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Battle for biblical archaeology intensifies as Israeli researchers face academic boycott
TEL AVIV – A leading archaeology journal has effectively barred submissions by Israelis on Judea and Samaria unless they «have cooperated with the relevant Palestinian authorities,» in what analysts say is a microcosm of the harm caused by a global campaign to whitewash the Jewish people’s history in the Land of Israel.
According to a report recently published by The Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL), the Palestine Exploration Quarterly (PEQ)—a peer-reviewed journal of the London-based Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF)—is refusing to accept submissions from researchers affiliated with institutions operating in what it refers to as «occupied territory,» citing concerns over alleged Israeli violations of international law.
«Publication in PEQ is guided by the PEF’s ethical policy. The main aspect of this is international law, by which many academic institutions and publications, including PEQ, are bound,» Charlotte Whiting, the journal’s editor-in-chief, told TPS-IL.
The journal’s website states that it «does not collaborate with institutions founded by an occupying power based in any occupied territory, and will not support, encourage, fund, or publish research by any academic associated with such institutions.»
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Excavations at Tel Shiloh, best known as the location where the Tabernacle stood before King Solomon built the First Temple. (Shlomo Matityahu/TPS-IL)
Israeli archaeologists told TPS-IL that any cooperation with Palestinian authorities or colleagues was practically impossible, because they «would be treated as traitors for this.» They also said that their work is in many instances shunned by the broader academic world and, as such, researchers are forgoing focus on the biblically significant areas of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) to protect their careers.
«What we’re seeing is a deliberate attempt to undermine Jewish historical ties to the land,» Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron, the cradle of Jewish civilization located in Judea, told Fox News Digital. «There are three strategies at play: the Palestinians either acknowledge Jews were once here but argue they no longer belong, deny any Jewish connection at all, or destroy the evidence outright.»
Fleisher noted ongoing efforts by Palestinian authorities and others to rename historical Jewish sites. «They call Hebron ‘Al-Khalil,’ and the Cave of the Patriarchs becomes the ‘Ibrahimi Mosque.’ The Temple Mount is now the ‘Al-Aqsa complex,’ and Rachel’s Tomb has been rebranded as the ‘Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque,’» he said.
To counter this, he says Israeli advocates are working to mark and preserve ancient Jewish landmarks. «We added an Israeli flag and a menorah to a building originally constructed by King Herod 2,000 years ago—which itself stands atop a tomb dating back 3,500 years—to make it unmistakably clear it’s a Jewish site, despite the later addition of three minarets by Muslim conquerors.»
The Palestinian Authority, which gained non-member observer state status at the United Nations in 2012, has been spearheading the campaign to rewrite history in global forums that contain automatic anti-Israel majorities.
Visitors arrive at Sebastia National Park in Samaria. Sebastia was the Israelite kingdom during the reigns of Omri and Ahab. (Hillel Maeir/TPS-IL)
Among them is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which in 2016 registered the Cave of the Patriarchs—the resting place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah located in Hebron—in the name of the «State of Palestine» on its «List of World Heritage in Danger.» More recently, UNESCO, in September 2023, named the Tell es-Sultan site near Jericho, which contains ruins dating back to the ninth millennium BCE, including evidence of one of humanity’s first-known villages, as a «World Heritage Site in Palestine.»
In December 2021, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution referring to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site—located in Jerusalem but beyond the 1967 borders—only by its Muslim name, «Haram al-Sharif.» In September 2024, P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas called the Temple Mount the «exclusive property of Muslims.» Last week, Abbas said in a rare televised speech that the Koran describes the Jewish Temple as being in Yemen.
GOP LAWMAKERS PUSH TRUMP TO RECOGNIZE WEST BANK AS ISRAELI TERRITORY
Naomi Kahn, director of the international division at Regavim, a think tank focused on Israeli sovereignty, said the P.A. is actively building over key archaeological sites as part of this initiative.
«In Solomon’s Pools, which is under P.A. jurisdiction in accordance with the Oslo Accords, they’re constructing condominiums directly on top of ancient Jewish infrastructure,» Kahn told Fox News Digital. «These are internationally recognized heritage sites, but the agreements are being violated.
She cited the Hasmonean fortresses near Jericho as a major example. «The burial grounds of Hasmonean kings—the largest necropolis in the Middle East from the Second Temple period—have been plowed and used for farming and construction. In one case, we found human bones scattered in the fields. The Israeli Civil Administration had to collect and rebury them.»
Khan also referenced Sebastia, the Greco-Roman name for the ancient city of Samaria. Originally founded by King Omri in the 9th century BC, Samaria became the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel, as noted in the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 16:24). It served as the kingdom’s capital until it fell to the Assyrians in 722 BCE. Centuries later, Herod the Great rebuilt the city and renamed it Sebaste—Sebastia in later usage—in honor of the Roman Emperor Augustus, whose name in Greek, «Sebastos,» carried the same imperial meaning.
In March of last year, Palestinian construction workers built an illegal road through Sebastia, which is located near the city of Nablus, also known by its biblical name, Shechem.
Antiquities of the Jewish community in Hebron. (Hillel Maeir/TPS-IL)
Khan said other sites facing encroachment include Joshua’s Altar, where a new Palestinian neighborhood is being developed nearby, and Joseph’s Tomb, which is largely inaccessible to Jewish Israelis
«I’m disgusted, but not concerned,» Sandra Hagee Parker, Chairwoman of the Christians United for Israel Action Fund, told Fox News Digital in a statement. «Where are the Romans, Ottomans, and Crusaders? The enemies of Israel are remembered only for their ultimate defeat by the God of Abraham and His children.
«Moreover, the grotesque effort to deny the Jewish connection to the Land is a rejection of God Himself,» she continued. «It is both antisemitic and anti-Christian—and it will never succeed. My only concern is that America continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and her people,» she added.
Ze’ev Orenstein, Director of International Affairs at the Jerusalem-based City of David Foundation, stressed that «from its inception in 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization—the forerunner of today’s Palestinian Authority—was founded on the denial of thousands of years of Jewish history and heritage rooted in the Land of Israel in general, and in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria—the Biblical heartland—in particular.
«This denial,» Orenstein told Fox News Digital, «aimed to delegitimize and undermine the Jewish people’s legal, moral and historical right to sovereignty in the Land of Israel, portraying a people with some of the deepest archaeological ties to the land as occupiers and colonizers.
«For that reason, the Islamic Waqf carried out a campaign of systematic destruction of antiquities atop the Temple Mount in the late 1990s, and Palestinian leadership continues to deny, damage, and destroy Jewish heritage sites throughout Judea and Samaria,» he said.
Following the destruction and severe damage by Palestinian rioters at the ‘Joshua Altar’ archeological site located on the spur of Mt. Ebal, dozens of Jewish worshipers arrived for morning prayers at the site. (TPS)
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July 2023 announced a $33 million program to safeguard and rehabilitate archaeological sites in the biblical heartland.
«In every corner of Judea and Samaria, one need only to put spade to ground in order to uncover archaeological finds that attest to our deep roots in the Land of Israel,» Netanyahu said at the time. «This plan will encourage tourism, education and [present] information for these important sites that tell the story of our people in Judea and Samaria.»
Rev. Dr. Petra Heldt, professor at the Jerusalem University College and director of the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel, cited biblical texts and ongoing excavations as proof of longstanding Jewish presence in the region.
«There are hundreds of biblical place names showing Jews lived in Judea and Samaria since the time of Abraham,» Heldt told Fox News Digital. «The Palestinian Authority has tried to erase this evidence, but it’s nearly impossible to eliminate.»
Heldt pointed to Shiloh as a thriving example, with an active kibbutz and archaeological site where new discoveries are regularly unearthed. «Jewish communities are not only living in their ancestral homeland—they’re documenting it. You can see the impact of various layers of occupation over the last hundred years.»
A carved installation identified as an altar, with a channel for liquid drainage. (Credit: Kobi Harati, City of David)
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According to Heldt, whose organization hosts global lectures and educational programs on archaeological findings in Judea and Samaria, more international support is needed to protect these sites. «We must involve the media, universities, artists, filmmakers and writers to tell these stories and make these places matter globally,» she said.
The struggle to preserve Jewish historical sites in Judea and Samaria is not just about stones or ruins—it’s a battle over narrative, legitimacy and identity, according to the experts.
«The way to fight this is to build, to educate and to assert our sovereignty,» Hebron’s Fleisher said. «That’s how we strengthen our connection to the land and protect the truth of our history.»
INTERNACIONAL
Inside NASA’s fast-track plans for lunar nuclear power and new space stations to outpace global rivals
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Amid significant budget cuts, NASA is fast-tracking the development of nuclear reactors on the moon and next-generation space stations with one clear objective: beating U.S. adversaries in the new space race.
Two new memos signed by interim NASA chief and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy outline a bold strategy to secure strategic ground on the moon. The centerpiece of this effort is a lunar nuclear reactor, a renewable and stable power source to support long-term exploration.
«The goal is to power everything,» a senior NASA official told Fox News Digital. «Our systems, habitats, rovers, robotic equipment, even future mining operations — everything we want to do on the moon depends on this.»
The moon’s environment makes this a necessity. Its month-long day cycle — two weeks of daylight followed by two weeks of darknessc — renders solar power unreliable. A reactor would allow missions to function around the clock.
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY DUFFY TO ANNOUNCE NUCLEAR REACTOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE MOON
NASA is soliciting proposals from private firms for new commercial space stations and a lunar nuclear reactor. (SpaceX)
China and Russia set sights on the moon
NASA officials warn that China and Russia have publicly announced plans for a joint lunar nuclear project by the mid-2030s. If they succeed first, they could establish exclusive control over the moon’s most valuable areas, locations with the most light and access to water and ice.
«They could set up a ‘keep-out zone’ in the prime locations,» the NASA official cautioned.
Despite financial constraints, Duffy’s leadership signals a renewed priority to lunar and Martian exploration.
«China has already landed on the far side of the moon. We never have,» the official added. «They’re moving on a steady path to dominate this domain.»
The International Space Station will exit orbit in 2030. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)
New contract structure for nuclear reactor development
The new directive solicits proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor — enough to power about 80 homes — with a target launch date of 2030. It also requires NASA to appoint a dedicated program leader.
Today, many robotic spacecraft operate at just a few watts, the equivalent of a couple of light bulbs, which severely limits scientific capabilities. While the ISS uses solar panels, that model doesn’t work on the moon or Mars, where sunlight is too weak or unreliable.
Replacing the ISS: Commercial stations on the horizon
The second memo shifts focus to replacing the aging and leaking International Space Station (ISS), which is scheduled to be retired in 2030. Without a successor, China would become the only country with a permanently crewed station in orbit.
NASA now plans to select two commercial partners within six months of issuing new requests for proposals. Under Duffy’s direction, the agency is moving away from traditional fixed-price contracts and will instead use flexible Space Act Agreements, which give companies more freedom in how they build stations while saving time and money.
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«We’re telling companies what we need,» a senior NASA official said. «But we’re not prescribing how they must do it. That flexibility saves us both time and resources.»
NASA wants the new station to be cheaper and easier to maintain than the ISS. Originally, it envisioned a platform that could host two astronauts for six months. But, under the revised plan, the minimum requirement is four astronauts for just one month.
NASA wants a new commercial space station that can house four astronauts for one-month stints. (NASA via Getty Images)
Background: The Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination program
NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination (CLD) initiative, launched in 2021, was structured in two phases:
- Phase 1: Fund companies — like Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — to design private space stations.
- Phase 2: Award contracts for building and certifying selected stations.
Duffy’s directive calls for skipping fixed-price contracts in Phase 2 and continuing with Space Act Agreements, in line with tightening budget constraints.
Budget cuts reshape NASA’s future
According to the Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal, NASA’s overall budget would drop from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion, a 25% cut. The Science Mission Directorate, which oversees research in planetary science, astrophysics, Earth observation and heliophysics, would face a nearly 50% reduction. However, human spaceflight programs are slated for increased funding.
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NASA has also confirmed that nearly 4,000 employees — about 20% of its workforce — have taken voluntary buyouts in recent months.
Despite these setbacks, agency officials remain optimistic.
«Multiple companies tell us they can deliver a station within two years,» one senior official said. «Timelines are always challenging, but we believe we can meet these goals — even on a leaner budget.»
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Hamas endgame is ‘long-term’ and is playing out for all to see as Israel pushes deeper into Gaza
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Israel’s security cabinet overnight Thursday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to defeat Hamas, including taking control of Gaza City, after the Palestinian terror group torpedoed U.S.-mediated negotiations.
However, questions remain as to what the terrorist organization’s endgame is, and if they can be fully defeated.
«Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is a radical jihadi organization with a written and spoken goal to annihilate the State of Israel and replace it with a Sharia-based regime,» Jonathan Conricus, former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
«They operate according to that aim and objective. Hamas’s October 7 terror attack was part of how they planned to fulfill that goal—defeating Israel, killing all the Jews, and taking control of the area.
NETANYAHU CONFIRMS ISRAEL WILL TAKE CONTROL OF GAZA TO ‘LIBERATE’ PEOPLE FROM HAMAS
Hamas terrorists marching in Gaza during a parade. (Getty Images)
«They are strategic, calculated, and extremely cynical—but definitely not suicidal,» he added. «They may employ suicidal tactics, but their strategic aim is long-term and deliberate.»
For example, Hamas’ «starvation» campaign generated significant international pressure on Israel, leading to steps such as the IDF announcing tactical pauses in fighting and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in coordination with international partners.
In the span of a week late last month, the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, which the Israeli government denounced as a reward for terror.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, senior Hamas terror leader Ghazi Hamad said, «The initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.»
A Palestinian flag flies as Hamas supporters take part in a rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas’ founding, in Gaza City on Dec. 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)
Conricus said that such recognition has emboldened them. «They’ve hardened their negotiating stance and made it clear they don’t feel the need to compromise—which, of course, has a direct impact on the lives of the Israeli hostages.»
U.S.-mediated negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of the 50 remaining captives have stalled, with Hamas showing increasing inflexibility, according to officials familiar with the talks.
Last month, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Washington was weighing «alternative options» as Hamas «does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.»
NETANYAHU’S SECURITY CABINET TO MEET ON GAZA WAR, AS SOME IN ISRAEL CALL TO RESETTLE ENCLAVE
Members of the Hamas terror group gather in Gaza in preparation for the release of four female hostages as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. (TPS-IL)
Palestinian affairs analyst Khaled Abu Toameh told Fox News Digital that Hamas’s position has been clear since the start of the war: to prevent Israel from achieving its objectives of removing the terror group from power and rescuing the hostages by force.
«It’s important for Hamas to be seen as emerging triumphant. They believe they’ve reached a point of no return.
«They know the international community will place the blame on Israel as the casualty toll rises. There is no pressure on Hamas to stop,» he added.
At the end of the day, Abu Toameh said, Hamas’s long-term strategy is to ensure its continued existence so it can carry on its jihad against Israel.
This image, made from undated bodycam video footage taken by a downed Hamas terrorist and released by the Israel Defense Forces, shows a Hamas terrorist walking around a residential neighborhood at an undisclosed location in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)
«October 7 was just another phase in this jihad,» he said. «It’s a jihad that began shortly after Hamas’s founding, when they unveiled their charter in 1988. The charter explicitly states that this land—the holy land, from the river to the sea—is Muslim-owned and will be liberated through jihad. It didn’t start with October 7, and it won’t end with October 7,» Abu Toameh warned.
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Experts say to understand the terror group is to simply look at its founding charter, which describes the «struggle against the Jews» as «very great and very serious,» requiring «all sincere efforts.» It calls the Palestinian terror group «one squadron» of a wider Arab and Islamic force that must continue fighting until «the enemy is vanquished and Allah’s victory is realized.»
world,israel,terrorism,conflicts,middle east
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Familiares de los rehenes de Hamas alertan que el plan de ocupar ciudad de Gaza conducirá a una “catástrofe colosal”
El Foro de Familias de Rehenes y Desaparecidos ha condenado este viernes la decisión “imprudente” del Gobierno israelí liderado por el primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu de ocupar la ciudad de Gaza, ya que conduce a Israel a una “catástrofe colosal” y supone “abandonar” a su suerte a los secuestrados en manos del Movimiento de Resistencia Islámica (Hamás).
“Al optar por la escalada militar en lugar de la negociación, estamos dejando a nuestros seres queridos a merced de Hamas, una organización terrorista maligna que sistemáticamente priva de comida y maltrata a los rehenes”, han subrayado en un comunicado.
Los familiares de los rehenes han argumentado que el Gobierno ha “ignorado por completo las reiteradas advertencias” de la cúpula militar y la “clara voluntad” del pueblo israelí. “La expansión de los combates solo pone en mayor peligro a quienes aún permanecen retenidos en los túneles de Gaza”, han reiterado.
No obstante, han afirmado que “aún no es demasiado tarde” y han hecho un llamamiento a la ciudadanía a “detener esta peligrosa” deriva. “La única manera de traer a los rehenes a casa es mediante un acuerdo. Basta de guerras inútiles. No nos quedaremos de brazos cruzados”, han zanjado.
El Gobierno de Israel ha aprobado en la madrugada de este viernes la propuesta de Netanyahu sobre una escalada de la ofensiva militar en Gaza que incluye la ocupación de la homónima capital del enclave en base a premisas como “la desmilitarización” y el control de su seguridad, así como “el regreso de todos los rehenes, tanto vivos como fallecidos”.
Un 30 % de los israelíes cree que su país debe continuar con la presión militar y ocupar la Franja de Gaza, incluso a costa de dañar las vidas de los rehenes, según una encuesta publicada este viernes por el diario Maariv.
La encuesta se hizo los pasados días 6 y 7, cuando ya se habían filtrado informaciones de la intención del primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, de tomar el control de todo el enclave palestino.
Este viernes de madrugada, el gabinete de seguridad del Gobierno israelí aprobó un plan para continuar la ofensiva en Gaza que incluye ocupar ciudad de Gaza, una urbe con un millón de personas, que serán desplazadas al sur.
Según la encuesta, realizada a 504 personas con un error de muestreo máximo del 4,4 %, la mayoría de los israelíes (un 57 %) cree sin embargo que Israel debería esforzarse por lograr un acuerdo con Hamás para liberar a los rehenes a cambio del fin de la guerra y la retirada de la Franja de Gaza.
Respecto a las negociaciones para un alto el fuego entre Hamás e Israel, un 66 % opina que el grupo islamista es responsable de su fracaso, ya sea exclusivamente (44 %) o principalmente (22 %); el 15 % culpa a Israel y el 13 % dice que ambas partes son igualmente responsables.
El gabinete de seguridad del Gobierno de Israel dio luz verde en la madrugada de este viernes a un plan militar propuesto por Netanyahu que incluye ocupar ciudad de Gaza.
En declaraciones a la cadena estadounidense Fox News anteriores a la reunión del gabinete, Netanyahu afirmó que su objetivo era ocupar toda Gaza, pero que no pretende quedársela ni gobernarla, sino mantener un “perímetro de seguridad” y entregarla a “fuerzas árabes que la gobiernen” sin amenazar a Israel y sin Hamas.
Las fuerzas armadas israelíes se han mostrado reacias a este plan, que supone operar en lugares donde se encuentran retenidos los rehenes (quedan 20 vivos y 30 muertos), por temor a que las milicias palestinas en Gaza los ejecuten ante el avance de las tropas, como ya ocurrió a finales de agosto de 2024 con seis cautivos, hallados el 1 de septiembre.
Según la oficina de la ONU para la Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios (OCHA), el 88 % del enclave palestino está sometido ya a órdenes de desplazamiento forzoso o se ha convertido en una área militarizada del Ejército israelí, que cifra en un 75 % el territorio controlado por sus fuerzas.
(Con información de Europa Press y EFE)
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