Patriot missile test signals finale of joint U.S.-Israel military drill
(JNS.org) As the Juniper Cobra 16 joint military exercise between the American and Israeli militaries came to a close, the Israeli Air Force’s Aerial Defense Network on Monday conducted a live-fire test of a number of Patriot surface-to-air missiles at the Palmahim Air Force Base in central Israel.
The airspace around Palmahim was closed during the test. According to the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit, the goal of Juniper Cobra 16 was to “improve cooperation and coordination between the two militaries and bolster ballistic missile defense capabilities.”
More than 1,700 U.S. soldiers, civilians, and contractors traveled to Israel to take part in the exercise. Juniper Cobra exercises have been held every two years since 2001.
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Arab Knesset members criticize Gulf states for Hezbollah terror designation
(JNS.org) Two leading factions of the Israeli Knesset’s Joint Arab List, an alliance of Arab political parties, criticized the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations for their recent designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Hadash—the party headed by Joint Arab List leader Ayman Odeh—said the decision “proves that Gulf states are totally loyal to neo-colonialist and Zionist forces, the enemies of Arabs,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
The Balad party said that “no criticism of Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria justifies this dangerous decision, which serves Israel and her allies who do not hide their colonialist aspirations in Palestine, Lebanon, and the rest of the Arabic homeland.”
Last week, the predominately Sunni Muslim GCC countries—Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—blacklisted the Iranian-funded Shi’a Muslim terror group. Hezbollah has been fighting in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Gulf-backed rebel groups.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Israeli-Arab parties, “Will you continue to condemn [the GCC countries] when Hezbollah shoots missiles at your villages? Have you gone mad?”
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Japanese tourist hurt in rock-throwing incident near Jerusalem church
(JNS.org) A 69-year-old Japanese woman was injured Monday while she was touring with a group of visitors who were pelted with rocks from a roof near Saint Anne’s Church in Jerusalem, according to Israeli police.
The woman suffered light injuries and was taken to the Hadassah University Medical Center.
“I’m a tourist in Israel as part of a tour group of Japanese people who love Israel, I was very surprised by the stone-throwing attack,” said the wounded woman, who remained anonymous, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“At the time [of the attack] I was praying and I didn’t understand what had hit me,” she said.
Police are investigating the incident and searching for those responsible for throwing the rocks outside the Catholic church.
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2,500-year-old seal belonging to ‘exceptional’ woman unearthed in Jerusalem
(JNS.org) A 2,500-year-old seal dating back to the First Temple period was recently unearthed in Jerusalem. Archaeologists believe the seal may have belonged to an “exceptional” woman.
According to excavation directors Dr. Doron Ben-Ami, Yana Tchekhanovets, and Salome Cohen, “the owner of the seal was exceptional compared to other women of the First Temple period: she had legal status which allowed her to conduct business and possess property.”
The seal was found as part of a nine-year excavation being carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in the Givati parking lot of the City of David, which is part of the Jerusalem Walls National Park.
The IAA said the rare woman’s seal, which is made of semi-precious stone, has the words “to Elihana bat Gael” inscribed in ancient Hebrew, with the female owner of the ring mentioned together with the name of her father.
“The name Elihana does not appear in the bible, and there is no other information regarding the identity of the woman, but the fact that she possessed a seal demonstrates her high social status,” said Dr. Hagai Misgav of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University.
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