Underneath an ancient road in the area of Jerusalem known as the City of David, archaeologists have discovered an enormous collection of fossilized food waste that dates to the 10th century CE—shortly after the Muslim conquest of the city. Amanda Borschel-Dan reports:

According to well-preserved seeds, bones, and other refuse, ancient city dwellers feasted on beef, fish, and fowl, with sides of veggies and lentils. And for dessert? How about cake, or a fruit salad of figs, grapes, and black mulberries?

The fossilized refuse provides physical evidence of the urban diet of the early Islamic period in Israel. Also on the menu, said Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists, were eggs, fish, different possibly medicinal grasses—and the first proof of locally grown eggplant. . . .

The preserved pits and seeds give insight into the economy, trade and agriculture during the Abbasid caliphate, which ruled the region [at the time]. Among the vessels discovered in the garbage dump was an ancient lamp bearing the inscription barakha or blessing, in Arabic.

Whether the refuse was produced by Jews, Christians, Arabs, or some combination remains to be seen.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.