Tag Archives: Temple Mount

Israel says ancient papyrus supports its claim to Jerusalem

Archaeologist working in Jerusalem, Israel

By Jeffrey Heller and Rinat Harash

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli archaeologists have made public a fragment of an ancient text which they say is the earliest Hebrew reference to Jerusalem outside the Bible – a discovery the government swiftly enlisted as evidence of the Jewish connection to the holy city.

The 11 cm by 2.5 cm (4.3 by one inch) piece of papyrus, dated by the Israel Antiquities Authority to the 7th century B.C., was presented at a news conference in Jerusalem shortly after Paris-based UNESCO adopted a resolution that Israel said denied Judaism’s link to the ancient city.

Two lines of ancient Hebrew script on the fragile and faded artifact suggest it was part of a document detailing the payment of taxes or transfer of goods to storehouses in Jerusalem.

“From the king’s maidservant, from Na’arat, jars of wine, to Jerusalem,” it reads.

The Antiquities Authority said its investigators had recovered the document, described as “the earliest extra-biblical source to mention Jerusalem in Hebrew writing”, after it was plundered from a cave by antiquities robbers.

For Israel’s government, the papyrus is a rebuttal to UNESCO, the UN scientific and cultural organization, which is regarded by many Israelis as hostile. Arab members of UNESCO and their supporters frequently condemn Israel.

“Hey UNESCO, an ancient papyrus dating to the 1st Temple 2700 yrs ago has been found. It bears the oldest known mention of Jerusalem in Hebrew,” Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote on Twitter.

Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, called Wednesday’s vote in Paris by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee “a piece of rubbish”.

The resolution, according to a text provided by Palestinian officials, refers to a Jerusalem compound – revered by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) – only as a “Muslim holy site of worship”.

Two weeks ago, Israel lashed out at UNESCO for renewing a similar resolution that condemned it for restrictions on Muslim access to the site, in a part of Jerusalem captured by Israeli forces in a 1967 war.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem as its capital, a position that is not recognized internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent state they seek in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“The discovery of the papyrus on which the name of our capital Jerusalem is written is further tangible evidence that Jerusalem was and will remain the eternal capital of the Jewish people,” said Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, in comments included in an Antiquties Authority announcement of the find.

Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, accused Israel of waging an campaign of “archaeological claims and distortion of facts” to try to cement its claim to the holy city.

(Editing by Andrew Roche)

U.N. adopts resolution denying Jewish ties to Temple Mount and Western Wall

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he opens the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office on September 11, 2016.

By Kami Klein

The United Nations cultural and heritage body, UNESCO, has voted on a resolution sponsored by several Arab countries that marginalizes Jewish ties to the Temple Mount, the place where Abraham offered Isaac and the location of the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple and to the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple compound.  UNESCO  condemned it’s belief in Israel’s escalating aggression regarding the holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The resolution was backed by 24 countries, with six opposing it and 26 abstaining. The US, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Estonia voted against the resolution; Russia and China were among those backing it.

In a Facebook post Prime Minister Netanyahu reacted with anger:

The theater of the absurd continues at UNESCO. Today UNESCO adopted a bizarre decision that denies the Jewish people’s connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

They haven’t read the Bible. I suggest that UNESCO members visit the Arch of Titus in Rome where it is possible to see what the Romans brought to Rome after they destroyed and looted the Temple Mount 2,000 years ago.

One can see engraved on the Arch of Titus the seven-branched menorah that is the symbol of the Jewish people and the symbol of the Jewish state today.

Soon UNESCO will say that the Emperor Titus was dealing with Zionist propaganda.

To say that Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is like saying that China has no connection to the Great Wall of China, and Egypt has no connection to the pyramids. With this absurd decision UNESCO erases the little legitimacy left to it.

I believe that the historical truth is more powerful, and will prevail. And today we are dealing in truth.

 

Please read this article by The Guardian  for more information on this historic vote, which will affect the Jewish people as well as Christians all over the world.

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.

Violence at Temple Mount During Start of Jewish Holiday Sukkot

Violence once again erupted between Palestinians and Israeli riot police after young protesters barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount, despite an order permitting only men over the age of 50 to enter the compound for prayers.  Women of any age are also allowed entry.  Israel has imposed the ban during times of unrest because it is for the most part, young palestinian men who throw rocks at the holy site. This comes as Jerusalem is filled with those who have come to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.  

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City has been a sore point for both Palestinians and Jews.  This ground is very much a center point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Muslims revere it as the place they believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, while the Jews call it the Temple Mount, the site of the two biblical Jewish temples.  

Palestinians stockpiled rocks and other projectiles at the Al-Aqsa mosque overnight, according to police spokeswoman Luba Samri.

Palestinians threw rocks, firebombs and firecrackers from within the mosque at the police, Samri also added that the fire bombs sparked a fire at the entrance to the mosque. Waqf guards did not prevent the “desecration of the sanctity of the place,” she said .

Police had tried to negotiate with the Waqf – the Islamic religious authority that oversees the compound – to call for calm, but talks failed and police entered the compound to seize the “dangerous devices intended to harm visitors to the site and police and endanger their lives,” Samri added.

Israeli Police were able to restore calm  but occasional stone throwing continued throughout the morning.  They reported that by noon the site was quiet.

Kerry Claims Israel And Palestinians Take Steps To Calm Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to solid steps to calm the tensions over Jerusalem’s holiest site.

Violence has been building over the last few weeks over the Temple Mount.  Palestinians have been attacking Israeli police and fears had been building concerning a major uprising by Palestinians.

“Today, we are working to smother the sparks of immediate tension so that they don’t become a fire that is absolutely out of control,” Kerry added, flanked by Jordanian Foreign Minister Naser Judeh.   The area, which contains the Dome of the Rock, is under Jordanian control due to treaty.

Members of the Israeli government have been raising discussions that Jews should be again able to pray on the Temple Mount.  Judah told reporters that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in the talks to maintain the status quo as a way to help ease tensions.

The agreement announced by Kerry also lifted all age restrictions on Muslims praying at the Dome.

Police Kill Terrorist Who Attempted Assassination Of Jewish Activist

A Palestinian terrorist who attempted to kill a Jewish activist died after a shootout with police and security officers.

Moataz Hejazi shot and wounded Yehuda Glick, an American born settler who has been leading a campaign to allow Jews to pray on the Temple Mount.  He has been a target of Muslims who believe Jews should be banned from even setting foot on Temple Mount.

“Anti-terrorist police units surrounded a house in the Abu Tor neighborhood to arrest a suspect in the attempted assassination of Yehuda Glick,” Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. “Immediately upon arrival they were shot at. They returned fire and shot and killed the suspect.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, ignoring the fact Hejazi attempted to kill a Jewish leader, said Israel’s police killing Hejazi is “tantamount to a declaration of war.”  He called for a “day of rage” Friday against all Israelis.

Palestinians threw rocks at police as they attempted to capture and ultimately had to kill Hejazi.  Hejazi had been in prison for 11 years for previous attacks on Israel.

Clinton Claims Israel Offered Temple Mount To Palestinians

Former President Bill Clinton claims that Israel had offered control of the Temple Mount to the Palestinians in 2000 during negotiations Clinton called a “roaring success.”

In a speech at Georgetown University, Clinton said that Ehud Barak had agreed to give Yasser Arafat control of the holiest site in Judaism in return for Israel having total control of the area around the Western Wall.

The talks broke down when Arafat demanded to keep control 50 feet of land that leads up to the entrance of the Western Wall tunnels.  Israel refused saying that Muslims would go into the tunnels and destroy the ruins of the Jewish temples.

Clinton said that Israel was likely justified in their refusal to protect the temple ruins.

Clinton added that the 2000 summit taught him that you need trust more than agreement.  He said that without trust, there was no way to establish an agreement.

Treasure Discovered On The Temple Mount

In what is being called a “breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime discovery”, two bundles of treasure has been found during an excavation at the foot of the Temple Mount.

Dr. Eilat Mazar discovered 36 gold coins, gold and silver jewelry and a gold medallion with a menorah etched into it. According to ynet, the medallion also has an inscription of a shofar and Torah scroll. Continue reading →