LLX News

By: Rossella Tercatin – The Jerusalem Post; jpost.com

The region of the Jezreel Valley bears many testimonies of ancient Christian life.

A 1,500-year-old Greek inscription bearing the name “Christ, born of Mary” was unearthed in northern Israel, the Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.

The archaeologists discovered the inscription engraved at the entrance of an impressive building from the Byzantine or early Islamic period, featuring mosaic pavements decorated with a geometric design.

The finding was unveiled in a salvage excavation directed by Tzachi Lang and Kojan Haku ahead of the construction of a road inside the village of Taiba in the Jezreel Valley.

“We did not know what to expect ahead of the work, but we knew that this was an area where archaeological remains had been found. When we came across the inscription, we knew we had a church,” Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologist Yardenna Alexandre told The Jerusalem Post.

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/ancient-christ-born-of-mary-inscription-unearthed-in-northern-israel-656071

Jack Dorsey has been quick to edit “misinformation” when it comes to politics, the coronavirus pandemic or other issues of consequence, but not when it comes to anti-Semitism, says End Jew Hatred.

The grassroots Jewish civil-rights movement End Jew Hatred protested outside the California home of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Monday, blaring audio recordings of Holocaust-denying tweets that have not been removed from Twitter.

The group said Dorsey has been quick to edit content deemed to be “misinformation” when it comes to politics, the coronavirus pandemic and other issues of consequence. But when users on his platform spread harmful lies about the systematic murder of 6 million Jews, he does nothing.

https://www.jns.org/jewish-civil-rights-group-protests-twitter-ceo-over-not-banning-holocaust-denial/

By: Tal Schneider – The Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

Israel’s parliament has not seen serious violence for decades, but unit that protects MKs has been drilling for riots or a hostage situation since well before Capitol rampage

Officials in Israel’s Knesset watched in horror Wednesday night, as scenes of chaos, bloodshed and insurrection unfolded at the US Capitol when a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump ransacked the seat of power of the strongest nation in the world.

Armed with bats, batons, hockey sticks, tear gas and other low-level means of violence, the swarm overwhelmed the Capitol’s police force and rampaged through the building, wrecking congressional offices and running riot through the halls of power, as America’s duly elected lawmakers huddled for cover. Some of the rioters carried zip-ties, sparking suspicions that they may have planned to take hostages.

The event, in which five people died, has indelibly scarred America, but it has also sparked questions in Israel, of not only whether such a thing could happen here, but how ready are we if it did?

https://www.timesofisrael.com/watching-dc-strife-armed-knesset-guards-say-theyve-long-readied-for-unrest/

By: Times of Israel Staff – Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

Police stepped up enforcement Friday after the tightened coronavirus lockdown took effect, dispersing gatherings, closing stores violating the restrictions, and calling via loudspeaker upon citizens to follow the guidelines.

After the initial lockdown imposed several weeks ago was under-enforced and provided plenty of loopholes to go outside, the tightened closure had an immediate and dramatic effect on movement, with police estimating that roads were 70 percent emptier than normal.

Checkpoints were set up on major highways and within towns and cities. The previous rules had already limited Israelis from venturing beyond a kilometer from their homes, with several exceptions.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/streets-largely-empty-as-police-step-up-enforcement-of-tightened-lockdown/

By: Ali Arouzi and Saphora Smith – NBC News; nbcnews.com

Tensions between the United States and Iran have been simmering in the last days of President Donald Trump’s administration.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has resumed enriching uranium up to 20 percent in the country’s biggest breach yet of its landmark nuclear deal with world powers, a government spokesperson told state-run Mehr News on Monday.

Also Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized a South Korean-flagged ship carrying thousands of tons of ethanol in the Persian Gulf, according to the state-linked news agencies IRIB and FARS News.

The U.S. State Department said it was tracking reports that the Iranian regime has detained a Republic of Korea-flagged tanker. “The regime continues to threaten navigational rights and freedoms in the Persian Gulf as part of a clear attempt to extort the international community into relieving the pressure of sanctions. We join the Republic of Korea’s call for Iran to immediately release the tanker,” a spokesman for the department said Monday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-resumes-20-percent-uranium-enrichment-nuclear-facility-state-news-n1252708

By: Times of Israel Staff; timesofisrael.com

Israel’s population now numbers nearly 9.3 million, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) announced Thursday, hours before the end of 2020 and the start of the new year.

According to the CBS, Israel’s population grew by 151,000 people, or 1.7 percent, since last year and now stands at 2.91 million people.

There are currently 6.870 million Jews, accounting for 74% of the population, while the 1.956 million Arabs in Israel make up 21% of the population. Another 456,000 people defined as “others” make the remaining 5%.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-it-welcomes-in-2021-israels-population-numbers-9291000/

By: Jerusalem Post Staff; jpost.com

The photo, taken during an exercise by the Israeli Air Force’s Airborne Combat Rescue And Evacuation Unit 669, was released alongside four other top ranked photos.

The IDF’s picture of the year of 2020 has been selected out of 20 pictures, winning by just six votes, the IDF announced on Wednesday.

The photo, taken during an exercise by the Israeli Air Force’s Airborne Combat Rescue And Evacuation Unit 669, was released alongside four other top ranked photos.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/idfs-2020-picture-of-the-year-decided-on-by-just-6-votes-653706

By: Raoul Wootliff – The Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

New vote set for March 23 after ‘unity’ government crumbles in just 7 months; Netanyahu promises huge win, but polls suggest tough race, with main threat from parties to his right

The 23rd Knesset officially dispersed as the clock struck midnight on Tuesday night and the deadline to approve a 2020 budget expired, sending Israelis to the polls for the fourth time in less than two years. Elections were automatically called for 90 days from now, namely March 23, 2021, though that date could yet be changed by vote.

The failure to pass a budget came just seven months after the swearing-in of the “unity government” between Likud and Blue and White. The two parties, which had fought each other bitterly in three indecisive elections, agreed to form a power-sharing government with a rotating premiership between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz in May.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-calls-4th-election-in-2-years-as-netanyahu-gantz-coalition-collapses/

By: Jon Gambrell – Associated Press; apnews.com

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the U.S. over its atomic program, according to satellite photos obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.

Iran has not publicly acknowledged any new construction at Fordo, whose discovery by the West in 2009 came in an earlier round of brinkmanship before world powers struck the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

While the purpose of the building remains unclear, any work at Fordo likely will trigger new concern in the waning days of the Trump administration before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Already, Iran is building at its Natanz nuclear facility after a mysterious explosion in July there that Tehran described as a sabotage attack.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-underground-nuclear-facility-d9809b8a61f71f87dff31da6ff784687

Jewish News Syndicate – jns.org

Television icon and comedian Jay Leno talked about his avid support for Israel and the Jewish people during the StandWithUs “Festival of Lights” virtual gala on Sunday night.

“My dad said you always want to be proud of who you are, and that’s why I like Jews. They’re proud of who they are,” the former host of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” told Jewish comedian Elon Gold in a pre-recorded message that aired during the live Hanukkah event.

“Here they are, this little country surrounded by people who literally hate them, and the fact that [these] people are proud of who they are and they stick together—that’s what I like. I like seeing people who are proud of who they are because if you don’t have pride in yourself, you’re not gonna get anywhere,” he added. “So, for me, I like that sort of Jewish pride.”

https://www.jns.org/jay-leno-on-support-of-israel-i-dont-like-to-see-people-get-picked-on/