A7News: Archeological "megasite" found near Jerusalem

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Tuesday, Jul. 16 '19, י"ג בתמוז תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. ARCHEOLOGICAL "MEGASITE" FOUND NEAR JERUSALEM
2. DANIEL RADCLIFFE CRIES OVER POLICE HANDLING OF GREAT-GRANDFATHER
3. SOPHIE AND BABY ITAI IDENTIFIED AS ROUTE 7 CRASH VICTIMS
4. EHUD BARAK ADMITS VISITING EPSTEIN'S INFAMOUS PRIVATE ISLAND
5. JAILED HAMAS TERRORIST FOUND DEAD IN PRISON
6. 'IT IS TIME FOR US TO IMPEACH THIS PRESIDENT'
7. TRUMP: RADICAL DEMOCRATS ARE ISRAELI-HATING ANTI-SEMITES
8. HAMAS BACKTRACKS AFTER OFFICIAL CALLS TO KILL ALL JEWS


1. ARCHEOLOGICAL "MEGASITE" FOUND NEAR JERUSALEM
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266038

A huge ancient settlement, one of the largest of its kind in the region, has been discovered during archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority near Motza Junction.

The project which uncovered the site was initiated and financed by the Netivei Israel Company (the National Transport Infrastructure company). The excavations are being conducted as part of the Highway 16 Project which includes building a new entrance road to Jerusalem from the west, connecting the National Highway 1 from the Motza area to the southern part of Jerusalem ("Bayit VeGan" area), including two double tunnels.

Amongst others, thousands of arrowheads, pieces of jewelry and figurines produced by the people of the site have been unearthed during the excavations.

The Motza excavation site is situated 5 kilometers west of Jerusalem, on the banks of the Sorek Stream, near water fountains and close to a fertile valley and to the ancient way that led from the Shefela (foothills) region to Jerusalem.

According to Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily and Dr. Jacob Vardi, excavation directors at Motza on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, "this is the first time that such a large-scale settlement is discovered in Israel. At least 2,000 – 3,000 residents lived here – an order of magnitude that parallels a present-day city!"

The excavations exposed large buildings, including rooms that were used for living, as well as public facilities and places of ritual. Between the buildings, alleys were exposed, bearing evidence of the settlement's advanced level of planning. In the buildings, plaster was sometimes used for creating floors and for sealing various facilities.

According to the researchers, "In a place where people live, there are dead people as well: Burial places have been exposed in and amongst the houses, into which various burial offerings have been placed – either useful or precious objects, believed to serve the deceased in the next world.

These gifts testify to the fact that already during this ancient period, the residents of this site conducted exchange relationships with faraway places. Amongst others, unique stone-made objects were found in the tombs, made of an unknown type of stone, as well as items made of obsidian (volcanic glass) from Anatolia, and sea-shells, some of which were brought from the Mediterranean Sea and some from the Red Sea. During the excavations, artistic hand-made stone bracelets in several styles were found.

"Due to the size of the bracelets, we estimate that they were mainly worn by children", the researchers say. "We also found carefully crafted alabaster beads, as well as medallions and bracelets made of mother of pearl".

In all excavation areas, many flint tools manufactured on the site were unearthed, including thousands of arrowheads that were used for hunting, and possibly for fighting as well, axes used for tree-felling, and sickle blades and knives.

In the settlement, built storage sheds were exposed, which contained a huge quantity of legumes, especially lentils. The fact that the seeds were preserved is astonishing in the light of the site's age. This finding is evidence of an intensive practice of agriculture. Moreover, one can conclude form it that the Neolithic Revolution reached its summit at that point: animal bones found on the site show that the settlement's residents became increasingly specialized in sheep-keeping, while the use of hunting for survival gradually decreased.

According to researchers, "the exposure of the enormous site in Motza awakens extensive interest in the scientific world, changing what has been known about the Neolithic period in that area.

So far, it was believed that the Judea area was empty, and that sites of that size existed only on the other bank of the Jordan River, or at the Northern Levant. Instead of an uninhabited area from that period, we have found a complex site, where varied economic means of subsistence existed, and all this only several dozens of centimeters below the surface. All findings were recorded using an innovative three-dimensional technology, so that we can continue to research the site at the end of the excavation as well."

According to engineer Gilad Naor, Head of Projects Department at the Netivei Israel Company, "It is a huge privilege for us, as the Israel National Transport Infrastructure Company – Netivei Israel – that tomorrow's transportation infrastructure projects facilitate such special discoveries in the splendid history of our country".

According to Amit Re'em, Jerusalem District Archeologist of the Israel Antiquities Authority, along with the excitement and importance of the finds, the IAA is aware of the vital need to create an additional access road to Jerusalem.

In preparation for the release of the excavated area, the entire site was documented using advanced 3D technology that will enable research of every detail digitally. It is important to know that significant percentages of the prehistoric site around the excavation are preserved. In addition, the IAA plans to tell the story of the site at the site by means of a display and illustration. At Tel Moza, adjacent to this excavation, archaeological remains are being preserved for the public at large, and conservation and accessibility activities are being carried out in Tel Bet Shemesh and Tel Yarmut.


2. DANIEL RADCLIFFE CRIES OVER POLICE HANDLING OF GREAT-GRANDFATHER
by Cnaan Lipshitz/JTA

Actor Daniel Radcliffe broke down in tears upon reading on television his great grandfather's suicide note, possibly after suffering anti-Semitic prejudice at the hands of British police.

The scene was filmed for the television show "Who Do You Think You Are," a television show in which celebrities are presented with dramatic findings about their own family, The Sun of London reported Thursday. The BBC show's episode about Radcliffe's family is scheduled to air on July 22.

The Harry Potter actor's relative, Samuel Gershon, had been ruined by a 1936 robbery at the family's jewelry business in the London neighborhood of Hatton Garden.

Police accused the Jewish businessman of faking the raid to claim insurance cash in what may have been anti-Semitic treatment by the officers. Gershon took his life aged 42.

The insurance company eventually paid the claim.

Evidence suggesting that detectives were anti-Semitic and reluctant to properly investigate the crime include a police report that said, according to The Sun: "Jews are so frequently responsible for the bringing down of their own business premises."

Radcliffe said it was "very jarring to see being a Jew to be taken as a piece of evidence in itself."

Everything his great-grandfather "had worked for and that his father had worked for, has sort of been destroyed," The Sun quotes Radcliffe, who is Jewish, as saying upon revisiting the case in front of the show's cameras.


3. SOPHIE AND BABY ITAI IDENTIFIED AS ROUTE 7 CRASH VICTIMS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266037

Sophie Rostasky, 28, and her two-month-old son Itai were identified as the victims of last week's road accident. Sophie's husband was severely injured in the crash, and is still fighting for his life Petah Tikva's Rabin Medical Center. The couple's two and a half year old daughter was lightly wounded in the collision, and has been released from the hospital.

The collision, which occurred on Route 7 near Gedera last Thursday, occurred when a truck rear-ended a private vehicle.

"I always loved being around her," a friend of Sophie's wrote on Facebook. "She was young and beautiful both inside and outside. She had a heart of gold which lit up the room she was in. Her love for G-d, for her family, for her friends, was always present. We will miss Sophie and amazing Itai very much. I'm going to miss her smile and her laugh."

Yossi Cohen, an Ashkelon resident who has been identified as the driver of the truck, was placed under house arrest on Sunday. It has not been found that he was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

However, during his interrogation, the 32-year-old truck driver said that just before the collision occurred his cigarette fell to the floor of his vehicle and he bent down to retrieve it. As he bent over, he lost control of the vehicle, swerving from his lande and directly and forcefully rear-ending the Rostasky family's vehicle.

Attorney Yisrael Nahmias, who is representing the truck driver, said: "He claims he does not remember what happened, what caused the tragic crash to occur. He is in a very severe emotional state, and he has expressed deep sorrow for the loss. He sends his condolences to the family and wishes the injured a speedy recovery."

"In the discussions, a slight suspicion came up that he had used drugs. We could have confirmed this or ruled it out with a quick test which was not done, and for that I am sorry. We could have conducted this test and released him. He claims that he has never used drugs."

On Monday, Nahmias said: "He suffered injuries to his head and does not remember the accident. He should be released."

A police representative said Monday: "He has several offenses, including swerving out of his land and running a red light."


4. EHUD BARAK ADMITS VISITING EPSTEIN'S INFAMOUS PRIVATE ISLAND
by David Rosenberg

Democratic Israel chief and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak admitted that he met on numerous occasions with disgraced New York financier Jeffrey Epstein, including at Epstein's now infamous private island, but says he never met any of the young women or girls trafficked by Epstein.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Ehud Barak discussed his ties with Epstein, which the Likud recently highlighted in a campaign ad, tweeted out on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Twitter account.

Barak told the Beast that he had first been introduced to Epstein by Shimon Peres in 2002, a year after he was voted out as Prime Minister.

The first meeting took place at a major event which featured "both Clintons and hundreds of others", Barak claimed.

The former premier said he couldn't recall how many meetings he had with the disgraced hedge funder, saying it was "more than 10 times and much less than a hundred times but I can't tell you exactly how many. I don't keep count. Over the years, I've seen him on occasion."

In January 2016 – a decade after Epstein was first charged with sex crime – a piece by The Daily Mail featured photographs of Barak visiting one of Epstein's Manhattan residences.

Barak also said that he had visited Epstein's homes in Manhattan, as well as Epstein's private island in the Caribbean used for his now notorious gatherings.

But the former Labor premier emphasize that he was never involved in any of the parties held at Epstein's island, saying the visit to the island was a one-time event, " for several hours—and years after the publications about sex parties or orgies there."

"I've never been there at a party."

But Barak's ties to Epstein have led to media scrutiny of both his relationship with the disgraced former billionaire as well Barak's financial dealings with Epstein.

In 2004, Barak received $2.3 million from the Wexner Foundation, which was established by Epstein's benefactor and close friend, billionaire Leslie Wexner, owner of the L Brands corporation which includes the Victoria's Secret brand.

Epstein was a trustee of the foundation when Barak received the money for unspecified consulting services.

Last week, Barak pushed back on the scrutiny of his ties to Epstein, saying he was being effectively smeared with no claims of wrongdoing being put forth.

"There's no claim against me for any offense," Barak said about his relationship with Epstein. "A serving prime minister who is neck-deep in criminal cases is trying to compare himself to me through a story about a third private person in another country who committed crimes. It's complete spin and it's important that the left doesn't fall into this trap - spin which serves the prime minister."

Epstein was first charged in 2006 with a massive, 53-page federal indictment on charges of sex trafficking and statutory rape.

As part of a plea bargain agreement, however, the original indictment was sealed, with Epstein pleading guilty to a single charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor. Epstein was registered as a level three sex offender and was incarcerated for 13 months.

Earlier this month, Epstein was arrested on new sex trafficking charges, stemming from allegations involving underage girls from 2002 to 2005 at both his Palm Beach, Florida and Manhattan residences.


5. JAILED HAMAS TERRORIST FOUND DEAD IN PRISON
by Arutz Sheva Staff

A Hamas terrorist jailed following a terror attack on Israeli security personnel was found dead at an Israeli jail Tuesday morning.

Nassar Majed Taqatqa, 31, was found dead in the mental health facility of the Nitzan prison in Ramleh in central Israel Tuesday morning, the Israel Prison Service said.

A special mobile intensive care unit was called to the prison to treat Taqatqa.

Despite efforts to resuscitate him, however, the terrorist was declared dead at the scene.

Taqatqa had been examined at the HaEmek Hospital in Afula several days ago and was released.

On Monday, he was sent to the prison's mental health facility for observation.

The Israel Prison Service said the circumstances of the terrorist's death are being examined.

Taqatqa, a resident of the Palestinian Authority town of Beit Fajjar south of Jerusalem, was arrested on June 19th, following an attack on Israeli security forces.


6. 'IT IS TIME FOR US TO IMPEACH THIS PRESIDENT'
by Elad Benari

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266018

Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ilhan Omar (MN), Rashida Tlaib (MI) and Ayanna Pressley (MA) held a press conference on Monday to respond to President Donald Trump's criticism of them.

Though he did not mention any of them by name, Trump on Sunday published a series of tweets attacking the congresswomen, telling them they should "go back" to the countries that they came from and criticizing the Democratic party for condoning their "disgraceful behavior".

On Monday, Trump doubled down on the criticism, calling on the congresswomen to apologize to the US, to Israel, and to the "office of the presidency".

"When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said," Trump tweeted. "So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!"

"If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S."

Later at Monday's press conference, Pressley called Trump's attacks a "disruptive distraction" and urged people not to "take the bait."

"He does not embody the grace, the empathy, the compassion, the integrity that that office requires and that the American people deserve. That being said, I encourage the American people and all of us in this room and beyond to not take the bait. This is a disruptive distraction from the issues of care, concern, and consequence to the American people," she said.

Pressley defiantly added, "We will not be silenced" while calling the President "the occupant of the White House" and saying, "I will always, refer to him as the occupant as he is only occupying space."

Omar, meanwhile, accused Trump of "launching a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members" of the US House of Representatives, pointing out that they are all women of color.

"This is the agenda of white nationalists. Whether it is happening in chat rooms, or it is happening on national TV, and now it's reached the White House garden," Omar said before calling for Trump's impeachment.

"I have not made impeachment central to my election or my tenure. But since the day that I've gotten elected, I've said to people, it is not — if he will be impeached, but when. So it is time for us to stop allowing this President to make a mockery out of our Constitution. It is time for us to impeach this President."

Trump then responded to the congresswomen's remarks in a series of tweets.

"We will never be a Socialist or Communist Country. IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE, YOU CAN LEAVE! It is your choice, and your choice alone. This is about love for America. Certain people HATE our Country. They are anti-Israel, pro Al-Qaeda, and comment on the 9/11 attack, 'some people did something.' Radical Left Democrats want Open Borders, which means drugs, crime, human trafficking, and much more," he wrote.

"Detention facilities are not Concentration Camps! America has never been stronger than it is now – rebuilt Military, highest Stock Market EVER, lowest unemployment and more people working than ever before. Keep America Great!" he added.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266018

Ocasio-Cortez has come under fire after saying the United States operated "concentration camps" on its southern border, she previously said that cutting military and economic aid to Israel as a way to signal opposition to Israeli policies should be "on the table."

Omar was criticized after she suggested on Twitter that Republicans were attacking her at the behest of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. She subsequently issued a half-hearted apology before ultimately deleting the controversial tweets.

Tlaib claimed in an interview in May that Palestinian Arabs living in the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel "provided" a safe haven to Jews after the Holocaust.

She has also backed BDS and, when asked in a past television interview whether she would vote against military aid to Israel when she goes to Congress, replied "absolutely."



7. TRUMP: RADICAL DEMOCRATS ARE ISRAELI-HATING ANTI-SEMITES
by David Rosenberg

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President Donald Trump excoriated several unnamed Democratic lawmakers on Monday, calling on them to apologize to the US, to Israel, and to the "office of the presidency".

"When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said," Trump tweeted. "So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!"

"If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S."

Later on Monday, Trump tweeted a quote from South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, blasting the unnamed "radical Left Congresswomen" as "anti-Semitic," and "anti-America".

"We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of Communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own Country, they're calling the guards along our Border (the Border Patrol Agents) Concentration Camp Guards, they accuse people who support Israel as doing it for the Benjamin's. they are Anti-Semitic, they are Anti-America, we don't need to know anything about them personally, talk about their policies. I think they are American citizens who are duly elected that are running on an agenda that is disgusting, that the American people will reject."

"What does it mean for America to have free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants, no criminalization of coming into our Country - See how that works for controlling Immigration! They talk about Israel like they're a bunch of thugs, not victims of the entire region. They wanted to impeach President Trump on DAY ONE. Make them the face of the future of the Democrat Party, you will destroy the Democrat Party. Their policies will destroy our Country!" @LindseyGrahamSC Need I say more?"

The tweets were the latest in a series of social media comments targeting a group of unnamed Democratic congresswoman, likely referring to Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) and Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts).

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's son, Yair, praised Trump for the comment, calling him the "best friend" the Jewish people have had in a president.

"Thank you so much! You are the best friend the Jewish people ever had in the White House!"

On Monday, the president ripped the group of unnamed Democratic congresswomen and blasted the Democratic party establishment for 'condoning' the "disgraceful behavior".

"So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, 'RACIST.' Their disgusting language and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged. If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020!"

Ocasio-Cortez has come under fire after saying the United States operated "concentration camps" on its southern border, she previously said that cutting military and economic aid to Israel as a way to signal opposition to Israeli policies should be "on the table."

Omar was criticized after she suggested on Twitter that Republicans were attacking her at the behest of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. She subsequently issued a half-hearted apology before ultimately deleting the controversial tweets.

Tlaib claimed in an interview in May that Palestinian Arabs living in the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel "provided" a safe haven to Jews after the Holocaust.

She has also backed BDS and, when asked in a past television interview whether she would vote against military aid to Israel when she goes to Congress, replied "absolutely."

The tensions within the party escalated after Ocasio-Cortez told the Washington Post that she felt Pelosi was targeting women of color, though the New York Democrat said she doesn't believe the Speaker is racist.


8. HAMAS BACKTRACKS AFTER OFFICIAL CALLS TO KILL ALL JEWS
by AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff

A senior member of Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas has encouraged Palestinians across the globe to
kill Jews, drawing outrage from both Israeli and Palestinian officials as well as a UN envoy.

In video from a speech to participants of weekly protests on Friday, Fathi Hamad, a member of the movement's top political body, can be seen calling on Palestinian Arabs across the globe to carry out attacks.

"If this siege is not undone, we will explode in the face of our enemies, with God's permission. The explosion is not only going to be in Gaza but also in the West Bank and abroad, God willing," Hamad said.

"But our brothers outside are preparing, trying to prepare, warming up."

He continued: "Seven million Palestinians outside, enough warming up, you have Jews with you in every place. You should attack every Jew possible in all the world and kill them."

Since March 2018 Gazans have been taking part in Hamas-backed protests and clashes along the Gaza-Israel border in part against the Jewish state's partial blockade of Gaza.

At least 295 rioters and seven Israelis have been killed in Gaza-related violence since.

The Israeli toll recently rose to seven after an 89-year-old woman who fell while running for a bomb shelter during a severe flare-up of violence in May died from her wounds, according to Israel's foreign ministry.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, European Union and others.

Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, said the comments showed "what Hamas is about".

"Hamas is behind the riots on the Gaza border... Hamas wants to murder Jews worldwide," Gendelman said on Twitter.

"Now you know why we protect the border with Gaza from Hamas."
Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, condemned Hamad's comments.

"The just values of the Palestinian cause include love for freedom, justice and equality. The repugnant statement of Hamas leader Mr. Fathi Hamad about Jews doesn't represent any of them," he tweeted.

United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov also condemned the comments, labeling them a "dangerous, repugnant and inciteful statement! It must to be clearly condemned by ALL."

In a statement Monday afternoon, Hamas distanced itself from Hamad's words.

"These comments do not represent the official positions of the movement and its consistent, adopted policies, which say our conflict is with the (Israeli) occupation which occupied our land and sullies our holy places and not a conflict with Jews across the world or Judaism as a religion," it said.

The Hamas charter refers numerous times to the Muslims' struggle against the Jews. Article 28 of the charter states: "Israel, Judaism and Jews challenge Islam and the Moslem people."