Sunday, December 27, 2020
Dore Gold: Moroccan-Israeli peace faces multiple security challenges
For much of the modern era, the Arab world has sought ways to provide legitimacy to its political leadership. That led it down the road of highly ideological politics based on promoting unity schemes even with the use of force, experimenting with Arab socialist doctrines, and maintaining at all costs the Arab-Israel conflict.Brian Hook: No more Arab-Israeli peace deals if Biden mollifies Iran
A few brave leaders were prepared to break with this paradigm and reached peace with Israel, such as president Sadat of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan. Most recently, King Hamad of Bahrain and Sheikh Zayed of the UAE have joined. Peace with Israel was not a risk-free strategy, and some of these leaders’ enemies were prepared to threaten them with assassination attempts and increased political turmoil. But they persisted nonetheless in the path of peace.
Now King Mohammed VI has bravely moved the Kingdom of Morocco into the circle of states making formal peace with Israel. It is a move that is not without risks for the Moroccans.
The security challenges that they face primarily emanate from the area of the former Spanish colony of the Western Sahara, where an insurgency campaign is being waged by guerrillas from the Polisario Front against the Moroccan security forces, with the support of Algeria. Morocco had valid claims to this disputed territory; many tribes in the area had been historically linked to the Moroccan monarchy.
The stakes in this conflict were considerable. The Polisario, which is also backed by the Iranian regime, seeks to undermine the territorial integrity of Morocco itself.
In 2018, Morocco presented documents to the Iranian government proving that Tehran was now arming and training the Polisario with the help of Hezbollah. The weapons supplied included shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles like the SAM-9 and SAM-11. As a result, Morocco cut its diplomatic ties with Iran. It turned out that the Iranians were using their embassy in Algiers as a conduit to the Polisario.
This was part of a pattern that the Iranians were following in Africa, seeking to infiltrate the continent by backing military moves of allies they sought to cultivate.
US President-elect Joe Biden will not be able to pursue Israeli-Arab normalization deals if he softens America’s stance against Tehran, former US special representative for Iran Brian Hook told i24 News.Israel, UAE collaborating to eliminate UNRWA - report
“If the Biden administration pursue a policy of accommodating Iran and alienating our partners in the region, there will be no more peace agreements that are made,” Hook said.
He spoke less than a week after Israel announced a normalization deal with Morocco, the fourth under the US brokered Abraham Accords. The focus of those deals has been Israeli-Arab peace and expanded regional economic opportunity.
But the deals have also been viewed as the backbone of a new and very public regional alliance between Israel and its Arab neighbors against Iran.
The United Arab Emirates was able to secure an agreement with the US to purchase advanced F-35 fighter jets, concurrent with its peace deal with Israel that was ratified in October. A normalization deal with Bahrain was ratified in November and a deal with Sudan has been agreed on but not ratified.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates are working together to eliminate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) without solving the issue of Palestinian refugees, the French newspaper Le Monde has reported.
The report alleged that this has been underway since Israel and the UAE announced normalization between them in August.
According to the report, Emirati officials are considering an action plan intended to gradually eliminate UNRWA, without making this development conditional on a resolution of the refugee problem. This is despite the UAE having been a major source of funding to UNRWA in 2018 and 2019, along with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to offset US President Donald Trump's halting of funds to the agency, which brought it to the brink of bankruptcy.
"In doing so, Abu Dhabi would be rallying to a long-standing demand from Israel, which insists that the agency is obstructing peace by nurturing refugees in the dream of returning to the lands from which their parents were driven in 1948," a tweet of a portion of the report said.
UNRWA was established 70 years ago to supply aid to Palestinian refugees, and its mandate is renewed every three years.
Last year in November, the UN General Assembly approved the extension of UNRWA’s mandate for three more years, only a week after its commissioner-general Pierre Krahenbuhl resigned over a UN ethics report alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority among senior officials of the agency, after which Israel called for UNRWA’s closure.
'Tis the season to nail Israel'
"Intersectionality" is the idea that race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics "intersect" with one another and overlap, and that all injustices are interconnected. Women and minorities (theoretically including Jews, but usually excluding them) are considered victims of white oppression.Will Israel and the US succeed in preventing war with Iran?
Intersectionality has risen to smash Israel for Christmas. Two weeks ago, the Irish Unity Movement tweeted that "If Mary and Joseph set off to Bethlehem today, they'd cross 15 Israeli checkpoints and a 30-foot wall," setting-off a twitter-sphere storm.
Lahav Harkov, The Jerusalem Post's diplomatic correspondent, responded that Mary and Joseph were Jews (!), who today would have been barred from visiting Bethlehem by Palestinian police. Others responded bluntly that "If Mary and Joseph somehow made it to Bethlehem they probably would be raped and lynched by a Palestinian mob." Others noted correctly that the Christian population in Bethlehem has dropped drastically since the PLO took over.
Some twitter respondents who do not understand the irrationalities and venalities of "intersectionality," innocently asked: What does Irish unity have to do Bethlehem, Israel, and the Palestinians?!
They do not understand that the so-called "woke" community links the Palestinian struggle against Israel to "the struggles of students of color, student survivors of sexual assault, and all others who on campus fight against oppression, whether imperialism, racism, patriarchy, police violence, or other systemic inequities."
Intersectionality aside, the Western media annually devotes considerable Christmas ink, and many Christian NGOs dedicate their Christmas appeals, to purveying the false impression that Christians are under assault by Israelis. And worse still, that Jews are crucifying Christians smack in the heart of Bethlehem.
Israel and the United States are working hard to prevent a war with Iran. It is not certain that they will succeed.Why are Palestinian leaders rejecting Arab-Israeli peace?
In recent weeks, the US and Israeli militaries have sent a series of messages and signals to the Iranians, warning the ayatollahs of the consequences of an attack launched directly by the Revolutionary Guard Corps or by one of the Islamic Republic’s terrorist proxies, in Lebanon, Iraq or Yemen.
The rise in tensions is due to intelligence assessments in Israel and the US that Iran is plotting to avenge a string of attacks against it over the last year – the US bombing that killed Qassem Soleimani in January, the bombing of the Natanz nuclear facility over the summer and the assassination last month of its top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh outside Tehran.
The attacks are an embarrassment for the regime and there is concern in Israel and the US that Iran will want to retaliate before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20. This way, it will get the retaliation out of the way and then be able to open a new page with the Democratic administration.
In recent weeks, US and Israeli submarines were either seen or reported to have been seen sailing in the Persian Gulf. The US sent two B-52 bombers to the region last month, for the first time since 2019, in what the US military said was aimed to “deter aggression and reassure US partners and allies.”
President Donald Trump threatened Iran last week after a number of rockets were fired at the US embassy in Iraq. “Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq,” Trump tweeted. “Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over.”
In Israel, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi issued a strong threat against Iran, saying that if it or its proxies try to carry out attacks against Israel or Israeli targets, they will pay a heavy price.
In order to understand why Arab Palestinian leaders, led by the PLO and Hamas, reject the Abraham Accords and efforts to promote peace between Israel and its neighbors, and why they refuse to accept Israel’s right to exist, it is necessary to understand their ideology: Palestinianism.Saudis using Bahrain as conduit for business with Israel
Palestinianism is not a national movement. It is an anti-Jewish movement conceived and dedicated to opposing the right of the Jewish people to reestablish their historic homeland in Eretz Yisrael.
Although demanding “self-determination” and statehood, and promoting a vague “Palestinian national identity,” their agenda is focused on and committed to destroying Israel. Nearly the entire contents of the PLO and Hamas covenants are devoted to this genocidal goal, and are the basis of Palestinian law and culture.
Palestinianism is essentially a form of identity politics intended to make Arab Palestinians think of themselves as victims of Israel, Jews and their supporters, and to promote terrorism.
Suggesting a “two-state solution,” or “two states for two nations,” therefore, begs the questions: Are Palestinian Arabs a nation, or a people? On what is “Palestinian national identity” based? How will creating a terrorist-run state serve the interests of peace and Palestinians? Although considered a legitimate expression of nationalism, Palestinianism has neither a long, nor distinguished history, which explains why the peace process between Israel and Arab Palestinians has failed and will continue to fail.
Saudi Arabian companies plan to invest in Israel through Bahrain, according to a person with knowledge about the matter. “It’s very interesting and a sign of how sentiment about Israel is changing” in Saudi Arabia, the source said.UAE-Israel greentech cooperation shows tremendous potential
Several Saudi companies are considering business transactions, said the source, who was in Bahrain last week. The investors are mostly interested in Israeli hi-tech.
Representatives for companies involved declined to speak on the record about the matter.
Bahrain’s economy is heavily dependent on Saudi Arabia, making it an easy conduit for Saudi businesspeople to connect to Israel.
Israel and Bahrain announced they were establishing diplomatic relations in September within the framework of the Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco took similar steps in recent months.
Since the announcement, Jerusalem and Manama have exchanged official delegations, and Bahrain’s foreign minister and minister of industry, commerce and tourism visited Israel.
The blossoming UAE-Israel relationship has tremendous potential to contribute not only to both countries and the wider Middle East, but to the future of our planet. By combining the unique strengths of the UAE and Israel, we can break new paths on the way to a sustainable future.Tunisian who sang duet with Israeli faces backlash, death threats
In November 2020, the UAE Cabinet approved the UAE Environmental Plan, based on eight pillars, including climate change, environmental protection, air quality, food security and waste management. This was the latest in a series of ambitious initiatives launched by the UAE leadership to transform the country, which was ranked in 2010 as having the world’s largest ecological footprint, into a world leader in sustainability.
The UAE has experienced phenomenal growth in the past 50 years in terms of economy, infrastructure and population. At the time of the UAE’s formal union in 1971, the population was under 300,000. Today it is about 10 million. Its population density has increased by 3,800%.
Wherever one looks, new buildings, roads and commercial centers are sprouting up, slowed only slightly by COVID-19. The total built-up area of Dubai, the UAE’s commercial hub, increased 1,700% from 1975 to 2015, and continues to expand. Dubai’s economic model is based to a large extent on consistent growth in terms of population, infrastructure, businesses, investments and tourists.
A Tunisian musician who collaborated with an Israeli singer on a song promoting religious tolerance between Muslims and Jews has faced serious backlash, including reportedly being fired from his job at a state broadcaster and death threats on social media.Moscow ‘confused’ by Israeli anger at envoy’s remarks to ‘Post’
The song “Peace Between Neighbors,” released last week, was performed by Israeli Ziv Yehezkel, a religious Mizrahi Jew who sings primarily in Arabic, and Tunisian music producer and composer Nouman al-Shaari. The collaboration was arranged by the Arab Council for Regional Integration, which attempts to advance Arab-Israeli dialogue in the region.
The Arab Council for Regional Integration has lobbied the United States and France to pass laws protecting those whose lives are threatened for normalizing with Israelis.
Joseph Braude, founder of the Center for Peace Communications, which supports the Arab Council, charged: “Tunisian authorities have targeted his livelihood. Pressure from a senior official caused his firing from his job, and pressure from establishment institutions forced his private clients to leave him. This is a campaign to destroy him.”
Though he worked as a music producer and composer for state-owned Tunisian television, al-Shaari did not have a large public following or online presence before the controversy. His collaborator, Yehezkel, could not be reached for comment.
“Personally, I don’t believe there is such a thing as ‘normalization.’ Relationships between human beings are already normal,” al-Shaari told well-known Tunisian radio personality Hadi a-Za’im.
Earlier this month, Viktorov told the Post: “The problem in the region is not Iranian activities: It’s a lack of understanding between countries and noncompliance with UN resolutions in the Israel-Arab and Israel-Palestinian conflict.” There is “no proof Hezbollah created the tunnels” from Lebanon crossing into Israel, he said. The tunnels are used to attempt terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.Israel enters 3rd lockdown; commercial activity shuts down, schools remain open
“Israel is attacking Hezbollah,” Viktorov said. “Hezbollah is not attacking Israel.”
Two days later, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned Viktorov and reprimanded him for remarks that “did not fit with the reality he had been shown many times.”
“I think it was made clear beyond all doubt that Israel does not accept these statements, and thus I hope we will bring an end to such embarrassing and unacceptable statements between us and Russia,” Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said.
The Russian Embassy in Israel said Viktorov’s words were taken out of context, but Zakharova’s remarks indicate otherwise.
Israel on Sunday evening entered its third national lockdown since the start of the pandemic to beat back a resurgence of COVID-19.Israel aims to vaccinate 25% of population in a month; 250,000 had shots so far
The lockdown began at 5 p.m. Sunday evening. Although declared to be two weeks with an option to extend, health officials have already warned it will likely go on for a month. Daily virus cases in Israel have been climbing upward in recent weeks, surpassing 3,000 on most days over the past week.
The lockdown rules bar Israelis from entering another person’s home; restrict movement to one kilometer (six-tenths of a mile) from home, with exceptions, such as for vaccinations; shut down commerce (except for essentials), leisure and entertainment; limit public transportation to 50% capacity; and limit workplaces that do not deal with customers face-to-face to 50% capacity. Fines for violators stand at NIS 500 ($155).
Under the terms for the lockdown proposed by the government, preschools, grades 1-4 and grades 11-12 were to have a full day of classes as usual, but grades 5-10 were to stay at home and use distance learning instead. However, the Knesset Education Committee convened on Sunday and voted to overturn the regulations, thereby keeping all students in the classroom.
A senior Health Ministry official told Channel 13 news that the regulations would be resubmitted within 24 hours.
A senior health official said on Sunday that the length of the lockdown could depend on how much of the education system remained open.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday he sought to reach a vaccination rate of around 150,000 people a day within a week, and to have inoculated over 2 million Israelis by the end of January.Israel: Netanyahu Aims to Vaccinate 4.5M People in 30 Days
Though the Health Ministry had yet to issue updated figures after Shabbat, Channel 12 News reported that some 266,000 people had gotten the first of two shots by the end of the first week of Israel’s vaccination push.
Israel has vaccinated some 266,000 people against COVID-19 since kicking off a national vaccination drive this week, Channel 12 News reported Saturday.
At a pace of 150,000 vaccines administered a day, Netanyahu said that within a month 2.25 million Israelis could receive both doses of the vaccine. That amounts to over a quarter of Israel’s 9.25 million population.
He also said he’d spoken over the weekend with the heads of pharmaceutical firms, asking them to increase the pace at which they’re supplying the vaccine in order to allow the increased rate. Netanyahu, who didn’t specify which pharma executives he spoke with, said the officials told him they believed they could do so.
“This is the critical stage… because this is the entire at-risk population: All the medical teams, all the people over 60. Within this stratum is 95 percent of the mortality. Once we finish this stage, within 30 days we can get out of the coronavirus [pandemic], open the economy and do things that no other state can do,” he claimed, echoing an assertion he made Thursday.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said in a statement Saturday night he would seek to vaccinate the country’s teaching professionals this week, to help protect them as schools remain open during a new national lockdown.
In its last update before Shabbat on Friday morning, the Health Ministry said nearly 210,000 medical workers, Israelis over 60 and residents of senior living facilities had received the vaccine.
Tel Aviv research: 99.9% of COVID-19 virus dead in 30 seconds with UV LEDs
Ultraviolet radiation is a common method of killing bacteria and viruses. Now, researchers from Tel Aviv University have proven that the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, can be killed efficiently, quickly and cheaply using ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) at specific frequencies.Terrorist prisoners will not be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine, minister says
“We discovered that it is quite simple to kill the coronavirus using LED bulbs that radiate ultraviolet light,” said Prof. Hadas Mamane, head of the Environmental Engineering Program at Tel Aviv University's School of Mechanical Engineering, who led the study with Prof. Yoram Gerchman and Dr. Michal Mandelboim.
She said that the UV-LED bulbs require less than half a minute to destroy more than 99.9% of the coronaviruses.
The study is the first of its kind in the world. An article about it was published earlier this month in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology.
The Jerusalem Post has written about Mamane many times. She presented this summer at the Boris Mints Institute 2020 Research Conference on her involvement in the construction of a 30-meter "green wall" at the university, which is meant to create a sustainable ecosystem for waste, energy and water.
Following reports the Israel Prison Service would soon begin to administer vaccinations, Interior Minister Amir Ohana on Saturday evening said he had issued a directive saying prison staff would receive the vaccine and prisoners would be inoculated in accordance with guidelines for vaccinating the general public and would therefore not be vaccinated at this time.
While the IPS has yet to receive any vaccines, officials hope to receive them this week.
There are some 4,600 security prisoners inside Israel, some of them with blood on their hands.
"In a democratic country such as ours, vaccinating security prisoners before the general population has been vaccinated could spark criticism," former IPS Commissioner Orit Adato told Israel Hayom.
She said, "There will be those who wonder if those who harm state security, including murderers, deserve the right to be vaccinated before the operation has been completed among the general population.
My iraqi peeps remember when Saddam used to put his army in schools near our home & they would fire at US jets during war? That’s how my school blew up and a shrapnel broke the window almost killed me in my sleep.
— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) December 26, 2020
Iran-backed militia too fire at US sites from residential areas. https://t.co/08NuLfmEd0
Reminder this is same @nazir_lord who:
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) December 26, 2020
1. Was suspended even by UK Labor Party for being too Antisemitic after blaming 'the Jews' for his prisons sentence of fatal car crash:https://t.co/xvWZwNQawW
2. Facing charges for sexual assault against minors: https://t.co/PgIsla4vKo https://t.co/XULLTA7uzh
2 nights ago homicidal Muslim terrorists indiscriminately fired rockets targeting 🇮🇱's civilian population.
— Maurice Hirsch, Adv. 🇮🇱 עו''ד מוריס הירש (@MauriceHirsch4) December 27, 2020
The @ICRC_ilot said nothing!
Clearly they were too busy watching & writing critiques of TV shows.
The @ICRC should instruct the local team to remove this shameful tweet! https://t.co/YJtBKhahZ3
So glad ICRC is making good use of its mandate by critiquing Israeli tv shows. Meanwhile they also have provided free classes to Assad’s criminal military about human rights. What a joke. https://t.co/y9dLQsgDVH
— Oren Adaki (@orenadaki) December 27, 2020
PMW: Top PA religious official prohibits women from traveling without a male relative
Although the PA likes to present itself as a secular authority, its religious leaders use the official PA TV station to demand a male-dominated society, in which women must be obedient to their husbands as part of their obligation under Islam.
The PA’s Grand Mufti - who was appointed by PA Chairman Abbas himself - was asked on his weekly TV program if a man’s wife is allowed to travel to Dubai with her daughters without a male relative accompanying them. The PA’s top religious official answered that she is not. She would have to be accompanied by “a man from her family”: Official PA TV host: “The first question is that his wife wants to travel to Dubai with her daughters without the presence of an accompanying man from her family – is this allowed?” PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein: “There has to be an accompanying man from her family on the trip.” [Official PA TV, Fatwa, Dec. 16, 2020]
Although the Palestinian Authority might be considered religiously moderate regarding women’s rights compared to other Arab states, top PA religious leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas’ advisor on Islam, have been given time on official PA TV to tell Palestinian men that they are permitted, albeit with restrictions, to beat their wives. Women are taught to obey their husbands, not to leave home without their permission, not to contact Israeli police if their husbands are violent, and even to not refuse their husbands’ demands for sex because it is a husband’s right “to enjoy his wife at any time,” according to the Abbas appointed PA Mufti.
Abbas' advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash has explained on official PA TV that there are situations in which men are allowed to beat women, explaining that "as long as Allah permitted a certain type of beating, it is for the good. It is good for society and good for the woman and the man." He added that it is OK for husbands, fathers, and brothers to beat disobedient women.
How can Jewish students fight antisemitism on campus?Kuwaiti Islamic Scholar Othman Al-Khamees: Today’s Jews May Be Seen as Brothers of Apes and Pigs; Christians Were Transformed into Pigs for Rejecting Jesus pic.twitter.com/QTrXMgISMS
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 27, 2020
In 2020, in a global survey by the Anti-Defamation League of 1 billion people, more than 40% stated that Jews are more loyal to Israel than their own countries. It also revealed that 33% of the population believes Jews do not care about what happens to others.Despite Covid-19, 40% Of Israeli Tech Companies Will Be Handing Out 2020 Bonuses
How can we, Jewish students, be expected to find a balance between fighting antisemitism, defending the rights of the Jewish people to self-determination and safety, and criticism of Israeli political actions, when facing an international community with such preconceptions about Jewish allegiances?
It is clearer than ever that we have a myriad of challenges and that as young activists we are particularly responsible for adapting creative and innovative strategies to confront them.
When it comes to Israel, I firmly believe that we must never apologize for defending Israel’s right to exist and self-determine its future. This does not mean that we cannot be critical of specific policies, but at the end of the day, the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora must be a love story. And while all love stories have their highs and lows, they must be built on trust.
This is the love story of a people to its past, present and future.
A Jewish person, wherever they may be, will always have a connection to Israel.
Because of that connection, we, as Jewish students, will almost always be asked to defend Israel’s actions, and this is undoubtedly a challenging position recognizing that we personally don’t always agree with those positions.
Forty percent of tech companies in Israel will grant their employees a yearly bonus worth 105% of their monthly salary for 2020, but whether or not they do so, heavily impacted by the company’s funding status. Ninety percent of post-IPO or post-acquisition companies grant bonuses, while only 2% of seed or series A companies do, according to data collected by HR analytics startup Piplwize.6 Natural Wonders Of Israel You Need To Go And See In 2021
“At the end of the day, you as a manager must assess which ecosystem you belong to. A seed company is in no way like a company that completed an exit and, as the figures show, only 2% of them hand out bonuses. In those companies, the compensation makeup is different and is based more on options. A companies’ ability to identify their true peers impacts their decision-making and the correct course of action at a given time,” said Piplwize co-founder and CEO Amit Rapaport.
The data, which is based on the bonus granting policies of 100 tech companies, reveals that the percentage of companies that hand out annual bonuses stands at 50% among series D and E companies and 35% among companies at the series B or C stage.
The size of the bonus is directly correlated to the employee’s performance. While for most it equals slightly more than their monthly salary, the “stars” can receive as much as one and a half to three times their monthly salaries.
Israel is home to a breathtaking array of must-see landmarks, countless holy sites, and stunning nature. A small country with diverse topography, you can find pristine beaches, fascinating archaeological sites, and amazing hiking trails around every corner. There are also natural wonders in Israel – natural sites and monuments created by Mother Nature.Stone found in Israel is oldest known tool used for ‘delicate’ abrading
From salt formations to a growing salt cave, and jagged desert landscapes to glorious colors of blooming wildflowers, NoCamels highlights six natural wonders you need to see (or add to your bucket list for post COVID-19 travel!)
The Dead Sea The Dead Sea is one of Israel’s tourist calling cards with its breathtaking natural beauty of blue-green waters offset by red-colored mountains. Celebrities, politicians, and tourists alike have taken selfies covered in the mineral-rich mud or floating in the deepest salt lake in the world.
“The Dead Sea offers many options for very interesting photographs.” says photographer Ariel Jerozolimski, who took this photo. While visiting this area, keep your camera at the ready because breathtaking photos of the salt formations reflected in this little body of water will beckon you to keep snapping the shutter at 1,424 feet below sea level.
“The Dead Sea offers many options for very interesting photographs in terms of the people floating, the colors, and the contrasts,” Ariel Jerozolimski, a tour guide and photographer, tells NoCamels. “At specific times during sunset, the contrast between the sea and the reflection makes this a very special for me.”
Unfortunately, the Dead Sea is receding at a swift rate; its surface area today is 605 km2 (234 sq mi), having been 1,050 km2 (410 sq mi) in 1930. The recession of the Dead Sea has begun causing problems, and multiple canal and pipeline proposals have been made to reduce its recession.
So if you are planning a visit to this world wonder, it’s probably best not to put it off for too long.
Archaeologists say they have found the earliest known example of a stone tool used for abrading surfaces, dating it to 150,000 years before such tools were thought to have first been used.
Prehistoric hominids apparently used the dolomite cobble, found in the Tabun Cave at Mount Carmel, to wear down materials some 350,000 years ago, but exactly what it was they were trying to produce remains unknown, a University of Haifa research team said in a press release.
The dating puts the tool in the hands of human ancestors before the development of Homo sapiens, and some 150,000 years earlier than the previously known oldest abrading tool.
“While the tool is seemingly ‘simple,’ its early appearance and the fact that it has no parallel in such an early stage of human evolution give it world importance,” said researchers Ron Shimelmitz, Iris Groman-Yaroslavski, Mina Weinstein-Evron, and Danny Rosenberg, of the university’s Zinman Institute of Archaeology.
They published their findings online in the January 2021 issue of Journal of Human Evolution.
Archaeologists said the cobble, a type of small rounded stone, shows that “at such an early stage a very significant technology was added to [the hominids’] ‘toolbox.'”
Earlier stone tools dating as far back as 1.5 million years ago have been found with evidence of beating or pounding, which are vertical motions, but this appeared to be the first stone used for abrading, with marks similar to those found on later grinding tools.
Abrasion, which requires a horizontal motion, is a different way of working, Shimelmitz said.
“You can work more delicately,” he told The Times of Israel.
WATCH: Drawing on relics and historical texts, Israeli archaeologists and masons have recreated the sacred flooring of an ancient Jewish temple in Jerusalem https://t.co/K0EC0xXvKu pic.twitter.com/3CMMvjryHD
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 26, 2020
