Mondoweiss' Editor at Large claims no evidence of Jewish Temples on Temple Mount

Annie Robbins is the "Editor at Large for Mondoweiss, a mother, a human rights activist and a ceramic artist."

In one of her typically hateful pieces about how Jews are somehow taking Islamic heritage away from the second holiest Jewish site, a commenter notes:

The Tomb of the Patriarchs was the most important site for Jews prior to the building of the Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, on top of which now stand the Dome of the Rock and Aksa Mosque.

Annie replies:

allegedly. there’s no proof that was the location of some grand temple. maybe lots of jewish stuff retroactively lands itself right underneath islamic structures. did you ever think of that? jealous much?

Its one thing when idiotic Arabs say that there is no evidence of any Jewish presence in the area and every bit of archaeology found there is fake, but now those same easily provable lies are being pushed by Mondoweiss!

Not only that, but she has the stupidity to float the idea that Jews are so jealous of Islamic monuments that they make up a fake Jewish history after the fact! And she's an editor at a site that actually gains some respect from the Left???

Let's just throw out Josephus, the Talmud, the very stones which have been dated before Islam, tons of archaeological findings in the area, everything it says in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Scriptures, and so forth, and pretend that a 7th century Islamic structure pre-dates all of those!

If Robbins was an editor of any normal American newspaper, she'd be fired in an instant for proving herself to have no grasp of reality, and - more importantly - for proving that her hate for Israel is more important than well-established facts. Seriously, Temple denial - at least Second Temple denial - is not much different than Holocaust denial in its goal and its a-historical nature. It is pure antisemitism.

But this is Mondoweiss, so no one will say anything. Robbins will continue to "report" her lies and they will be believed by the thousands of unthinking drones who read it.

(h/t Dan)

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7/06 Links: Kerry's 'Plan', The BBC Gets Something Right!, Pope Meets AMIA Victims, Michael Oren retires

From Ian:

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The Israel-Arab Conflict Should be the Last Item on John Kerry’s To-Do-List

Events in Egypt, Turkey, Syria and beyond have shown that an agreement with any autocrat whose time in power is likely to be short-lived would not be sustainable. PA Chairman Abbas is an autocrat and therefore can’t be propped up in any sustainable way with all the will in the world.
George W. Bush was right. If America wishes to export peace, it must first export democracy. And if it is progress that Kerry seeks, this is where he must begin.

Kerry’s peace plan includes ‘settlement freeze outside major blocs’

US Secretary of State John Kerry’s much-anticipated formula for peace talks progress will include the release of 103 Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel before the 1993 Oslo Accords and a freeze on all settlement construction outside the major blocs, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported Saturday.
The plan is predicated on the relaunching of direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians; the talks, aimed at a permanent accord, would last between six to nine months and include several phases.

The Baker Paper: Kerry's guide to Mideast peacemaking

This principle is the direct opposite of the approach taken in the past: that nothing is agreed upon until everything is agreed upon. The idea behind immediately implementing agreed-upon steps is, as the Baker paper put it, to “transform the economic, social, and security environment on the ground while working concurrently to achieve breakthroughs on permanent status issues.”
In other words, create visible, positive momentum on the ground that people can see, which – at least in theory – could create an incentive for the sides to crack the hard nut issues: such as Jerusalem and the refugees.
At least in theory.

BBC gets one of its facts on “Palestine” right

But imagine my shock when I heard – amid this feast of West-bashing and pandering to Arab grudges – the mention, en passant, of the non-existence of any “Palestine” prior to the 1920s. So unlike the Beeb to let this one slip. At roughly 6 minutes 20 seconds into the programme, the presenter and historian are perusing a pre-World War I map of the Middle East:

Presenter: What was this area called at that time?
Historian: Well, it wasn’t called any of the names we know it as today. It wasn’t Syria and it wasn’t Palestine, particularly. These were Western names, and Roman names sometimes, we used to refer to this part of the world, but at that time it was all just part of the Ottoman Empire.

Disgraced Former British MP Blames ‘Zionist Lobby’ for Iran Satellite TV Ban

Disgraced British politician Lord Nazir Ahmed blamed the “Zionist lobby” for a U.S. decision to extend sanctions against Iran to international satellite television companies, which will drop all Iranian programming, regime television channel Press TV reported, quoting Ahmed.

DM Digital fined £105,000 over speech that condoned murder for blasphemy

A British TV channel has been fined £105,000 after it aired a live lecture by an Islamic scholar who allegedly advocated killing people who insult the prophet Muhammad.
Manchester-based station DM Digital, which describes itself as Britain's most-watched Asian channel, broadcast the one-hour programme in Urdu in October 2011.

Investigation Approved on Arab Incitement Against Pro-IDF Christian Leader

Israeli Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein has signed off on a secret investigation of Arab members of the Israeli Knesset over their alleged incitement against pro-IDF Christian leader Father Gabriel Nadaf, the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.

Richard Millett: Faithless guitarist Dave Randall suggests Israelis could feel “liberated” after Palestinians have exercised “right of return”.

At one stage there was a surreal discussion about the size of the anti-Iraq war march through London and the size of the crowds in Tahrir Square. Wiles said that although BDS wasn’t as big they would, instead, be more “strategic”.
Just as well because with only 30 people in the audience Wiles, Ziadah, Randall and War On Want are embarrassing themselves. And now you can understand more fully why even arch-critic of Israel Norman Finkelstein felt compelled to call the BDS lot “a cult of dishonesty” with no other desire than to destroy Israel.

Mark Steyn: The Princess and the Brotherhood

Ninety years ago, Fuad I’s kingdom was a ramshackle Arab approximation of a Westminster constitutional monarchy: Even in its flaws and corruptions, it knew at least what respectable societies were supposed to aspire to. Nasser’s one-party state was worse, Mubarak’s one-man klepto-state worse still, and Morsi’s antidote to his predecessors worst of all — so far. You can measure the decay in a tale of two consorts. After she left the shah, Princess Fawzia served as the principal hostess of the Egyptian court. In tiara and off-the-shoulder gowns, she looks like a screen siren from Hollywood’s golden age — Hedy Lamarr, say, in Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945). Sixty years later, no Egyptian woman could walk through Cairo with bare shoulders without risking assault. President Morsi’s wife, Naglaa Ali Mahmoud, is his first cousin, and covered from head to toe. If you were a visiting foreign minister, you were instructed not to shake hands, or even look at her. If you did, you’d notice that the abaya-clad crone bore an odd resemblance to the mom of the incendiary Tsarnaev brothers. Eschewing the title first lady, she preferred to be known as “first servant.” Egypt’s first couple embodied only the parochial, inbred dead end of Islamic imperialism — what remains when all else is dead or fled.

Jeffrey Goldberg: Good Riddance to Brotherhood’s Fake Democrats

A few months ago, King Abdullah II of Jordan told me about his meetings with Mohamed Mursi, the now-deposed president of Egypt. The king wasn’t fond of Mursi, both because the Egyptian was a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and because Abdullah found Mursi exceedingly stupid.

Barry Rubin: Egypt: A Teachable Moment in World History”

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 4, 2013
What has just happened in Egypt is an amazing story and its meaning for the region is earthshaking. The apparent tidal wave of advance for revolutionary Islamism has been flicked aside by the courage of millions of Egyptians but—let’s remember—it would have been futile if the army had not taken their side. Just as on this spot 150 years ago to the day, another such great battle ended in the preservation of the United States.

Egypt on edge after clashes and Islamist pushback

Egyptians were on edge Saturday morning after supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohammed Morsi fought overnight street battles that left at least 30 dead across the increasingly divided country.
Cairo’s emblematic Tahrir Square and nearby approaches to the River Nile were largely empty but left strewn with debris. Thousands of Morsi’s Islamist supporters had marched to the area demanding his reinstatement but ended up fleeing under a hail of stones, fireworks and sometimes gunfire.

Security forces raid Al Jazeera Egyptian TV channel

CAIRO (Reuters) - Security forces raided the Cairo offices of Al Jazeera's Egyptian television channel on Wednesday and detailed at least five staff, hours after the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, a journalist at the station said.

Former Israeli Ambassador: Destiny of Middle East Determined by Egypt Stability

Yehuda Avner, a former Israeli ambassador and adviser to five prime ministers, told Facebook followers on Thursday that the destiny of the Middle East would be determined by Egypt’s stability.
“What is now happening in Egypt is proof that elections in and of themselves do not a democracy make,” Ambassador Avner wrote.

Pope Francis to meet relatives of AMIA bombing victims

Pope Francis is scheduled to meet Friday at the Vatican with a delegation of relatives of victims of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community building in Buenos Aires.
The meeting between the Argentinean pope and the relatives takes place two weeks before the anniversary of the attack that killed 85 people. Among those meeting the pope are relatives Sergio Burstein, Olga Degtiar and Graciela Furman y Rosa Barrerio. Daniel Komarovsky a member of the group called Relatives and Friends of the Victims, also is among them.

Indo-Israel trade has touched USD 6 billion: Israeli diplomat

The bilateral trade which was at USD 200 million in 1992, the trade diversified and reached USD 5.15 billion in 2011 and USD 6 billion in 2012-13, Zaken said.
Several new areas of cooperation have been identified by the two countries, including agriculture, farm research, science, public health, information technology, telecom, and co-operation in space, he said.
According to the diplomat, Israeli industry is keen to take advantage of synergies with India in areas like water Technologies, infotech and sectors where Israel is strong. (h/t Zvi)

Oren announces ending term as US envoy in fall

Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren announced Friday that he would conclude his term as envoy to Washington in the fall, after four years on the job.
Oren wrote on his Facebook page Friday, "I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the State of Israel and its Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the United States, President Barack Obama, the Congress, and the American people."

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Did you know the Jews control Swedish media too?

Radio Islam has an extraordinarily long article in Swedish that seems to list every Jew who ever worked at, or appeared in, any Swedish TV or radio station, or any Jewish-themed TV show to ever air, over several decades, in its zest to prove that the Jews own the media.

It uses the exact same methods as those used by antisemitic sites in the US and Europe, ferreting out Jews or people with Jewish-sounding names in obsessive detail.

I noticed it because "Iraq4AllNews," an Arabic Danish site indexed by Google News, is translating it as a series of articles, so Arabic speakers can know about the incredible Jewish conspiracy to take over the huge Swedish television and radio market.

A quick glance at Radio Islam itself shows that it is pretty much an Arabic translation of Jewwatch or any of dozens of other virulently antisemitic websites. Here is only a small section of the psychotically obsessed homepage:

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7/05 Links Part 2: LATMA, 4th of July in Israel, Alicia Keys Fires Up Tel Aviv and Morsi IS Jewish

From Ian:

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LATMA: Tawil Fadiha sins of peace and John Kerry explains his plan


Freedom lovers will bring prosperity to Middle East, Netanyahu says

“In the Middle East today, there are many people who seek liberty, and they are our natural peace partners and provide hope that the great turbulence that is rocking the Middle East… will hopefully result in a bright future for all people in the region,” Netanyahu said. “It won’t happen overnight, but if it does, prosperity and peace will be provided for all.”

U.S., IDF Soldiers in Tel Aviv July 4 Party

Thirty American soldiers and officers celebrated American Independence Day together with over 150 IDF Lone Soldiers who made Aliyah from the United States, with the assistance of Nefesh B'Nefesh, FIDF, the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and Tzofim Garin Tzabar.
These organizations maintain their relationship with the soldiers throughout their military service and provide them with personal and financial support.

IDF Blog: IDF’s Druze Battalion Tests New Techniques for Fighting Hezbollah

The IDF’s Herev Battalion, made up of members of Israel’s Druze community, has gained many years of experience performing unique missions near the Israel-Lebanon border. In the 2006 Second Lebanon War, for instance, Herev was the first force to cross the border and the last to return – exhausted from completing a range of complex missions that earned the unit a citation.
The Herev Battalion, referred to as the IDF’s “spearhead on the Lebanon border”, used its wealth of operational experience in the region to develop new combat techniques for fighting against Hezbollah. These new techniques were tested last week for the first time in an intensive battalion-wide exercise.

Navigating to Freedom: 37 Years since Entebbe

The IDF’s history is filled with many notable events, from the unforgettable triumphs to the heartbreaking hardships. Today (July 4th), we celebrate an epic chapter of the IDF’s history by recalling an incident that gained international acclaim and respect for the heroism of Israel’s soldiers.
Read on for a remarkable account of the successful completion of Operation Entebbe 37 years ago today, as Lt. Col. (res.) Avi Mor – the navigator of three of the four planes sent to rescue the hostages in Uganda – describes in detail his experience in directing 103 Jewish hostages to freedom.

July 4 Entebbe Memories

I will forever remember that the French crew was offered the chance to leave with the Christians… and chose to stay. The deadline was approaching. The terrorists were threatening to kill the passengers. At any moment, I expected to hear that explosions and gunfire had been heard coming from the compound.

July 4, Day of Operation Entebbe, Israel Upgrades Uganda Airport

July 4 is not only US Independence Day. It also is the anniversary of Operation Entebbe. An Israeli firm this week won a contract to return to Entebbe, ironically to upgrade its systems and security.

Yes, President Mohamed Morsi is Jewish

This is OK'ed for publication now, though it is with a heavy heart that I am doing it. The brilliant career of one of our best field agents is coming to an end, after 62 years of nurturing, training and managing our man in Cairo. Besides, he was outed as our agent by young Assad anyway and the counter-intelligence in Egypt is getting too close for comfort. And only his unshakable determination to end his days as a martyr for the Elders' cause and his absolute refusal to be extracted gave way to this public revelation, so alien to the traditions of our ancient establishment. (satire)

CIF Watch: Anti-Zionism of fools: What Egypt and the Guardian can learn from Israeli democracy

The Guardian’s ideologically inspired legitimization of the Arab world’s hostility towards Israel nurtures their continuing social pathos and sclerotic economies, and ensures that, whatever party takes power in the next Egyptian government, the shining example of diversity, tolerance sober, and liberal self-government to their north will never be leveraged to their advantage.
The anti-Zionism of fools makes it more probable that the ‘Arab Spring’ will continue to be merely a chimera.

Willow Creek Church's Involvement in Anti-Israel Group Raises Concerns

Since the creation of the modern Jewish state, American evangelicals have proudly been among Israel’s most vocal supporters. Millions of these supports are members of the more than 11,000 congregations which belong to the Willow Creek Association--an umbrella organization formed by Willow Creek Community Church. Yet a co-founder of this megachurch, Lynne Hybels, has become one of the most outspoken critics of Israel through her work with a controversial advocacy group, Christ at the Checkpoint.
Christ at the Checkpoint hosts a myriad of religious leaders at a biannual conference in the West Bank under the guise of promoting peace and spreading the gospel. Yet a look at the conference keynote speakers, public pronouncements, and agenda betrays the true agenda of these activists.

German newspaper apologizes for ‘Moloch’ drawing

A cartoon purportedly showing Israel as a greedy “Moloch,” published in a major German daily, has set off a firestorm of protest, despite an apology by the newspaper.
Artist Ernst Kahl said he was shocked to learn that the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper used his drawing of a greenish, horned monster being served breakfast in bed by a pale, plump maid — originally created for the German gourmet magazine Der Feinschmecker — to illustrate a review of two new books on Israel, according to German news reports.

Suicide bomber film boycotted by Arab states

This week the Jerusalem Film Festival will be screening a film called The Attack which tells the story of an Arab-Israeli surgeon in Tel Aviv who discovers that his wife is a suicide bomber.
But the film has been banned in much of the Middle East because its Lebanese director shot the film in Israel with Israeli actors contravening a 1955 Lebanese Anti-Israel Boycott Law.
The director maintains the real reason the film was banned is because it does not demonize Israelis. Talking Movies' Tom Brook reports.

Samsung buys Israeli Web TV startup Boxee for $30 m.

Samsung acquired the Israeli streaming media startup Boxee for $30 million. The Israeli high-tech website TheMarker reported the acquisition by the Korean electronics giant on Wednesday. The report said Samsung will continue to employ Boxee’s 40 employees.

Israel's Startup Culture Lures MBAs

“I think the key reasons to go to Israel are that you learn about innovation and how to create an environment for innovation, which is a lifelong valuable skill,” says Rafi Musher, founder and chief executive of Israel & Co., adding that Israel partially subsidizes the trips. “[Visitors] also see that everyone is working on something that’s big and is a problem—not just a cool app.” (h/t Zvi)

Legs for paraplegics, and other startups from Israel’s ‘Silicon Wadi’

When U.S. President Barack Obama visited Israel in March, he stopped at the Israel Museum.
But in addition to a tour of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mr. Obama met with seven groups of inventors whose products exemplify the best of Israeli innovation.
As part of the demonstration, a paraplegic, strapped into ReWalk, a battery-operated exoskeleton suit created by Argo Medical Technologies, walked confidently around the room. Students from the Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology, operated the Robotic Snake, a miniaturized camera-equipped robot that can slither into hard-to-access disaster sites. And scientists from Mobileye showed how their collision-prevention system can help drivers navigate more safely. (h/t Zvi)

Alicia Keys bares her heart and soul for Tel Aviv

Light on choreography but heavy on charisma, the show, part of her “Set the World on Fire” tour, included beloved hits like “Fallin’” and “Unbreakable,” as well as lesser-known, newer fare like “Brand New Me” and “Tears Always Win.”
Concertgoers had been told a special guest would be joining Keys on stage, and roared with delight when Idan Raichel, the wildly popular Israeli world-music maven, joined her on stage for a one-song mash-up of her “Fallin’” with his chart-busting hit “Mi’ma’amakim.”

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Jihadist group says it shot rockets at Eilat, aiming at Jewish civilians

From TOI:

A number of loud explosions were heard near the southern resort city of Eilat shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday night.

There were no reports of injuries. Security forces were dispatched to the area to determine the source of the blasts, but their searches yielded nothing suggesting a possible rocket attack.

They resumed searching on Friday morning.

It was not clear if the explosions were the result of missiles being lobbed at the city from the Sinai Peninsula.

Reports differed as to how many blasts there were. Initial reports indicated two explosions, but an Eilat resident told Ynet news that three were heard.

According to El Bashayer Online, a Sinai jihadist group called Ansar Al Quds has taken credit for shooting rockets.

They said that they launched two "Crayfish" rockets crayfish on Thursday night to Eilat, "targeting fuel tanks and a residential area in the city," shooting at "the enemies of God, the Jews, forcing them to flee to shelters thanks to God and his strength, which was sanitized in the Jews' coverage on it and they hid their losses as usual...."

The statement added that "The Jews know that our attacks on them and our jihad will not stop any circumstance. In the situation in Egypt, where the Jews have the upper hand in inciting them, will not stop the the wheel Jihad ever."

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Jordan increasing censorship of news

From AFP:

The Jordanian government said on Tuesday that it had blocked 254 unlicensed news websites, 16 of them in the previous two days, using powers under a 2012 law criticized as a threat to freedom of expression.

Fayez Shawabkeh, head of the Press and Publication Department said: “16 local news websites were blocked in the past two days after carefully examining their situation.

“This brings the total number of sites the PPD blocked recently to 254, while 111 sites have obtained licenses.”

On June 3, authorities said they would block nearly 300 out of 400 local news websites “for failing to obtain the necessary licensing,” under last year’s controversial legislation.

The law gave the government powers to regulate “electronic publications,” requiring them to register with the PPD and obtain a license.

It stipulates that the chief editors of news websites must be members of the Jordan Press Association, giving the government the right to censor content and hold journalists liable for comments posted on webpages.

The PPD has insisted “the decision does not seek to restrict freedoms,” and that “the objective is to organize the work of these websites.”

Journalists accuse the government of seeking to control who can publish news.

One of the sites blocked in the past two days is 7iber, Arabic for “ink.”

Its editor, Lina Ejeilat, told AFP 7iber was an interactive website that published reports and features from contributors, and said it should not be covered by the legislation.

“We are a blog and definitely not a news website,” she said.

Shawabkeh disagreed, saying that “7iber is registered at the trade and industry ministry as a news website and posts news and political analyses about Jordan, which means that the law applies to it.”

The PPD’s decision drew renewed criticism of Jordan from international human rights watchdogs, as well as from journalists, activists and the main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, who saw it as an attempt to impose censorship.

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7/05 Links Part 1: Israel’s reviled strategic wisdom, Fatah calls for the overthrow of Hamas

From Ian:

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Caroline Glick: Israel’s reviled strategic wisdom

In a Middle East engulfed by civil war, revolution and chronic instability, Israel is the only country at peace. The image of Kerry extolling his success in “narrowing the gaps” between Israel and the Palestinians before he boarded his airplane at Ben-Gurion Airport, as millions assembled to bring down the government of Egypt, is the image of a small, irrelevant America.
And as the anti-American posters in Tahrir Square this week showed, America’s self-induced smallness is a tragedy that will harm the region and endanger the US.
As far as Israel is concerned, all we can do is continue what we have been doing, and hope that at some point, the Americans will embrace our sound strategy.

Dore Gold: Kerry and the struggle over the Jordan Valley

Speaking before the U.S. Congress on May 24, 2011, Netanyahu stated that while the precise delineation of Israeli-Palestinian borders must be negotiated, he added: "Israel will not return to the indefensible lines of 1967." Since that time there has been a struggle underway in which both the Israelis and the Palestinians are presenting their diplomatic narratives to Western diplomats, who have been predisposed to accepting the Palestinian narrative on territory and the Israeli narrative on security. This struggle has direct implications for the future of the Jordan Valley.

The U.N.’s Institutional Bias against Israel

It is not just the U.N.’s Human Rights Council that has an institutional bias against Israel, in the form of its infamous Agenda Item 7. Almost every U.N. agency has one or more special agenda items or reports that single out Israel. As a form of widespread bias, the gross and systematic singling out of Israel damages the credibility of the United Nations and calls into question its commitment to the the organization’s own principles of equality, universality, and impartiality.

Amnesty calls on Israel to stop 'bullying' activists

This is the "latest in a litany of human rights violations against Nariman Tamimi (aka Shirley Temper’s Mother), her family, and her fellow villagers. These arbitrary restrictions should be lifted immediately and the charges should be dropped," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.

Indy reporter misleads on Israel’s security barrier

Of course, Israel’s security barrier (mostly consisting of chain link or barbed wire) was built between ‘Israeli citizens’ and the Palestinians of the West Bank, not just the state’s “Jewish citizens and the Palestinians” as McCarthy claims. In addition to the state’s roughly six million Jews, Israel is home to 1.3 million Muslims, 155,000 Christians and nearly 130,000 Druze.

What now for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood?

The Muslim Brotherhood has called for mass protests following Friday prayers and this may provide a window into which direction the wind is blowing. Radical Salafi supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi have indicated that violence and terrorism will be their response.
Mohammad Zawahiri, the Egyptian-based brother of al-Qaida leader Ayman Zawahiri, called for the organization to wage a jihad to save Morsi and his Islamist agenda for Egypt, according to a report by Raymond Ibrahim at the Gatestone Institute.

David Horovitz: After Morsi: 6 thoughts on the ouster of an undemocratic, elected president

American hesitancy, the Brotherhood’s extreme anti-Semitism, and how the short-lived leader was the architect of his own downfall

Obama avoids calling Egypt leader's ouster a coup

President Obama said Wednesday that he was deeply concerned about the military overthrow of Egypt's first elected president, although he avoided describing the ouster as a military coup, which would trigger automatic cuts in U.S. aid to a longtime ally that is key to U.S.-backed regional security accords.

Egypt: El Baradei Favored to Head Interim Government

Muhammad ElBaradei, the former head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, is the leading candidate for the position of prime minister of the interim government in Egypt, 24 hours after Mohammed Morsi was deposed by the military as the country's president.

Egypt crisis: Video purports to show mob attacking soldiers

Amateur footage from Egypt appears to shows two soldiers being set upon by a large group of Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

Russia, Turkey criticize Egyptian democracy

Turkish officials call Morsi’s ousting anti-democratic, ‘backward’; Russian lawmaker suggests democracy may not come easily to non-Western states

Sadat's Daughter: Thank You for Avenging my Father

Egypt's new transitional government has received thanks from Rokaya Sadat, the daughter of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.
“I thank the Egyptian people for the demonstrations of June 30 that led to Morsi’s downfall. I thank you, because you have helped to avenge my father’s blood,” she said.

UN human rights chief worried over Brotherhood crackdown

The UN’s human rights czar expressed worry Friday over the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, calling for the end of “arbitrary detention” of the Islamist group’s members.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also criticized Egypt for failing to “move towards a truly tolerant and inclusive society,” and said she was disturbed by the reports of sexual violence on the streets in Egypt.

Fatah calls on Palestinians to overthrow Hamas in wake of Morsi's fall

Palestinian Authority leaders on Thursday expressed joy over the downfall of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s regime, with some calling on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to follow suit and topple the Hamas government. (h/t MTB)

ZOA Chief: Can't Decide Who's Worse in Syria

Morton Klein, who heads the Zionist Organization of America, tells Arutz Sheva in a special interview that the reason the U.S. is not becoming involved in the Syrian civil war is that it does not know which side is worse than the other.
“We're not sure which side is better,” he explained.

Russia Blocks UN Demand for Access to Syrian City

Russia on Thursday blocked a UN Security Council demand that Syria allow immediate access to thousands of civilians trapped by a government offensive on the city of Homs, diplomats said, according to the AFP news agency.
According to the diplomats, Russia's opposition to the statement proposed by council members Australia and Luxembourg was a new sign of a growing international split over the 26-month old conflict.

Seeking to Expand South American Terror Network, Iran Now Targeting Bolivia

Bolivia is not unique. A recent State Department report outlined Iranian efforts across South America. Terrorism expert Matthew Levitt emphasized that the report not only documented Iran’s continuing efforts “to expand its presence and bilateral relationships with countries like Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela,” but also the infiltration of “a network of intelligence agents specifically tasked with sponsoring and executing terrorist attacks in the Western Hemisphere.”

Pakistan Bankrolls Terrorist Group

Pakistan has just allocated over $4,000,000 for a Center, a "Knowledge Park" and other initiatives for the Islamist parent body of the banned terrorist group that attacked Mumbai, India, in 2008.
The Pakistani provincial government of Punjab included in its budget for fiscal 2013-14 a sum of 61.35 million Pakistani Rupees ($616,000 USD) to fund the largest Center of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) -- the Islamist parent body of the banned terror organization Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT), which committed the Mumbai attacks.

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Egypt's backlash against Hamas begins

Egyptian police closed the Rafah crossing from Gaza today, after attacks on Egyptian army positions this morning. The closings will remain in effect "until further notice."

So far, no "human rights" agency has condemned this clear violation of the rule against collective punishment against Gazans. They seem to only get worked up over one country allegedly doing that.

Palestine Press Agency quotes a German press agency as saying that Egyptian excavators and bulldozers demolished a number of smuggling tunnels on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Thursday. Eyewitnesses saw much earth-moving equipment, alongside a number of armored vehicles of the Egyptian army carrying heavy machine guns.

It looks like Egypt is taking Gaza smuggling seriously, years after Israel rang the alarm.

Also, the Egyptian Attorney General decided to investigate former president Morsi on charges of collaborating with foreign bodies. Which foreign bodies? Hamas! The accusation is that the Muslim Brotherhood collaborated with Hamas in the jailbreaks of many Brotherhood members as the Mubarak regime was falling.

In Gaza itself, Hamas instructed its spokespeople to remain mum on the entire topic of Egypt, afraid that someone will say something that will give Egypt an excuse to further disenfranchise the group. But privately Hamas has been meeting around the clock to watch developments and come up with a strategy on how to handle them. One of the immediate pressing issues is that Hamas was able to get materials from Egypt at the Egyptian subsidized prices, and now they have to pay full price to Israel for the same goods.

Hamas already recently lost its Iranian patron. Losing Egypt could cause Hamas to be unable to pay salaries, and that could make things very interesting in Gaza over the next few months.

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Extremist Abbas shows his intransigence in interview

Yet again, Mahmoud Abbas shows his extremism and intransigence in an interview and the Western world
looks the other way.

In an expansive interview in Lebanon's Al-Joumhouria, Abbas reiterated the points he has made many times before - points that ensure that there will never be a Palestinian Arab state unless Israel allows itself to be destroyed.

Abbas reiterated that the so-called "right of return" is "sacred," and he is against resettlement of Palestinian Arabs in other Arab states. He indicated that Israel wanted Syrian refugees who went to Gaza to forfeit the "right" to move to Israel, and he refused (presumably, preferring them to rot in Syria if given the choice.)

He also said that if Jerusalem does not become part of "Palestine" then there will never be peace. He is representing Jerusalem as not just a Palestinian Arab issue but an issue for the entire Islamic and Arab worlds - you know, the people who ignored it when it was under their control.

On the topic of reaching out to American Jews to influence Israel, he stated that he felt that many Jews in America are not supporters of Netanyahu and that Palestinian Arabs "must speak with them in order for them to understand the Arab point of view, and I think that some of them began to understand that Israel is intransigent."

He admitted that the news from Arab countries has put the topic of Palestine on the backburner, but he bragged that even so he got 138 votes in the UN to declare "Palestine" a non-member state.

One bizarre answer he gave, to the question of why he is reluctant to use the word "resistance" in his written statements, is that "my authority as president finished, and I demand to conduct legislative and presidential elections." He seems to run away from questions he would rather not answer by falling back on the fiction that he wants elections, even though he is in the ninth year of his four year term.

When pressed, Abbas said he is against armed resistance, saying "I'm not ready to launch an absurd missile to destroy my country, we are with the peaceful resistance popular." "Popular resistance" includes Molotov cocktails and stones thrown through car windshields. Note again that his objection to terrorism is not moral but practical - because Israel responds with force to being attacked. If he thought he could achieve a state by murdering every Israeli civilian, the implication is that he would have no problem with that.

Abbas denied acting as a dictator. Keep in mind that he did his UN stunt without the backing of the PA and PLO government committees that according to their own laws must approve any moves like that. Not to mention his assaults on freedom of the press and freedom of expression. He said that the best proof that he is not a dictator is that he did not force the "prime minister" to stay on when he resigned. Of course, he appointed him to begin with, the way a dictator would.

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While Europe dawdles, Gulf states discuss sanctions against Hizballah

The Daily Star (Lebanon) Monday reported on Monday:

The European Union is unlikely to make a decision on blacklisting Hezbollah for “a least five [or] six months,” Italy’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development Cooperation Lapo Pistelli said Wednesday. Pistelli spoke to The Daily Star as he rounded out a three-day visit to the country with a brief tour of the National Museum, which included sneak peeks at a selection of exhibits not yet on public display.

The deputy minister listed the debate between member states over evidence of Hezbollah’s involvement in a terror attack in Bulgaria in July 2012 as one of the main reasons he believed the organization, or part of it, would not be added to the bloc’s terror list in the immediate future.

“At the preliminary discussion in Brussels [earlier this month] there were some arguments raised by the Bulgarian government and the Cypriots about the proofs and evidences [pertaining to] blacklisting the organization ... so it seems to me this decision will require time,” Pistelli said.

The EU has come under increasing pressure from the U.S. and some of its members to add Hezbollah, or at least its military wing, to its terror list.

Pistelli described this debate as “very sensitive,” and was clear that, regardless of discussions in Europe, Hezbollah is a very “relevant player” in Lebanon and could not be excluded from a “real national unity government.”

More details on the opposition within Europe to declaring Hizballah a terrorist organization can be seen here.

While Europe effectively legalizes the terrorist organization, the Gulf Arabs in the region are moving forward with sanctioning it:

Senior Gulf Cooperation Council officials met in Riyadh on Thursday to coordinate sanctions in the six member states against Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah movement over its support for the Syria regime.

The meeting was “to develop mechanisms to monitor movements, financial transactions and business operations of Hezbollah,” said Bahraini deputy interior minister Khaled al-Absi.

The GCC monarchies decided on June 10 to impose sanctions on Hezbollah, targeting residency permits and its financial and business activities in reprisal for the group’s armed intervention in Syria.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Of course, it isn't that the Gulf countries are suddenly more sensitive to terror than Europe. They would never sanction Hamas or any other Palestinian terror group.  It is that they are Sunni and they hate Shiites, represented by Hizballah, and the organization's adventurism in Syria is giving them the excuse they want to sanction it.

Even so, it is jarring to see Muslims in the forefront of taking actions against other Muslims while Europeans can't figure out what to do.

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Interim president of Egypt accused of being Jewish (update)

A number of Arabic media are saying that the new interim president of Egypt, Adli Mansour, is actually a Jew!

They get this little factoid from a Facebook post by Ahmed Mansour (presumably no relation,) an Al Jazeera reporter who is clearly a fan of Mosri.

According to the post, Adli Mansour is really a Seventh-Day Adventist. This means, according to this well-informed journalist, that Adli is really Jewish.

If that isn't evidence enough of Adli's guilt, Ahmed says that Adli approached the Coptic pope for baptism and was turned down. I'm sure that's relevant.

Ahmed Mansour ends off his post by saying "Congratulations, [Egypt], you are now ruled by Jews and Christians."

UPDATE: Everyone is denying everything, and Ahmed Mansour says that his Facebook page was faked. It has been around for over a year, with tens of thousands of "Likes," so this is a pretty elaborate deception and surprising that Mansour never complained about it before.

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Archaeology news 3: Samson mosaics found in Galilee

From Israel Antiquities Authority:

A monumental synagogue building dating to the Late Roman period (ca. 4th-5th centuries C.E.) has been discovered in archaeological excavations at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee.

The excavations are being conducted by Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and David Amit and Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority, under the sponsorship of UNC, Brigham Young University in Utah, Trinity University in Texas, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Toronto in Canada. Students and staff from UNC and the consortium schools are participating in the dig.

Huqoq is an ancient Jewish village located approximately two to three miles west of Capernaum and Migdal (Magdala). Thissecond season of excavations has revealed portions of a stunning mosaic floor decorating the interior of the synagogue building. The mosaic, which is made of tiny colored stone cubes of the highest quality, includes a scene depicting Samson placing torches between the tails of foxes (as related in the book of Judges 15). In another part of the mosaic, two human (apparently female) faces flank a circular medallion with a Hebrew inscription that refersto rewards for those who performgood deeds.

“This discovery is significant because only a small number of ancient (Late Roman) synagogue buildings are decorated with mosaics showing biblical scenes, and only two others have scenes with Samson (one is at another site just a couple of miles from Huqoq),” said Magness, the Kenan Distinguished Professor in the department of religious studies in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Our mosaics are also important because of their high artistic quality and the tiny size of the mosaic cubes. This, together with the monumental size of the stones used to construct the synagogue’s walls, suggest a high level of prosperity in this village, as the building clearly was very costly.”

The University of North Carolina describes a different Samson mosaic; I'm not sure if it is from the same site or the one nearby:

Very high resolution image; click to see detail

In summer 2012, a mosaic showing Samson and the foxes (as related in the Bible’s Judges 15:4) was discovered in the synagogue’s east aisle. This summer, another mosaic was found that shows Samson carrying the gate of Gaza on his shoulders (Judges 16:3). Adjacent to Samson are riders with horses, apparently representing Philistines. Although he is not described as such in the Hebrew Bible, Samson is depicted as a giant in both scenes, reflecting later Jewish traditions that developed about the biblical judge and hero.

Biblical scenes are not uncommon in Late Roman synagogue mosaics, but only one other ancient synagogue in Israel (at Khirbet Wadi Hamam) is decorated with a scene showing Samson.

“The discovery of two Samson scenes in the Huqoq synagogue suggests that it was decorated with a Samson cycle — the first such cycle known in Israel,” said Magness. “A cycle is a series of scenes about Samson, in which different episodes relating to Samson are depicted.”

Another portion of mosaic discovered in the synagogue’s east aisle preserves a scene that includes several male figures and an elephant. Below that is an arcade, with the arches framing young men arranged around a seated elderly man holding a scroll. The strip below shows a bull pierced by spears, with blood gushing from his wounds, and a dying or dead soldier holding a shield.

This mosaic differs in style, quality and content from the Samson scenes, Magness said.

“It might depict a triumphal parade or perhaps a martyrdom story based on Maccabees 1-4, in which case it would be the first example of an apocryphal story decorating an ancient synagogue,” she said. “Apocryphal books were not included in the Hebrew Bible/Jewish canon of sacred scripture.”

(h/t L. King)

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7/04 Links Part 2: Israeli Arab Christian Soldiers, Mandela and the Jews, Sabra dips into the NFL

From Ian:

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Arab Christians: Israel only state worth fighting for

Arab Christian residents of Nazareth who proudly serve in the Israeli army and encourage their children to do the same are coming under increasing attack, and Israel is starting to take notice and come to their aid.
For a number of years now, a group of Nazareth Christians who are officers in the Israeli army have been actively recruiting young local Arabs to follow in their footsteps and serve the Jewish state. (h/t Zvi)

Mandela and the Jews

Jewish lawyers were prominently involved in defending Mandela in the various political trials in which he was involved, among them Isie Maisels (later a member of the governing body of the Jewish Agency), Arthur Chaskalson, Joel Joffe and Sidney Kentridge. He also worked closely with the journalist Benjamin Pogrund, who later made aliya and in addition to promoting Israeli- Palestinian dialogue has been a staunch defender of Israel in the propaganda war against it.
After Mandela’s release from prison in 1990, he and the mainstream Jewish leadership forged a cordial relationship and many leading Jewish businessmen were brought on board to assist in addressing the legacy of poverty and inequality left by the apartheid system.

IDF chief visits UK for first time in a decade

Following Israel’s assassination of Palestinian arch-terrorist Salah Shehadeh in 2002, pro-Palestinian groups spurred efforts to have Israeli military and political figures arrested in Britain for alleged war crimes committed abroad, exploiting a loophole in British law enabling universal jurisdiction.
In 2011, however, the law was amended so that Britain’s director of Public Prosecutions would be required to give his consent if a group calls for an arrest warrant to be issued on the grounds of universal jurisdiction, effectively closing the loophole. Livni eventually visited Britain in 2011 to meet with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

ADL Raises Alert for White Supremacist ‘Freedompalooza 2013'

The event, “Freedompalooza 2013" is a gathering of white supremacists, anti-Semites, anti-government extremists and conspiracy theorists, according to the ADL.
Scheduled for the July 4-6 weekend, it is being organized by Paul Topete, an extremist lead singer of the band “Pokerface,” and sponsored by the “American Free Press,” published by Willis Carto.
The list of invited speakers includes two former members of Congress, both of whom have a history of hatred against Israel. Cynthia McKinney has long promoted anti-Israel rhetoric, and accused the pro-Israel lobby of sabotaging her political career.

‘Christian Century’ Under Fire for Ties With Editor From Magazine Accused of Anti-Semitism

The Christian Century, a mainline Christian magazine based in Chicago, has come under fire from the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) for its ties to James M. Wall, an associate editor at the controversial Veterans News Now (VNN),who appears on The Christian Century’s masthead.
According to CAMERA, VNN is a magazine that “traffics in ugly anti-Semitic tropes and imagery,” including several recent pieces that highlighted “Jesus’ Aryan identity” and a pro-Iran piece titled “Abraham is Not My Father.” On the front page ofVNN on July 3, an article titled “Earth’s alpha predator: Zionist Mafia” argues that the American public has been “brainwashed by lies” from the Zionists.

Dumb and Dumber About Antisemitism in Germany

Really, what could be antisemitic about picturing Israel as an ugly greedy monster with horns? Why on earth would anybody take offense to see Israel caricatured like this as illustration for an article recommending two books highly critical of the Jewish state in one of Germany’s most influential newspapers?

Egypt’s ‘biting’ wrestler suspended

Wrestling’s governing body says it suspended an Egyptian athlete who allegedly bit her Israeli opponent during a bout.
Enas Moustafa Youssef Khourshid also reportedly disrespected wrestling protocol by refusing to shake the hand of Ilana Kartysh of Israel before or after their semifinal match at a Grand Prix event last month in Sassari, Italy.

Remembering Howard Grief

On 2 July, the stone-setting for Howard Grief took place in Jerusalem, and I should like to pay tribute to this extraordinary man, and the unique legacy he left to the Jewish people in his book, “The Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law“, published in 2008 —– the product of more than 20 years of research.
It is a work of profound scholarship, yet the documentation of the Jewish legal rights to the land set in a historical narrative, make it a compelling read. Each titled chapter within it is a stand-alone, with the first being the most important.

StandWithUs Launches New Pro-Israel Campaign

Pro-Israel advocacy and education group StandWithUs has launched an advertising campaign for the month of July on San Francisco’s Muni bus system to counter the latest round of anti-Israel ads.
“Anti-Israel groups attempt to misinform the public in order to undermine American support for Israel. Their ads typically demonize Israel and blame it for the lack of peace. They ignore context including the continued deadly actions and ideology of Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas,” Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, said in a statement reported by the JNS news service.

Satire: Yet another modest proposal for a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign

In a move widely expected to spark considerable controversy, one of the UK’s leading university unions, the National Union of Teachers, Trainers and Education Research Staff (known cheekily by some rebels within the union as ‘NUTTERS’) will announce a proposal that Britain’s university teachers and researchers take the unusual step of boycotting themselves.
A spokesperson for the union told CiF Watch the following:
“We realise this may seem drastic, but the gravity of the crimes being committed in the name of UK universities leaves us no choice. We have reliable information that several UK universities have collaboration programmes with educational facilities in such anti-democratic, misogynistic and apartheid states such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar. We also know of several other British institutions which have received substantial donations from such puppet organisations as the Qatari Foundation and the King Faisal Institute.

Sabra Hummus is the Official Dip of the NFL

Rejoice, hummus lovers (and football fans), because Monday Night Football will never be the same. That’s because hummus is now the official dip of the National Football League—Sabra hummus, that is, from the PepsiCo-owned Sabra Dipping Co.—and soon the entirety of this great country will finally know what you’ve known all along: that hummus is delicious.
Bloomberg reports that the sponsorship comes at the same time that the company approved its first U.S. television commercials, presumably part of a wider campaign to make the Middle Eastern spread more palatable to the American masses:

Pictet attracted by Israel's 8,500 millionaire families

In November 2012, Pictet & Cie executives prepared the gala opening of the Swiss bank's Israeli branch. These were the early days of Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza, and for a moment, Tel Aviv was a city under missile attack. Rebuffing instructions from the Swiss Embassy, Pictet Wealth Management Israel manager Karen Schwok, went ahead with the event. "We opened under conditions of uncertainty, just when missiles began to fall here. All of the bank's eight partners and senior executives came to Israel for three days. We held meetings and events, and every time we all ran to the stairwell," she told "Globes" in an interview. (h/t Zvi)

Hebrew U, Singapore U Create Joint PhD Program

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem are launching a Joint Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree program in biomedical science beginning in August 2013.
Prof. Tan Eng Chye, Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost at National University of Singapore, and Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, President of the Hebrew University, signed the joint degree agreement at NUS, in the presence of Ambassador of Israel to Singapore Her Excellency Amira Arnon and 30 invited guests.

Intel Considering $10 Billion Investment in Israel

Intel, the world’s top computer chip manufacturer, is in talks with the Israeli government about a $10-billion (U.S.) investment in Israel, a senior government official told the Hebrew-language Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday.

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Archaeology news 2: Possible evidence of the Mishkan at Shiloh

From Israel HaYom:

The Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting -- which, according to the Bible, housed the Ark of the Covenant -- was a temporary structure made of wooden beams and fabric, not materials cut out for thousands of years of survival.

Nevertheless, undaunted, archaeologists have searched for evidence of the Tent of Meeting for years, which they posited would be found in ancient Shiloh (next to the settlement of Shiloh in the Binyamin region). Now it appears their efforts have borne fruit, yielding assumptions that the Tent of Meeting indeed stood there.

The findings, which will be presented at a conference of the Shiloh Association scheduled to take place this week in ancient Shiloh, include the discovery of holes carved into the ground which could have held the beams of a temporary structure.

Because the Tent of Meeting and Ark of the Covenant were portable, archaeologists are considering the possibility that the Tent of Meeting stood there. The Tent of Meeting served as a place of prayer and sacrifice until the First Temple in Jerusalem was built by King Solomon.

Near the holes, in the northern part of Tel Shiloh, structures were unearthed that correspond to the dates when Joshua first settled the land of Israel until the period of King David's reign.

One of these structures was found to contain ceramic vessels as well as three large taboon clay ovens.

"This is not something that was common in private residences and therefore we do not believe these structures served as family dwellings," explained Hananya Hizmi, staff officer for archeology in the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria.

Keep in mind that the Mishkan (tabernacle) was in Shiloh for 369 years.

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Archaeology news 1: Indirect proof of Esther?

From JPost, an interesting article that might be indirect proof for the story of the Book of Esther:

Just a hundred years ago, they were searching for it desperately. German, French and Italian archaeological expeditions were mounted to comb the lower stretches of Elephantine Island in the Nile River, in southern Egypt, but without success. They had been activated by the publication in 1911, two years earlier, of papyrus documents from the area that contained personal stories of members of a Jewish military colony in the area from the 5th century BCE. According to the document, there had been a temple in their midst of the colony. But where, exactly? Was it real or a myth ? Where was the colony, exactly, and why was it there at all? With the advent of World War I in 1914, the search was called off. It resumed after 1918, but again without success.

The papyrus scrolls were specific. The Jewish colonists lived in peace with their Egyptian neighbors, and they kept the Jewish laws. In fact, the Persian Emperor Darius II had commanded them to keep the Passover feast of unleavened bread in 418 BCE and not to drink beer for seven days after Nissan 14, according to one of the papyri. The area at the time was under Persian control; it had been captured by Cambyses in 525 BCE, and the Jewish colony was under Persian jurisdiction.

They occupied a whole row of mud-brick houses, some of them married Egyptian wives, some did not, and altogether they lived their lives in peace and quiet. Why were they there? They were a military unit serving there to guard Egypt’s southern border. They were on Elephantine Island, opposite Aswan on the mainland, and it was here, at the first cataract of the Nile, that Egypt had always had to defend itself against infiltrators from the south, where the poorer nations were desperate to enter and enjoy the riches of their wealthy neighbors.

Why would Darius II, a Persian king, instruct Jews to keep Passover?

Maybe because many scholars identify Darius II was the son of Queen Esther!

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