Tunnels used during Bar Kokhba Revolt opened to public

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/436067

2,000 years after Jewish rebels hid from Rome, their tunnels open to the public

Newly-opened Horbat Burgin site in Judean Foothills features underground hideouts from the era of the Bar Kokhba Revolt, colorful mosaics from a Byzantine church.

An impressive archaeological complex featuring underground hiding tunnels used by Jewish rebels some 2,000 years ago and an ancient Byzantine church with colorful mosaic floors was inaugurated this past weekend at Horbat Burgin in Adullam-France Park in the Judean Foothills.

The ceremony was held jointly by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), the Israel Antiquities Authority, and the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council, following extensive excavation, conservation, and development work to make the area’s unique heritage accessible to the public.

Excavations previously conducted at the site by Dr. Amir Ganor, Alon Klein, and Dr. Peter Gendelman of the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed evidence of a settlement that existed from the Second Temple period through the Ottoman period. During the Second Temple period, a large village stood here, which researchers have proposed identifying with Caphar Bish, mentioned in the writings of Flavius Josephus.

In the Early Roman period, extensive networks of hiding tunnels were hewn into the bedrock as the inhabitants prepared for conflict with the Romans. The settlement was damaged and destroyed during the Bar Kokhba Revolt. A pagan population subsequently settled among its ruins, constructing new buildings above ground and hewing elaborate burial complexes beneath it.

     Mosaic from Byzantine Church

During the Byzantine period, a magnificent church was built at the site, its floor decorated with colorful mosaics, alongside a monastic complex. Numerous columbaria - installations for raising pigeons - and winepresses discovered at the site and in its surroundings indicate that the inhabitants’ livelihoods included pigeon breeding, agriculture, and wine production.

"Horbat Burgin is the largest ancient settlement in the area, both in its extent and in the scale of its surviving remains," said Dr. Amir Ganor, the site’s excavator and Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit. "For years, the site suffered from intensive antiquities looting. Looters broke into burial caves and underground hiding systems and damaged buildings above ground."

"It was only through intensive efforts by Israel Antiquities Authority inspectors and KKL-JNF personnel - including enforcement operations and the apprehension of looting gangs, the initiative to establish Adullam Caves Park, excavations undertaken in response to looting, and the opening of the site and park to visitors - that further damage was halted. The site was saved, and now, following conservation work, it can be enjoyed by the public."

Eyal Ostrinsky, Chairman of KKL-JNF, said: "The story of Horbat Burgin is the story of our land. Our responsibility at KKL-JNF is not only to protect nature and forests, but also to safeguard our historical heritage and make it accessible to the public. Our cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority enables us to connect the land’s past with the present and ensure that these sites remain an integral part of the Israeli story."

Avishai Cohen, head of the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council, added: "Developing Horbat Burgin into a welcoming heritage site is another important step in strengthening rural tourism in our region. Mateh Yehuda is the land of the Bible - a region where history, heritage, and landscapes together tell the story of the Jewish people over thousands of years. The Council is working to make the country’s green heart a destination for local businesses, agriculture, tourist attractions, and rural hospitality."

"Opening the site to the public allows the local community and the younger generation to grow up with pride in their roots and a deep connection to the land. We will continue to provide full municipal support for our partnerships with KKL-JNF and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Together, we will create a vibrant, welcoming destination for families and visitors from across the country."

Ami Shahar, Deputy Director-General for Built Heritage Conservation at the Israel Antiquities Authority, shared, "For us at the Israel Antiquities Authority, uncovering fascinating finds in the ground is the beginning of a journey - one that continues with preserving this heritage for future generations."

"Our responsibility is to ensure that these impressive remains are preserved to the highest standards for many years to come and become a living cultural asset accessible to the wider public. The Horbat Burgin project is an excellent example of our fruitful cooperation with KKL-JNF. Together, we are transforming the history of the Land of Israel into a tangible experience, inviting families and visitors to connect directly with the past."

"The discoveries at Horbat Burgin bear living witness to our deep roots in this land, our enduring attachment to it, and our unceasing struggle for it," Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu said. "The tunnels dug by Jewish rebels two thousand years ago in their struggle against the Romans are not merely pages of history, but a tangible lifeline connecting our people’s past heroism with our sovereignty and national rebirth today. We will continue to develop these heritage sites so that every young person in Israel can walk the trails, visit the sites, and draw from them national pride and inner strength for generations to come."

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/436067

Israel Defense News: Rafael Unveils Its Advanced SUPER ICE Cruise Missile

Rafael Unveils Its Advanced SUPER ICE Cruise Missile

The heavy, autonomous weapon features electro-optical guidance, AI image matching without GPS, and a 453-kilogram warhead, with six customers already reported this year.

By Dan Arkin, israeldefense.co.il, 11/11/26

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/72685

Rafael Advanced Defense System's new Super Ice cruise missile. (credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED DEFENSE SYSTEMS)

Rafael has unveiled an advanced cruise missile named SUPER ICE, the latest development in its ICE missile family designed to meet complex operational needs on the modern battlefield.

Gad Geva, Executive Vice President and Head of the Air Systems Division at Rafael, detailed the key characteristics of the new cruise missile, which the company describes as significantly larger and heavier than other similar missiles in its class.

Rafael Advanced Defense System's new Super Ice cruise missile. (credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED DEFENSE SYSTEMS)

The missile is capable of carrying out operational strike missions fully autonomously, while retaining the option for direct human-in-the-loop control based on operational needs. It operates without any reliance on GPS satellite navigation, using a dedicated electro-optical homing system that enables very low-altitude terrain-following flight en route to the target.

An embedded artificial intelligence system performs real-time image matching, supporting high survivability and deep penetration, while advanced stealth features minimize detection. The munition is equipped with a powerful 453-kilogram multi-purpose warhead designed for precision impact and effective destruction.

Geva explained that at this stage, the company is intentionally withholding core specifications, including its exact range, maximum flight speed, and official price, to preserve operational secrecy. However, Rafael described the missile's price point as "super competitive" compared to alternatives on the global defense market.

Rafael Advanced Defense System's new Super Ice cruise missile. (credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED DEFENSE SYSTEMS)

Rafael stated that the missile already has six users this year, while declining to comment on whether the IDF has shown interest. The company emphasized that the weapon provides strategic standoff strike capabilities beyond the line of sight.

Rafael Chairman Prof. Yuval Steinitz called the missile the best of its kind in the world, describing it as an ideal solution for standoff fires and deep-strike destruction of high-value targets. Rafael CEO Yoav Tourgeman added that the company's systems have played a decisive role in recent combat, proving their operational importance and ability to address complex challenges.

SUPER ICE™- Unstoppable Long-Range Cruise Missile

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UN elects Iran to key committee overseeing organization's global priorities despite criticism

 

Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Son Gyong speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters on September 28, 2026 in New York City.

(photo credit: Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)

ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

NOVEMBER 11, 2026 20:13

Updated: NOVEMBER 11, 2026 20:16

The United Nations General Assembly elected the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination on Wednesday, giving Tehran a seat on a key body responsible for reviewing and coordinating the organization’s programs and priorities, despite its record of human rights abuses and support for terrorist organizations. Iran received 144 votes in favor in a secret-ballot election, according to the voting results.

During Wednesday’s session, Israel raised objections to what it described as a double standard in the treatment of Israeli candidates, accusing Arab groups of repeatedly subjecting them to politically motivated votes and calling the process a “waste of time and resources.” Critics, including UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer, had repeatedly urged international representatives to demand a vote on Iran’s candidacy to block its election, following the Islamic Republic’s nomination by the UN’s 54-member Economic and Social Council in April.

A delegate from Iran listens to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressing the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters on September 23, 2026 in New York City. (credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

UN Watch condemns Iran's election to key committee as 'travesty of justice'

“They are planning to elect the Islamic regime in Iran to a UN committee that shapes priorities on women’s rights and terrorism prevention,” Neuer said. “This is a travesty of justice. … They massacred tens of thousands of people in January, [so] the notion that they would be named to this committee is an absurdity.”

 “The UN General Assembly just elected the murderous Islamic Republic of Iran to its Committee for Program and Coordination, the main body shaping the world organization’s priorities on Women’s Rights, Human Rights, Disarmament, and Counter-Terrorism,” he wrote on X/Twitter after the vote was announced.

www.jpost.com/international/article-914618

Trump does the Democrats’ work for them

 

Israel is not simply a consumer of American security. It is a major contributor.

(Nov. 11, 2026 / JNS)

Last January, I warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scoring an own goal by proposing to phase out American military assistance over the next decade. He had volunteered to surrender one of Israel’s most important strategic assets without receiving anything in return. U.S. President Donald Trump has seized on that unforced error and announced that he intends to terminate all military aid by the end of the year.

Some analysts are celebrating the decision as a long-overdue step toward freeing Israel from American dependence and interference. They were wrong when Netanyahu floated the idea, and they are wrong now.

Ironically, after months of hand-wringing by Israel’s supporters over Democrats’ flirtation with cutting aid, it was the president who boasts of being the most pro-Israel in history who stabbed Israel in the back, or in the front, if you believe Trump’s claim that Netanyahu had been urging him to do it. Congressional Democrats who had repeatedly failed to win support for cutting or conditioning aid could scarcely believe their good fortune. Trump had handed them a victory they could never achieve on their own.

The announcement’s timing, on Election Day, fueled suspicion that Trump naively thought he could help Republicans in tight races by depriving Democrats of an issue they had been exploiting. The suspicion was reinforced when he said, “Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like El-Sayed when they don’t need it? It’s a bad talking point,” referring to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee. “The left uses the $4 billion payment … as a signal of unfairness. It’s almost too easy a target.”

Trump was willing to sacrifice a bedrock of the U.S.-Israel alliance to neutralize a Democratic campaign slogan. The decision did nothing to save El-Sayed’s Republican opponent or stem the Democratic tsunami that swept Republicans aside across the country.

Equally troubling is Trump’s apparent failure to understand how military assistance works. Like Israel’s critics, he speaks as though the United States hands Israel a $4 billion check when most of the money is spent in America, purchasing weapons from American manufacturers, supporting American workers and sustaining communities supported by defense production. The program is as much an investment in the American defense industrial base as it is assistance to Israel.

Nor does Trump appear to appreciate what America receives in return. Israel confronts enemies that also threaten the United States, supplies invaluable intelligence, develops advanced military technologies and provides battlefield experience that no American laboratory can replicate. Israel is not simply a consumer of American security. It is a major contributor.

Israel already has considerable autonomy, as demonstrated by its destruction of the Iraqi and Syrian nuclear reactors.

When I criticized Netanyahu’s proposal, I argued that Israel should take advantage of a friendly administration to negotiate a new 10-year memorandum of understanding guaranteeing continued military assistance. Such an agreement would not prevent a future Democratic administration or Congress from reducing aid, but it would raise the political cost of doing so.

That opportunity was squandered.

Worse, the administration is not simply planning to eliminate assistance. It is reportedly demanding concessions that could make Israel more dependent on Washington, not less. According to Israeli reporting, American negotiators want greater control over Israeli defense technology, including patents, intellectual property and jointly developed weapons systems.

Think about the implications. Israel would surrender billions in military assistance while conceivably giving Washington greater control over the very innovations that make its defense industry competitive. American officials could acquire additional leverage over the development, production and export of Israeli weapons. Instead of purchasing greater independence, Israel could find itself paying more for its defense while controlling less of its own technology.

That is hardly the emancipation advocates of ending aid have promised.

Trump justifies his decision by arguing that Israel is wealthy enough to pay for its own weapons. But wealth does not make defense spending painless. Every additional dollar Israel must spend on American aircraft, helicopters and munitions is a dollar unavailable for education, health care, infrastructure and social welfare.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Israel would have to pay approximately $10 billion for outstanding weapons orders, roughly one-fifth of its current defense budget. The Journal also noted that Israel already devotes approximately 7% of its gross domestic product to defense, a larger share than any NATO member.

Israel’s air force depends on American aircraft and helicopters. Without military assistance, maintaining and modernizing that force will become substantially more expensive. Even more alarming is the prospect of losing American funding for missile defense. Systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow have saved countless Israeli lives while improving technologies of enormous value to the United States. Jeopardizing that cooperation would damage both countries.

Worse, the decision will be read around the world as more proof that America cannot be trusted.

Over the past year, America’s Arab partners have watched the security umbrella they relied on fold when Trump refused to come to their defense. Now they, and everyone else, have watched him abruptly rewrite the terms of America’s relationship with Israel. The lesson is unmistakable: If Washington’s closest ally in the region can’t count on long-standing commitments outlasting the president’s latest political calculation, no one can. Friends will hedge their bets, and adversaries in Tehran, Moscow and Beijing will take note.

Anyone who believes that Trump’s decision would preempt Democratic attempts to weaken the U.S.-Israel relationship is sadly mistaken. If anything, he emboldened them, as reflected in the comments of Darializa Avila Chevalier, the newly elected progressive congresswoman from New York, who said: “Ending military aid is not enough. We need to end U.S. taxpayer funding for Israel’s war crimes, a full arms embargo and the Palestinian right of return.”

As Nellie Bolles of The Free Press noted, “The goalposts keep moving because the movement’s actual goal isn’t keeping tax dollars at home—it’s the destruction of Israel and subjugation of the Jews, but they can’t quite say that. Not yet, anyhow.”

Some supporters of Israel nevertheless insist that eliminating assistance will produce a healthier, more balanced relationship. Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, sees the folly in that argument: “There is no strategic logic in this position. The United States has one ally that is willing to fight shoulder to shoulder with it. There is one country that significantly enhances America’s security capabilities through its technology, and it is located in the most sensitive place in the world. Who would want to reduce that country’s ability to help the Americans and contribute to U.S. security?”

Trump justifies his decision by arguing that Israel is wealthy enough to pay for its own weapons. But wealth does not make defense spending painless.

Jacob Siegel and Liel Leibovitz argued in Tablet magazine that ending aid to Israel would “restore Israeli autonomy and reduce U.S. leverage over the Jewish state.” This is nonsense.

Israel already has considerable autonomy, as demonstrated by its destruction of the Iraqi and Syrian nuclear reactors. Since Oct. 7, Israel has repeatedly acted according to its own assessment of its security requirements, sometimes in defiance of Washington’s wishes.

The U.S. constraints are not because of military aid, but because America is a superpower.

Washington has an arsenal of coercive tools that have nothing to do with military grants. It can impose tariffs and sanctions, limit intelligence cooperation, restrict weapons sales and spare parts, target tax-exempt organizations that support Israel, support international legal proceedings against Israeli officials or abandon Israel at the U.N. Security Council.

Siegel and Leibovitz acknowledged that “ending aid won’t end the practice of scapegoating Jews,” but contend that “it will remove a favorite decoy and dog whistle of American public officials, philanthropists and thought leaders.” As Avila Chevalier made clear, however, removing aid will further whet their appetite of Israel’s detractors for more aggressive measures.

Netanyahu opened the door by offering to give up assistance that Israel had every reason to preserve. Trump has now kicked it down.

The result is a stunning reversal. Democrats who wanted to weaken the U.S.-Israel relationship have watched a Republican president take the first big step for them while, astonishingly, some supporters of Israel applaud the loss of a cornerstone of Israel’s defense as a triumph of independence.

Israel will survive without American aid. It will spend more, make painful budget choices and race to expand its own defense industry. But surviving a self-inflicted wound doesn’t make inflicting it a prudent decision.

The challenge now for Israeli diplomats and the pro-Israel lobby is damage control. They must fight to preserve funding for missile defense; ensure that Israel retains its Qualitative Military Edge as the law requires; protect Israeli intellectual property; guarantee access to indispensable American weapons; and prevent a financial restructuring from becoming a strategic retreat.

More fundamentally, Israel and its supporters must redouble their efforts to remind Americans that Israel is not a charity case but America’s most reliable ally in the Middle East—a nation that shares its values, advances its crucial strategic interests and bolsters its national security.

Iran renewing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, says Israeli defense minister

 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz attends a memorial ceremony for fallen Israeli soldiers of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, at the National Hall of Remembrance at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Sept. 22, 2026. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

(Nov. 8, 2026 / JNS)

The Iranian regime is renewing its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Sunday.

“Regarding Iran, the mission is still not complete,” Katz said, speaking at a memorial ceremony for soldiers who fell in “Operation Kadesh” against Egyptian forces in the Sinai in 1956.

The defense minister said Tehran’s renewed nuclear push comes “alongside other serious efforts that put the State of Israel in real danger.”

“We cannot accept these threats,” he declared, adding that Israel must be prepared for any scenario and act to protect its citizens.

Katz said the Jewish state is “determined today, more than ever, to stand firm over its destiny, to act preemptively and to pursue a proactive and offensive policy against our enemies.”

He also called for unity ahead of “the great tasks still before us.” When the security of the nation is at stake, he stressed, “we must know how to rise above our disagreements.”

“This is a time of unity, of responsibility and of mutual solidarity,” Katz concluded.

www.jns.org/news/israel-news/iran-renewing-efforts-to-obtain-nuclear-weapons-says-israeli-defense-minister

Atlanticism versus Eurasianism (philosophy of Aleksandr Dugin, by Alexander Maistrovoy)

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/435963

Shortly before the elections, during a meeting with Russian-speaking bloggers, Netanyahu stated that Russia was conducting a massive campaign to undermine Israel. He specifically mentioned the Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, calling him a “terrible person" who exerts a destructive influence on young American right-wingers, turning them against Israel.

So, who is Dugin, what is his influence on Kremlin policy, and why is he a “terrible person"?

Atlanticism versus Eurasianism

Dugin divides the world into two gigantic camps:

• Thalassocracy (Atlanticism): The Western world, led by the US and the UK, whose values include the market economy, individualism, secularism, liberal democracy, and cosmopolitanism.
• Tellurocracy (Eurasianism): Continental civilizations, with Russia at their core. Their values include hierarchy, collectivism, service to the state, strong supreme authority, and adherence to religious tradition. The proponents of Eurasianism encompass all the cultures and civilizations of Eurasia: Russia, China, and the Islamic world-including regional powers like Turkey and Iran.

A life-or-death struggle is underway between these two worlds. There is - and can be - no room for compromise; the war must end with the total defeat of one side.

By virtue of its position, Russia serves as the core of the Eurasian camp, uniting all other players around itself.

From a marginal movement to a mainstream ideology

Before the invasion of Ukraine, Dugin’s eccentric views occupied a marginal place in Russian politics. However, the protracted, grueling, and bloody meat grinder in Ukraine has radically changed the situation.

The Russian regime found itself cut off from and hostile toward the West. Economically weak and deprived of Western technology, it could henceforth rely only on Asian regimes. Politics and economics dictated the need for a new ideology, and Dugin’s construct fit perfectly into this new geopolitical reality: totalitarian regimes, autocracies, and theocracies of the East - rooted in the traditions of the past - set against a cosmopolitan, “decaying," and “satanic" West.

Israel as a bulwark of Atlanticism in the heart of Eurasia

What is Israel’s role in this “war of worlds"? It is strictly and unequivocally negative. From this perspective, Israel is a proxy outpost of “Atlantic civilization" - an existential enemy of “age-old traditional civilizations." Therefore, Israel must not merely be weakened, but completely destroyed.

This concept has been adopted by the Kremlin and is being fully implemented. While Moscow previously sought to act as an objective mediator in the Middle East and even showed a certain sympathy toward the Jewish state, it has now fully and unequivocally aligned itself with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.

The era of benevolent neutrality is a thing of the past; it has been replaced by open and arrogant hostility.

Dugin has begun attributing all sorts of conspiracies and schemes to Israel, much like the Nazis and Stalin did regarding the Jews. According to his account, the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall was orchestrated by the Mossad, and Israel has become a haven for those who loathe Russia and its imperial greatness.

Dugin’s obsession with Israel has spread to the Kremlin. His concept - that “the war in the Middle East is part of our broader struggle against American hegemony"-has become a cornerstone for the Russian Foreign Ministry and the country’s leading propaganda outlets.

Since October 7, the sympathies of the Russian elite have shifted entirely toward Iran and its allies.

Destroying Israel using American hands

How can one undermine and destroy this "bastion of Atlanticism" to achieve a decisive turning point in the “clash of worlds"? To do so, one must strike at Israel’s most vulnerable point - namely, its alliance with the United States, and more precisely, its alliance with the Republican Party, given that the Democratic Party has already largely turned its back on Israel.

Dugin and Kremlin propagandists are instilling the idea among impressionable young Americans that U.S. support for Israel is an unnecessary burden. Moreover, they argue that since Israel serves as a bastion of the ‘liberal globalism’ and ‘woke culture’ that is hostile to ‘traditional America,’ so it is in the interest of ‘patriotic Americans’ to bring about the destruction of this bastion - the sooner, the better.

Among Dugin’s followers are Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald, and Alex Jones. Steve Bannon even met with him for a conversation that reportedly lasted eight hours. Other figures who openly promote Dugin’s ideas include Jack Posobiec, one of the most influential activists among the American youth right, with millions of followers on X; Lauren Southern, a well-known right-wing activist and blogger; and Jack Hanick, a former producer for Fox News.

Nick Fuentes and his ‘Groypers’ have also emulated Dugin’s ideology, combining overt authoritarianism and militant antisemitism with a hatred for Israel and fervent sympathy for Eurasian regimes and the Islamic world, including Iran and its ‘Axis of Resistance.’

The Russian machine for smearing Israel is running at full throttle on social media, targeting young American Republicans. They are led to believe that Tel Aviv is one of the hubs of global LGBT culture and liberalism in the Middle East. Accordingly, they are told that by defending Israel, they are defending the very same "progressive left agenda" that they oppose back home.

To what extent does this activity influence the worldview of right-wing youth in America?

The impact appears to be significant. One poll showed that 46 percent of voters aged 18-24 and 60 percent of those aged 25-29 would support a proposal “to completely dismantle Israel and replace it with a Palestinian-led nation in exchange for ending the war with Iran and providing the United States with lower oil and gas prices."

Moreover, 4 In 10 Young Americans Support Sharia Law. Another survey, conducted by the Republican-aligned polling firm Cygnal among 1,500 likely midterm voters, found that just 41 percent of respondents aged 18-29 support Israel’s right to exist.

The Republican Party and Israel have a massive task ahead of them to neutralize Dugin’s toxic propaganda.

The younger generation of American right-wingers must realize that the destruction of Israel is merely the first step toward the destruction of both American democracy and the United States as a nation. The ultimate goal of ‘Eurasian’ tyrannies is not cooperation with the United States, but its total destruction as a civilization that is both hostile and dangerous to them. As Dugin himself has noted, there can be no room for compromise.

If the American youth who today listen to Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Nicholas Fuentes, and now Vance, fail to grasp this simple truth, they will eventually have to bid farewell to their country.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/435963