Latest news with #Galilee
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Poem of the week: No one steps in the same Riviera twice
Caesar delivers the original Riviera at the estimated expense of one million dead among mere Gauls. Posting on X 'To Connaught or to Hell,' a people-taming Force of Heaven cleanses of reprobates our sodden-with-rain Riviera. Rivieras on the Volga fill the brochure Mein Kampf. The Congo is the heart of darkness, so too the Putamayo. Wealth is blind: investors picture them as new Rivieras. No one steps in the same Riviera twice or forever. All come undocumented, all huddle on the Stygian Riviera. In longing for the further shore, we stretch our arms out. One who is not a dealer, this loser from Galilee or Gaza, with his take on money-changers, with his wounds, is there: his gaze of mercy our one remaining hope. Philip McDonagh is adjunct professor in the faculty of humanities at Dublin City University and director of the Centre for Religion, Human Values, and International Relations. His published poetry includes Memories of an Ionian Diplomat (Ravi Dayal, New Delhi), The Song the Oriole Sang (Dedalus Press), and Gondla, or the Salvation of the Wolves (Arlen House).
India.com
16-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Who are Radwan fighters and why are they dangerous? They are preparing for big attack on Israel, fighters are from..., not Gaza, Iran
Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant made a strong statement about the military actions taking place in Lebanon on Tuesday. He said that the Israeli army's operations and airstrikes are meant to stop Hezbollah's dangerous plans before they can be carried out. According to intelligence reports shared with Israeli authorities, Hezbollah's Radwan Force is planning another attack on Israel. These fighters are known for being highly trained and dangerous, and their goal is to cross the border and launch surprise attacks. Gallant clearly stated, 'Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its ability to attack across the border using the Radwan Force. Our military response is a clear warning to them.' The situation at the Israel-Lebanon border has become more tense, as both sides prepare for possible conflict. Israel has said it will act quickly and strongly if it sees signs of an attack. Who are Hezbollah's Radwan Force and why are they so dangerous? The Radwan Force is a special fighting team from the militant group Hezbollah. It was named after Imad Mughniyeh, a top commander in Hezbollah who was killed in 2008. He was also called Hajj Radwan. This team is trained to do sneak attacks across borders, kidnap people, fight using tunnels, and battle in cities. They are known to be very skilled and dangerous, especially when they try to surprise Israeli forces near the border. A secret plan called 'galilee' According to a report by The Times (UK), the Radwan Force had made a secret plan called 'Galilee'. The idea was to send over 2,400 fighters through underground tunnels into northern Israel. Their mission was to capture military posts and Israeli towns near the border. Israel strikes back In September 2024, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launched an airstrike near Beirut, killing Ibrahim Aqil, a senior commander of the Radwan Force. The airstrike also killed four other top commanders of the unit. This hit was a major blow to Hezbollah's plans and stopped the attack before it could happen. Reports say that Ibrahim Aqil was on the U.S. Most Wanted list. Radwan force still a danger to Israel According to reports from Jerusalem Post, even though Hezbollah's Radwan Force has lost several top leaders, the group is quickly working to rebuild its strength. With support from Iran, the unit is slowly returning to its old tactics, cross-border raids, tunnel warfare, and even UAV (drone) attacks. This shows that the Radwan Force remains a serious threat to Israel's northern border. Despite recent Israeli airstrikes and warnings, Hezbollah is still actively preparing for future attacks. On Tuesday, Israel gave a clear warning through military actions and public statements. These steps suggest that in the coming weeks, the situation along the northern border may become even more tense and dangerous.
Times
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Divided over Gaza: the Israeli soldiers who fight on and those who refuse
Like many young Israelis, Captain Ron Feiner had spent hundreds of days since the October 7 attacks as a reservist — in his case 270. But when he got his fourth and most recent call-up in May to serve in Gaza, he refused. He could have cited medical or psychological reasons, so-called 'grey refusal', but the 26-year-old student at Haifa University wanted to make a point. 'I am appalled by the never-ending war in Gaza, the neglect of the hostages and the relentless death of innocents,' he said publicly. 'I am morally unable to continue serving as long as there is no change.' Last month the platoon commander became only the second reservist to be jailed for refusal to serve. 'I had been thinking about it a long time,' he told The Sunday Times. 'But to refuse to stop serving is very unusual and can have consequences for your future.' Feiner was speaking at his parents' house in the rural town of Ben Ami, western Galilee, where he had been staying to protect himself from the threat of Iranian missiles, many of which were fired at Haifa. Sentenced to 25 days in prison, he ended up serving only one, because he was released on the first day of the war against Iran. The commander of the military jail wanted to reduce the number of inmates in case of a missile strike. Like most Israelis, he was positive about that war — not just because it got him out of jail — but also seeing it as a strategic and lightning success. He was, however, 'highly suspicious about the timing' given that Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had been facing mounting protests against the war in Gaza in the preceding weeks. Now Feiner hopes that President Trump, in his quest for a Nobel peace prize, will push Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza, having helped him out last weekend by dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iran's nuclear plants. Ron Dermer, Israel's minister for strategic affairs, is expected at the White House on Monday and there is widespread speculation of a new deal. 'We think within the next week we're gonna get a ceasefire,' Trump told reporters on Friday night. 'I think it's close. I just spoke with some of the people involved. It's a terrible situation.' After 20 months of fighting, Israel is still mired in a grinding war of attrition and facing growing international condemnation. Much of the Gaza Strip lies in ruins and more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed or have died of hunger, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. On Saturday, Israeli strikes killed at least 60 in the strip, health officials said. The past two weeks have seen horrific scenes of hundreds of Palestinians shot while queuing at distribution centres run by a controversial new Israeli-American operation run by Trump's former faith adviser. Such images have quietened the worldwide outrage over October 7, when 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered by Hamas and more than 250 taken as hostages to Gaza. When the attacks happened in 2023, Feiner was among thousands who volunteered immediately, having previously served for four years in the army. 'I packed my bags even before I was called,' he said. 'I was hearing what was happening at the Nova festival and got messages about people I knew who had died that day — men who had been under my command in the army. So I came home from university, took my mum's car and was ready to go.' Many felt the same. About 300,000 Israelis showed up for reserve service — the largest recruitment since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Initially, Feiner was sent to the northern border with Lebanon. 'The assumption was that Hezbollah would join in the fight and maybe they would have if we hadn't gone there in such big numbers,' he said. But as operations dragged on in Gaza, he began to have doubts. 'They said they wanted to destroy Hamas, but Hamas is still there. They said they wanted to bring the hostages back and we had a deal to do that, but they ended the ceasefire. They said they wanted to end the war as soon as possible so we could get back to our lives and education, but we're all serving as reservists for 300 or 400 days. They said they're doing all they can to prevent humanitarian crisis in Gaza and not kill civilians, but that's not what we see.' When Feiner was called last month to join Israel's offensive, which had restarted on March 18 after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire with Hamas, he refused. Israel had once again blocked humanitarian aid from entering the strip and seized large areas of Gaza, displacing hundreds of thousands more people. Meanwhile 50 hostages remain, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. 'It was clear to me they were not trying to end the war and it's OK for them to keep hostages there in the tunnels as an excuse for Netanyahu to keep the war going and stay in power. To me that was a bright red line.' Feiner is not alone. Like him, Yuval Ben Ari, a social worker in Haifa, had been enthusiastic about serving after October 7 — even though the former infantryman had previously quit the army in protest against operations in the West Bank. 'I was 41 but still in shape and when October 7 happened I could see this was something else and we needed people,' he said. It took him almost a year to join a unit, but became part of the ground offensive in Lebanon from November 2024 to January. After that he was sent to Rafah, a southern city of Gaza. 'I was completely shocked,' he said opening his laptop to show photos of ruins. 'Everything was completely destroyed. This was a school, that was a university … Yet after a while it becomes your normal.' 'All I could see was shooting and killing and relocation, so two million people are now in less than 20 per cent of Gaza and constantly being moved from place to place. The Israeli army doesn't look at them as humans any more, just waiting for them to die.' Eventually, he got a lift to the border, returned to his base and handed over his hand grenade, weapon, ammunition and combat gear. 'I told them what you are doing is wrong, apart from the fact you are sacrificing the hostages, and needs to stop.' He wrote an anonymous article for the liberal paper Haaretz headlined: 'What I saw in Gaza: A Soldier's Warning.' Not only did he lambast the destruction and killing, he also warned: 'The reserves are collapsing. Anyone who shows up is already indifferent, bothered by personal problems or by other matters. Children, lay-offs, studies, spouses.' With the war now going for 632 days, large numbers of reservists have been in uniform for more than half of them and tens of thousands have served for more than 200 days — a magnitude unprecedented in Israel's history. Spending so much time away from family and work, people have lost jobs and relationships. However, helicopters flying over the beaches of Tel Aviv bringing the wounded to the military hospital tell of another cost. Since the start of the war, 435 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza and 6,000 injured. Many reservists have been quietly refusing to go back. Some reports suggest attendance has dropped to as little as 50 to 60 per cent. Recruiters are resorting to advertising on Facebook. For a military that depends heavily on reservists to fight its wars, it's a looming crisis and has made even more unpopular Netanyahu's push for a law enshrining the widespread military exemption for Haredi or ultra-orthodox Jews. Haredi parties are key allies in his governing coalition. Such a move has angered the more committed reservists. Matan Yaffe, 40, a Harvard graduate and social entrepreneur, who has served 350 days since October 7, admits as a married father of five boys aged four to 12, that 'military service has affected everything — my wife worries, I miss my sons and I had to step away from running my NGO'. He said: 'But October 7 affected our existence, whether we could live here or not and the price we're prepared to pay for being here.' As for many, it was personal. A friend's parents-in-law were murdered in Be'eri kibbutz and another friend, Omri Miran, is still being held hostage. On his way to enlist, Yaffe set up a crowdfunding emergency appeal which raised eight million shekels for the victims of the attacks. He has done two tours of Gaza from November 2023 to January last year followed by April to June as well as two stints in the north of Israel. He was called up again last month. Like Feiner and Ben Ari, he was shocked by what he saw, but in a different way. 'What struck me most was I can hardly remember a single home that didn't have bombs, ammunition, RPGs — often in the kids' rooms. Or they had entrances to tunnels. We have all this discussion about how much Hamas is being supported by the people, but when you get there you see it's 90 per cent. It's mind-blowing.' Asked why so many Palestinians are being killed, including women and children, he insists: 'Hamas want destruction and killing. We need the people of Gaza to tell Hamas we don't want you.' 'I'm not saying there aren't atrocities happening in Gaza and some might be committed by us,' he added. 'But this war was forced on us by October 7 and we're not killing people or demolishing buildings because we want to — it's because we must diminish the threat.' 'No one wants to be there,' he said. 'I'm a social entrepreneur who sets up NGOs to make the world better. It's shit to be there, but I want to be able to raise my sons and know no one will be able to slaughter my wife or take them into the tunnels of Gaza.' But the longer the war goes on, with a mounting death toll and images of starving children spread on social media, the harder it is for Israel to claim, as its officials often do, that its military is the most moral army in the world. Last week, The Sunday Times spoke to a lawyer attached to a battalion in Gaza who explained how they signed off on attacks. He said the three criteria for an offensive were: 'distinction' (whether it is distinguished as a military target), 'proportionality', and 'precautions'. 'This is complex urban warfare fighting an enemy embedded in the population and you cannot imagine how much we are doing everything to avoid civilian casualties,' he said. 'It's like fighting with our hands tied behind our backs. We use the smallest munitions to avoid collateral damage. Not everything is perfect but if we there is any reports of misconduct, we investigate.' Among those investigations was a report released on Friday from unnamed Israeli soldiers who said they had been told to fire at crowds near food distribution sites to keep them away from Israeli military positions, even though they posed no threat. Netanyahu dismissed the reports as 'blood libel'. Israel has been accused of war crimes in the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice. 'I've been in the aid sector 42 years and never seen anything like this,' said Dr Younis Al-Khatib, head of Palestine Red Crescent Society, who was in London last week meeting parliamentarians and ministers. 'What's going on in Gaza, with the ignoring of international law and militarisation of aid delivery, is setting a dangerous precedent.' Though his organisation has 1,000 staff in Gaza and several thousand volunteers, he said they are 'useless' in the face of a near-total Israeli blockade on water, medicine, fuel and food. 'We're facing an iron wall,' he said. 'Children are dying from starvation and we cannot do anything. We've reached a point where we're useless, we're doing less day after day.' Although being in Israel can sometimes feel like a parallel world with little discussion of the plight of people in Gaza, things are changing, said Yali Maron and Maayan Dak, both human rights activists. The pair organise weekly silent protests outside airbases in Israel, holding up photos of children killed in Gaza with their names and dates of death. 'We live near a base,' explains Maron, 'and since the beginning I've been shouting at the skies: 'Stop! You are killing people.' So we decided to go directly to the people who can stop it.' 'For a long time it was taboo to say anything against what was happening in Gaza but in the last few months since Israel ended the ceasefire that has changed. Now thousands of people are protesting.' In April an open letter was published, signed by 1,000 air force reservists and retired officers. 'The continuation of the war does not contribute to any of its declared goals and will lead to the death of the hostages,' they wrote. 'Every day that passes is further risking their lives.' Since then similar letters have appeared from almost every branch of the military, including elite fighting and intelligence units, and highly decorated commanders with more than 12,000 signatures. One retired general, Amiram Levin, even said it was time for soldiers to think about disobeying orders. 'The risk of being dragged into war crimes and suffering a fatal blow to the Israel Defence Forces and our social ethos make it impossible to stand idly by,' he wrote. Nobody feels more strongly about the need to end the war than the families of hostages still being held in Gaza. Dani Miran, 80, has a long white beard he has been growing since his son, Omri, 48, was abducted from the Nahal Oz kibbutz where he worked as a gardener and Shiatsu teacher. Standing in what is known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, he wears a T-shirt with a photo of Omri playing with his daughter, Roni, now three. 'She asks about him every day,' he said. While his two other sons are more hawkish, believing the war in Gaza is needed to exert military pressure on Hamas to release their brother, he wants it over. 'I feel Netanyahu is more interested in his own survival than bringing back the hostages but maybe now he is on a high from Iran he can turn to our abandoned children.' On Friday night some family members met Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, and his wife to convey the same message. 'Now the war with Iran is over we should make ending the war in Gaza the most important thing,' said Ilan Dalal, father of Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, who was kidnapped from the Nova festival along with his best friend, Evyatar David. 'We know from others released they are being held in a very narrow tunnel just one metre wide, beaten, starved and kept chained most of the time. The tunnel is booby-trapped and there could be an accident anytime — we need to get them out.'
Fox News
29-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Archaeologist uncovers 'persuasive' evidence of true location where Jesus turned water into wine
A historian believes he's found the location of Jesus Christ's first miracle – and has newfound evidence to back it up. Scripture gives limited details about Jesus' first miracle, which is said to have taken place at Cana. The Gospel of John states that Jesus turned water into wine during a wedding in the village. "Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons," the gospel states. "Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water,' so they filled them to the brim." The passage continues, "Then he told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine." The prevailing theory states that Kafr Kanna, an Israeli town in the Galilee, was the true location of Cana. Pilgrims have long venerated the site, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914. But historian Tom McCollough says that Cana was actually located five miles north of Kafr Kanna. The site, called Khirbet Qana, was a Jewish village from 323 B.C. to 324 A.D. McCollough taught religion and history at Centre College until his retirement in 2017. He told Pen News that Khirbet Qana presents the most compelling evidence so far. "[No other village] has the ensemble of evidence that makes such a persuasive case for Khirbet Qana," he said. The main piece of evidence is a series of tunnels used by Christians — marked with various crosses and references to Christ, which date back over 1,500 years. "We have uncovered a large Christian veneration cave complex that was used by Christian pilgrims who came to venerate the water-to-wine miracle," McCollough said. "This complex was used beginning in the late fifth or early sixth century and continued to be used by pilgrims into the 12th-century Crusader period." During his excavation, McCollough also uncovered an altar and a shelf with a stone vessel. "Our excavations have shown that this was a thriving Jewish village located in the heart of much of Jesus' life and ministry." He noted that there was space for five additional jars — consistent with the biblical account of six stone jars. On the walls of the complex, his team of excavators also uncovered references to Kyrie Iesou, a Koine Greek phrase meaning Lord Jesus. "The pilgrim texts we have from this period that describe what pilgrims did and saw when they came to Cana of Galilee match very closely what we have exposed as the veneration complex," he said. Speaking to Pen News, McCollough also used the work of Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, to back up his argument. "His references to Cana align geographically with the location of Khirbet Qana and align logically with his movements," he said. "The reference to Cana in Josephus, the New Testament and in the rabbinic texts would argue the village was a Jewish village, near the Sea of Galilee and in the region of lower Galilee." He added, "Khirbet Qana fulfills all of these criteria." McCollough also argued that Kafr Kanna wasn't recognized as a pilgrimage site for Cana until the 18th century, which disputes the Catholic narrative about the site. "At this point, the Franciscans were managing Christian pilgrimage and facilitating easy passage rather than historical accuracy," he claimed. All in all, McCollough believes his excavations could bolster the case for the historicity of the Bible, and that his findings "warrant at least a reconsideration of the historical value of John's references to Cana and Jesus." "Our excavations have shown that this was in fact a thriving Jewish village located in the heart of much of Jesus' life and ministry," he said. McCollough added, "For the Gospel of John, Cana [was] in some ways Jesus' safe place or operational center. It is a place he and his disciples return to when they encounter resistance in Judea." The most recent research comes as archaeologists across the world work on uncovering sites from the Bible. In March, an archaeologist working at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre spoke with Fox News Digital about finding proof of an ancient garden at the site, consistent with scripture. Earlier this year, a group of Israeli archaeologists uncovered evidence of a biblical battle at the city of Megiddo in northern Israel.
Forbes
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
When Is ‘The Chosen' Season 6 Coming Out? Here's Everything To Know So Far
The Chosen: The Last Supper The final three episodes of Season 5 of the popular faith-based series The Chosen, titled The Last Supper, have finally arrived on Prime Video after premiering in theaters earlier this year. While another season is currently in production, there are a few major changes this time around that fans should be aware of. The Chosen is a biblical drama created, directed, and co-written by Dallas Jenkins. The series takes place in Judaea and Galilee in the 1st century and follows the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and his disciples. Jonathan Roumie plays Jesus Christ, while Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, George H. Xanthis, and others also star. The fifth installment covers Holy Week — the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. After Lazarus is raised from the dead, the Sanhedrin, specifically the High Priest, seeks to have Jesus handed over to the Romans to be killed. Season 5 recreates monumental scenes, such as the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus is betrayed and arrested. For Roumie, filming the Last Supper was one of the most challenging scenes, given how personally meaningful it is to his faith. 'The Last Supper means so much, very specifically to me and my faith,' he told me on set last summer. The sixth season, which will depict the crucifixion, is expected to be even more emotional. In the meantime, Roumie said he's trying to 'stay as present as I can throughout all of it, knowing it'll soon be over." He continued, "I've lived with the character for now six years. I don't know what it's going to be like when I'm not doing it. Life will be probably quite different.' Read on for everything you need to know about The Chosen Season 6, including filming updates, what the next chapter will cover, the unusual release schedule and more. Will There Be The Chosen Season 6? The Chosen: The Last Supper The Chosen has been renewed for a sixth season, which will serve as the second-to-last season of the faith-based series. Jenkins previously said that he and his team began working on the scripts for seasons 6 and 7 in 2024. 'We went to Sundance, spent a couple of days there and just plotted out the outlines and started to work on some of the scripts for Season 6 and 7 because we really want to make sure that we know where we're going with everything,' the director told Deseret News last year. Has Filming Started For The Chosen Season 6? The Chosen: The Last Supper Filming for the sixth season of The Chosen began in April in North Texas, with an Instagram announcement on April 14. Lights, camera…You know the drill. Season 6 filming starts today,' the caption read. The biblical drama then spent three weeks filming scenes in Goshen, Utah, before moving to Matera, Italy, to film the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which is expected to be the central event of the next installment. Although Season 6 only covers a 24-hour span of Jesus's life, it will take much longer to film than previous seasons, as Jenkins stated in an interview with KSL TV. He explained that most of the scenes take place at night, so they're shooting throughout the overnight hours. 'It's exhausting. This season is an 86-day shoot. It's almost 20 days longer than any other season we've ever done,' Jenkins said. 'It's the physical challenges, the logistical challenges that make it even harder.' What Will The Chosen Season 6 Be About? The Chosen: The Last Supper Season 6 of The Chosen will cover the 24 hours of Jesus' life leading up to the crucifixion. Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus, opened up to Collider about what it was like filming the show's 'most profound season' yet. 'It's brutal. This is the most difficult thing I think I've ever done,' the 50-year-old actor revealed. 'It's the most difficult season. It's the most difficult role, and this being the most difficult role in the most difficult season, with the physicality that is expected, that I feel is expected, and that ultimately we will portray during Christ's suffering and death — His passion — I don't know anything else that could be more challenging to me as a performer.' On June 22, 2025, the official The Chosen YouTube account released a behind-the-scenes video of the crucifixion being filmed in Italy, where many cast members — as well as Jenkins — were visibly emotional. During a break while filming the crucifixion scene in Season 6, Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, spoke to AP News about the emotional challenges. 'It's just pure devastation, to watch your friend be paraded through the streets and mocked, and publicly executed.' She continued, "He never hurt anyone, you know. So there's a lot of grief." How Many Episodes Will Be In The Chosen Season 6? The Chosen: The Last Supper The episode count for Season 6 of The Chosen has not yet been confirmed. However, Jenkins hinted in an April 2025 livestream that it will probably be "a little longer than normal." The previous five seasons of the series each had eight episodes each. Because Season 6 is expected to be more extensive and logistically challenging to film, fans will unfortunately have to wait longer for new episodes. So, by this time next year, new episodes are not expected to be released. 'Season 6 is going to take us longer to film than any season we've ever done, by far,' Jenkins added. 'That, of course, then pushes the post production process as well… 'Please be grateful for the fact that we try to get it to you as soon as possible.' When Is The Chosen Season 6 Coming Out In Theaters? The Chosen: The Last Supper The release schedule for the sixth and seventh seasons of The Chosen is functioning differently than previous seasons. Both the Season 6 finale and the Season 7 premiere will be produced as standalone feature films "designed for the big screen experience," according to a statement from Amazon MGM Studios and 5&2 Studio. The Season 6 finale is set to be released in theaters on March 12, 2027, while the Season 7 premiere will make its theatrical debut almost one year later, on March 31, 2028. Regarding the episodes leading up to the Season 6 finale, their release date has not yet been announced. However, they are expected to premiere in late 2026, ahead of the finale's theatrical release on March 12, 2027, Jenkins confirmed during an April livestream. 'Season 6 will come,' the director assured viewers. 'We will tell you the dates when we know them.' When Will The Chosen Season 6 Be Released On Prime Video? The Chosen: The Last Supper The sixth season of The Chosen will be available to stream on Prime Video before the finale is released in theaters in 2027. Meanwhile, the seventh season will be available on Prime Video in 2027 following the theatrical debut of its premiere, according to Deadline. Check back for the latest updates on The Chosen Season 6 as new details are revealed. The Chosen: The Last Supper is streaming on Prime Video. Watch the official trailer below.
