Mandela’s Zionist ally: Annexation will mean apartheid * Show us the maps! IDF in dark on PM’s W. Bank plan * Ruined: Iraq’s Jewish sites * Isra el readies human DNA edits

[Visit timesofisrael.com for 24/7 updates]( The Daily Edition Friday, June 5, 2020 Interview [Annexation will mean apartheid, warns Mandela ally who always fought comparison]( By [Raphael Ahren]( [Cape Town-born Benjamin Pogrund, an early confidant of Mandela, wrote a book arguing ‘A’ word doesn’t apply to Israel. Now he fears state will become ‘mirror of what apartheid was’]( [Pelosi says Israeli annexation in West Bank would hurt US interests]( By [Eric Cortellessa]( [Egyptian, Russian FMs warn of annexation’s ‘perils,’ call for two-state solution]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Excluded from Netanyahu’s annexation plans, military must somehow prepare anyway]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [‘The army hasn’t seen the maps!’: For one of the first times in history, the IDF is out of the loop on a move that could radically affect central aspects of the country’s security]( [Netanyahu ally says Israel hasn’t adopted Trump plan, only parts of it]( By [TOI staff]( [Decrying ‘verbal violence,’ Rivlin urges softer tone in debate over annexation]( By [TOI staff]( Analysis [Robert Philpot]( [Iraq’s Jewish sites almost all ruined beyond repair, new heritage report finds]( [More than half sites in Syria also in terrible condition or worse; neglect and redevelopment blamed, after repression and emigration decimated Jewish life in the 2 countries]( [133 new infections reported over past day; 5 more schools closed]( By [TOI staff]( [Increase marks biggest jump in new cases in a single day since start of May; government offers testing for ministers after MK contracts virus]( [As virus cases mount, HMOs warn they can’t handle ‘flood’ of new tests — report]( By [TOI staff]( [Civil Service Commission clears nomination of new Health Ministry director]( By [TOI staff]( [Israel aiming to enable unprecedented human DNA edits, to help cure illnesses]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Genome editing is promising but imprecise, so Israel is setting up a consortium to make technology more exact; hopes to pave the way for pinpointed tweaks to human DNA]( [Groundbreaking Israeli microscope can change the face of tech — scientists]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( Israel media review [The first rule of annexation club… : 5 things to know for June 5]( By [Joshua Davidovich]( [… is you do not talk about an annexation club. At least that’s Netanyahu’s strategy, which appears to only be adding to the sense of impending doom]( [Jordanian FM says annexation will lead to ‘confrontation and anarchy’]( By [TOI staff]( World Environment Day [Israeli’s crowdfunding effort seeks to save forests by buying a piece of them]( By [Sue Surkes]( Top Ops [Howard Kaplan]( [Back in the USSR: I was an American college kid turned manuscript smuggler]( [That time I went to Moscow and all I got was some illicit microfiche to bring to the West]( [Karen Alkalay-Gut]( [Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch: Why I had to write Bible poems from women’s point of view]( [My mother blessed me to be like the biblical matriarchs, but they weren’t great role models, so I needed to understand them before I could learn from them]( [Shayna Goldberg]( [Words that hurt, words that heal]( [Speaking out against unfairness shows strength of character, but sometimes keeping quiet is best, especially when our words are recorded in the Torah (or on the internet) forever]( [Emily Burack]( [Ben & Jerry’s tops its official anti-racism statement with an actual 4-step plan]( [The ice cream brand calls for concrete action, not empty statements, to stop police brutality and systemic racism]( [CRM]( [Only 2,300 foreigners visited Israel in May amid virus entry restrictions]( By [TOI staff]( [Central Bureau of Statistics also says 8,300 Israelis traveled abroad last month, up from 2,700 departures in April]( [In fresh sign of warming ties, Israeli airliner enters Sudan’s airspace]( By [Raphael Ahren and Michael Bachner]( [Airports union briefly halts flights due to dispute over resuming travel]( By [TOI staff]( [Three airlines resume flights to Israel]( By [TOI staff]( [Bar Refaeli said to ink community service deal for tax evasion; mom to be jailed]( By [TOI staff]( [Report on plea bargain says Tzipi Refaeli will have to spend 16 months behind bars, but supermodel will avoid prison time; will also have to pay fine, NIS 8 million in back taxes]( [Trump hopeful for Iran relations after American freed]( By [Shaun Tandon]( [As Tehran releases Michael White and US frees two Iranians, American president says ‘it shows a deal is possible’]( [Google: State-backed hackers from Iran, China target Trump and Biden campaigns]( By [Frank Bajak]( [Russia defends Iran satellite launch against US opposition]( By [Edith M. Lederer]( [Iran news agency head convicted for interviewee’s criticism of Iranian spying]( By [Jon Gambrell]( [Israeli aircraft said to bomb weapons facility in Syria, killing 9]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [War monitor says four of those killed were Syrian, five of unknown nationality; area that was targeted has reportedly been hit by IDF in the past]( [IDF denies report troops entered Syria unauthorized, sparked deadly firefight]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( Explainer [Samira Mehta and Samuel L. Boyd]( [A justification for unrest? Look to the Bible and the Founding Fathers]( [The conviction that peace cannot exist without justice can be traced to the authors of Biblical texts and early Jewish and Christian communities]( [Allies weigh in: 5 rabbis, a black pastor speak after Chicago anti-racism rally]( By [Ben Sales]( [NYC calmer as Buffalo police draw ire for elderly protester’s injury]( By [Jim Mustian]( More Headlines [As states loosen virus restrictions, US unemployment drops unexpectedly]( By [CHRISTOPHER RUGABER]( [Proud of the protests, not the destruction: George Floyd’s brother at NY service]( By [Jim Mustian]( [Norway to withhold funding to Palestinians over textbooks that promote violence]( By [Marcy Oster]( [Suspect arrested over assault on former Likud MK in East Jerusalem]( By [TOI staff]( [German accused of Halle synagogue shooting attempts prison escape]( By [Joe Baur]( [Patri-yuks / Israeli’s daily ‘dad jokes’ make Chicagoans laugh during dark times]( By [PHILISSA CRAMER]( [Right-wing Polish journalist calls Jews ‘ruthless’, Holocaust ‘a myth’ in book]( By [Katarzyna Markusz]( [Interior Ministry announces new funding for poor municipalities]( By [TOI staff]( [Hundreds protest against Netanyahu, contentious emergency virus bill in Tel Aviv]( By [TOI staff]( [Likud MK: Arab lawmaker’s coronavirus infection a ‘terror attack’ on Knesset]( By [TOI staff]( [Clip shows volunteer cop violently attack elderly rabbi outside synagogue]( By [TOI staff]( [Bernie Madoff’s bid for early prison release rejected]( By [Larry Neumeister]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( © 2020 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, All Rights Reserved