According to military guidelines, the residents of several localities in the Northern Galilee were told to stay near shelters following the direct hit.
Israeli rescue forces seen at the site of a Hezbollah drone attack in the druze village of Majdal Shams, July 27, 2024. (photo credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)
Following a direct hit in the area of Majdal Shams, a large Druze
town, on Saturday evening, twelve were killed, among them children and
teenagers between the ages of 10 and 20. At least 19 were wounded to
varying degrees, including six seriously injured, three moderately, and
10 lightly injured, including those suffering from anxiety attacks.
They were transported to hospitals by Magen David Adom teams and IDF helicopters, MDA
said in a statement. Following the direct hit in Majdal Shams, about
100 doses and blood components were provided to hospitals, MDA stated.
MDA has asked the public to donate blood during the week.
The rocket hit a soccer field near a playground.
IDF
Spokesperson R-adm. Daniel Hagari said early Sunday that the rocket
which was fired at Majdal Shams was a Falaq 1 rocket of Iranian
production whose warhead carried over 50 kilos of explosives. Hagari
stated such a rocket is to be found in Hezbollah's possession, adding
the terror group had "carried out the launch from the Chebaa area in
Lebanon."
Hagari also named the Hezbollah commander who guided the fire as "Ali Muhammad Yihye."
Earlier,
an IDF situational assessment stated the rocket launch toward Majdal
Shams was carried out by Hezbollah. A senior official from Hezbollah,
Mohammad Afif, told Reuters on Saturday that the group was not
responsible for the strike, although later Hagari stated that the terror
organization was lying.
From
the analysis of the IDF's operational systems, the rocket launch was
carried out from an area located north of the village of Chebaa in
southern Lebanon.
Graphic
of the area of the rocket launch from southern Lebanon to the center of
Majdal Shams, July 27, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Upon
arrival at the scene, senior MDA medic Idan Avshalom stated, "We
arrived at the soccer field and saw destruction and items on fire.
Victims were lying on the grass, and the scenes were difficult. We
immediately began triaging the injured. Some of the injured were taken
to local clinics, and our teams were directed to those clinics as well.
During the incident, there were additional alerts, and medical treatment
for the injured is still ongoing."
Situational assessments of the incident
The
Chief of the General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Northern
Command's Commanding Officer, the Operations Directorate Head, the
Israel Air Force Head, and other members of the General Staff Forum are
currently conducting a situational assessment of the incident.
In
addition, the Northern Command's Commanding Office Major-General Ori
Gordin conducted a situational assessment in Majdal Shams where he also
visited the area of the direct hit. Gordin also spoke with Shaykh
Mowafaq Tarif, the head of the Druze community.
Furthermore,
the Education Ministry in the North opened a situation room to assess
the events, accompanied by the authorities, families, and school
personnel.
Alarms were activated in the Majdal Shams area in the Northern Galilee at 6:18 p.m.
Moshe
Davidovitch, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council and chairman of
the Confrontation Line Forum, responded to the incident, "I share the
sorrow of the leadership of the Majdal Shams local council over the
tragic harm to innocent residents and send speedy recovery wishes to the
injured."
"I
am outraged! It seems that until the rockets land in Caesarea, the
Prime Minister and cabinet members will continue their policy of
ignoring the north. I call on the government to wake up from its slumber
and act immediately!" he declared.
The scene at the soccer field where a rocket crashed in Majdal Shams, July 27, 2024. (credit: MDA Operational Documentation)
The Israel Police reported that they are dealing with a number of scenes where shrapnel fell in the North of the Golan directly after initial reports of the incident.
Police
and Northern District police detectives isolated the crash scene and
are searching for additional remains to remove further risk to the
public.
Heavy barrages of rockets to the North
The
residents of several localities in Northern Galilee were told to stay
near shelters, including in Nimrod, Neve Ativ, Odem, El-Rom, Merom
Golan, Ein Zivan, Ortal, Sha'al, Qela Alon, and Ramat Trump Heights,
according to military guidelines, following several barrages of rockets.
Additionally, Wast Junction and Brown Junction in the area are closed
to vehicle traffic.
In
the most recent barrage of rockets since the hit in Majdal Shams, 100
rockets were reportedly fired, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated
Al-Mayadeen network.
Earlier,
a barrage of rockets was fired Saturday evening toward Neve Ativ at
5:55 p.m., which included approximately 10 projectiles from Lebanon, the
IDF reported. All projectiles fell in open areas and there were no
injuries reported.
At
5:24 p.m., approximately 30 rockets were seen crossing from Lebanon
into Israel, and alarms were activated in Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai,
Margaliot, and across the Northern Galilee. In this instance, the IDF
Aerial Defense Array intercepted numerous projectiles, and the rest fell
in open areas. In this instance, also no injuries were reported.
The
shooting was carried out in response to the elimination of four Radwan
force operatives in southern Lebanon Saturday evening, Ynet reported.
These operatives included Naeem Ali Farhat and Ahmad Hikmat Musa from
the Al-Bekaa region in northeastern Lebanon, Mohammed Ali Mustafa Merish
from Beirut, and Hassan Al-Halal Al-Saidi from the town of Toul in
southern Lebanon, Ynet reported, citing Hezbollah.
This brings the total number of the organization's fatalities since the start of the war to 383.
GOP Sen Lindsey Graham says it's 'clear to everyone' Trump survived an assassination attempt
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,
ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to FBI
Director Christopher Wray on Friday morning, urging him to correct his
testimony "immediately" when he said he was uncertain whether a bullet
struck former President Trump in the ear at his July 13 Pennsylvania
rally.
Wray testified Wednesday that he wasn’t
sure if it was a bullet, piece of glass or shrapnel that struck Trump in
the ear while he was speaking at the outdoor rally.
"It is clear to everyone that President Trump
survived an assassination attempt by millimeters, as the attempted
assassin's bullet ripped the upper part of his ear," Graham wrote.
Sen.
Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray
urging him to walk back his testimony about being unsure whether former
President Trump was hit with a bullet on July 13 during his Pennsylvania
rally.(Drew Angerer/Staff | Kevin Dietsch/Staff)
Graham
said it should "not be a matter of contention," because he has had
several joint briefings with the Judiciary and Homeland Security
committees about the assassination attempt.
"Therefore, I urge you
to immediately correct your statement and acknowledge that President
Trump was hit by a bullet rather than glass or shrapnel," Graham said.
"As head of the FBI, you should not be creating confusion about such
matters, as it further undercuts the agency's credibility with millions
of Americans."
During Wednesday's congressional hearing, Wray said
that "with respect to former President Trump, there’s some question
about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, hit his
ear."
Trump, who nominated Wray as the FBI director in 2017, went full blast on his former appointee after the hearing.
Former
President Trump gestures with a bloodied face as multiple shots rang
out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler,
Pennsylvania, on July 13.(Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
"FBI
Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn’t sure
if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even
checked!), but he was sure that Crooked Joe Biden was physically and
cognitively ‘uneventful’ - Wrong!" Trump wrote on his own social media site.
"No,
it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard. There
was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a "bullet
wound to the ear," and that is what it was. No wonder the once storied
FBI has lost the confidence of America!"
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also scrutinized Wray's testimony.
"We’ve
all seen the video, we’ve seen the analysis, we’ve heard it from
multiple sources on different angles that a bullet went through his ear.
I’m not sure it matters that much," Johnson said at the hearing.
Trump was shot in his right ear at the rally and U.S. Secret Service
agents swooped in to surround him, pick him up off the stage and help
walk him down the stairs and into a vehicle waiting for him.
Christopher
Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, speaks during a
House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C,, on July 12, 2023.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The
shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead
by the Secret Service. Two other people were injured by gunfire, and
former firefighter, father and husband Corey Comperatore died at the
scene while shielding his family from bullets.
Fox News Digital's Scott Mcdonald contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
Hawley's legislation would declassify information such as details about the FBI's investigation into the matter and the motive of the shooter.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced legislation on Thursday to
declassify information on the attempted assassination of former
President Donald Trump.
The legislation would
require the Director of National Intelligence and other officials to
release communications and plans leading up to the Trump rally in
Butler, Pennsylvania, where the 45th president was almost assassinated.
"We need the truth about the assassination attempt against President Trump," Hawley said, according to The Daily Wire.
"We can’t let the federal government hide behind the ‘classified’
label. This investigation must be done out in the open for the American
people to see – no more stonewalling, no more evading questions. Time
for accountability."
Trump was almost assassinated by Thomas Matthew Crooks during a rally
on July 13. Two people were critically injured as a result of the
shooting and one person died.
Congress held hearings this week seeking to get more information from federal agencies about the assassination attempt.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned shortly after her testimony in front of the House Oversight Committee.
Hawley's legislation would declassify information such as details
about the FBI's investigation into the matter and the motive of the
shooter.
Kamala Harris is precisely the type of politician about whom Kurt Vonnegut tried to warn us way back in 1961.
Sixty-three years ago, the late, great Kurt Vonnegut published one of
his most potent and timeless short stories. “Harrison Bergeron” is a
fable, a warning to mankind to be careful what it wishes for. In the
year 2081, the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments to the Constitution
guarantee utter and complete equality. The Handicapper General ensures
that anyone smarter, better looking, stronger, or faster than everyone
else is equipped with “handicaps”—weights, distracting radios inserted
into ears like hearing aids, black caps on beautifully white teeth,
thick glasses, etc. Harrison, the son of George and Hazel Bergeron, is
taken from his parents at age 14 and is equipped with several severe
handicaps because he is handsome, tall, athletic, and brilliant.
This classic is generally assumed to be a warning that Americans’
obsessions with “fairness” will lead, eventually, to stupid, oppressive,
and destructive rules. But there’s more to it than that.
Harrison himself is an ass. When he throws off the chains of his
handicaps, he arrogantly declares himself a superior “leader” to any man
who has ever lived. And this, he claims, entitles him to total
obeisance from society. “‘I am the Emperor!’ cried Harrison. ‘Do you
hear? I am the Emperor! Everybody must do what I say at once!’ He
stamped his foot and the studio shook.”
There is no doubt that Vonnegut intended to skewer those who demand
perfect equality, making it clear that such aggressive intervention in
the natural state of affairs would result in both oppression and the
suppression of man’s creative virtues. Perfect equality is classic
Gnostic dream-world nonsense that would, in the real world, result in
“moral insanity.” Vonnegut, though a leftist, nonetheless understood
this and thus railed against the very idea.
At the same time, however, it is also pretty clear that Vonnegut
meant to satirize everyone else as well. One interpretation of the story
suggests that Harrison’s very intelligent father, George, represents
the average American of the era (the story was written in 1961). George
has his thoughts disrupted “every twenty seconds or so” by “some sharp
noise.” This keeps him from ever getting his thoughts organized and
making full use of his intellect. Did Vonnegut mean to say that this was
the problem with his fellow post-War Americans, that they were too
easily distracted, that they had created an “advanced” “modern” society
that, in truth, bombarded them constantly with various sensual stimuli
that kept them perpetually distracted and incapable of higher thought?
Maybe? Probably? We don’t know. But we do know that George and Hazel,
the ostensible protagonists of the story, are not especially likable.
They’re pitiable, in fact.
As for the other characters in the story, it’s pretty clear that they
were meant to be even more unlikable. Harrison is clearly an anti-hero,
which suggests that Vonnegut saw those who are most resistant to
equality (again, this was 1961) as self-absorbed, smug, delusional
would-be authoritarians who, among other things, believe that even the
laws of nature (in the case of Harrison, gravity) do not apply to them.
No matter how smart, strong and virile he is, and no matter how
seemingly just and noble his cause, even the greatest of men can be
brought low when his own arrogance is combined with the most primitive
and pedestrian means of resistance—a shotgun, in this case.
Finally, Vonnegut reserves his most poignant critique for those who,
by sheer luck, manage to attain power but then use it to do nothing more
than accumulate more power. These “leaders” are not leaders at all.
There is nothing special about them. They are perfectly “normal.” – e.g:
Hazel, as a matter of fact, bore a strong resemblance to the Handicapper General, a woman named Diana Moon Glampers.
……….
“I think I’d make a good Handicapper General.” Hazel said.
“Good as anybody else,” said George.
“Who knows better than I do what normal is?” said Hazel.
“Right,” said George.
For all their apparent normalcy, however, Vonnegut paints political
leaders as vain, jealous, and resentful. Diana Moon Glampers, the
Handicapper General, is not much different from the utterly unremarkable
Hazel Bergeron, who wears no external handicaps of any sort. They are
both “average,” physically and mentally. The difference between Hazel
and Glampers, however, is the former’s compassion and the latter’s
deadly jealousy. Hazel would replace George’s “sharp noises” with dulcet
chimes, while Glampers wields a shotgun with remarkable efficiency. In
short, Vonnegut makes the case that those who accumulate power in the
name of “equality” and the disadvantaged intend, in truth, to wield that
power for their own benefit. They plead their case in the name of “the
people,” but exercise the authority granted on the strength of that case
to compensate for their own deficiencies.
Over the last week, the powers that be in the Democratic Party have
decided—on their own, without any input from voters—that Diana Moon
Glampers, the Handicapper General, should be their nominee for President
of the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris, like most
politicians, is vain, jealous, and resentful. She is also perfectly
ordinary, lacking any qualities or features that might distinguish her
from the average person. She is of perfectly normal intelligence, has
perfectly normal policy insights, possesses perfectly normal reasoning
skills, and is endowed with perfectly normal leadership qualities. The
two things that set her apart from everyone else are her thirst for
power and her belief that “equality of opportunity” is not enough and
that the power of the state must be harnessed to produce “equality of
outcome.” “Equitable treatment,” she insisted in a 2020 primary campaign video
(and in countless speeches before and since), is what we should expect
our government to provide, and that means that “we all end up in the
same place.”
Kamala Harris is precisely the type of politician about whom Kurt
Vonnegut tried to warn us way back in 1961. She is convinced that she
knows the solution to mankind’s problems and is equally convinced that
those who resist her solutions are, by definition, enemies of the state.
The story of Harrison Bergeron ends when the main character, having
thrown off his handicaps, jumps to the ceiling of the TV news studio and
kisses his “empress”—a beautiful ballerina who has likewise thrown off
her handicaps—only to be shot dead by Diana Moon Glampers. Glampers then
warns everyone else in the studio about opposing the state and
reiterates the importance of wearing the handicaps the state has
provided.
As for the “normal” American people, they’re too distracted to notice:
It was then that the Bergerons’ television tube burned out.
Hazel turned to comment about the blackout to George. But George had gone out into the kitchen for a can of beer.
George came back in with the beer, paused while a handicap signal
shook him up. And then he sat down again. “You been crying,” he said to
Hazel.
“Yup,” she said.
“What about?” he said.
“I forget,” she said. “Something real sad on television.”
Biden and European leaders may look at Israel in isolation, but Israel is the canary in the coal mine in the fight against broader tyrannical forces that would normalize genocide and state erasure.
Israel remains in crisis more than nine months after the terrorist group Hamas broke a ceasefire and undertook an orgy of murder, rape, and kidnapping across southern Israel. Hamas terrorists, Palestinian
civilians, journalists working for Western outlets, and even United
Nations employees facilitated kidnappings and abused hostages. As Israel
continues its operations against Hamas terrorists, Hezbollah (armed
with the latest Iranian drones and missiles despite U.N. monitoring)
increasingly attacks northern Israel, driving tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes.
Neither the United States nor Europe would expect any other country
to tolerate such attacks against its own borders, but the Biden
administration approaches Israel through the cynical lens of its own
electoral politics. For Biden, national security adviser Jake Sullivan,
and his deputy Jon Finer, winning the Islamist vote in Dearborn,
Michigan, or Minneapolis trumps any principled defense of the Jewish
state. European officials, meanwhile, approach Israel with moral
equivalence, somehow conflating perpetrator and victim, and approach the
Palestinians with racist condescension, denying their agency and
shielding them from the consequences of their own decisions.
When Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur in 1973, the Nixon
administration launched Operation Nickel Grass to ensure the world's
only Jewish state had what it needed to defend itself. Contrast this
with the Biden team and its European partners. Both are slow-rolling, if
not informally boycotting, shipments of much-needed ammunition and
resupply to a country under fire.
Biden and European leaders may look at Israel in isolation, but
Israel is the canary in the coal mine in the fight against broader
tyrannical forces that would normalize genocide and state erasure. Make
no mistake: Other democracies under existential threat observe how the
West treats Israel. Wavering on Ukraine, on full display with former
President Donald Trump's selection of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate, reinforces such concern.
Taiwanese officials realize that should they face Chinese
conquest, the West might posture, but it likely would not act. Every
Taiwanese person who values his freedom should understand now that if
China invades, Taiwan can only rely on itself as Washington would likely
betray its commitments or simply lose interest. Beijing orchestrates a
100-year marathon, while Washington tags out at 100 days.
When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, President Harry S.
Truman responded militarily, even though South Korea fell outside
America's "defensive perimeter." Should North Korea repeat its actions
75 years later, it is not clear how much effort the U.S. would make to
keep North Korean communists and cultists from overrunning their
southern neighbor. Japan, meanwhile, could face threats from both China
and North Korea.
The slow, unstated military boycott of Israel gives these countries
one lesson: If Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan truly want to guarantee
their security, they cannot rely on the U.S. Rather, they must develop
their own nuclear deterrent. It may seem like a radical solution, but
signaling to aggressors that they will no longer couple themselves to
Washington's whims is the best deterrent.
Of course, Israel has its own nuclear deterrent, though it would
likely not use it unless it was in danger of terrorist forces
overrunning it. But that only underscores the point. Diplomats may look
at the decades-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime as a pillar
of international security for more than 65 years, but it is on life
support, transformed into an empty shell of itself by the cynicism of
diplomats who prioritize image over substance and favor short-term
Band-Aids over long-term solutions. Today, the liberal order depends on
proliferating nuclear deterrence.
Michael Rubin is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. He is the director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
In order to participate, voters must bring valid identification, either a photo ID or two forms of ID if they don’t include a photograph.
(The Center Square) -
Ahead of Arizona’s primary
election on Tuesday, election security has been a hot topic among
politicians. So much so that Secretary of State Adrian Fontes released a
misinformation alert Friday afternoon.
“The Secretary of State encourages voters to rely only on trusted
sources for accurate, election-related news,” reads a press release from
the Secretary of State’s Office. “We want to reassure the public that
the security and integrity of their vote are our top priorities.”
Election integrity is something that Senate candidate Kari Lake has
spoken out about when it came to her election loss to Katie Hobbs in the
2022 race for governor. Lake claimed that Maricopa County didn’t
conduct required accuracy testing on its tabulators and believed they
were inaccurate, refusing to concede the race.
She has since claimed that her Republican opponent, Pinal County
Sheriff Mark Lamb, is a “coward” when it comes to election integrity.
“He does not respect our elections,” Lake said. “He has done absolutely zero to make sure we have safe and secure elections.”
Lamb responded with an email to his supporters refuting Lake’s allegations.
“The topic of election integrity is incredibly important to me (and
this country), and it’s one that I take very seriously,” the email
reads. “My opponent, former newscaster Kari Lake, has resorted to making
baseless accusations against me, suggesting that I turned a blind eye
to election fraud. This couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Lamb said that in 2020, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office installed
cameras on every ballot drop box in the county and monitored the
footage. He even opened up the footage for the community to view.
“I’ve always fought for election integrity no matter what people say,” Lamb said.
Lake declined to participate in the GOP primary debate where Lamb did
a Q&A, saying that election fraud is something he would address if
elected as U.S. senator.
“There’s fraud in every election,” Lamb said. “We’ve got to do a lot
better nationally with election security. We owe it to the American
people.”
Fontes assured voters in his statement that the state is diligent in
ensuring secure elections. The polls will be open for the state primary
election at 6 a.m. and they close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters in Maricopa
County can find their closest polling location here. Voters in Pima County can find their closest polling location here. All other voters can visit my.arizona.vote to find their polling locations.
In order to participate, voters must bring valid identification,
either a photo ID or two forms of ID if they don’t include a photograph.
Fontes encourages people to be aware of the upcoming heatwave when
going to polling locations and many locations will be equipped with
cooling centers providing relief from the heat. More information on what
to expect on election day can be found at https://azsos.gov/elections/voters.
Marshall apologized for his comments in 2020 saying he 'values' and 'respects' women
The presidential campaign of presumptive Democratic
nominee Vice President Kamala Harris recently hired a senior adviser
with a history of sexist messages online mocking women and gay people as
well as seemingly criticizing Harris on social media during her failed
presidential campaign in 2019.
The Harris campaign announced
earlier this week it hired Kamau M. Marshall, who has deleted thousands
of old posts this week as 2024 senior adviser after he previously held
positions as Joe Biden’s strategic communications director in 2020, a
senior adviser for the Biden-Harris campaign and was formerly a senior
adviser to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
Marshall's
social media for more than a decade has been littered with controversial
comments, including a Christmas Eve 2011 post in which he expressed his
affection for "power women" – as long as she "know[s] her place" and he
can "where [sic] the pants", Fox News Digitalpreviously reported.
In early 2012, Marshall inquired, "Are all women crazy???? Lol no offense ijs [I'm just saying]."
The Vice President Kamala Harris campaign hired Kamau Marshall this week.(Getty Images)
Later that year, he opined, "Nice guys finish last because they make sure their girl comes first."
In August 2013, Marshall observed, "It's unattractive when a girl doesn't act classy & does not know how to control her feelings." In 2012, he wrote:
"@kimberlyjaneece I disagree-I try not look at _or impress_Personally
speaking-I enjoy the challenge & I only look & talk to CLASSY
Women."
Vice
President Kamala Harris delivers remarks as President Biden looks on in
the Rose Garden of the White House on July 26, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
The event was to mark the 31st anniversary of the Americans with
Disabilities Act being signed into law.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Marshall
has used the term "no homo" in several posts that were previously
deleted and seemingly questioned the allegations of sexual abuse against
comedian Bill Cosby, saying in 2015, "It's not a coincidence that Cosby
can be arraigned on allegations, yet countless police officers who gun
down black bodies aren't indicted", Washington Free Beacon previously reported.
"Bro
if u see a guy around women all day more than likely he wants to be 1
or he is very fem #Imjustsaying," Marshall said in another post.
Additionally, Marshall appeared to criticize Harris shortly after a debate performance in 2019, posting a message that said, "Dear Black people: Don’t be black when it's convenient. Be black 3365/24-7. Period. Sincerely, a black man."
The post, which was highlighted by a former reporter from
The Atlantic, and deleted shortly after it was posted following one of
the contentious Democratic primary debates, received backlash on social
media.
Vice
President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on reproductive rights at
Ritchie Coliseum on the campus of the University of Maryland on June 24,
2024 in College Park, Maryland.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Harris campaign pointed Fox News Digital to an apology Marshall issued in 2020.
"As
someone who values and respects women, it has never been or will ever
be my intent to disrespect women," Marshall said. "Period. However, I
sincerely apologize to those who could have misread it or don’t know me
personally and who it may have offended."
Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
“Did I Find King David’s Palace?”
Archaeologist Eilat Mazar headlined with that bold question in the
January-February 2006 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Her
lengthy article summarized her 2005 archaeological excavation at the
northern tip of the City of David and the evidence she had uncovered.
Dr. Mazar’s article and her excavations in the City of David have
drawn a spectrum of responses from the scholarly and scientific
communities as well as the public. Some are convinced, others are
uncertain, and some are dismissive of, even hostile to, Dr. Mazar’s
discovery and identification.
Unfortunately, much of the reporting on Dr. Mazar’s archaeology in
the City of David and on the Large Stone Structure is superficial,
unfairly critical and dismissive. While there are nuances in the points
of discussion around the Large Stone Structure, the mainstream media
tend to downplay and even ignore the scientific evidence and historical
record Dr. Mazar unearthed and rely too heavily on the theories put
forward by anti-Bible, anti-David minimalist critics.
Here is the archaeological evidence that led Dr. Mazar to conclude she had discovered King David’s palace.
Pinpointing the Location
Almost 10 years before she began digging in the City of David, Dr.
Mazar wrote an article explaining why she believed King David’s palace
was located in the northern end of the City of David. The article,
“Excavate King David’s Palace!”, appeared in the January-February 1997 Biblical Archaeology Review.
“[A] careful examination of the biblical text combined with sometimes
unnoticed results of modern archaeological excavations in Jerusalem
enable us, I believe, to locate the site of King David’s palace,” she
wrote. “Even more exciting, it is in an area that is now available for
excavation. If some regard as too speculative the hypothesis I shall put
forth in this article, my reply is simply this: Let us put it to the
test in the way archaeologists always try to test their theories—by
excavation.”
Dr. Mazar’s hypothesis relied on clues found in the Bible,
specifically 2 Samuel 5. This chapter describes David’s capture of
Jerusalem (verses 6-9) and the construction of his new palace (verse
11). A verse further in the chapter particularly caught Mazar’s eye:
“And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over
Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of
it, and went down to the hold” (verse 17).
This verse contains several details that Dr. Mazar found notable.
First, the word “hold” refers to the original walled fortress of Jebus
(Hebrew: metsudah). It is named the metsudah of Zion during David’s attack described in verse 7. Verse 9 records that after David conquered the metsudah,
he immediately moved into it. Verse 11 records that not long afterward,
the Phoenician King Hiram sent skilled laborers and “built David a
house.”
King David clearly had a palace. So, Dr. Mazar asked, where exactly was this palace situated?
The fortress-city of Jebus covered only about 48 dunams (12 acres),
primarily comprising the southern sloping ridge of Mount Zion.
Archaeologists have revealed a general idea of the extent of Jebus and
estimate that around 500 people lived within its walls. Given that this
was such a compact and densely populated area, there would not have been
sufficient room inside the city for a grand palace. Did David build his
new palace just outside the original walls?
As explained, verse 17 shows that after David settled into his new palace, he heard reports of an imminent Philistine attack and went down into the metsudah, or fortress/hold. David’s palace, then, was built on an elevated location, above the fortress, and just outside
the city walls. (Later, David’s palace would be surrounded by a
fortified city wall. The Bible records that David’s son Solomon and
other kings built additional walls around Jerusalem as the city expanded
further north.)
Based on verse 17, Dr. Mazar believed that David’s palace would be found just outside the northern wall of Jebus, in an elevated position on Mount Zion.
When she discussed this theory with her grandfather, former Hebrew
University president Prof. Benjamin Mazar, just before his death in
1995, he reminded her of an impressive royal Phoenician-style pillar
capital that had been discovered by archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon during
excavations in the City of David in 1962. This, he suggested, was
further evidence that David’s palace would be situated on the northern
part of Mount Zion. (You can read more about this capital in our article
Ashlars and Capitals: A New Style of Monumental Architecture.)
Kenyon’s report stated that the capital, of a type belonging to the
early Israelite monarchy, was found partway down the eastern side of the
hill, directly below the location where Mazar believed David’s palace
would be found. Evidently, the capital had fallen from a palatial
structure above. Did this pillar capital belong to David’s palace?
Dr. Mazar compiled her research and presented her theory in that 1997 Biblical Archaeology Review
article. The theory met with little enthusiasm from the academic world.
Some archaeologists questioned the merits of excavating where Mazar
suggested, doubting that she would find anything, let alone
something monumental. Earlier excavations in the City of David, they
reasoned, had uncovered all that there was; there was nothing left to
excavate.
Dr. Mazar was undeterred. While previous excavations in the City of
David had unearthed plenty of later period walls, she believed that Iron
iia remains would still be discovered
below these structures. More than anything, Mazar, like any good
scientist, wanted to put her theory to the test. She wanted to dig.
But she lacked financial support for the proposed excavation. It
wasn’t until nearly a decade later, in 2005, that she received funding
from Roger and Susan Hertog and Eugene and Zara Shvidler. Finally, she
could dig!
The Stepped Stone Structure
When Dr. Mazar published her article in 1997, she was most interested
in excavating the area north of the famous Stepped Stone Structure in
the City of David. But by the time she received funding, the only area
available for excavation was a little further south, just above and
slightly north of the Stepped Stone Structure.
The Stepped Stone Structure in the City of David is one of the
largest, most impressive archaeological features in all of Israel.
Situated on the east side of Mount Zion, this monumental terraced stone
edifice is 20 meters (65.6 feet) high and can be easily seen from the
Mount of Olives on the east side of the Kidron Valley.
The structure was first excavated by R. A. Macalister in the 1920s
and has been excavated multiple times since, including by Kathleen
Kenyon (1960s), Yigal Shiloh (1980s) and Dr. Eilat Mazar. Since the
1970s, archaeologists believed it was constructed during the Jebusite
period or perhaps earlier, with some additions occurring in the ninth
century b.c.e.
Dr. Mazar believed, like many of her colleagues, that the area just
above the Stepped Stone Structure belonged to the northern part of the
Jebusite fortress that David “went down to” from his palace. “Eventually
they gave me the option to excavate in a place where I thought the
[Jebusite] fortress of Zion was going to be revealed,” she told the
Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology in late 2019. “I thought I
was going to miss King David’s palace. But I excavated where they let me
excavate. It’s not like I could choose. I took what I got.”
The Large Stone Structure
Dr. Mazar began digging in mid-February 2005. Within two weeks, her
team had unearthed massive walls. They were staggered by their size. One
wall running east-west was 30 meters (98 feet) long and up to 3 meters
(10 feet) wide. Another, even larger wall was uncovered during the next
season of excavations (summer 2006). This wall ran north-south and was 6
meters (20 feet) wide.
The Stepped Stone Structure (gold)
supporting the Large Stone Structure (blue) above. Buildings
incorporated into the side of the Stepped Stone Structure are later
additions.
Julia Goddard/AIBA
That’s not all. This massive north-south wall directly abutted the
top of the Stepped Stone Structure. A small excavation in the summer of
2007 revealed that this wall not only touched the Stepped Stone
Structure but interlocked with it, indicating that both edifices were part of the same building.
This was a crucial discovery. “The fact that the two structures were
part of the same construction was an astonishing discovery for us,” Dr.
Mazar said. “Laid before our very eyes was a structure massive in
proportions and innovative in complexity. It bears witness to the
impressive architectural skill and considerable investment of its
builders, to the competency of a determined central ruling authority,
and most notably to the audacity and vision of that authority.”
Dr. Mazar also discovered the reason the Stepped Stone Structure was
constructed in the first place. The bedrock at the top of Mount Zion
contained a large void. If the ruler of the fortress wished to extend
his city further to the north along the ridge of Mount Zion, this gap
would have to be bridged by a massive foundation fill so a sturdy
structure could be built on top of it. This would require, to use Dr.
Mazar’s words, the “audacity and vision” of a “determined central ruling
authority” to devote enormous resources to build such a brace,
descending down into the Kidron Valley.
This, then, is what we see with the foundational Stepped Stone
Structure and building above: the construction of a gigantic palatial
structure with walls up to 6 meters (20 feet) wide, woven into a
20-meter-high (66-foot-high) Stepped Stone Structure that provides a
firm foundation down the steep eastern edge of the City of David. This
joint building effort constitutes the tallest known structure
in all Israel until the time of Herod the Great, nearly 1,000 years
later. The height and mass of the Stepped Stone Structure testifies to
the outstanding size and magnificence of the building it supported.
Dr. Mazar called the newly discovered massive building, built
directly atop and interlocking with the Stepped Stone Structure, the
“Large Stone Structure.” This structure could only be built with a
significant amount of wealth, infrastructure and power. This raised a
crucial question: Who built it? Could it have been King David?
Was This Really the Palace?
To determine if the Large Stone Structure was David’s palace, Dr.
Mazar needed more than a large building underpinned by a gigantic
supporting structure. She needed to date the building. The standard way
to do this is to use material remains, especially pottery and carbon
samples, that relate to the structure.
During her 2005–2008 excavations, Dr. Mazar’s team uncovered a
significant amount of pottery and many carbon samples related to the
Large Stone Structure. When studied in the laboratory, the material
found directly under the Large Stone Structure dated to the last part of the Iron i period—around the 11th century b.c.e. This was the last period in which the Jebusite Canaanites occupied Jerusalem, just before David conquered the city.
These fragments—alongside the lack of any structural remains dating to this period—indicated that the Jebusites had left this area open and undeveloped, just outside the northern extent of their city.
In the 2006 season, Dr. Mazar found evidence of a localized metal
industry inside the lowest levels in the building. This layer included
smelting hearths, numerous ceramic crucibles and blowpipes, as well as a
large amount of copper dross and waste associated with the creation of
metal objects. Dr. Mazar showed that this was evidence of the
construction phase of the building.
The artifacts discovered abutting and directly associated with the
Large Stone Structure—and thus the Stepped Stone Structure—were
scientifically dated to around late Iron i to early Iron iia: the decades surrounding 1000 b.c.e.
The combined dating evidence left a window of less than 100 years in
which this massive building could have been constructed. And directly
within that time period is the biblical account of the reign of King David.
Based on her discoveries, Dr. Mazar found that the evidence fit precisely
with the biblical account of David’s palace: She had found a massive,
3,000-year-old building right where the Bible says David’s palace should
be.
There is certainly room for scholars, based purely on the
archaeological dating, to suggest that it was built immediately before
King David’s time. Dr. Mazar recognized that this was possible in her
preliminary report published in 2009. But she also explained why it was
highly unlikely. While the dating of the structure could support that
conjecture, logic does not. Why would the Jebusites invest time and
resources building a massive palatial structure outside their
fortress city—and at a time when the Israelites were growing in power
and preparing to conquer the Jebusite city nestled in Canaan’s
heartland? This and other theoretical attempts to explain away the
structure are much more of a stretch, and take far more imagination,
than pairing it up with the straightforward biblical account.
Such a grand structure built on new ground, outside the defensive
fortification, is hardly the work of a Jebusite population in its
twilight years. The more rational conclusion is that the construction
indicates a new, bold, confident vision for Jerusalem—such as the
biblical description for King David’s palace.
Additional Evidence
Alongside the location and dating, a number of smaller discoveries
also serve to identify the Large Stone Structure as King David’s palace.
The Bible records that the Phoenician King Hiram sent stone masons
to work on David’s palace (2 Samuel 5:11). This fits with the discovery
of the beautifully worked Israelite-Phoenician-style stone capital that
Kenyon found below the now-uncovered Large Stone Structure.
Other royal items were discovered in and around the palace, including
ornate ivory utensils and the remains of exotic foods, likewise
indicating the royal nature of the structure.
The Bible records that after King David died, his son Solomon built
another palace further north of the City of David (1 Kings 7:1). Future
kings ruled from this northern palace, which became known as
the “upper house of the king” (Nehemiah 3:25). But the palace David
built continued to function as a royal building and was still identified
as the “house of David” in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 12:37).
Jeremiah 36:12 describes an officer going “down” into a scribal
chamber near the “king’s house” and meeting with several officials,
including Gemariah the son of Shaphan. Excavations of the Stepped Stone
Structure in the 1970s by Prof. Yigal Shiloh revealed a scribal chamber
at the base of the structure containing 51 bullae. The building became
known as the “House of Bullae.” One of the bullae contained an
inscription reading “Belonging to Gemariah, son of Shaphan.” The House
of Bullae, then, is a close link to the “scribe’s chamber” near the
“king’s house.”
Within and around the Large Stone Structure, the bullae of two
princes were discovered by Dr. Mazar in 2005 and 2007. The first reads:
“Belonging to Jehucal, son of Shelemiah, son of Shovi.” The second
reads: “Belonging to Gedeliah, son of Pashur.” These royal princes are
described together in Jeremiah 38:1 as the enemies of the Prophet
Jeremiah. It would be fitting to find evidence of princes around a royal palace structure.
In excavations to the west of the Large Stone Structure, two other
notable bullae were found in the 2019 excavations of Prof. Yuval Gadot:
One that was inscribed, “Belonging to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the
King,” belonged to one of King Josiah’s royal chamberlains (2 Kings
23:11). The other, “Belonging to Ikar, son of Mattaniah,” may have
belonged to a prince and son of King Zedekiah (whose original name was
Mattaniah).
Dozens of other bullae from royal officials and princes scattered in
and around the Large Stone Structure and the nearby scribal building
together indicate that the Large Stone Structure was a royal edifice, a palace.
A Sensational Discovery
When Dr. Mazar released her discovery to the public in 2005, it
generated attention around the world and even made the front page of the
New York Times. However, some scholars decried it as sensationalism.
Dr. Mazar’s remarkable find was greeted with some skepticism because
she committed two cardinal sins: First, she discovered what she was
looking for; second, her science was informed and influenced by the
Bible.
Regarding the first point: Remember that Dr. Mazar initially believed
David’s palace to be slightly farther north than where she was approved
to excavate. Like other archaeologists, Mazar believed the area
directly above the Stepped Stone Structure was likely part of the
Jebusite fortress that was built well before David was born. Not until
the discovery was dated did Dr. Mazar change her mind and conclude that
the Large Stone Structure was built too late to be the Jebusite fortress—it had to have been constructed during King David’s reign.
“Even when I proposed looking for the remains of King David’s palace
at this spot, I did not imagine that the Stepped Stone Structure would
form an integral part of it,” Dr. Mazar wrote in 2009. “Indeed, reality
surpassed all imagination.” Integral to science is the development and
testing of a theory. Finding what you are looking for is not a sign of bias; it’s a sign of a good theory.
As for the second point: It is important to note that while Dr. Mazar
did consider the Hebrew Bible a valuable resource for studying history,
she was not religious and did not pursue a religious agenda.
“Archaeology cannot stand by itself as a very technical method,” she
said. “It is actually quite primitive without the support of written
documents. Excavating the ancient land of Israel and not reading and
getting to know the biblical source is stupidity. I don’t see how it can
work. It’s like excavating a classical site and ignoring Greek and
Latin sources. It is impossible.”
Dr. Mazar dug up stones, walls and pottery. If she found that they
matched the biblical record, she did not shy away from making the
obvious associations (as some archaeologists admittedly do out of fear
of their work being branded “sensationalist” and discredited by their
fellow academic).
To Dr. Mazar, the Bible recorded ancient history in Jerusalem
relating to ancient structures in Jerusalem. “I am interested in
history, not just about stones. I am interested in stones that can
speak. I don’t care about stones that have nothing to talk about—that
are speechless. Who cares about speechless stones? Let the stones
speak,” she so often said.
Following her initial 2005–2006 excavation, some of Dr. Mazar’s
colleagues rejected the conclusion that she had discovered King David’s
palace. Some said the Large Stone Structure was from 700 years later.
Some said it was totally unrelated to the Stepped Stone Structure.
Others held fast to the original theory and maintained that it was a
Jebusite fortress. One professor dismissed Dr. Mazar’s discovery,
falsely claiming she hadn’t done carbon dating. She most definitely had—we should know; we helped in her excavations. But this is an example of the careless dismissal of Dr. Mazar’s evidence—without evidence of their own.
"Iran is using its proxies in the Middle East in order to achieve its ultimate goal, and that is to destroy the state of Israel."- Ohad Tal, MK
(L to R): Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David
Friedman, MK Ohad Tal, MK Evgeny Sova, and MEF director Gregg Roman at
the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus on July 23, 2024.
JERUSALEM, July 25, 2024 – In an event sponsored by the
Middle East Forum-organized Israel Victory Caucus (IVC) of Israel's
parliament (the Knesset), multiple speakers argued that Israel's
security requires turning the tables on Iran by creating proxies to
undermine the Islamic Republic (video).
Participants included Israeli cabinet ministers, members of Knesset
(MKs) from both coalition and opposition, senior military figures,
family members of the fallen and kidnapped, and other prominent decision
makers and opinion shapers.
Some key points:
Ohad Tal, MK and caucus co-chair: "Iran is using its proxies in
the Middle East in order to achieve its ultimate goal, and that is to
destroy the state of Israel." It is therefore "time to invest real
resources in psychological warfare" and "to use proxies against Iran
just as they used these against us."
Evgeny Sova, MK, caucus co-chair, and deputy chair of the Knesset:
"The most just war, after the worst single massacre of Jews since the
Holocaust, is being dragged out as a result of a failed, anti-Zionist
decision-making process in which at the end of the day the world still
sees us as the ones responsible for the situation in Gaza."
Orit Strook, Minister for National Projects: "On October 7 we were
awakened from tens of years where they tried to placate us with stories
like, "peace is made with enemies" and "land for peace" - and we did
everything we could not to prepare for this terrible multi-front war."
Gregg Roman, Middle East Forum (MEF) director: "To defeat the
Iran-directed Palestinian rejection of the Jewish state requires
breaking Tehran's support for the Palestinian groups. Iran uses this
support to undermine Israel. Exposing the regime's exploitation of the
Palestinian issue weakens its influence and reduces the appeal of its
propaganda. Disconnecting Tehran from Ramallah and Gaza isolates Iran
and weakens its proxies."
David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, spoke about his plan for ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
One day after MEF's Knesset event, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress advocated
defeating Iran and its proxies.
The Middle
East Forum, a non-profit organization, promotes American interests in
the Middle East and protects Western civilization from Islamism. It does
so through a combination of original ideas and focused activism. For
more information, visit www.meforum.org.
The Israeli prime minister cited the examples of post-World War II Germany and Japan as a model for his vision of "peace, prosperity and security."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses
a joint meeting of Congress in the chamber of the House of
Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
on Wednesday laid out his vision for post-Hamas Gaza, calling for the
enclave to be “demilitarized and deradicalized” in a manner similar to
Germany and Japan after World War II.
Speaking
to a joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.,
he also called for the establishment of a Middle Eastern defense
alliance to confront the threat posed to the region by Iran.
“The day after we defeat Hamas, a new Gaza
can emerge. My vision for that day is of a demilitarized and
deradicalized Gaza,” said the Israeli premier. “Israel does not seek to
resettle Gaza. But for the foreseeable future, we must retain overriding
security control there to prevent the resurgence of terror, to ensure
that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” he added.
He called for a Palestinian civilian administration in Gaza, on the condition that it not seek to destroy the Jewish state.
“That’s not too much to ask. It’s a fundamental thing that we have a right to demand and to receive,” he said.
“A new generation of Palestinians must no
longer be taught to hate Jews but rather to live in peace with us. Those
twin words, demilitarization and deradicalization, those two concepts
were applied to Germany and Japan after World War II, and that led to
decades of peace, prosperity and security.
“Following our victory, with the help of
regional partners, the demilitarization and deradicalization of Gaza can
also lead to a future of security, prosperity and peace. That’s my
vision for Gaza.”
According to a report by Axios,
citing Israeli officials, the United Arab Emirates hosted Israel and the
United States in Abu Dhabi last week for a secret meeting to discuss
plans for post-war Gaza. One of the scenarios discussed involved a temporary international mission deployed to the Strip, according to the report.
‘NATO-style’ regional ‘Abraham Alliance’
With regard to the regional defense alliance,
which he proposed to be called the “Abraham Alliance,” Netanyahu said
it should include countries that “have made peace with Israel and those
that will make peace with Israel.”
The region had already seen “a glimpse” of
that alliance on April 13, he said, when Iran launched more than 300
missiles and drones at Israel. A coalition of countries comprising the
United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt successfully
neutralized the threat.
The Israeli prime minister thanked U.S. President Joe Biden “for bringing that alliance together.”
In a briefing with the Israeli press
delegation following his speech, Netanyahu compared the proposed
alliance to NATO. During the address, he said the unified group “would
be a security coalition in every sense of the word.”
He said it would be “an extension of the
groundbreaking Abraham Accords,” which included normalization agreements
signed in the fall of 2020 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. He suggested that the pact be called the
“Abraham Alliance.”
Israel would likely attempt to recruit
Saudi Arabia to join an alliance, whether or not Israel succeeds in
signing a formal normalization agreement with the Sunni kingdom.
In his address, Netanyahu noted that
Israel is currently fighting a war on multiple fronts against Hamas,
Hezbollah and Houthis, all terrorist proxies funded and armed by Tehran.
“In the Middle East,” Netanyahu said,
“Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the
chaos, all the killing.”
