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Sunday, June 11, 2023

06/11 Links: The EU must stop supporting anti-Israel efforts; Ten ways to ‘work on’ ending the pay-for-slay; PA holds military funeral for terrorist who was also PA officer

From Ian:

Israel acts as UN poised to keep anti-Zionism out of antisemitism definition
Israel is working to thwart an initiative at the United Nations that would not define anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism.

The initiative was proposed by UN High-Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Moratinos, former foreign minister of Spain, who had earlier been appointed the organization's point man on Jew-hatred.

Moratinos was tasked with enhancing a system-wide response, a plan for which he is scheduled to present in Córdoba in about two weeks. However, contrary to Israel's requests, he advocates for the adoption of a more lenient term for antisemitism, which, as mentioned above, would not equate anti-Zionism with Jew-hatred.

Under the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which Israel is trying to get the UN to adopt, any attempt to deny the Jewish people their right to sovereignty is considered antisemitism. The definition has been accepted by several European countries, including Britain and Germany, and other EU bodies, as well as the United States State Department.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan met with Mortinos when the former began his term. At the time, Mortinoc made it seem that he would promote the more accepted version of the definition, however, two years later, his plans have changed, and he has refrained from consulting with Israel and is promoting his plan unilaterally.
The EU must stop supporting anti-Israel efforts
We are currently in the 30th year since the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements which formally began the Oslo Process.

These accords were supported and witnessed by many international actors, including the European Union.

Over the years, the Oslo Accords were used against Israel on countless occasions, whether to voice anger over the building of Israeli communities in Area C, something permitted under Oslo, or when Israel demolished illegal Palestinian buildings in the same area, also allowed under the Accords.

Prominent members of the international community constantly rail against Israel for all manner of mostly imagined infractions under the guise of not acting according to its commitments in signed agreements.

Nonetheless, this only appears to be one-way criticism. The Palestinian Authority is rarely criticized for its daily infractions of the Oslo Accords, in spirit and in deed.

Most significantly, one would be hard-pressed to show how the Palestinian position hasn’t regressed and hardened over the last three decades and an end to the conflict is more elusive than ever.

Most Israelis know that the Oslo Accords have been a resounding disaster for Israel. It did not stop the terrorism, nor did it bring the sides closer to peace.

Despite the early optimism which turned sour with unending terrorism and bloodshed, the massive unrequited compromises, the generous peace offers and the disengagement from major swathes of territory, while there is little enthusiasm for Oslo across the Israeli political spectrum, the Jewish State continues to play by the Oslo rules.

Remarkably, the Palestinians’ regular disregard for the Oslo rules has been backed and even buttressed by much of the international community, chiefly the European Union.
Ten ways to ‘work on’ ending the pay-for-slay
No matter how many times the PA-controlled news media slander the United States, no matter how many times PA officials accuse the US of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks or poisoning Arab children, the Biden administration continues to embrace and praise the PA – and pay its bills.

That’s how the administration gets around the Taylor Force Act’s ban on US aid to the PA – the American money goes through non-governmental channels to pay various expenses that the PA would otherwise have to pay. By the end of 2022, Biden had sent the Palestinian Arabs close to $1 billion in this manner.

CLEARLY, THIS approach hasn’t persuaded the PA to end pay-for-slay, as Assistant Secretary Leaf acknowledged. So maybe the administration needs some new ideas. Here are ten: The ten methods

Stop paying the PA’s expenses. Let them pay their own bills.

Suspend US assistance to the Palestinian security forces – and publish a list of the names of the many Palestinian security forces members who have taken part in terrorist attacks.

Publish a list of the names of the imprisoned terrorists and dead terrorists’ families who are receiving PA funds, including the exact amounts they are receiving each month.

Halt all meetings between US representatives and PA officials, including the office of the Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs.

Issue a public warning to American tourists that visiting PA-controlled territory is dangerous, since the PA government finances terrorists.

Offer financial rewards for the capture of fugitive Palestinian Arab terrorists who were involved in the murders of American citizens. Currently the Justice Department’s Rewards for Justice Program offers such rewards in only three of those cases, even though there are many dozens – perhaps hundreds – of such terrorists at large. Order the Justice Department’s Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism to publish quarterly reports on the whereabouts of Palestinian killers of Americans and what the US is doing to apprehend them.

Organize a major conference in Washington, featuring Israelis and Americans who were wounded by Palestinian Arab terrorists, or whose loved ones were murdered in terrorist attacks.

Sponsor public memorial events honoring American victims of Palestinian Arab terrorism.

Instruct the Justice Department to actively support legal efforts by terror victims’ families to seek compensation from the PA.

Considering the bowing-and-scraping tenor of US policy toward the Palestinian Authority in recent years, undertaking even one of these steps would provide quite a shock to the system. Try a few of them, and the PA might even be convinced to end pay-for-slay.


Op-ed: Napoleon spoke the truth about Israel
Napoleon Bonaparte tried to conquer Israel from the “Butcher”, Ahmet Jazzar Pasha. In April 16, 1799 Napoleon defeated the Butcher’s cavalry and his Ottoman allies at the Battle of Tabor Mountain. When he reached Ramla which is 25 miles from Jerusalem he made a “Proclamation to the Jews”. “General Headquarters Jerusalem 20 April 1799. Bonaparte, Commander in Chief of the Armies of the French Republic in Africa and Asia, to the rightful heirs of Palestine-the unique nation of Jews who have been deprived of the land of your fathers by thousands of years of lust for conquest and tyranny. Arise then with gladness, ye exiled, and take unto yourselves Israel’s patrimony. The young army has made Jerusalem my headquarters and will within a few days transfer to Damascus so you can remain there [in Jerusalem] as ruler.

Unfortunately, Napoleon lost the battle of Acre to the Butcher who was aided by two British Navy ships under Sir Sidney Smith a maverick English commodore. On May 21, 1799 Napoleon retreated towards Egypt. Despite his defeat, Napoleon made Palestine a focus of the world and increased Jewish immigration. His statements about the Jews and Palestine have been emblazoned for eternity.

Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman, writer, and Prime Minister who was born Jewish but was baptized at age 12 also made significant statements in support of the Jewish Heritage. In 1851, Disraeli said that, “restoring the Jews to their land, which could be bought from the Ottomans, was both just and feasible.” He also made the well publicized statement,”Yes I am a Jew and when the ancestors of the Rt. Hon. Gentleman were living as savages in an unknown island, mine were priests in the Temple of Solomon. “

It is scandalous that Mahmoud Abbas continues to deny The Jewish People’s connection to the Temple Mount and the Land of Israel. Leaders the world over have to follow in the footsteps of Napoleon, Disraeli and Robertson who weren’t afraid to speak up on behalf of Israel and the Jewish People.
Ukraine’s first lady expected in Israel next week at invitation of Michal Herzog
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska is expected next week in Israel, where she will be hosted by her Israeli counterpart Michal Herzog.

Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is slated to land in Israel early next week, according to diplomatic officials who noted that the dates are not yet finalized.

The visit will focus on post-trauma initiatives.

Ukraine’s embassy in Israel would not confirm the dates.

Zelenska is expected to visit Ukrainian soldiers undergoing rehabilitation in Israel, among other meetings which were likely to include Israeli officials. Wounded Ukrainian soldiers began arriving in Israel for treatment last September, and 11 have returned home thus far.

Israel’s first lady first invited Zelenska in April.

In May, President Isaac Herzog and Michal renewed the invitation to Zelenska during their extended conversation ahead of King Charles III’s coronation ceremony in London.

Zelenska has been meeting world leaders to discuss humanitarian support for her country and to underscore the suffering of Ukrainian civilians since Russian forces invaded in February of last year.
Seth Frantzman: What will come of Israel's southern and northern border tensions?
An article at the pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen characterized the recent incident on the Egyptian border as an example of how Israel will not find peace in the region. The article compares this to the book The End of History by Francis Fukuyama. “Just as Fukuyama’s theory [was wrong], history did not end and the United States and its allies did not write the last line of it, in light of the decline of American hegemony, the rise of China and other international and regional powers, and the emergence of new alliances aspiring to break American monopoly… Here, the idea of an end to the conflict has become a dream of the past for ‘Israel,’ which has been replaced by nightmares of the present and fears of the future, and the repercussions of the conflict do not leave the enemy day and night, just as its military maneuvers do not leave the skies of Palestine.”

This lengthy explanation basically asserts that even if Israel appears to be normalizing and finding new peace partners in the Gulf and elsewhere, it will continue to face small attacks. The point is that Iran and its allies and proxies have an agenda and want to create more conditions for these types of incidents. They want to percolate the low-level “lone wolf” phenomenon. This enables them to not have to work towards a complex terror infrastructure but hope rather than individuals will spread chaos. Several iterations of chaos and threat

This kind of chaos and threat can take many forms. It could take the form of the infiltration in March in which a man traveled from Lebanon into Israel illegally and placed an explosive device near the Megiddo junction. It can also involve the smuggling of arms into Israel, as has been the case in Jordan. It could also be tied to drug smuggling. Syria’s regime works with Iran-backed militias to spread illicit drugs, usually Captagon, around the region. The nexus of terror groups and drug smuggling is well known from other cases in other countries, such as South America; and there is reason to consider that there is a threat between organized gangs and terror groups. Israeli soldiers guard the northern Israeli border with Lebanon, while Lebanese soldiers work on their side of the border, on May 16, 2023. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90) Israeli soldiers guard the northern Israeli border with Lebanon, while Lebanese soldiers work on their side of the border, on May 16, 2023. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

What this means is that Iran may be considering a shift to encouraging more random attacks. This would go along with a long-term view that Iran takes of the region and the use of “small wars” to destabilize enemies and weaken them. Iran has already hollowed out Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. It has spread chaos and helped its militias benefit through this chaos. The Iranian-backed groups that conclude from recent incidents that they are on the right side of history may be encouraging more threats. This is important because if Iran views this as a historical cycle, then Tehran will bide its time. That could mean that a larger conflict can wait.

The recent incidents near Mount Dov and other tensions involving Lebanon are another example of where pro-Iranian groups such as Hezbollah may think they benefit from low-level tensions. This means that all these incidents may not be related, but that Tehran may wish to try to unify the incidents. Iran calls this the “unity” of the fronts, meaning it seeks to create multi-front threats against Israel. There is also a feedback loop. Iran may interpret a number of small incidents as being related and seek to benefit from them, without realizing that the incidents are not linked to Iran or its proxies and that they are not evidence of Israel’s security failures.
Lebanese rioters rush the border, clash with IDF troops
Clashes broke out between IDF soldiers and Lebanese rioters along the border on Friday afternoon.

Lebanese civilians rushed the border and tried to dismantle the security barrier while throwing stones at troops, said the IDF, which responded with crowd dispersal means.

“The IDF will not allow any attempt to violate the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” the military said.

Video footage showed Lebanese soldiers armed with rocket-propelled grenades at the scene in the Mount Dov region, also known as Shebaa Farms, which is part of the Israeli Golan Heights and claimed by Lebanon and Syria.

In March, the Lebanese Army was put on alert after reports that an IDF patrol crossed the frontier.

“An Israeli enemy patrol breached the Blue Line in Ayta ash Shab [village in southern Lebanon], to a distance of approximately one meter,” the Lebanese army said in a statement.

The Blue Line is a temporary border designated by the United Nations on June 7, 2000, after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

On March 15, a terrorist who infiltrated from Lebanon planted a roadside bomb in northern Israel that severely wounded a motorist. Shareef ad-Din, 21, from the Israeli Arab town of Salem, was wounded when the explosive device detonated behind a barrier by the side of the road near the Megiddo Junction, some 18 miles southeast of Haifa.

The Israel Defense Forces did not name who it believes dispatched the terrorist but did not rule out Hezbollah.
5 Bedouin Israelis charged with throwing rocks at Jewish drivers in south
Five Bedouin youths were recently arrested and indicted for hurling stones at vehicles in southern Israel, injuring two, law enforcement authorities said on Sunday.

In a joint statement, Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency said the five youths, of the Abu Madi clan near the southern city of Beersheba, threw stones at vehicles on Route 25 on a number of occasions in recent months.

Officials said the men carried out the highway attacks “with a racist and nationalistic motive… with the aim of harming Jews.”

According to the police and Shin Bet investigation, the five would monitor cars driving toward Beersheba near the Abu Talul junction, and attack those they identified as being driven by Jewish Israelis.

As a result of their attacks, two people were wounded, including a pregnant woman, and a number of cars were damaged, police and Shin Bet said.

The five, arrested in May, were charged with intentionally causing damage under aggravated and racially motivated circumstances, as well as obstruction of justice. Three of the suspects were additionally hit with terror charges and racially motivated aggravated assault.

The suspects were not immediately named.
IDF brass meet Egyptian counterparts in Cairo to probe deadly border attack
Three senior Israel Defense Forces officers traveled to Cairo on Sunday morning to meet with Egyptian army officials as part of an investigation into a deadly attack on the border earlier this month.

On June 3, an Egyptian border policeman infiltrated into Israel and killed three Israeli soldiers — two at a guard post and one in an armed clash several hours later. The attacker was then shot dead.

The IDF said the chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano; the head of the military’s international cooperation unit, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin; and the head of Military Intelligence operations, Brig. Gen. “Gimmel” — who can only be identified by his first initial in Hebrew — met with the Egyptian army officers to continue the investigation.

The joint investigation between the IDF and the Egyptian army began several hours after the attack, with Egyptian defense officials touring the scene and meeting with Israeli officers.

“Both sides expressed their commitment to an in-depth investigation and uncovering the truth,” the IDF said in a statement on Sunday.

Top political and military leaders have stressed that the shootings were not a reflection of the ties between the countries, which have grown increasingly close on security matters since a 1979 peace treaty formally ended decades of armed enmity between them.

The IDF and the Egyptian army were jointly probing the attacker’s motives.

The attacker, Mohamed Salah Ibrahim, 22, was believed by the IDF to have acted alone. Egypt has sought to distance itself from the policeman, with Egyptian officials saying they had been unaware of his intentions.
Jordanian MP hails Egyptian who killed three IDF soldiers
Jordanian lawmaker Khalil Atieh on Saturday praised the Egyptian “martyr” who killed three IDF soldiers in a terrorist attack on June 3, Israeli media reported.

Speaking at the Arab Parliament in Cairo, Atieh requested that a Sura from the Koran be read in honor of Mohamed Salah Ibrahim, who last week shot dead Sgt. Lia Ben-Nun, 19, Staff Sgt. Uri Iluz, 20 and Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan, 20, along the Sinai border.

“We congratulate Egypt, and its martyr Mohamed Salah,” said Atieh. “I request from this honorable council that we stand for a reading of al-fatiha, for the souls of the martyrs from the Arab and Muslim people who died a holy death for the sake of Palestine.”

The Arab Parliament is the representative body of the Arab League.

A preliminary investigation found that Ibrahim, who was killed during the attack, crossed the border through an emergency gate secured by plastic handcuffs.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that the Egyptian policeman had in his possession six magazines for his rifle, a Koran and a knife. The IDF believes that the presence of the Koran suggests that Ibrahim was motivated by Islamic religious extremism, the report said.


PMW: PA accords military funeral to terrorist who was also officer in PA Intelligence Forces
Yet another member of the PA Security Forces has turned out to be playing a double role. While Ashraf Al-Sheikh Ibrahim was an officer in the PA Military Intelligence Forces, he was also a member of Fatah’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. When Israeli soldiers came to arrest wanted terrorists in Jenin, Ibrahim attacked and shot at them, and was killed by the Israeli forces return fire.

Ibrahim’s attack and resulting death as a “Martyr” earned him praise from the PA/Fatah top echelon and a military funeral attended by the director of the PA General Security Forces:

Terrorist Ashraf Ibrahim’s dead body wrapped in a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh with a headband of “The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades,” Fatah’s military wing.
“Ashraf Muhammad Amin Ibrahim (i.e., terrorist, shot at Israeli soldiers), 38, died as a Martyr… after he was wounded early yesterday morning during confrontations that broke out following the invasion of Jenin. He is a [PA] General [Military] Intelligence Forces officer…

Masses from among our people accompanied the Martyr’s body in a military ceremony to its final resting place… They carried the Martyr’s body on shoulders while it was wrapped in the Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh (i.e., Arab headdress) of the Fatah Movement to the cemetery, where the body was interred.

Participating in the funeral procession were [PA] General Security Forces Director Brig. Gen. Ahmed Abu Hadid, officers of the forces, and Fatah [Jenin] Branch Secretary Ata Abu Rmeileh.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 30, 2023]

At the funeral, Fatah Jenin Branch Secretary Ata Abu Rmeileh announced that there is consensus – a “national decision” - among all the different Palestinian political factions to “fight” Israel, as terrorist Ashraf Al-Sheikh Ibrahim did, and “confront it with every weapon” available. In other words, there is a decision to continue to use terror against Israel: Fatah Jenin Branch Secretary Ata Abu Rmeileh: “There is a national decision in all the factions and all our national institutions to fight this occupation. Wherever the occupation is, we must confront it with every weapon at our disposal, just as heroic Martyr commander Ashraf Al-Sheikh Ibrahim, who died as a Martyr while fighting, fought… He was one of the [PA] General Security Forces officers.”

[Fatah-run Awdah TV, Facebook page, May 29, 2023]

Many Western countries have given money, armed, and even trained the PA Security Forces in the hope that the Security Forces would fight Palestinian terror. However, the PA and Fatah have been bragging about the participation of their police officers in terror throughout 2022 and 2023. Palestinian Media Watch has exposed this double role played by PA Security Forces members as cops by day and terrorists by night.


At rally, Fatah plays speech by terrorist Barghouti urging terror
Official PA TV broadcast of a Fatah rally for the anniversary of the arrest of terrorist Marwan Barghouti, who orchestrated three attacks in which 5 were murdered.

A recording is played of terrorist Marwan Barghouti speaking, time of recording is unknown. While the recording is played, PA TV chose to show photos of terrorists and terrorist murderers.

Recording of terrorist Marwan Barghouti: “The people of Izz A-Din Al-Qassam and Abd Al-Qader Al-Husseini, the people of Yasser Arafat, Ahmed Yassin, Abu Ali Mustafa, Fathi Shaqaqi, Omar Al-Qassem, and “Abu Jihad”, Khalil Al-Wazir, the people of Martyrs Raed Al-Karmi and Thabet Thabet, [Marwan] Zalum… [Abd Al-Aziz] Al-Rantisi… and [Yahya] Ayash… I am speaking to you to renew the covenant [with the homeland] and with the mighty Martyrs and heroic prisoners, and [to renew] the continuation of the path to release and liberation, the path of freedom and esteem, the path of honor and heroism.”

[Official PA TV, May 8, 2023]

Marwan Barghouti – Palestinian terrorist and member of the PA parliament who orchestrated three shooting attacks in which 5 people were murdered: one attack on the Jerusalem-Maale Adumim road (June 12, 2001) in which Greek Orthodox monk Tsibouktsakis Germanus was murdered by terrorists Ismail Radaida and Yasser Ah'Rabai, another attack at a gas station in Givat Zeev near Jerusalem (Jan. 15, 2002) in which Yoela Hen was murdered by terrorists led by Mohammed Matla, and one shooting and stabbing attack at the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv (March 5, 2002) in which Eli Dahan, Yosef Habi, and Police Officer Sergeant-Major Salim Barakat, were murdered by terrorist Ibrahim Hasouna. When arrested by Israel in 2002, Barghouti headed the Tanzim (Fatah terror faction). After he was convicted and imprisoned, he was re-elected as a member of the Palestinian Authority parliament. On Dec. 4, 2016, he was elected to Fatah's Central Committee. Barghouti is serving 5 life sentences.

Sheikh Izz A-Din Al-Qassam was an influential Islamic preacher in British Mandate Palestine during the 1930s. He led a Muslim terror group. The Hamas terror wing is named after him – the Izz A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades.




Abraham Cooper: Congress must prioritize human rights, strategy before releasing billions to Iran
Earlier this year, it was in vogue. Political leaders from Washington to Paris, London to Berlin shouted, marched, and demanded: Women, Life, Freedom. It was the Cause du jour of the elite, celebrity set from Hollywood to Foggy Bottom.

Where are those human rights advocates now as credible rumors swirl that the United States is on the brink of releasing $17 billion in sanctioned funds to the terrorist regime in Iran?

Has Iran’s behavior changed? Hardly.

The regime is, in fact, on a killing spree. In the last few weeks alone, they have arbitrarily executed over 60 people, most of whom were from minority communities.

Among those executed in recent months have been British and Swedish citizens. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of young people, many women and girls, remain incarcerated for simply walking through the streets with their heads uncovered to protest the regime’s brutal murder of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman. Just last week, the regime put on trial the brave Iranian journalists who reported what they learned when they visited Amini in the hospital. Why isn’t every journalist in the free world screaming for the rights of these Iranian women journalists? Their names are Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi. You can read about them in the Time 100, but when will we hear about them in the United Nations, the US Congress, the British and French Parliaments, and the German Bundestag?

Instead, Iran was elected vice president of the UN General Assembly just a few weeks after being elected chair of the UN Human Rights Council’s Social Forum! Iran also continues its brutal crackdown on non-Muslim communities, including a mother of two from the Bahai community arrested less than a week ago.

It’s time for those concerned about human rights to stop tweeting and start acting.

The exact opposite may be happening.
Iran's Khamenei says 'nothing wrong' with nuclear deal with West
Iran's supreme leader said on Sunday that reaching a deal with the West over Tehran's disputed nuclear work was possible if the country's nuclear infrastructure remained intact, state media quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying.

"There is nothing wrong with the agreement (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry should not be touched," he said, adding that Tehran should continue working with The International Atomic Energy Agency under the framework of safeguards.

At the same time, Khamenei added that The West could not stop Iran from building nuclear weapons if Tehran wanted a pursue a nuclear arms program. "Talks about Tehran's nuclear weapons are a lie and they (the West) know it. We do not want nuclear arms based on our religious beliefs. Otherwise, they would not have been able to stop it," Khamenei said, according to state media.

Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with six major powers have been at a stalemate since September, with both sides accusing each other of making unreasonable demands. In 2019, Iran began breaching the deal's terms in response to a US withdrawal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump.
Khamenei says West would not stop Iran from building nukes
Iran's Supreme Leader said that Western countries would not be able to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons if they tried


'Iran knows breakout to 90% enrichment will result in an Israeli strike'
Amid reports of renewed momentum in talks between Iran and the West over a nuclear deal, Israel sent a warning to Iran on Sunday.

A senior Israeli official to Israel Hayom that "Iran knows that breaking out to 90% purity in uranium enrichment will result in an Israeli strike." The official added that the US and Western nations know that Israel has set this threshold and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear this was Jerusalem's red line during his recent visits to European capitals.

The source further assessed that despite the US trying hard to finalize an agreement with Iran, it will not be realized because Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei does not want such an outcome, even though on Sunday the Iranian ayatollah delivered a speech in favor of reaching a deal that would allow Iran to keep its nuclear infrastructure.

Israeli decision-makers believe that the Biden administration will stop short of reaching a full-fledged deal but instead formulate a series of understandings with Tehran, thus allowing it to avoid Congressional scrutiny under a special law that requires a deal to get the legislators' stamp of approval. Israel opposes any new framework between the US and Iran, mainly because this would result in billions of dollars filling up the Iranian coffers.
Iraq to pay $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran
Iraq has agreed to pay about $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran after receiving a sanctions waiver from the United States, a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official said.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein was given the clearance during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Riyadh Conference on Thursday, the foreign ministry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, told Reuters.

Due to decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraq is dependent on imports from Iran for a lot of its gas needs.

However, U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil and gas have hampered Iraq's payments for imports, putting it in heavy arrears and leading Iran to retaliate by cutting gas flows regularly.

Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Al-Sahhaf said in a brief statement that Hussein had made progress "regarding financial dues between Iraq and Iran during his discussion with his American counterpart in Riyadh" when asked about the funds.

He did not give further details.

Yahya Al-e Eshaq, head of the Iran-Iraq chamber of commerce, was quoted by Iranian news agencies as saying that "Part of Iran's blocked funds in Iraq has been earmarked for haj pilgrims and portions have been used for basic goods."
Seth Frantzman: Iran attempted to get UK universities to help drone program
The context here is that Iran has sought often through nefarious means to penetrate the West. It does this by using shell companies and trying to acquire “dual use” technology, and it apparently also tries to penetrate institutions of higher learning. This penetration is likely deeper in other countries as well. It’s important to remember that it wasn’t long ago that Iranian regime members such as Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, were welcomed in the West with smiles and handshakes. Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad even delivered a speech at Columbia University in 2007, despite his hateful conduct and Holocaust denial.

It is difficult in retrospect to see Western universities as being entirely at fault when Western governments were doing outreach to Iran. The fact that some universities apparently didn’t mind having a Holocaust-denying Iranian regime leader speak would indicate that having academics partner with colleagues in Iran would not seem out of the normal several years ago. That Iran exploited this to try to get insights into how to develop their drone program is shocking, but also in line with how Iran tries to exploit the West.

Tehran has done this for years, and it is now getting a stronger spotlight precisely because the drones that Iran has built are being used to threaten more areas and countries. In the past Iran used its drones to target Saudi Arabia and Israel and it exported the technology to Hezbollah and militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The drones did get some spotlight by groups such as Conflict Armament Research and the US even put some on display at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. This means that in some areas, including at the UN, the Iranian drone proliferation has been known for almost a decade.

On the other hand, Iran is also very creative in finding ways to get around sanctions and build the motors and other elements necessary for the drones. Attempts to continue to slap sanctions on the drone manufacturers, the transporters and other elements of the program merely reveal how extensive is the Iranian killer drone network.

The West continues to highlight the program and discover new ways to sanction it; and Ukraine has also been raising the alarm about Iran’s drones. Nevertheless the recent reports about the universities shows how even the most seemingly innocent academic setting can be infiltrated by Iran’s regime and exploited.
Emily Schrader: Jewish donors are being hoodwinked
Investing in the wrong places
Another example of a high-spend campaign that had the potential to be impactful but wasn’t, is the blue square campaign “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” which was supposed to fight against antisemitism.

Aside from the obvious grammatical error of making the entire campaign name sound like Jews are the hateful group rather than a minority facing hate, this campaign is a prime example of a lack of knowledge when it comes to social media — a campaign in which $25 million dollars were spent, that utilized a hashtag of a blue square emoji without realizing that emojis cannot be used in hashtags.

The campaign messaging, instead of having a creative educational aspect, relied on imagery of a blue square on a black background and a claim that “the size of this blue square is 2.4% of the post — the same size as the Jewish population in the U.S., yet Jews are on the receiving end of 55% of all hate crimes.” While this is a true and disturbing statistic, the blue square concept has nothing to do with antisemitism and confuses the viewer.

Instead of that money going to a campaign that could fuel discussion, it was largely ignored and in some cases, Jewish organizations distanced themselves from it due to the confusing messaging.

Now, according to sources on background, the creators of the campaign have been fundraising to do the initiative again claiming it was a great success.

What can be done?
Far too many initiatives in the Jewish world, however well-meaning, are flawed and end up creating a cycle that rewards dishonesty at every level from the activists, to the organizations, to the donors. Donors are receiving bad intel that specific campaigns and individuals are what they should be pouring money into, and there is little to no return on investment.

One activist who asked not to be named due to her position in a Jewish organization, reported that her organization had paid tens of thousands of dollars in speaking fees for an influencer who had “a completely fake following.”

“It’s like people see a big number of followers and don’t understand that it’s all fake. Meanwhile, at least some of these activists are exploiting our community to try to get accolades and promote their own companies and products that aren’t even related,” she said.

Jewish donors deserve authenticity and transparency. Both donors and Jewish organizations need to have a deeper understanding of how social media influence can be fabricated, as well as how analytics can be selectively manipulated, or this problem will only get worse as the community continues to elevate those who are exploiting the commitment of Jewish donors to supporting Israel and combating antisemitism.

On one of my first days working for a digital marketing company in Washington DC, I asked my boss how we can get tens of thousands of followers on an account for a political candidate. I was ready to buy whatever it took. But he gave me the best advice I’ve ever received to this day about social media: “The only way to grow is through blood sweat and tears.”

With all the algorithm changes over the years, this simple truth remains. The best way to create a following and to have a meaningful impact is to put in the work to make authentic and creative content. In the long run, this is the only thing that will pay off and the only thing that has the power to change hearts and minds at an individual level.
Billionaire George Soros hands control of empire to son
Billionaire financier George Soros told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Sunday that he was handing control of his massive empire to his son, Alexander Soros.

A hedge fund manager turned philanthropist and major backer of liberal causes, Soros, 92, said he previously didn't want his Open Society Foundations (OSF) to be taken over by one of his five children.

But speaking of his decision to turn over the foundation and the rest of his $25 billion empire to his son, Alexander, 37, who goes by Alex, the elder Soros said: "He's earned it." Political plans

Also interviewed by the newspaper, Alex said he's "more political" than his father and that he plans to continue donating family money to back left-leaning US political candidates.

"As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it too," Alex said.

The OSF board elected Alex as its chairman in December, and Alex now directs political activity as president of Soros' political action committee.

The foundation directs about $1.5 billion a year to groups such as those backing human rights around the world and helping build democracies, the Wall Street Journal reported.
18 facts about Israel every 18-year-old American needs to know - opinion
As high school seniors graduate this month, their attention turns to starting college in the fall. Unfortunately, many American universities have turned into bastions of anti-Zionism and anti-Israel lectures and activism. As the Anti-Defamation League stated, “The campus anti-Israel movement frequently denigrates Zionism as inherently racist and disparages pro-Israel students, at times invoking antisemitic tropes.” These 18 facts about Israel are designed not to give American Jewish students the tools to defeat the campus anti-Israel movement, but to know the truth about Israel to identify the lies of those who slander Israel.

1. Israel isn’t dangerous
If your knowledge of Israel came from the media, you’d assume Israel has been a war zone for all its 75 years. The media covers the most sensationalist stories, including the violent ones. While there is little violence in Israel, and statistically much more in any major American city, the perception is that Israel is a violent place. Israel is a calm and peaceful country – and a pleasure to visit!

2. Understanding Israel requires an open mind, intellectual honesty and nuance
Today’s partisan world prefers to box all subjects into black and white, and no grays – or any other colors! The world isn’t that simple, it’s very complex, and like the world, Israel is complex. To understand Israel in all its complexity, a person must have an open mind to accept facts and narratives they might never have heard before. They also need to be intellectually honest so they can be open to arguments they haven’t heard before and recognize there are two sides to every story – which requires nuance.

3. You should visit Israel on Birthright, but Israel can’t be fully understood on a 10-day tour
Soon you’ll be eligible to visit Israel on Birthright, an almost completely free trip to Israel. The trip will give you a front-row seat to Israel (and it’s a ton of fun). Israel cannot be understood without seeing it – studying Israel from 6,000 miles away isn’t enough. At the same time, it’s important to recognize that 10 days on a fun trip isn’t enough to fully understand Israel. The more time spent in Israel, the more understandable it is.

4. The media presents an inaccurate picture of Israel
There are many theories suggested as to why the media generally present a negative image of Israel in its coverage – but one thing is almost universally agreed upon – Israel is portrayed with a bias against it by most of the world’s media. Their biased coverage is generally delivered without proper context. Israeli policies and actions are presented in a negative shade without Israel’s side of the story. To understand events in Israel, always ask, “What’s the Israeli side of this story?” A view of the Dead Sea and Ein Bokek promenade at sunrise (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)A view of the De
Controversy at UCLA Screening of “Israelism”
A screening of “Israelism” at UCLA Wednesday night was marked by tough questions from a group of students who were troubled by the film’s anti-Israel message. The presentation of the controversial 84-minute documentary, which argues that the American Jewish community raises its children with pro-Israel indoctrination while omitting discussion of the plight of the Palestinians, was hosted by the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.

During the Q&A after the screening, Natalie Masachi, who serves on the board of Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at UCLA, told filmmaker Eric Axelman that she grew up in the United States and “I have never, ever heard any of the sentences mentioned in this film. To the contrary, they always, always spoke about peace between Israel and her neighbors.” She then asked Axelman: “I know the facts, I know the truth, we know the truth, but how about all of the students and my peers who are not knowledgeable and will encounter this propaganda defenseless?”

Axelman, a transgender American Jew who goes by the pronoun “they,” replied that “this film is meant to start discussion” and argued that the “facts on the ground” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict suggest the “opposite” of peace, lamenting a “system that over and over again [has] displaced more and more Palestinians.” They then lambasted settlements as a “system of colonization” where “Jews have full civil rights” but Palestinians don’t. “Talking about peace to me is empty … if you’re not going to do anything.”

Another student, Bruins for Israel board member Danielle Azani, asked Axelman about a recent tweet from Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Director Emeritus Abraham Foxman, who appears in the film: “Sadly and innocently I agreed to be interviewed being told that the film will examine the special relationship between Israel and American Jews. What a sham. I regret being part of this.” Axelman replied that Foxman’s description of what he was told the film would be about is “correct,” but claimed that Foxman received a list of questions beforehand, and thus claimed that Foxman “fully understood what he was being asked,” including talking about the occupation. Foxman then signed a release waiver after the interview took place in 2018.

One student noted that the terror group Hamas, which has run the Gaza Strip for more than 15 years and has been responsible for launching thousands of rocket attacks on Israel, wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the film. The student also asked Axelman what would be the ideal solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how would it involve Hamas. Axelman pointed out that Hamas was formed in 1987, 20 years after the Israeli occupation of the West Bank began. Axelman, who said they do not condone Hamas, asked “how would you live your life” if you had lived under military occupation and an 18-year-old soldier decides if you get to leave or not. As for solutions, Axelman didn’t want to say “what Palestinians should or shouldn’t do. I think what’s most important to me is freedom and equality, whether it be in one state or two states.” The student also referred to Israeli efforts for peace like the Oslo Accords and subsequent Israeli peace plans that were rejected. Axelman noted that Israel made no efforts for peace from 1967-87.

After the event concluded, Masachi stood in front of the theater and took pictures with an SSI sign and another sign saying, “This is not the center we expected.” Both Masachi and Azani told the Journal they were upset that the center showed the film. “This film is extremely problematic,” Masachi said. “If you are a Jew and an American or you’re an Israeli and you have ties to Israel … you watch this film, it’s full of propaganda.” Masachi specifically took issue with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers who were featured in the film and using them “to attack the entirety and the legitimacy of being pro-Israel.”
Roger Waters at Manchester AO Arena, reviewed: Student politics for blokes in their 50s
There are lulls, however. Waters delivers speeches which drag, and at times dances with the awkward discomfort of Donald Trump at a campaign rally.

In the loos during the interval, a Manchester United fan tells me he has no idea who he’s seeing — a mate has just brought him along. “I just didn’t want to sit and watch City win tonight”. Fair enough.

Later, Waters compares himself to the great George Orwell, which is actually quite amusing and underlines how ridiculous this has all become.

But it doesn’t take long for there to be a tediousness to just how relentless the “political” messaging is throughout the show on the various big screens. (Though we cannot claim we weren't warned). Basic slogans essentially conveying the theme of “war is bad” appear with graphics of drones, while various world leaders including Joe Biden are branded war criminals... and ultimately it’s just not as smart as it clearly thinks it is.

Waters at one point delivers a four-minute speech about freeing Julian Assange and the big screen showing the stage fails to conceal just how bored his youthful backing singers look in the background.

What’s more is: the crowd barely responds to large parts of it. After all, it’s student politics and the vast majority of the crowd are blokes in their 50s wearing Dark Side of the Moon t-shirts, an album made in 1973. They might occasionally throw a fist in the air in solidarity with the show's anti-establishment themes, but fear not — the Arena is shifting £12 hot dog and coke combos plus pricey merchandise at half-time with ease.

It’s all just a bit strange, and feels cynical. Are we really here to rage against the machine, while also paying about £8 for a Birra Moretti? Is this a middle-class seminar or the start of a revolution? Who is this for? Sadly, the brilliant music eventually gets muddled and lost in this spectacle.

Throughout the show, as Waters urges us all to rally against our oppressors, the staff at the Manchester AO Arena really have a shift on their hands trying to keep the (literally) tens of fans who are occasionally getting to their feet sat back down.

When asked, they oblige immediately.

It’s a weird spectacle.


Irish Times Sounds Excited at Prospect of Iranian ‘400 Seconds to Tel Aviv’ Missile
Iran’s recent gleeful boasting that it has successfully developed a new hypersonic missile that takes just “400 seconds to [strike] Tel Aviv” did not go unnoticed by the global media last week.

CNN, for example, opened its report by noting how unusual it is to see Hebrew written on adverts in the streets of Tehran, referencing the ominous billboards that appeared in the Iranian capital last week signaling Iran’s unconcealed desire to wipe Israel off the map.

Meanwhile, The Guardian — frequently criticized for its unalloyed attacks on the Jewish state — also led with the warning to Israel and detailed at length the unhinged threats made by Iran’s leaders.

However, when it came to Michael Jansen over at the Irish Times, it appears there was something exciting — tantalizing, even — about the prospect of Tel Aviv being razed to the ground by an Iranian missile.

In the piece in which the new weapon is cavalierly described as a “game-changer,” Jansen presents the very construction of the missile as borne out of some defensive need to safeguard against Israeli threats while the Iranian nuclear program is viewed through the lens of Israeli aggression towards Iran with no mention of the latter’s desire for nuclear weapons:
If the hypersonic missile is as effective as Iran claims, the weapon could boost Iran’s deterrence and give it a military advantage over international and regional foes. A substantial number of hypersonic missiles could mount devastating counter strikes if Iran is attacked and could be a game changer in the Middle East […]

Israel has repeatedly called for military action against Iran’s nuclear programme and has carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. Israel was blamed for a drone attack on an Iranian military factory in January of this year.”

There is also no mention at all of the frequent Iran-linked threats against Israel via the many Iranian proxies in the Middle East, including Hezbollah and Hamas.
BBC rejects a complaint about disinformation
Back in April we documented an edition of the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘The World This Weekend’ in which listeners heard a Jordanian interviewee claim that “even before 1967 Jordan respected the rights of Jews to go and come to their holy places”. That entirely false claim went without any challenge whatsoever from presenter Jonny Dymond.

CAMERA UK submitted a complaint to the BBC, requesting the correction of that disinformation and pointing out that:
“Not only did Jordan not ‘respect’ the rights of Jews during its illegal occupation of parts of Jerusalem between 1948 and 1967, it destroyed dozens of synagogues and desecrated the ancient Mount of Olives cemetery. In direct contravention of the 1949 armistice agreements, Jordan did not permit Jews access to their holy sites or to the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives during that period and, notably, Israeli Arabs, were also denied access to the Al Aqsa mosque on Temple Mount.”

On April 26th we were informed that it would take more time to address our obviously straightforward complaint. On May 17th we received another e-mail from the BBC stating that the time frame for the handling of the complaint had expired.

On June 8th we received the following:
“Thanks for contacting us about The World this Weekend, broadcast on 9 April. We apologise for our delayed response. We have shared your concerns with the senior editorial team at the programme.

The focus of this interview was the flashpoints which had occurred in the preceding days in the area around Al Aqsa mosque, and generally across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories, and the response of Jordan and other countries in the region. While we accept the point made may well be contentious, presenters don’t always have the time to try to challenge every point made, or give a wider or opposing viewpoint. This is a complex area about which interviewees often seek to make a variety of historical references to back up their positions and we can’t always examine every point in the time available where it is not central to the subject at hand.”
US presents Israel with original documents from trial of John Demjanjuk
The US Department of Justice has presented Israel with some of the original documents used in three countries during trials against John Demjanjuk, the wartime Nazi camp guard convicted and then acquitted by Israel of being the notoriously cruel Treblinka warden “Ivan the Terrible.”

The documents, which included Demjanjuk’s SS membership card, were handed over during a ceremony last week by Eli Rosenbaum, former director of the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations, which focused on identifying and deporting Nazi war criminals. While at the OSI, Rosenbaum was involved in US legal action against Demjanjuk that led to the former Nazi eventually losing his citizenship and being deported.

Rosenbaum, who is currently director of human rights enforcement strategy and policy at the Justice Department, said that returning the documents brought “closure,” the Ynet news site reported.

The Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk was extradited to Israel from the United States for trial over his alleged role at the Treblinka death camp in 1986, and two years later was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging.

At the time, Israel’s prosecution used documents it received from the US.

But in 1993, Israel’s top court unanimously ruled Demjanjuk was not “Ivan the Terrible,” overturning the 1988 verdict and returning him to the US after it received evidence that another Ukrainian, not Demjanjuk, was the notorious Nazi guard.

The documents were then sent to the US, where prosecutors sought to revoke his citizenship. He was eventually deported to Germany in 2009.
Jesuit recycles anti-Zionist tropes about Mizrahi Jews
This is a problematic article written in La Civiltá Cattólica, presumably the mouthpiece of the Vatican. The author, Jesuit David Neuhaus, who was born Jewish but converted to Roman Catholicism aged 26, deploys many of the usual tropes about ‘Arab Jews’, itself an expression which denies a separate identity to Mizrahi Jews. Zionism is blamed for ruining the idyllic relationship between Jews and Arabs before Israel. Zionism is to blame for ‘destablilising’ the position of Jews in the Arab world. Thus he denies Arab regimes agency or any responsibility for what they did to their Jewish citizens, although, to his credit, Neuhaus does not deny that Jews were driven out. Sadly we have come to expect prominent Christians never to mention the sorry plight of their communities and other non-Muslims in the Arab world. Neuhaus is no different. Here is a ‘fisking ‘of some of his more contentious points:
Since 1948, the two words “Jew” and “Arab” in the same sentence have widely been understood to refer to polar opposites, suggesting mutual distrust and enmity, war and violence, pointing to a supposedly unbridgeable gap between the two. It is timely to remember that this was not always the case. In reflecting on the history of the Jews in Arab lands, one can say there was an earlier time before Jews were hostile to Arabs, and Arabs hostile to Jews, a time when a Jew might even be an Arab. Jews in Arab lands not only spoke Arabic, but were part and parcel of Arab civilization and made their specific contribution to it. Before 1948, there were about one million Arabic-speaking Jews who were at home in countries stretching from Morocco to Iraq, with important Jewish centers in Casablanca, Tunis, Tripoli, Cairo, Alexandria, Sana’a, Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo and Baghdad as well as in Jerusalem, Hebron, Jaffa and Tiberias.
Ah the old chestnut of the myth of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs! No mention of the inferior ‘dhimmi’ status suffered by both Jews and Christians.
In the aftermath of the recent attack on the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by Jewish settlers seeking revenge for the murder of two Israelis nearby, it was striking that there were more voices from among the members of the ruling coalition that condoned the brutality against Palestinians than voices that condemned it. Among those who did condemn the violence were several members of the Jewish religious Shas Party, a fascinating segment on the Israeli political map.
Shas were not alone. Condemnation of the violence came from President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu as well as several other MKs.
Recently appointed Health and Interior Minister, Rabbi Moshe Arbel, who has been a member of Shas since his youth, was clear in his condemnation of the violence, challenging his colleagues in the coalition who had supported the actions of the settlers. In 1999, at the peak of its electoral success, Shas gained 17 of the 120 seats in the Knesset (14 percent). In the present governing coalition it has 11 seats. Despite its regular alignment in recent years with Jewish rightwing nationalists, members of the party have sometimes surprised political observers with their moderation and openness to dialogue with Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular. Shas, an acronym of Shomrei Sefarad (Custodians of Sefarad), was founded in 1984 to protest the unequal representation of Oriental Jews (Mizrahim), often called Sephardim,[1] those originally from the Muslim world, in the political parties, predominantly led by Jews originally from Eastern and Central Europe (known as Ashkenazim).
Shas was formed because Sephardim were not sufficiently represented in the orthodox Aguda party. Sephardim and Mizrahim are well represented in the Likud. A Shas MP proposed the Knesset law demanding that compensation for Jewish refugees be on the peace agenda.
Second Bruno Mars Tel Aviv date announced due to high demand
Popstar Bruno Mars probably knew his Tel Aviv performance would be popular, but it's doubtful he could foresee the craze among his Israeli fans.

In fact, his October 4 performance in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park was sold out within hours, prompting producers to announce a second show on October 7.

Prices for the two concerts are set to be identical, with general admission running at NIS 385 and a golden ring ticket running at NIS 855. For a VIP ticket, prepare to shell out NIS 955.

The 37-year-old superstar, born Peter Gene Hernandez, is widely recognized as one of the world's biggest music stars. He rose to fame in 2010, buoyed by his vocal features on the tracks Nothin' on You by B.o.B and Billionaire by rapper Travie McCoy.

With four albums under his belt, he has produced several chart-topping hits, including Just the Way You Are, Grenade, and The Lazy Song. However, the catchy tune that really made him a household name is undoubtedly English DJ and songwriter Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk, to which Mars provided vocals.
Where it all began: Foot-shaped compounds shed light on early stages of Jewish religion
Dr. Shay Bar is an archeologist, who oversees the monumental Manasseh Hill Country Survey.

Q: Before we talk about your research, can you please share what archaeology drew you in the first place?

"Archaeology was my childhood hobby. I used to travel to all kinds of ancient sites in Israel from a young age, and I was always intrigued by the life and cultures of ancient times. After many years in the IDF and managing projects in the defense industry, I decided to return to my old love and began to study archeology as a second career. The most uplifting moments in my profession are days of research in the field. At any given moment you reveal, literally, another layer of the heritage of the people and cultures that lived in this part of the country in the past."

Bar and I met on the occasion of the publishing of a new edition of "The Footsteps of God" by the late archaeology giant Adam Zertal, which, for the first time, includes vital chapters in the research on Judea and Samaria.

Q: Why the headline "The Footsteps of God" and how does that tie in with Jewish history?

"The book documents the discovery of a group of compound sites, buildings with a rounded outline, from the Iron Age, i.e. the 12th to 10th centuries BCE; The period of the settlement [of Canaan] and the [rule of the] judges according to the biblical chronology, whose external shape resembles the outline of a human foot. Zertal theorized that these sites are the location of the Gilgal sites mentioned in the Bible, where the assembly and worship centers of the ancient people of Israel [took place] upon their return to Canaan before the ritual center moved to Shiloh.

"According to the biblical description, at the sites of Gilgal, the generation of the desert [wanderers] was circumcised after crossing the Jordan River, where [Moses' disciple] Joshua bin Nun's camp stood during the wars of conquest of the land, and that is where the prophets and judges were – for example, that is where King Saul was anointed by the Prophet Samuel, among all the people. In other words, these sites are the beginning of Israel's worship. Zertal's fascinating interpretation of the unique shape of these complexes – also led him to name the book after it."


Israel's Route 60, the "Biblical Route"
Highway 60 in Israel and the West Bank is only 235 kilometer in its length but its story stretched for thousands of years.

This road which goes from Nazareth in the north all the way south to Be'er Sheva in the south is also known as the way of the Patriarch as it contains many sites with biblical connections.


Hyrcania Hasmonean Fortress excavated for the first time ever
This desert hilltop in the Judean Desert called "Hyrcania " is one of the most interesting historical sites in the Holy Land, but it has never been excavated. Until today. A group of archaeologists and volunteers gathered last month for the first time to dig and research this magnificent site, whose history goes back to the second century BCE




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