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Sept. 10: Peres meets survivor of Twin Towers attack, who walked down from 78th flooor

initiative and walked down the steps of the 78 floors. The moment he left the building, it collapsed.

The office of Israel's President Shimon from time to time releases accounts of his official activities. We have been publishing them as they are made available.

Excavations uncover Jerusalem's ancient main drainage channel

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—In excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the City of David in order to expose the main road of Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple period, the city’s main drainage channel was discovered. According to the writings of Josephus Flavius, the residents of the city fled to this channel at the time of the revolt in order to hide from the Romans.

In excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is jointly carrying out with the Elad Association in the Walls around Jerusalem National Park, approximately 70 meters of Jerusalem’s main drainage channel from the time of the Second Temple period have been exposed so far. The channel is located along the route from the Temple Mount to the Shiloah Pool. The channel, which passes beneath the main road of the city and apparently continues to Nahal Kidron on its way to the Dead Sea, drained the rainfall of ancient Jerusalem; the Jewish quarter, the western region of the City of David and the Temple Mount.

The channel is built of ashlar stones and is covered with heavy stone slabs that are actually the paving stones of the street. In some places the channel reaches a height of about 3 meters and is one meter wide, so that it is possible to walk in it comfortably.

According to the excavation directors, Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa and Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in the last two thousand years the valley has become blocked with thick layers of alluvium and collapse. Therefore the Israel Antiquities Authority was asked to excavate some 10 meters for the purpose of uncovering the main road of Jerusalem and the channel below it. “There is evidence in the writings of Josephus Flavius, the historian who described the revolt, the conquest and the destruction of Jerusalem, that numerous people took shelter in the channel and even lived in it for a period until they succeeded to flee the city through its southern end," they added.

Pottery shards, fragments of vessels, and coins from the end of the Second Temple period, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 CE, were discovered inside the channel.

The northern part of the channel, which is still unexcavated, apparently reaches the area of the Western Wall where in the past a large drainage channel was found that is the continuation of the channel that was exposed in the southern part of the City of David. The construction of the channel is characterized by its advanced technology. The further south one goes in the channel the deeper it is below the surface level so as to allow the rainwater to flow to Nahal Kidron.

The preceding was provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority via Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Beehives dating back to biblical times are discovered in Tel Rehov

TEL REHOV, Israel (Press Release)--Archaeological proof of the Biblical description of Israel really as “the land of milk and honey” (or at least the latter) has been uncovered by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology.

Amihai Mazar, Eleazar L. Sukenik Professor of Archaeology at the Hebrew University, revealed that the first apiary (beehive colony) dating from the Biblical period has been found in excavations he directed this summer at Tel Rehov in Israel’s Beth Shean Valley. This is the earliest apiary to be revealed to date in an archaeological excavation anywhere in the ancient Near East, said Prof. Mazar. It dates from the 10th to early 9th centuries B.C.E.

Tel Rehov is believed to have been one of the most important cities of Israel during the Israelite monarchy. The beehives there were found in the center of a built-up area there that has been excavated since 1997 by Dr. Nava Panitz-Cohen of the Hebrew University. Three rows of beehives were found in the apiary, containing more than 30 hives. It is estimated, however, based on excavations to date, that in all the total area would have contained some 100 beehives.

Each row contained at least three tiers of hives, each of which is a cylinder composed of unbaked clay and dry straw, around 80 centimeters long and 40 centimeters in diameter. One end of the cylinder was closed and had a small hole in it, which allowed for the entry and exit of the bees. The opposite end was covered with a clay lid that could be removed when the beekeeper extracted the honeycombs. Experienced beekeepers and scholars who visited the site estimated that as much as half a ton of honey could be culled each year from these hives.

Prof. Mazar emphasizes the uniqueness of this latest find by pointing out that actual beehives have never been discovered at any site in the ancient Near East. While fired ceramic vessels that served as beehives are known in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, none were found in situ, and beekeeping on an industrial level such as the apiary at Tel Rehov is hitherto unknown in the archaeological record. Pictorial depictions of apiaries are known from Pharaonic Egypt, showing extraction of honey from stacked cylinders which are very similar to those found at Tel Rehov. (Jump to continuation)

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WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—One of the Senate committees addressed by Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker was the Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Sen. Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan), who delivered an opening statement to provide context. Here is sthe transcript of his remarks:

"Today we welcome General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker for an update on the situation in Iraq.

We thank you for your service to our country under very difficult circumstances. We ask you both to pass on our heartfelt thanks to the men and women you lead in this endeavor, particularly those who risk their lives on a daily basis. While people here have differing views of the war and will continue to vigorously debate the strategy, tactics, and policies relating to that war, we are united in our admiration and appreciation for those who serve there, and for the families who love and support them.

The assessments we will hear today follow other important assessments, including the recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, and the reports of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq and of the General Accounting Office on the Iraqi Government’s performance with regard to legislative, security and economic benchmarks it has set for itself.

There is much disagreement relative to the facts on the ground in Iraq on the issue of whether the surge has produced significant progress in terms of security. Recent public polls in Iraq indicate that Iraqi citizens feel even less secure than before. According to an ABC News analysis, “the surge broadly is seen to have done more harm than good, with 65 to 70 percent [of Iraqis] saying it's worsened rather than improved security in surge areas, security in other areas, conditions for political dialogue, the ability of the Iraqi government to do its work, the pace of reconstruction and the pace of economic development.” Is Baghdad actually safer for citizens to go about their normal business, or are large sectors of Baghdad, and electricity and fuel distribution, controlled by the Mahdi Army and neighborhood militias as detailed in The New York Times last Sunday? (Jump to continuation)

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Senator Boxer lectures Gen. Petraeus during today's hearing on Iraq War

WASHINGTON (Press Release)—U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat, California) used her time at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today to ask General David Petraeus to face realities in Iraq and stop giving Congress and the American people rosy scenarios to justify a long, continuing U.S military presence in Iraq.

“This war is the biggest foreign policy mistake ever,” Boxer told General Petraeus. “It took our eye off defeating the terrorists, led by Osama bin Laden, who killed our people, six years ago today. The greatest mistake because it has strained our military and our national guard. And it is the greatest mistake because we have lost so many of our own and so many are wounded.”

Senator Boxer reminded General Petraeus that he told the Boston Globe in November 2003, “We want to be seen as an army of liberation and not an army of occupation…there is a half-life on our role here, you wear out your welcome at some point. It doesn’t matter how helpful you are. We aren’t here to stay.”

Boxer also pointed to a new BBC/ABC News Poll that shows 79 percent of Iraqis oppose the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, and 70 percent of Iraqis believe that the surge has made the security situation worse.

Boxer told General Petraeus, “We are sending our troops where they’re not wanted, with no end in sight, into the middle of a civil war, into the middle of the mother of all mistakes. Please, General, don’t do what you did in 2004 when you painted a rosy scenario. Consider that others could be right. Listen to the Iraqi people, the American people, the majority of the Congress.”

Boxer concluded, “Call me old fashioned—you have a country, you defend it.”

The preceding was provided by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer's office

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Cardin skeptical 'surge' tactic works

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)--At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, Maryland) today questioned the success of the “surge” strategy, pointing to several recent reports to Congress that made clear that Iraq remains wracked by sectarian violence and the continued failure of the Iraqi government and Iraqi National Police force.

Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding Bush Administration strategy to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq last spring to reduce violence and bring political stability to the war-torn nation.

“I applaud Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker’s efforts, but I think the facts are the facts – U.S. troops remain in the midst of a civil war and Iraq remains a deadly place for both U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians.”

The Senator stressed: “While certain areas may be safer, we have seen an escalation of violence in other areas. In August, the National Intelligence Estimate reports that the level of overall violence in Iraq, including attacks on civilians, remains high and will continue to remain high for the foreseeable future.”

Senator Cardin pointed out that Iraq may be safer in certain regions, “but much of that can be attributed to the fact that more than 1.1 million Iraqis have fled their homes to escape the violence. We have seen sectarian cleansing in certain areas, and that is no recipe for stability.”

In pointing to last week’s General Accounting Office report and the Jones Report, Senator Cardin said, “I do not see any independent evidence that increased U.S. troop strength has led to greater civilian security or political stability. The Senator has called for an international effort to stabilize Iraq. He also said we need a change of policy in Iraq -- “one that will remove U.S. troops from a civil war.”

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Feingold says Iraq war diverted attention from Al Qaeda threat

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—The following comments by Senator Russell Feingold (Democrat, Wisconsin) were excerpted from the transcript of the hearing on Iraq today by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

"Mr. Chairman, it is simply tragic that six years to the day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, our attention is so focused on what has been the greatest mistake in the fight against Al Qaida, and that's the Iraq war. Both yesterday at the House hearings and today there has been virtually no reference by either the members of Congress or the witnesses to the broader context outside of Iraq.

"I strongly supported the decision to go to war in Afghanistan, which served as a sanctuary for Al Qaida. The war in Iraq has been a terrible diversion from Afghanistan and from what should be a global fight against a global enemy. As this summer's declassified NIE confirmed, Al Qaida remains the most serious threat to the United States, and key elements of that threat have been regenerated or even enhanced. While our attention and resources have been focused on Iraq, Al Qaida has protected its safe haven in Pakistan and increased cooperation with regional terrorist groups.

"So the question we must answer is not whether we are winning or losing in Iraq, but whether Iraq is helping or hurting our efforts to defeat Al Qaida. That is the lesson of 9/11, and it's a lesson we must remember today, and I would say every single day."

The preceding was provided by the office of Sen. Russell Feingold

Commentary
9/11 anniversary reminds that in Iraq too, wreckers try to undo builders

By Shoshana Bryen

WASHINGTON, D.C. —It's not just the symbolism of Gen. Petraeus's report to the President at the anniversary of September 11th; it is the very real connection between conclusions about Iraq and the very American question, "Are we safe yet?" Our enemies, Islamist jihadis of both Sunni and Shiite persuasion believe they can continue this war indefinitely. The better question then is, "Have we become more adept at fighting the enemy we face?"

In WWII, land equaled success - the farther across Europe we advanced, the closer we were to victory in the German homeland. The atomic bomb was the result of understanding the fanatical nature of Japan's planned defense of its homeland.

Al Qaeda, not being a country but an ideology, has no homeland; it has only land on which it sits. Not burdened with a mechanical army or land it must defend to survive, it morphs faster than we do. In the digital age, it can penetrate silently and spread its ideology without resistance until the time is ripe to activate its capabilities.

In Iraq, al Qaeda tried to restore Sunni hegemony after the fall of Saddam. Operatives knew they couldn't overthrow the Shi'ite-led government, so they tried to open a civil war at the local level and to undermine the government's ability to provide security and services to the people. Car bombs in crowded places for the first, attacks on oil facilities and electricity grids for the second. They are terrorists, but functionally their job is "wrecking," and they've been very good at it. They caused thousands of deaths and widespread damage, and the Iraqi people do doubt their government's ability to protect and help them. The United States and the Iraqi governments have spent billions trying to fix what the wreckers wreck.

Building is expensive; wrecking is cheap. Building is hard; wrecking is easy. When builders fail, they care; when wreckers fail, they try again. People are impatient with building; people are afraid of wreckers, which makes Iraqis more likely to complain about the U.S. than about the terrorists. Builders have to be very good for a very long time; wreckers only have to be determined.

That understanding - gained both by Americans and the Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar - led to changes in our operation in Iraq and a changing of sides for the local Sunnis. Al Qaeda has been dispossessed of land on which it sat and from which it made life miserable for Iraqis of all stripes. Dispossessing them in Anbar is not the same as defeating them, but it makes it harder for them to organize, train and operate; harder to wreck what the Iraqis and we build. To the question, "Have we become more adept?" the answer is yes, but we're not safe yet; we're not there yet.

Here at home, there hasn't been a major terrorist attack since 9-11-01, and for that we are grateful to all who protect us. But just as we are not done with al Qaeda yet, we have to assume they are not done with us.

Bryen is director of special projects for the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs

Hadassah demonstrates solidarity with Virginia Tech in pre 9/11 ceremony

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Press Release)—In the shadow of the September 11th anniversary, Hadassah leaders acknowledged another American tragedy this past weekend when they traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia to give comfort to Jewish students as they begin the new academic year at Virginia Tech. Some 60 members from Hadassah Southern Seaboard Region held their annual board meeting in the southwestern Virginia college town to show their solidarity with the students who had suffered so much when a deranged classmate killed more than 30 students and professors in April.

The group initiated contact with the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Student Life on campus shortly after the tragedy occurred. It was determined that rather than providing immediate comfort to the students that help in the future would be needed. The weekend before the high holidays was agreed upon.

A number of those participating in the events traveled on Friday so they could join the students for Shabbat dinner and services, with baked goods for the Oneg Shabbat homemade by the group. On Saturday, they attended morning services and met with members of the Blacksburg Jewish community throughout the day. Hillel students later conducted havdallah services and opened the board meeting with the Virginia Tech fight song.

At Friday night’s dinner, Mindy Bloom, president of Hadassah Southern Seaboard greeted the kids with: “You’re probably wondering, why are the Hadassah ladies here? We’re here because you’re here. We are here to be with you and to not only tell you, but to show you we care.”

As a demonstration of the connection they made with the students, Hadassah members presented the students with 300 of their own Virginia Tech/Hokie kippot in the school’s colors, orange and maroon.

“Early in our conversations with [Hillel Director] Sue Kurtz, we learned that there always seems to be a shortage of kippot around Hillel here at Tech. To remedy that situation, Hadassah Southern Seaboard proudly presents you with your very own kippot. Our wish is that you wear it for celebrations and happy occasions!” Bloom told the students.

Sunday’s highlight was a ceremony commemorating those lost in the attack. Certificates were presented both to the university and to Marlena Librescu (in absentia), widow of a slain professor, Liviu Librescu, acknowledging the 400 Jewish National Fund trees purchased by the Danville, VA chapter of Hadassah in memory of those slain.

The preceding was provided by Hadassah