10th week of demos as overhaul laws days away; Lapid urges constitution * Top cop pressed to resign * Jordan River cleanup * Gov’t v state broadcaster * Jews in the Tower

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Saturday, March 11, 2023 [10th week of mass protests nationwide, with overhaul laws potentially only days away]( By ToI Staff Rallies across Israel as coalition scheduled to drive contentious bills through committee this week, despite Herzog plea for ‘disastrous’ legislation to be abandoned immediately [Hundreds more Israeli academics express support for coalition’s judicial shakeup bid]( By ToI Staff and Jeremy Sharon [Tel Aviv’s ousted top cop said to tell police commissioner he’s ‘unfit’ to lead force]( By ToI Staff 6 deputy commissioners call for Shabtai to resign over his handling of now-frozen removal of Eshed, linked to Ben Gvir’s criticism of restrained response to protesters [Lapid proposes constitution for Israel to extract itself from ‘terrible crisis’]( By ToI Staff Opposition chief calls to codify start of Declaration of Independence, limit judicial activism but maintain strong court, examine how many Haredi men can stay in full-time study [Ahead of Netanyahu visit, German president voices concern about judicial overhaul]( By ToI Staff [Large fire at hay barn belonging to Yesh Atid MK; investigators open arson probe]( By ToI Staff Local official says ‘many questions’ as there were no electrical connections or extreme dryness to explain the blaze; lawmaker Ram Ben Barak says hay worth millions destroyed [Top official blames weakness of Biden, Bennett-Lapid government for Saudi-Iran deal]( By Lazar Berman and Jacob Magid Official asserts talks began under previous coalition when US was working to re-enter nuclear deal; media reports from the time seem to contradict claim; Lapid derides accusation [Israeli official: Ask Biden administration why PM hasn’t been invited to White House]( By Jacob Magid [UAE welcomes Iran-Saudi deal as ‘important step for regional stability, prosperity’]( By ToI Staff, AP and Jacob Magid [Three victims in Tel Aviv terror shooting were en route to friend’s wedding]( By ToI Staff Seriously injured man’s girlfriend asks Israelis to pray for his recovery; hundreds show up for vigil at attack site; hospital notes small improvement in their conditions [IDF says troops arrest suspect behind attempted bus bombing in West Bank settlement]( By Emanuel Fabian [IDF: Palestinian teen who hurled firebomb at West Bank army post shot dead]( By Emanuel Fabian [In Rome, Netanyahu says ties with Italy about to expand dramatically]( By Lazar Berman After meeting Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, PM doesn’t mention Iran threat, though sources say it dominated the discussion [Ex-staffers at Israeli embassy in UK: We couldn’t serve under current government]( By ToI Staff Inside story [No Kan do: How Israel’s public broadcaster ended up in the government’s firing line]( By Amy Spiro Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has vowed to drastically cut funding from Kan in a bid to engender competition, but observers say his plans are misguided and dangerous Top Ops Chaim Peri [10 tons of hope]( In Acre, Arab and Jewish youths came together to pack coats and blankets for the needy in post-earthquake Turkey Efraim Zuroff [Germany should fast-track Nazi trials before the criminals all die off]( Those now in their nineties and older who kept the death camps running don’t deserve to pass away in tranquility [Quietly, a stretch of the Jordan River is being cleaned up and transformed]( By Sue Surkes Earthworks and landscaping are aimed at attracting visitors, tourists, with plans to make water safe for swimming; the cleanup will still leave Jordan, Palestinians high and dry [Players, presenters back UK ex-soccer star who likened asylum policy to Nazi Germany]( By Jill Lawless BBC faces growing outrage after former England captain Gary Lineker, now its top TV soccer presenter, suspended for comments criticizing government [Ex-soccer star barred from BBC for comparing government language on migrants to Nazis]( By AP [Why the Tower of London holds a paradoxical place in Medieval England’s Jewish story]( By Robert Philpot New research by Dr. Rory MacLellan, who led a 2-year project at Historic Royal Palaces, paints iconic fortress as a place of imprisonment, and sanctuary, for 13th-century Jews [CRM]( [New desert promenade will take visitors on Ben-Gurion’s favorite Negev walk]( By Danielle Nagler Sde Boker, where the first prime minister lived after retiring, gets an upgrade that aims to draw tourists while keeping their footprint small Reporter's Notebook [With F1 as showcase, Bahrain pushes image of tolerance post-Abraham Accords]( By Alexander Fulbright Hosting regional reporters for grand prix, Gulf kingdom touts itself as model of ‘modern peaceful coexistence,’ calls normalized ties with Israel key part of foreign policy vision [Stars of David, Mensch on a Bench feature on Team Israel’s custom cleats for WBC]( By Ronald Blum Stadium Custom Cleats, a company owned by Alex Katz, a pitcher for Israel at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is livening up the shoes worn at the World Baseball Classic [The real story behind Jewish family comedy ‘iMordecai’]( By Stephen Silver Homegrown director Marvin Samel jumps behind the camera to film Judd Hirsch in the leading role based on Samel’s colorful – and barely believable – real-life father [Iran says deal reached to buy Russian fighter jets, as defense cooperation deepens]( By AFP and ToI Staff Sanctions-hit Tehran has aging fleet, struggled to get spare parts; advanced planes will apparently be housed at underground base designed to respond to potential Israeli strikes [Amid Iran crisis, Grossi set for second term at helm of UN nuclear watchdog]( By AP More Headlines [US authorities arrest Israeli accused of defrauding $47 million from Orthodox Jews]( By ToI Staff [Officer seriously wounded after being stabbed by mentally ill man in Jerusalem]( By ToI Staff [US closes Silicon Valley Bank in biggest collapse since 2008]( By Glenn Chapman [Obituary / Last known survivor of WWII White Rose Nazi resistance group dies at 103]( By AP [DeSantis makes long-anticipated first Iowa trip ahead of expected 2024 bid]( By Thomas Beaumont [Obituary / Raphael Mechoulam, Israel’s ‘father of cannabis research,’ dies at 92]( By Andrew Silow-Carroll [The daily edition]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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