron by toi staff denmark to offer 4th covid vaccine shots to the highly vulnerable by afp 10% of knesset absent due to virus as covid spreads among lawmakers by toi staff covid vaccine for israeli babies, toddlers expected by april, says health official by nathan jeffay uk’s johnson sorry for attending lockdown party, but says he deemed it a work event by jill lawless toi podcast daily briefing jan. 12 – negev tree crisis puts coalition out on a limb by toi staff covid still climbing, with 43,815 new cases detected, but no rise in serious cases by stuart winer and toi staff 1st kids’ omicron ward opens with classes, clowns, and doctors bracing for ‘war’ by nathan jeffay report: 1 in 3 israelis offered covid treatment pill are refusing it by toi staff kindling the crazies? fauci heard calling gop senator ‘a moron’ at testy senate hearing by issam ahmed us on the ‘threshold’ of living with coronavirus, fauci says by issam ahmed idf cancels reservist exercises, limits combat troops’ leave amid omicron outbreak by judah ari gross half of europe set to catch omicron, who says on 2nd anniversary of 1st covid death by agencies 41,154: israel hits covid case record; expert estimates true daily tally is 100,000 by toi staff interview view from a covid ward: with omicron, even the sickest patients are breathing easier by nathan jeffay omicron sweeps through schools, infecting over 38,000 students by toi staff lapid tests positive for covid as government struggles to 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