King David-era inscription pieced together from broken jug
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A rare inscription dating back to the 10th century BCE, the estimated time of Jewish Kings David and Solomon, has recently been pieced together from fragments of a 3,000-year-old broken jar that were discovered near Israel’s Elah Valley.
Letters in an ancient Canaanite script were identified on some of the pieces of the vessel, sparking the researchers’ curiosity. After intense preservation work in the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) laboratories, which involved piecing hundreds of sections of the broken jar together, the inscription was completed and the mystery was solved: The jug had been engraved with the name “Eshbaal Ben Beda.”
Professors Yossi Garfinkel and Saar Ganor, who directed the dig for the Archaeological Institute of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the IAA, respectively, noted that “this is the first time the name ‘Eshbaal’ has appeared in an ancient inscription in Israel. The Bible makes reference to Eshbaal Ben Shaul, who ruled Israel alongside King David. Eshbaal was murdered by assassins, and his head was brought to David in Hebron (2 Samuel 3-4).”
This is the fourth inscription dating back to the ancient kingdom of Judea discovered thus far.
“The name Eshbaal appears in the Bible, and now on an archeological artifact, starting from the time of King David in the first half of the 10th century BCE,” Garfinkel and Ganor explained.
“The name wasn’t used in later periods of the First Temple. The match between biblical tradition and the archeological find demonstrates that this name was acceptable in this [specific] time period only. The name Beda is unique and has not been discovered in [other] ancient inscriptions or in biblical sources,” the archaeologists observed.
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Coca-Cola urged to fire Palestinian franchisee who supports BDS
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center civil rights group has urged the head of the Coca-Cola Company, Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent, to cancel the beverage giant’s affiliation with Coca-Cola franchisee in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Zahi Khouri over the latter’s support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Khouri, who also holds U.S. citizenship, authored a September 2014 op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel calling on European Union nations to prohibit companies from conducting business with Israel as “a means to force Israel to recognize that the occupation is not cost-free.”
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, head of Shurat Hadin, stressed that Coca-Cola is a publicly held company whose Code of Business Conduct requires it to comply “with all applicable trade restrictions and boycotts imposed by the U.S. government.”
“Coca-Cola also must abide by U.S. laws that prohibit companies from participating in any international boycott not sanctioned by the U.S. government,” Darshan-Leitner said.
Zionist Organization of America National President Morton A. Klein said Monday, “Zahi Khouri’s anti-Semitic remarks confirm him as an opponent of the Jewish State of Israel’s existence, one who seeks to ostracize, damage, and ultimately overcome Israel by means of the BDS campaign of continual, progressive delegitimization of Israel so as to compel it to make untenable concessions to a Palestinian movement that has no intention of living in peace with Israel. This is unacceptable and indeed in conflict with Khouri’s role as CEO of a Coca-Cola subsidiary.”
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Michael Oren: Obama abandoned two core principles of U.S.-Israel relationship
(JNS.org) Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and current Member of Knesset Michael Oren (Kulanu) accused President Barack Obama of abandoning Israel and deliberately damaging American-Israeli relations.
In an op-ed appearing in the Wall Street Journal, Oren said that Obama has “abandoned” two core principles of the U.S.-Israel alliance.
A noted historian, the American-born Oren served as Israeli ambassador to the U.S. from 2009-13.
“From the moment he entered office, Mr. Obama promoted an agenda of championing the Palestinian cause and achieving a nuclear accord with Iran,” Oren wrote, adding that Obama abandoned “two core principles of Israel’s alliance with America.”
According to Oren, the first principle was “no daylight.” Oren explained that the U.S. and Israel always can disagree, but never openly.
“The other core principle was ‘no surprises,’” he wrote, citing Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo, which gave “unprecedented support for the Palestinians and its recognition of Iran’s right to nuclear power” without consulting Israel.
Oren added that Obama “surprised” Israel on two other significant occasions in May 2011—when he “altered 40 years of U.S. policy by endorsing the 1967 lines with land swaps,” and offered to sponsor both a U.N. Security Council investigation into Israeli settlements as well as an effort by Turkey and Egypt to force Israel to reveal its nuclear program.
Further, Oren said that the abandonment of the two principles “climaxed” over the Iranian nuclear program.
“The past six years have seen successive crises in U.S.-Israeli relations, and there is a need to set the record straight. But the greater need is to ensure a future of minimal mistakes and prevent further erosion of our vital alliance,” Oren concluded.
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IDF declares northeast Golan Heights a closed military zone
(JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces has declared a portion of northeast Golan Heights a closed military zone amid intensifying fighting between the Syrian government and rebels in the area.
The announcement means that only residents of the area will be allowed to travel to the region. According to the Jerusalem Post, the closure is designed to prevent large gatherings of civilians in the area that could potentially disrupt IDF activities.
In a statement, the IDF said it came to the decision “following the fighting in Syria from up close, as well as developments on the border of the Golan Heights, and acting to safeguard security in the area.”
Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot said before a Knesset hearing on Tuesday that he believes Syria is disintegrating. He expressed concern about the fighting near the Israeli border, adding that the IDF would provide humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing the violence.
Millions of refugees have fled from the civil war violence in Syria over the past few years, with most going to Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon. The IDF has treated injured Syrians along the border with Syria in the Golan Heights. Israel recently pledged pledged $2.6 million for arms purchases to Syria’s Druze community, which has strong ties with the Israeli Druze community, especially in the Golan Heights.
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Israel eases travel restrictions for Palestinians during Ramadan
(JNS.org) As a goodwill gesture, Israel is easing travel restrictions for Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza during the upcoming month-long Ramadan holiday, the Israel Defense Forces announced.
According to IDF spokesman Major-General Yoav Mordechai, Palestinian women as well as men over the age of 40 from the West Bank will be able to bus directly to the Temple Mount during Friday prayers. West Bank Palestinians will also be allowed to enter Israel to visit family, with an initial quota at 100,000.
Additionally, a limited number of Palestinians will be allowed to fly out of Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport during the holiday. Normally, Palestinians must travel through Amman, Jordan.
“These are very significant measures taken based on [positive] assessments by the IDF Central Command, COGAT and the Shin Bet,” Mordechai said, the Times of Israel reported. “They are conditioned on security calm.”
Despite Gaza being controlled by the terror group Hamas, Israel will allow a limited number of Palestinians from the coastal enclave to visit family members in the West Bank and to attend Friday prayers at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The IDF may also allow Gazans to make pilgrimages to Mecca via Israel and Jordan.
“For the first time in many years, Gazans will be able to celebrate with their family members in the West Bank,” Mordechai said.
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Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman.
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