Mystic Politics

Scientists: Jesus Christ May Have Had an Entire Family

‘In the underground graveyard lay the tomb of Maria Magdalene and Jesus, “Son of Joseph.” Taking into account that DNA tests from the human remains show no relative connection between the two people, the conclusion is that they may have been a couple and that they also had a son. In the first century A.D., a man and a woman could not have been buried together had they not been married.’

Israel’s Other Temple: Research Reveals Ancient Struggle over Holy Land Supremacy

‘The Jews had significant competition in antiquity when it came to worshipping Yahweh. Archeologists have discovered a second great temple not far from Jerusalem that predates its better known cousin. It belonged to the Samaritans, and may have been edited out of the Bible once the rivalry had been decided.’

Media Wars & Big Bluffs: Israel’s Huff and Puff Game

‘The air is full of dire warnings of an impending Israeli attack on Iran. Prophets of doom declare themselves full of forebodings and point fearfully to the meeting in the White House between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as crucial in making the decisions that will lead to peace or war.’

The Obfuscation of the Two-State Solution: You can’t get there from here

‘Even as I write this, the bulldozers have been busy throughout that one indivisible country known by the bifurcated term Israel/Palestine. Palestinian homes, community centers, livestock pens and other “structures” (as the Israel authorities dispassionately call them) have been demolished in the Old City, Silwan and various parts of “Area C” in the West Bank, as well among the Bedouin – Israeli citizens – in the Negev/Nakab. This is merely mopping up, herding the last of the Arabs into their prison cells where, forever, they will cease to be heard or heard from, a non-issue in Israel and, eventually, in the wider world distracted from bigger, more pressing matters.’

Israel’s newest politician breaks his silence, attacks ultra-Orthodox and political corruption

“The Palestinians don’t need to battle us,” Lapid said. “They can make a cup of coffee, light a cigarette and wait 12 years and the Zionist country will crumble from within.”

Indoctrinated Hatred: War and Peace In Israel

‘With all this talk about the rising tension between Israel and Iran, and unrest raging all around them in the Middle East, you’d think Israeli life would be tenser, edgier these days. It’s not, really. “That’s what being an Israeli is all about,“ said one Israeli woman when I asked her about the muted reaction to the attack on the defense attache’s young wife in Delhi. “That’s normal for an Israeli. We‘re used to people hating us.”’

Sexy Israeli Photo Shoot Mocks Ultra-Orthodox Women Haters

‘An Israeli fashion magazine called BelleMode is set to publish a provocative spread that will surely upset the conservative Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox contingency. The spread features a number of scantily clad men and women posing provocatively (and sexily!) in outfits that resemble the clothing favored by Haredim, except with some minor differences. Like, some of the shirts are see-through. And some of the models have forgotten to wear their pants.’

Militant Jewish PriceTag graffiti daubed on Jerusalem Monastery of the Cross http://mys.tc/1sc judaism christian israel politics

Militant Jewish “Price Tag” graffiti daubed on Jerusalem’s Monastery of the Cross

‘A Jerusalem monastery, built on the site where tradition says the tree used in the making of Jesus’s cross once stood, was defaced with “Death to Christians” graffiti on Tuesday. The words “Price Tag” daubed on a vandalized car parked outside the 11th-century Monastery of the Cross suggested that militant Jewish settlers were responsible and police said they were investigating that possibility as well as other angles.

The term refers to retribution the settlers say they will exact for any attempt by the Israeli government to curb settlement in the West Bank, an area Palestinians seek as part of a future state. “Price Tag” attacks have targeted mosques, Palestinian homes and Israeli military installations in the occupied West Bank but vandalism of Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is extremely rare.’

Secular Israel: Women, Orthodoxy and the Public Square

“Rick Perry says it’s America’s war on religion, but a subset of the ultra-orthodox in Israel might beg to differ. Perry’s concerns have more to do with school prayer and re-sanctifying Christmas, but many of Israel’s ultra-orthodox are concerned with feminism, or what most feminists would simply call gender equality. Clashes between so-called religious and secular Israelis are nothing new, but a recent spur of incidents has caused a stir in the past few months. For instance in December an 8-year old Israeli modern orthodox girl, Naama Margolese, was spit on and called a prostitute on her way to school by ultra-orthodox men –apparently her fully covered arms and legs were still considered immodest.”