Archaeologists excavating the Timna copper mines in the southern tip of Israel have found an unprecedented collection of fabrics thought to date back to the beginning of the first millennium BCE. Raoul Wootliff writes:

“No textiles from this period have ever been found at excavation sites like Jerusalem, Megiddo, and Hazor,” [the excavation’s director, Erez] Ben-Yosef said. “We found fragments of textiles that originated from bags, clothing, tents, ropes, and cords.” The pieces of fabric, some only 5 x 5 centimeters in size, vary in color, weaving technique, and ornamentation. . . .

The Timna valley—now a national park—was a copper-production district with thousands of mines and dozens of smelting sites. . . . The artifacts were dated to the 10th century BCE—the time during which, according to the Bible, King Solomon ruled ancient Israel.

Also found from the same period—as confirmed by radiocarbon dating—were unprecedented quantities of seeds from the biblical “seven species,” the two grains and five fruits [listed by the Bible as the distinguishing crops of] the land of Israel. The mines are believed to have been operated by the semi-nomadic early Edomites, and the discoveries also offer insight into their complex society.

Established in 2012 and maintaining branches in Europe, North America, and Iran, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Network claims its goal is merely to show “solidarity” for imprisoned Palestinians. The organization’s leader, however, has admitted to being a representative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a notorious terrorist group whose most recent accomplishments include murdering a seventeen-year-old girl. As Arsen Ostrovsky and Patricia Teitelbaum point out, Samidoun is just one example of how the European Union allows Iran-backed terrorists to operate in its midst:

The PFLP is a proxy of the Iranian regime, which provides the terror group with money, training, and weapons. Samidoun . . . has a branch in Tehran. It has even held events there, under the pretext of “cultural activity,” to elicit support for operations in Europe. Its leader, Khaled Barakat, is a regular on Iran’s state [channel] PressTV, calling for violence and lauding Iran’s involvement in the region. It is utterly incomprehensible, therefore, that the EU has not yet designated Samidoun a terror group.

According to the Council of the European Union, groups and/or individuals can be added to the EU terror list on the basis of “proposals submitted by member states based on a decision by a competent authority of a member state or a third country.” In this regard, there is already a standing designation by Israel of Samidoun as a terror group and a decision of a German court finding Barakat to be a senior PFLP operative.

Given the irrefutable axis-of-terror between Samidoun, PFLP, and the Iranian regime, the EU has a duty to put Samidoun and senior Samidoun leaders on the EU terror list. It should do this not as some favor to Israel, but because otherwise it continues to turn a blind eye to a group that presents a clear and present security threat to the European Union and EU citizens.