Ben-Gvir Tells the US what to do with their "demand for 'accountability'"

 

National Security Minister-designate MK Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) pushed back Tuesday morning, after the US State Department called for “accountability” following the accidental shooting of a Palestinian Arab teenager during a gun battle between IDF forces and Arab terrorists in the northern Samaria city of Jenin.

“The comments by the American government are distressing,” Ben-Gvir said.

“When hundreds of bullets were fired by terrorists at IDF soldiers and Border Police officers, we cannot judge our soldiers as if they are working in a laboratory situation.”

“Without a doubt, the teenage girl’s death is a tragedy, but there is also no doubt that any other army in the world would have completed the kind of operation we carried out in Jenin with dozens of hostiles killed, and not with measured, pinpoint operations.”

“I call on the residents of Jenin and the civilian population there not to leave their homes when terrorists are shooting at IDF soldiers. I give my backing to the IDF soldiers and Border Police officers. They have the right to defend themselves.”

On Monday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price called for “accountability” following the death of a 16-year-old Palestinian Arab girl during Sunday night’s clashes in Jenin.

“We do express our profound condolences to the family of Jana Zakarneh, the young teenage girl who was killed. This – it is a tragic incident. It’s a heartbreaking incident any time you hear of a civilian being killed in these types of operations.”

“We understand the IDF is undertaking an investigation into what happened. We hope to see accountability in this case. I did note that outgoing Prime Minister Lapid did offer his condolences to the family of Jana Zakarneh, and we note that that her tragic death comes in the context of the escalating violence in the West Bank that we’ve noted and lamented for some time now,” he added.

“It is this alarming increase in Palestinian and Israeli deaths and injuries, including injuries to numerous children and now the death of a young Palestinian teenager – we reiterate the need for all parties to take steps to de-escalate the situation. It’s vital that the parties themselves take urgent action to prevent even greater loss of life,” said Price.

The IDF has said Zakarneh was likely killed by an IDF sniper who mistook her for a terrorist, due to her proximity to a group of terrorists during the Jenin gun battle Monday.

Just in time for Chanukah! Rare wood box containing silver coins from the reign of Antiochos IV found in an excavation

 

Evidence for a dramatic moment in the history of the Jewish people was uncovered in the Judean Desert:

A rare wooden box containing a small hoard of 15 silver coins, dated to the days leading up to the Maccabean Revolt.

The box was hidden in Muraba‘at Cave in the Darageh Stream Nature Reserve about 2,200 years ago, and it was discovered in excavations carried out there last May.

The coin hoard has since been researched, and it will be exhibited to the public over Hannukah in the Hasmonean Museum in Modi‘in, in the context of Israel Heritage Week that takes place on Hannukah.

The rescue excavation was carried out in Muraba‘at Cave in March–May 2022 in the framework of the Judean Desert Excavation and Survey Project run by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Archaeological Office for the Military Administration of Judea and Samaria, in cooperation with the Ministry for Jerusalem and Heritage.

Among the many finds, the unique lathe-turned wooden box was discovered in a crack in the cave.

When the lid was removed, it turned out that the upper part of the box was full of packed earth and small stones. Below this earth layer, a large piece of purple woolen cloth was found, covering the 15 silver coins that were arranged with pieces of sheep’s wool in the lower part of the box.

Incredible voice of a Child singer

These are voices we don’t get to hear every day.

 Brothers Moshe and Yehuda Brezel perform Avraham Fried’s Shtaar Hatanaim and Yossele Rosenblatt’s famous Shir Hamaalos.

 Provided by  “Sparks of a Nation” WhatsApp Status, where followers are treated to wealth of videos and photos portraying the incredible beauty of Klal Yisroel 24 hours a day!

Mossad Director Reveals Last Telegram Of Israeli Spy Eli Cohen

 

Mossad Director David Barnea on Monday publicly revealed for the first time the last telegram the intelligence agency received from spy Eli Cohen prior to his capture in Syria.

The telegram, which was revealed during the dedication of the Eli Cohen Museum in Herzliya, is dated Feb. 19, 1965, the day on which Cohen is believed to have been captured. In it, Cohen reports on a Syrian General Staff meeting held the previous evening with the participation of then Syrian President Amin al-Hafez.

“I will honor this holy place and reveal, for the first time, following in-depth research that was carried out recently, that Eli Cohen was not captured due to the quantity of his transmissions or pressure from headquarters to transmit too frequently,” said Barnea. “Eli Cohen was captured because his transmissions were simply intercepted and triangulated by the enemy. This is now an intelligence fact.”

Cohen’s capture has been the subject of conjecture over the years, with some arguing that he was caught because the Mossad demanded that he transmit too much information, compromising his position.

“Eli Cohen was among our best agents,” said Barnea. “He continues to influence us and instill in us a fighting spirit, courage, values and devotion—even from the depths of history,” said Barnea. “He is a source of inspiration not only to today’s agents but to all Mossad employees in their various positions. We all learn from him, even today. From his Zionism, his sacrifice and his dedication.”

"Herzl is our George Washington and Thomas Jefferson all wrapped in one'

 If the above video makes you feel pride, you are an external Zionist. But if the video brings you to tears, then you are an internal Zionist, and that is eternally beautiful.

"Today, Theodor Herzl is best known for his beard, not his books," laments Gil Troy, editor of "The Zionist Writings of Theodor Herzl," in his introductory essay to a new edition of Herzl's diaries.

Troy, a professor of history at Canada's McGill University now living in Israel, wants to make Zionism's founders come alive for the next generation. His latest effort is a three-volume collection of Herzl's writings.

The brainchild behind the series is Matthew Miller, owner of Koren Publishers, a Jerusalem publishing house producing mainly religious texts. Drawing inspiration from the Library of America, a publisher of notable American classics and historical works, Miller decided to create a Library of the Jewish People to bring together the best writings from Jewish history in the fields of religion, the arts and politics.

"The Zionist Writings" are the first titles in that ambitious effort. They include a fairly comprehensive collection of Herzl's diaries and other works, including his play "The New Ghetto" (1894), of which Herzl biographer Alex Bein said, "Herzl completed his inner return to his people"; Herzl's 1896 manifesto "The Jewish State"; and important essays, like "The Menorah" (1897), showing how, through Zionism, Herzl reconnected with his Judaism.

Holocaust Denier Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi Being Sued by Bennett

 

"Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi, the infamous Holocaust denier will have to make a public apology, not for denying that 6 million Jews were murdered but because he claims that Bennett's mother wasn't Jewish.

YossieMizrachi had admitted that he is no Rabbi and never received "smicha' from anyone. This arrogant "am haaretz" was previously condemned by the Noveminsker z"l, hYossi also claimed that Jewish women posed nude for the Nazis before being gassed. 

I cannot believe that this lunatic and mental midget has a following!

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has embroiled himself in legal wranglings with his detractors, determined to overcome the "poison machine," as he calls it.

According to a report in "Weekend News," Bennett has sent a warning in advance of a legal suit against prominent Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi, whose Torah classes are broadcast in Israel and across the world. Bennett is demanding that Rabbi Mizrachi apologize and also pay him compensation of 100 thousand shekels, after the rabbi said in one of his classes that Bennett isn't Jewish as his mother is not a Jew.

The class in question was uploaded to the rabbi's Youtube channel. In it, he says (in English) that, "No one can bear him [Bennett] - not a single person. There's no one as hated as him because of what he did. He broke all the promises he made, deceived everyone, deceived all his voters, joined up with the Muslim Brotherhood, and betrayed Israel."

Rabbi Mizrachi then added, "And furthermore, we found out just this week that his mother isn't even Jewish. In other words, he's not Jewish himself."

Bennett's lawyers emphasize that if Rabbi Mizrachi refuses to publish an apology, delete the videos in which he makes the statements, and pay compensation, they will open a court case against him and demand far greater compensation.

Al Jazeera's star witness against Israel is a Islamic Jihad terrorist

 

A key eyewitness in the formal complaint against Israel filed by Al Jazeera at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the death of Shireen Abu Akleh Tuesday is a terrorist affiliated with the US-designated terrorist group Islamic Jihad, media watchdog HonestReporting reported on Sunday.

Jenin resident Sleem Awwad’s social media profiles reveal that he is a staunch supporter of Islamic Jihad, having posed with the flag of the jihadist terror group. HonestReporting found at least five photos of Awwad brandishing firearms, including military-style rifles with scopes.

“The credibility of the investigations of Al Jazeera in probing Abu Akleh’s death are questionable now that HonestReporting exposed their chief witness as an active member of a murderous terrorist organization,” HonestReporting executive director Gil Hoffman said.

On December 6, Al Jazeera filed a formal complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court over the death of Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American reporter shot on May 11 during a counter-terrorism operation in Jenin

An IDF probe previously concluded that Abu Akleh may have been mistakenly shot by an Israeli soldier who failed to identify her as a member of the press. After pinpointing every spot where troops had come under fire, the investigation found that they had strictly complied with the IDF’s rules of engagement.

In July, a report issued by the US State Department similarly said that Israeli forces probably fired the deadly shot, but that there was no indication Israelis intentionally killed Abu Akleh.

Nevertheless, Al Jazeera this week announced it contacted ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in the wake of “new evidence” it uncovered “based on several eyewitness accounts.” Without presenting proof, the Qatar-run broadcaster argued that their correspondent was somehow “targeted” as part of a campaign by “Israeli Occupation Forces [sic]… to silence Al Jazeera.”

The network’s submission under article 15 of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, followed just days after the airing of “The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” a 40-minute documentary produced by Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines series, which set the stage for Israeli soldiers to be prosecuted in The Hague.

Al Jazeera’s insistence that Israeli security forces deliberately murdered a journalist relies on sources cited in the Fault Lines segment, which relies on claims made by the anti-Israel collective Forensic Architecture, as well as the terror-linked Al-Haq.

Furthermore, research by HonestReporting indicates that at least one of Al Jazeera’s “civilian” eyewitnesses is in fact an armed terrorist, affiliated with Islamic Jihad, who was in the area when Abu Akleh was shot.

About five minutes into “The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” Al Jazeera correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous introduces Awwad as a key witness to the May 11 incident:

"The group of journalists drew a crowd of civilians as well, including Sleem Awwad. He started a live video around 6:24 AM on the social media app TikTok. A few minutes after he started filming, he ran past the journalists to get a glimpse of the Israeli convoy up the street.”

Conspicuously, Awwad deleted the TikTok page @saleemawad1995 — and the live video taken some five minutes before Abu Akleh’s death — this summer. However, HonestReporting managed to track down his Facebook and Instagram accounts, and our findings cast serious doubt on Al Jazeera’s claim that Awwad is merely a civilian.

Indeed, a deep dive into Awwad’s social media profiles revealed his support for Islamic Jihad. The largest and most influential terror organization in Jenin, it reportedly pays its members $300 for every Israeli soldier they shoot and $100 if their attacks do not result in injuries to the troops.

Awwad also mourned multiple terrorists as “martyrs”. In April, he even called on his Facebook followers to donate blood to save the life of Islamic Jihad Jenin Brigade commander Muhammad Ayman al-Saadi.

Rav Chaim Druckman in Serious Condition

 

Rabbi Chaim Druckman, one of the most prominent rabbis in the Religious Zionist sector in Israel, is seriously ill Sunday evening, according to reports from his relatives.

The 90-year-old rabbi was diagnosed with a symptomatic case of SARS-CoV-2 Friday, ten months after he was infected with the virus and recovered.

The rabbi’s family said Sunday evening that Rabbi Druckman is currently listed in serious condition, and that he has been receiving oxygen since he was diagnosed Friday.

“The rabbi did not feel well last Friday,” the family said in a statement, “and after he underwent various examinations, including a coronavirus test, it was found that the rabbi was positive for COVID.”

“The rabbi is at home and is being treated by a medical team that has been accompanying him both during emergencies and routine situations. This treatment includes providing him with oxygen, fluids, and various medications, based on the doctors’ recommendations for treating COVID.”

“According to the doctors who are treating the rabbi, the rabbi is in serious but stable condition, the same condition the rabbi has been in since Saturday morning. The public is requested to pray for the recovery of Rabbi Chaim Meir ben Milkah.”

Did Gafni Just Propose Integrating Haredi Yeshivas into the IDF?

 

To start, this entire report is based on a literal interpretation of a statement that was made on Thursday by United Torah Judaism Chairman MK Moshe Gafni at the Muni Expo in Tel Aviv. He meant it metaphorically, but the way so many great human inventions come to life unintentionally, Gafni may have come up with the ultimate way to change forever the rift between Haredi and secular Israelis over the military draft, a.k.a. the “equal share of the burden.”

Here’s what he said: “In a Jewish state, it’s not possible that there won’t be a regiment of Torah scholars, there’s no such reality.”

What he meant was that the armies of Yeshiva students are just as critical to the welfare of the state as are the armies of soldiers. But by borrowing the term “regiment” (Chail in Hebrew, which also means corps), he opened up a magnificent possibility:

Let the IDF add to its Infantry, Armored corps, Navy, and Air Force a Torah Corps. Top Haredi Rabbis will be recruited as Torah officers, to command Haredi recruits who will undergo “gibbush” (pre-service tests for elite units) and, later, basic training and specialized courses, just like combat recruits, but their battlefield will be Torah learning.

Dressed in their spit-shining uniforms, these Torah soldiers will show up at six in the morning for inspection, then daven Shacharit (Special Forces will get up earlier and daven Vesikin), eat a very kosher breakfast, and by eight be seated in their study barracks for chavrusa learning and shiurim. The material will be organized and regulated militarily, and study time strictly supervised. No sneaking out for coffee or missing a shift to go work off the books for a nearby business. There will be no nearby businesses, only a military camp where the only business is learning, from 8 AM to 8 PM, with a break for lunch and Mincha.

Like all recruits, Torah soldiers will only go home every other Shabbat, and since they’ll be enlisted at age 18, most of them won’t have wives and children to take care of. They’ll also serve guard shifts, and to that end will undergo elementary training in handling a weapon.

They will also be required to produce works attesting to their scholarly achievements. And if they don’t perform as expected, they could lose their Torah soldier status and become just soldiers.

Torah soldiers will earn the same as any other IDF recruit, NIS 2,463 ($720.26) per month. The money is already there: the finance ministry will divert it to the army from the budget for yeshivas. This should present a great relief to the Israeli economy.

When they are discharged, Torah soldiers will enjoy all the benefits that are bestowed on regular veterans, including the right to public housing at a reduced rate. But they will also have to serve between two weeks and a month every year in “miluim,” the reserves, like every other veteran.

NYC Health Dept. Warns: Mask Up Indoors; Tripledemic Has Arrived

 

The New York City Health Department is urging New Yorkers to use “high quality masks” when indoors and in crowds outdoors due to a rise in the number of cases of COVID-19, RSV and influenza, described nationwide as a “tripledemic.”

The country has seen rising levels of hospitalizations for the viruses in recent weeks 80 percent of hospital beds nationwide filled, most of them with people suffering respiratory ailments, according to federal data published Wednesday.

“Hospitalizations for flu continue to be the highest we have seen at this time of year in a decade,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a briefing Tuesday. One day earlier, she told NPR News, “There has already been at least 8.7 million illnesses, 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths from flu.”

Thirty-one jurisdictions in the United States, which includes states, major cities and territories, reported a “very high” level of flu activity, and 16 report “high” levels in the last week of November, according to the CDC.

Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan issued an advisory this weekend urging city residents to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and the flu, even if they have previously received inoculations.

Those at increased risk of catching the viruses include people ages 65 and older, infants, those with weakened immune systems and/or underlying medical conditions, pregnant women and those who are not up to date on their vaccinations.

All were urged to wear KN95 and KF94 masks or even an N95 respirator and to limit attendance at large gatherings.

“The holiday season is about togetherness and there is a way to gather safely – even as respiratory viruses in our city are unusually high,” Vasan said in a statement.

“It starts with protecting yourself. Vaccination and boosters are critical but so are common sense precautions like masking when indoors or among crowds and staying home if you don’t feel well. Also, get tested before getting together, and get treated quickly if you test positive. We want everyone to have a happy and – most of all – healthy holiday.”

udge Denies DOJ Request to Hold Donald Trump in Contempt

 

A federal judge on Friday denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt for allegedly failing to comply with a grand jury subpoena.

The Belzer Rebbe's "moifis"(miracle) ...... A Chassidishe Drug Dealer Miraculously Freed

Loose Translation

A Chassidishe Jew , a Belzer Chussid from London that was arrested for selling drugs was suddenly freed. This story, that started 8 years ago ,was finally brought to a jury, which found him guilty as charged. 

Last Monday the Judge sentenced him to 21 months in jail, and said that he was giving him a lenient sentence because the Chassid was having medical issues.

But this past Thursday night, with the Chassid already in  jail , his attorney received a call from the Judge stating that he decided that he is conducting a new hearing on Friday..

At that hearing the Judge sentenced him to 4 months of house arrest, that would only be in effect during evening hours. The Chussid then asked the Judge if it could start at 10:00pm as he had a shiur in shul. The judge miracuously gave in to his request.

Belzer Chassidim say that the Belzer Rebbe said when he was arrested that he would be freed immediately. 

לאנדאן - א חסיד'ישער איד פון לאנדאן וועלכער האט זיך פארפלאנטערט מיט די אינסטאנצן נאכן פארקויפן מעדיצינען אונטערן טיש, איז אין א זעלטענער און העכסט איבערראשנדע אנטוויקלונג באפרייט געווארן פון א טורמע אורטייל. די פרשה וועלכע ציט זיך שוין 8 יאר איז לעצטנס געקומען צו א ענדע ווען א זשורי האט אים געפונען שולדיג, און א ריכטער האט אים פארגאנגענעם מאנטאג צוגעטיילט 21 מאנאטן טורמע זאגנדיג אז ער רעכנט זיך מיט דעם איד'ס שוואכער געזונט צושטאנד. 

 

אבער שוין נאכן אנהייבן דינען דעם טורמע אורטייל האט דער אדוואקאט דאנערשטאג נאכט ערהאלטן א רוף פונעם ריכטער אז ער האט זיך בארעכנט צו אפהאלטן א פרישער הירינג דעם קומענדיגן (פרייטאג) אינדערפרי, וואו ער האט געטוישט דעם אורטייל צו בלויז א סימבאלישע 4 חדשים הויז ארעסט אין די נאכט שטונדן! דער ריכטער האט אפילו נאכגעגעבן דעם איד'ס פארלאנג די הויז ארעסט זאל זיך ערשט אנהייבן 10:00 צו קענען מיטהאלטן דעם נאכט שיעור אין ביהמ"ד... די געשעעניש האט ווי פארשטענדליך ארויסגערופן וואונדער ביי יעדן און בעלזער חסידים דערציילן אז דער בעלזער רב שליט"א האט שוין מבטיח געווען באלד נאכן באשולדיגונג אז ער וועט באפרייט ווערן.

Khamenei’s niece gets 3 years in Jail for supporting protestors

 

The niece of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was sentenced to three years in prison after she publicly criticized the regime and expressed her support for the ongoing protests against the Islamic Republic, her lawyer said on Friday.

Farideh Moradkhani, who is part of a branch of Khamenei’s family that has long criticized the regime, was picked up by police on November 23 and has been held since.

Her lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghasi tweeted that she was tried in a clerical court independent of the country’s judiciary and that only answers to the supreme leader, even though Moradkhani is not a cleric.

Trump criticizes Jewish leaders again .... No "Hakoras Hatoiv"

 

Former US President Donald Trump on Friday once again criticized US Jewish leaders, claiming they forgot he was the best US President for Israel.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump shared a link to an article by Jewish radio host Wayne Root, in which Root criticized American Jews for allegedly “gaslighting” Trump following his recent meeting with rapper Kanye West and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

“Thank you Wayne – You are great but how quickly Jewish Leaders forgot that I was the best, by far, President for Israel. They should be ashamed of themselves. This lack of loyalty to their greatest friends and allies is why large numbers in Congress, and so many others, have stopped giving support to Israel,” Trump wrote in the post in which he shared Root’s article.

Trump came under fire in September after he criticized US Jews on his Truth Social platform and asserted that they do not appreciate what he has done for Israel.

Zera Shimshon Parshas Va'Yishlach

 

Peleg "buchrim" Have nothing to do so they come out to protest the Light Rail ..Learning Torah is not on the Agenda

 

Bobover 48 Rebbe Arrives at Kotel.. Police trying to prevent another Meron but the Bobover Chassidim will have none of that

 

מכות בין חסידי באבוב למשטרה בכותל

Biden Exchanges a Russian Blood-Thirsty Murderer for Brittney Griner who Hates America

 

WNBA star Brittney Griner was freed by Russia on Thursday in exchange for an infamous arms dealer who schemed to kill US pilots in Colombia — sparking outrage from critics who blasted the deal and called it a “surrender” by President Biden.

The 6-foot-9 basketball player — missing her iconic dreadlocks following nearly 10 months in Russian custody — was traded for “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout on the tarmac of an Abu Dhabi airport in a dramatic scene reminiscent of Cold War prisoner swaps.

“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said at the White House, where he was joined by Griner’s wife, Cherelle.

But the controversial deal left ex-Marine Paul Whelan languishing in a Russian prison on what the US has called baseless espionage charges.

“I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here,” Whelan told CNN from the penal colony where he’s being held.

“I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four-year anniversary of my arrest is coming up,” Whelan, 53, told CNN.

“My bags are packed. I’m ready to go home. I just need an airplane to come and get me.”

Former White House national security adviser and American ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton also blasted the exchange.

“This is not a deal. This is not a swap. This is a surrender,” he told CBS News.

"And terrorists and rogue states all around the world will take note of this, and it endangers other Americans in the future who can be grabbed and used as bargaining chips by people who don’t have the same morals and scruples that we do.”

Laura Loomer gets Her Twitter Back

 

Over recent weeks, Elon Musk has proven to be serious about his intention to restore free speech to Twitter, and continues to reinstate Twitter accounts taken down by the previous management.

On Thursday, Twitter reinstated the account of Laura Loomer, a political activist who has been banned on Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, & even getting her bank account shut down.

Loomer was banned in 2018, after she posted a tweet criticizing Rep. Ilhan Omar.

The tweet that caused her to be cancelled, was when Loomer called Omar “anti-Jewish”, and said she is a member of a religion in which “homosexuals are oppressed” and “women are abused” and “forced to wear the hijab.”

At the time, Twitter decided that Loomer violated their rules against hateful conduct.

Loomer never accepted the suspension, all the while maintaining that no rules were violated. “Everything I said is 100 percent true and factual. It’s not malicious, it’s not mean, it’s not hateful,” she said.

Around a week after the suspension, Loomer handcuffed herself to the front doors of Twitter’s New York headquarters, while wearing a Yellow Star of David and carrying a bullhorn and several printed-out tweets.

She told reporters she was protesting Twitter’s double standard of banning her for hateful coneduct, while allowing vicious Jew haters, such as anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to remain on the platform.

On Thursday, Loomer tweeted, “After getting BANNED on Twitter in 2018, and being digitally exterminated on nearly every other social media site, payment processor, Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, & my own bank, I’M BACK!!!!! Elom Musk has finally unchained me from the doors of Twitter HQ! Thank you, Elon!”

2,200-year-old Greek sling bullet used against Jews in Hanukkah story found in Yavna

 

The archaeological site in Yavne, with the city in the background, in an undated photo released on December 8, 2022. (Assaf Peretz/Israel Antiquities Authority)

Some 2,200 years ago, a Greek soldier stood in battle in what is now the Israeli city of Yavne, aimed his sling at Jewish Hasmonean troops, and launched a projectile at them during battles that would later become part of the story of Hanukkah.

At least, that is one option suggested following the discovery in Yavne of a sling bullet made of lead and bearing a Greek inscription reading “Victory for Heracles and Hauron” — a possible attempt at psychological warfare against enemies.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, which revealed the finding, told The Times of Israel that the sling bullet was discovered about a year ago and has been studied since then. It timed the announcement for Wednesday, 10 days before Hanukkah.

The IAA said in a statement that the sling bullet found in Yavne’s major archaeological site is 4.4 centimeters (1.7 inches) long and around 2,200 years old. Its age places it around the time of the battles between the Seleucid army against the Hasmoneans, who were seeking to prevent the Hellenization of the Jews.

The researchers, however, acknowledged that it isn’t known in what context the slingshot was used, and that there was no conclusive evidence that it even belonged to a Greek soldier.

“It seems that we will not be able to know for sure if the sling bullet belonged to a Greek soldier, but it is not impossible that it is related to the conflict between the Greeks and the Hasmoneans,” said Pablo Betzer and Dr. Daniel Varga, who directed the excavation on behalf of the IAA, in the statement.