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News from Judea and Samaria
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The land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem - the eternal capital of the Jewish State - have been at the center of momentous events in world history for millenia, particularly for Jews and Christians. Since the time of Abraham, there has been a continuous Jewish presence in this land, in spite of multiple conquests by foreign powers and the exile of portions of the Jewish population by the ancient Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans. Indeed, because of its strategic position in the Middle East, the land has been occupied and fought over for thousands of years.
Judea and Samaria is the biblical heartland of the land of Israel. It is the territory in which the Hebrew patriarchs and prophets walked, and where Jesus and his disciples ministered. Today, as the people of Judea and Samaria plant and build, they regularly uncover artifacts that provide evidence of those who have gone before. Many of these finds and archeological sites confirm events and places referenced in the Bible and validate the biblical account.
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With each passing year, the number of sites increase in number and importance. Unfortunately, these historical treasures are being destroyed, looted and desecrated so that trained experts will not be able to examine them, and the world will be denied the opportunity to visit or read about them in professional reports. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948 provides a vivid example of the kind of artifacts that have been, and are still waiting to be, found.
In the areas in which it has control, the Palestinian Authority has either aided and abetted the destruction of archaeological sites or permitted such destruction to occur through complicit inaction – all for the purpose of eliminating evidence of ancient, and continuous, Jewish presence in the land.
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One very important example of a site that is under imminent threat of elimination is the altar Joshua built on the top of Mt. Ebal after the children of Israel entered the land over 3,000 years ago. Recent news from Samaria reveals that the Palestinian Authority is now planning to build a new development of homes on this precise location.
Urgent action is required to prevent the Palestinian Authority from destroying this ancient historical and biblical site that is of immense importance to both Jews and Christians! Please help us appeal to UNESCO for their help in protecting this site from imminent destruction by signing our petition asking UNESCO to designate Mt. Ebal a World Heritage Site.
PLEASE READ and SIGN this PETITION!
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We the undersigned respectfully request that UNESCO designate the Mount Ebal archeological site in Samaria, including Joshua’s Altar, as a World Heritage Site to be named Mount Ebal UNESCO Historical Park, and to effectuate such actions by taking the following practical steps immediately:
(1) Take proactive measures to stop the ongoing damage to the archeological site on and around Mount Ebal, including Joshua’s altar
(2) Promote the transfer of administrative responsibility for the heritage site on Mount Ebal to the Israel Antiquities Authority
(3) Collect all relevant documentation related to the site and preserve and protect the exposed findings
(4) At the international level, take all necessary action against all entities involved in damaging or funding projects that damage this heritage site
(5) At the academic level, initiate steps to encourage international research at this historical site
Our request constitutes a reasonable and practical recommendation which calls upon UNESCO to adopt an emergency plan for the protection and preservation of Mt Ebal and Joshua’s Altar and to enable the State of Israel to assume immediate responsibility for it.
Respectfully submitted by Christians and Jews United for Israel and the concerned citizens signed below.
TO SIGN THIS PETITION, PLEASE CLICK HERE!
Happy Jerusalem Day from the Yesha Council
This week, we will be celebrating Yom Yerushalayim, commemorating the 56th anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem in the 1967, Six Day War.
We must also remember, that not only was our eternal capital city of Jerusalem liberated, but so was Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley, Golan Heights, and other areas of our country which are part of our historical and Biblical heartland.
Palestinians throw animal carcasses into graves at biblical site
The ancient town of Sebastia, one of the major archaeological sites of the Holy Land which served as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel nearly three millennia ago, has been damaged by Palestinian road construction, Israeli officials said Tuesday.
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The destruction at the site highlights the lawlessness in the area and the need for the preservation, upkeep and safeguarding of Israeli archaeological sites in Palestinian-controlled areas after decades of neglect, damage and disrepair.