10 May 2025, 8 Iyar, 5785.
Jerusalem News no. 1288.
JN-1287.
https://hebrewnations.com/features/jn5/jn1288.html
19 May 2025, 21 Iyar, 5785.
Contents:
1. Sebastia (i.e. Samaria) former capital of the Ten Tribes to become a tourist site.
Israel kicks off transformation of biblical Sebastia into archaeological park
2. Gazans Would Again Vote in Hamas, Oppose Disarmament by
Hana Levi Julian.
3. Report: Trump Wants to Relocate a Million Gazans to Libya
by David Israel
4. What has the Gaza War Aomplished so far?
5. Huckabee: All Israel's enemies are servants of the same master - Iran
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1. Sebastia (i.e. Samaria) former capital of the Ten Tribes to become a tourist site.
Israel kicks off transformation of biblical Sebastia into archaeological park
https://www.jns.org/israel-kicks-off-transformation-of-biblical-sebastia-into-archaeological-park/
'When you dig here you touch the Bible with your own hands,' said Yossi Dagan, chairman of the Samaria Regional Council.
by
Etgar Lefkovits
Extracts:
Israelis visit Sebastia, the former capital of the Kingdom of Israel, in Samaria, April 22, 2019, Photo by Hillel Maeir/Flash90.
(May 12, 2025 / JNS)
Israeli authorities began archaeological work on Monday toward the restoration and development of Sebastia, a major archaeological site that served as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel nearly three millennia ago.
The development of the site, which is located a few miles northwest of Nablus, is intended to put the biblical heartland squarely on the tourist map.
The city of Shomron (Samaria in English) was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel during the 9th and 8th centuries B.C.E. Herod the Great renamed it 'Sebastia' in honor of Emperor Augustus, translating the Latin epithet augustus to the Greek sebastos, 'venerable,' according to Josephus.
Since the Oslo Accords, the archaeological site has been in Area C of Judea and Samaria, under full Israeli control, while the adjacent present-day Arab village of Sebastia has been in Area B, under Israeli security control and Palestinian Authority civilian jurisdiction.
The site has barely been excavated over the last century.
The last archaeological dig took place in 1967, when the area was still under Jordanian occupation. Since then, only salvage excavations have taken place. The state-run Israel Antiquities Authority is not involved in digs beyond the Green Line; the excavation is being carried out by an archaeologist with Israel's Civil Administration.
Like many archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria, tourist visits to Sebastia are restricted due to security concerns.
The nearly $9 million budget for the site will go toward establishing a visitors' center and a new access road, as well as increasing law enforcement to prevent vandalism.
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2. Gazans Would Again Vote in Hamas, Oppose Disarmament
By
Hana Levi Julian
Most Gazans would still vote for Hamas if elections were held today, according to a wide-ranging poll that was carried out at the start of this month by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of civilians in Gaza are opposed to disarming the Hamas terrorist group.
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3. Report: Trump Wants to Relocate a Million Gazans to Libya
By
David Israel
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/report-trump-wants-to-relocate-a-million-gazans-to-libya/2025/05/18/
According to an NBC News report published last Friday, citing information from five individuals familiar with the initiative, the Trump administration is developing a plan to permanently relocate as many as 1 million civilians from the Gaza Strip to Libya.
The plan is being taken seriously enough that the Trump administration has discussed it with the Libyan leadership, according to two individuals with direct knowledge of the proposal and a former U.S. official. In return for accepting the Gazans, the U.S. would consider unfreezing billions of dollars in Libyan assets that have been locked for over a decade, the three sources said.
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4. What has the Gaza War Aomplished so far?
Source:
Quora.
The Reality
Extracts:
- 80% of the hostages have been returned.
- Rocket fire from Gaza is down by over 99%.
- Around 20,000, I think 30,000 Hamas terrorists eliminated.
- Most of Hamas senior leadership has been eliminated.
- The US is backing a plan to evacuate Gaza.
- Thousands of Hezbollah terrorists eliminated.
- 80% of Hezbollah's capabilities destroyed.
- Hezbollah's leaders leadership has been eliminated.
- Hezbollah won't fire anything. ...
- The Iranian axis has been fractured.
- Iran pushed out of Syria, militias dismantled.
- The Syrian army capabilities crushed. IDF controls Mount Hermon in Southern Syria.
- Iraqi militias have pulled out of the Israel war.
- Houthis are taking unprecedented strikes.
- Many of Iran's air defense dismantled.
- Iran's economy is in historic collapse.
- About 1,000 terrorists eliminated in Judea and Samaria, thousands and more arrested, and tens of thousands evacuated from terror zones in Judea in Samaria.
Israel has never started a war. Israel has also never lost a war. And this one is no different.
Israel's military achievements in this war might go down in history as the most daring and successful in history.
Thank you, IDF, and thank you, Hashem!
Onward!
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5. Huckabee: All Israel's enemies are servants of the same master - Iran
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/408605
Speaking at the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee warns against overlooking Iran's central role in orchestrating threats against Israel.
Huckabee likened the Islamic Republic of Iran to a chef orchestrating the regional instability. According to him, Tehran not only funds and arms these terror groups but also orchestrates their operations, making it the central force behind the threats confronting Israel.
"Tehran is the chef, it is the server, it is the one who brings the poison to all the rest of the world," Huckabee warned. "And if we ever forget who our real enemy is, it will be a fatal mistake."