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Tag Archives: Jerusalem
Ancient Greek Fortress Found in Jerusalem; Could Solve Archaeological Mystery
Archaeologists told Reuters that they believe they have found the remains of an ancient Greek fortress after a century of searching. The fortress was once a center of power in Jerusalem and a stronghold that held off a Jewish rebellion celebrated in the Book of the Maccabees.
The fortress was built more than 2,000 years ago by Antiochus Epiphanes, king of the Hellenised Seleucid empire. The location of the Acra has been long debated by researchers and archaeologists and has been one of Jerusalem’s greatest archaeological mysteries.
“It has been an open question in the archaeology of Jerusalem,” Excavation Director Doron Ben-Ami told FoxNews.com. “For hundreds of years scholars, archaeologists and historians have been looking for the location of this Acra and many, many different locations have been suggested.”
Many believed it was located behind now Jerusalem’s walled Old City or by the hilltop where two Jewish temples once stood but is now the Al Aqsa mosque compound. However, the Israel Antiquities Authority unearthed the fortress under an old parking lot located outside the walls overlooking a valley to the south. Archaeologists say the area was a place of construction for Jerusalem under King David from the Bible. Ben-Ami told Reuters that the spot was chosen for Acra in order to monitor the Jewish temple and control the city.
One area of the fortress held artifacts like coins and handles for wine jugs that suggest the fortress was present in the period of Antiochus. Bronze arrowheads and lead sling stones were also found at the dig site and were possibly used when Jewish rebels tried to take over the fortress from pro-Greek forces.
“This is a rare example of how rocks, coins and dirt can come together in a single archaeological story that addresses specific historical realities from the city of Jerusalem,” Ben-Ami said.
ISIS Declares War Against “All the Jews” and Israel in Latest Video
On Sunday, the Islamic State released a new video across social media titled “A Message to Israel.” The 40 second video shows an ISIS jihadi speaking Hebrew and stating that ISIS was declaring war on Israel and the entire Jewish people.
“My message to the [Israel Defense Force] officers and soldiers and all the Jews – we will fight you with God’s help, we will come for you from across the world and we will slaughter you like sheep, prepare for the big war, the war of stone and wood. This is be soon and not long,” the terrorist said, according to a translation by the Jerusalem Post.
The terrorist’s face was pixelated and he was shown wielding a knife while two other men stood on either side of him. He continued:
“To all the Jews, grandsons of apes and pigs, we are coming at you from all over the world. … [The war] is soon; it won’t be long, God willing, God willing,” he said in the video according to the International Business Times.
This is the second video that ISIS has recently released that has called for the annihilation of Jews. Last month, they released a similar video with a masked member of ISIS talking to a camera in Hebrew, announcing war against Israel.
“This is an important message to all Jews — the first enemy of the Muslims. The real war has not yet begun. Whatever you had previously is child’s play [in comparison]. … Do whatever you want in the meantime, until we reach you, and then we will make you pay for the crimes you have committed. … Soon, there will not be even a single Jew left in Jerusalem or the rest of the country. We will keep going until we eradicate this disease worldwide.”
Sunday’s video was released after ISIS declared they were responsible for bringing down the Russian jet that crashed into the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people. At this time, it is still unclear as to what brought down the plane.
The Israel Defense Force has stated that they are closely monitoring ISIS, especially along Israel’s southern border with Egypt.
On Saturday, the Democratic Forces of Syria joined forces with U.S.-backed Kurdish militia and Syrian Arab rebel groups in order to start a new offensive against ISIS. Kurdish forces will be leading airstrikes and land offensives to interrupt the Islamic State’s supply lines across the Syria-Iraq border. CNN also reports that 5,000 Yazidi fighters are gearing up for an offensive that will take back the town of Sinjar from ISIS. If they can reclaim Sinjar then ISIS would have a more difficult time resupplying their people in Mosul.
U.N. Chief to Visit Israel and Palestine to Calm Tensions
In an attempt to calm tensions between Israel and the Palestinian territories, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be visiting the area, despite the waves of violence that has plagued the area for about a month.
The violence began about a month ago over tensions concerning policy changes to the Temple Mount, a holy site for both Jews and Muslims. Then stabbings began happening in Arab neighborhoods East of Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel. The escalation in violence has prompted some to believe that a third Palestinian uprising may begin.
On Tuesday there were two more reported incidents. Israeli forces shot a Palestinian man after he stabbed an Israeli military officer. In the West Bank, a separate incident occurred where an Israeli man was killed after being run over by a truck. The Washington Post reports that Palestinians were throwing rocks at the man’s car. The Israeli man then exited his vehicle and began hitting Palestinian vehicles with a stick. He hit a passing truck that then ran over the man. The driver did turn himself in, claiming that the man’s death was the result of him trying to swerve out of the way.
Ban Ki-moon released a video prior to his Tuesday visit, asking for peace on both sides. During his visit Ban will be visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem.
Since the violence began, 40 Palestinians, including attackers, and 8 Israelis have been killed, according to BBC News.
Netanyahu Vows to Control Violence Day before “Day of Rage” Attacks
Hours after a teenage Israeli boy was stabbed and in critical condition on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed parliament and angrily accused Israel’s Arab lawmakers for helping incite the weeks of violence.
In past meetings, lawmakers from the Joint (Arab) list have walked out when Netanyahu has stood at the podium. Netanyahu has called for an investigation of several members of the Joint (Arab) list, including MK Hanin Zoabi. Netanyahu claims that she, among others, supports Palestinian acts of terror against Israelis.
“She said to a Hamas magazine just two days ago that the actions of individuals isn’t enough and there needs to be a real intifada,” he went on. “This is unbelievable, honored colleagues. A member of Knesset in Israel calls for wholesale terror attacks against Israeli citizens, and there’s nothing more justified than opening a criminal investigation against her.”
Netanyahu called out to the Arab citizens of Israel, asking them to “kick out the extremists among you.”
While Netanyahu did take action in parliament, many are putting Israel’s Prime Minister under heavy criticism for failing to stop the violence. An opinion poll this week showed that 70% of the public is unhappy with his handling of the situation.
The escalation of violence in Israel began a month ago with a rumor that Israel planned on taking over the Temple Mount, a holy site to both Muslims and Jews. Since then, the violence has spread from the Temple Mount to the Old City, West Bank, and Gaza Strip.
Despite the increase in security, the random nature of the stabbings have made it difficult for Israeli police to stop the attacks. Many of the attackers have been teenagers who are not affiliated with militant groups. Seven Israelis have been killed in stabbings, a shooting, and a stoning attack, while 27 Palestinians have been killed. Out of the 25, 10 were attackers.
It doesn’t seem the violence will stop any time soon. Reports say that on Tuesday, a Palestinian man armed with knives and a gun killed at least three people and wounded others in a wave of attacks in Jerusalem. Palestinian groups declared Tuesday a “Day of Rage.” Within an hour, another Palestinian man stabbed and wounded four other people in Raanana according to Israeli police.
The increased stabbings has raised speculation that Palestinians may be attempting another uprising intifada, showing how the citizens are frustrated over their leadership’s failure of achieving statehood.
Police reported that Netanyahu has scheduled a meeting at 3:00 p.m. to discuss new operational plans.
Violence Escalates; Sweeping Through Israel
At the beginning, the tension in Israel centered at the al-Aqsa the holy site for Palestinians otherwise known as the Temple Mount for the Jewish people in Jerusalem’s Old City. Palestinians feared that Israel wants to change the status quo there and the violence began with a vengeance. The cycle now has no answers as to the beginning or end and reports of what is causing the random stabbings and shootings throughout Israel depends on who you are speaking to at the moment. It has become a never ending cycle.
Four suspects were shot in three separate attempted stabbing attacks in Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli police said.
Extra police were deployed around the Old City as the latest wave of violence blankets Israel and the West Bank show no signs of abating.
“To our shock and horror, the cruelty of murderers who attack innocent civilians and children on their way home from school knows no limit, confronting us all with a shocking form of evil,”Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat said in a statement. “We must act swiftly and decisively.” So far, 23 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed.
Around 20 Israelis and more than 500 Palestinians have been injured.
A number of rocket attacks have been launched from Gaza in recent weeks amid an escalation in violence against Israeli security forces and civilians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
On Sunday, a pregnant Palestinian mother and her 3-year-old daughter were killed when their house in the Gaza Strip collapsed after an Israeli airstrike that allegedly targeted a Hamas weapons site.
Tensions Rise between Palestinians and Israelis after Death of Palestinian Teen
Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians on the West Bank resulted in hundreds of injuries and the death of a Palestinian teenager on Sunday. The recent escalation in violence is a reaction to Israel’s decision of restricting Palestinians from entering Jerusalem’s Old City with the exception of residents.
The clashes intensified on Monday after Israeli forces shot and killed Huthayfa Soliman, 18. According to the Israeli military, he and others were throwing firecrackers, rocks, and firebombs at the soldiers at a checkpoint near Tulkarm, in the northern West Bank.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society told Al Jazeera that nearly 400 people have been injured in the recent clashes. The humanitarian organization reported that in two incidents, Jewish settlers have smashed ambulances and physically attacked their staff members.
The escalation in violence began Thursday when Palestinian gunmen killed a Jewish couple near a settlement in the occupied West Bank. Two days later, two ultra-Orthodox Jewish men were fatally stabbed by a Palestinian teenager in the Old City of Jerusalem. Hours later, a Palestinian man stabbed and wounded a 15-year-old Jewish boy in a Jerusalem neighborhood. Palestinians have also shut themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque, blocking all entrances and throwing firebombs at police.
The Guardian reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a harsh offensive against “Palestinian Islamic terror” on Sunday. In a televised announcement, he said there would be a series of measures, including the “speeding up of the process for the demolition of the homes of terrorists.”
The Palestinian state news agency reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed the United nations for an international force to be deployed in the West Bank. Abbas has increasingly asked for outside forces.
Palestinians Attack Israelis on “Day of Rage”
Palestinians attacked Israelis with Molotov cocktails, rocks and other projectiles after Islamic terrorist group Hamas called for a “day of rage.”
The terrorist group was capitalizing on days of tension around the Al-Aqsa mosque during the Jewish new year.
Israeli officials had prepared in advance for the terrorist-initiated violence by adding 800 extra police to patrols in the middle of Jerusalem and surrounding Arab areas.
“The Israeli police have heightened security in and around Jerusalem and the Old City in order to prevent and respond to any incidents that could take place,” said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, adding that undercover units had been deployed.
Three people were wounded by a firebomb according to police officials. Five Palestinians have been arrested for the attack.
Palestinian leaders had been claiming that Israel was attemping to change the status quo at the site, where Jews can visit under police guard but are not allowed to stop and pray.
Ancient Church Found During Highway Construction
The expansion of the Jersualem-Tel Aviv highway has resulted in the discovery of an ancient church.
The workers were near a spring called Ein Naqa’a when they discovered a Byzantine-era way station and church. Antiquities Authority estimated the find as being 1,500 years old.
“Churches like the one just discovered at the entrance to Abu Ghosh were built along the road as part of the services offered along it,” Annette Naga said. “Other churches were discovered in the past in Abu Ghosh and in Kiryat Ye’arim.”
The church’s mosaic floor was uncovered along with a series of unique items. Shards of plaster was found that had been painted red indicating that frescoes were painted on the sites of the buildings.
A baptismal font was also found at the site.
“This road station ceased to be used at the end of the Byzantine period, although the road beside which it was built was renewed and continued to be in use until modern times,” said Nagar.
New Policy States Jerusalem-Born Americans Can’t List Israel As Birthplace
The right of U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem to list “Israel” as their country of birth on passports has been changed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court ruled on a 6-3 decision that Congress violated the Constitution when it passed a 2002 law telling the State Department any American born in Jerusalem could list Israel as their birthplace.
The new policy has been implemented in an attempt to stay neutral over any nation’s sovereignty over Jerusalem while Palestinians and Israelis negotiate its status.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority that the President has the right to recognize foreign nations and that the ability is his alone; meaning the Congress cannot assign nationality to any foreign land.
“Recognition is a matter on which the nation must speak with one voice. That voice is the president’s,” Kennedy wrote.
US Policy has held that Jerusalem’s city status should be resolved through negotiations between the parties. Congress has for years pushed administrations of both parties to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
In his dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the Constitution “divides responsibility for foreign affairs between Congress and the president.” He was joined in dissent by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.
The ruling ends a 12 year old lawsuit brought by a Jerusalem-born American.
