Israel Daily – December 11, 2022

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Rare coin from Hanukkah story villain era found in theft suspect’s home

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

The Antiochus IV coin discovered in the Antiquities Authority said of the illegal artifacts digger. / (photo credit: NIR DISTELFELD/ ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY)

An ancient coin of Antiochus IV – the Greek ruler known as “Antiochus the Evil” and king during the rebellion of the Jewish Maccabees – was discovered Tuesday after the Israel Antiquities Authority raided the home of a man who was accused of pillaging artifacts in a protected area of Kiryat Shmona.

The coin, dating back to 169-164 BCE, was discovered in the house of a suspect after he was caught walking around Ramot Menashe – a protected archaeological site – with a metal detector. After searching the suspect’s home, authorities discovered the rare coin among a trove of ancient coins, artifacts, digging tools and metal detectors.

Antiochus IV is remembered as a major villain and persecutor in Jewish history. Known as “Antiochus the Evil” in Jewish texts associated with Hanukkah, his policies signaled a departure from the previous rulers’ tolerance of Jews to policies that persecuted the Jewish population, which eventually led to the Maccabean revolt in 167 BC.

“Antiochus, king of the Seleucid kingdom, was officially named ‘Epiphanes’ – the face of God, but behind his back his subjects called him Epimanes – the crazy Antiochus.”

Dr. Danny Shion

“Antiochus, king of the Seleucid kingdom, was officially named ‘Epiphanes’ – the face of God, but behind his back his subjects called him Epimanes – the crazy Antiochus,” said retired Israel Antiquities Authority coin researcher Dr. Danny Shion.

Shion also explained that the coin is a special mint by King Antiochus IV from when he granted special rights to 19 cities in the Seleucid Kingdom and that the coin was minted in the city of Tzur.

The findings seized at the suspect’s home, including ancient coins and artifacts. (credit: NIR DISTELFELD/ ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY)

Antiquities Authority warns against illegal digging

While the suspect claims they were simply looking for geological finds, the Israel Antiquities Authority search turned up many finds that he found in illegal land excavations throughout the North, including arrowheads, rings, make-up tools, buckles, lead objects, buttons, and more. 

“Although the find is beautiful and the timing of its discovery (just) before Hanukkah is exciting, we must not forget that the suspect broke the law. Many looted items were found in his house. The suspect claimed to be a geology enthusiast that was looking for quartz crystals and metals, but ‘on the way’ also collected coins and ancient artifacts,” declared Nir Distelfeld, the inspector of the robbery prevention unit at the Israel Antiquities Authority in the northern region.

“The removal of ancient finds from the antiquities sites harms the possibility of researching the site and extracting knowledge from it.”

Eli Eskosido

“The removal of ancient finds from the antiquities sites harms the possibility of researching the site and extracting knowledge from it,” added Israel Antiquities Authority Director-General Eli Eskosido. “Disconnecting the finds from their context harms the history of all of us, and permanently removes priceless information from the eyes of researchers and the public.”

The Antiquities Authority also reiterated that searching for artifacts using metal detectors at antiquities sites in Israel is prohibited by law. The fixed penalty for committing these offenses is three years in prison.

IDF Counts 6,900 Lone Soldiers; Half Come From 73 Different Countries

Algemeiner Staff

IDF soldiers finish their beret march following eight months of training. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld / IDF Spokesperson Unit

The Israel Defense Forces currently include some 6,900 lone soldiers, nearly half of whom immigrated from 73 different countries.

The lone soldier label applies to recruits who serve with no parental support in Israel. This includes Israeli natives who are orphans or have no ties to their parents, constituting some 48 percent of all lone soldiers. The rest include recruits who made aliyah while their parents live abroad.

A breakdown of countries published by the military last week showed some contributed hundreds of lone soldiers to the IDF, with 610 lone soldiers coming from the United States, as well as 488 from Russia, 332 from Ukraine, and 264 from France.

Multiple countries contributed dozens of recruits, with 98 soldiers immigrating from Argentina, while 80 soldiers came from each Britain and South Africa. Brazil contributed 63 recruits, ahead of countries including Canada (51), Kazakhstan (38), Colombia (23), Ethiopia (19), and India (13).

Some other countries, in the meantime, could claim less than 10 recruits. For instance, seven recruits came from Switzerland, five from Japan, and one each from Serbia, Slovakia, and Botswana.

This year saw the enlistment of 87 new lone soldiers, the military said.

UN says Israel must give up nuclear weapons in lopsided vote

TOVAH LAZAROFF

Ukraine was absent from the vote after supporting the initial text.
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View of the Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev Desert outside Dimona / (photo credit: JIM HOLLANDER / POOL / REUTERS)

The United Nations General Assembly affirmed that Israel must give up its nuclear weapons in a 149-6 vote taken on Wednesday.

An earlier version of the text was approved in the UNGA’s Fifth Committee in October with a 152-5 vote.

Ukraine had voted against Israel in the Fifth Committee, but this time around was absent from the proceedings after it had been criticized for standing against Israel.

Those who opposed the resolution were: Canada, Israel, Micronesia, Palau and the United States. Liberia, which had been absent from the vote in October, changed its position and opposed the text.

Another 26 countries, including India and many European states, abstained from the resolution which is part of an annual package of over 15 anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian texts the UNGA approves. 

UN HIGH COMMISSIONER for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet makes a speech at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, in February. (credit: DENIS BALIBOUSE/REUTERS)

Does Israel actually have nuclear weapons?

The Jewish state is believed to be the only one of nine countries to possess nuclear weapons and the only one in the region, even though it has never admitted to having such an arsenal.

The resolution presumes that Israel has such weapons. It calls on Israel to “not to develop, produce, test or others acquire nuclear weapons” and to “renounce possession of nuclear weapons.”

The resolution also called on Israel to accede to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons treaty and to place “all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy safeguards.

Israel, along with India, Pakistan and South Sudan has not signed the treaty.

The resolution was put forward by the Palestinian Authority and 20 countries, including Israel’s allies in the Middle East such as Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. 

It was voted on just as Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan and his Emirati counterpart are leading a joint mission of ambassadors to the UN on a visit to the Jewish state. 

The resolution itself was part of a slew of dozens of texts that deal with the issue of nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation, in which Israel at times opposed or abstained.

It was the only country to vote against a resolution calling for the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, a text that had the support of 175 out of the UN 193 nations.

Two countries obtained from that vote, the United States and Singapore.

Israel Daily News – December 07, 2022

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