Archaeologists have discovered some 7,000 mosaics, many of which have great historical and artistic value, in the borders of the Jewish state. While no small number have been found in synagogues, others have been found in a churches, Roman villas, and other structures. Naama Barak writes:

The art of [making] mosaics arrived in the Land of Israel from Rome around the time of Herod the Great 2,000 years ago. They were continuously created [there] through the 11th century, leaving us with documentation of Roman, Byzantine, and early Arab culture in the area.

Despite [their] great variety, many of the mosaics shared similar qualities, patterns, and styles over the centuries—so much so that in many cases it’s not possible to date the mosaics based only on the artwork. Archaeologists must make use of the surrounding digs and inscriptions to determine their age.

“There are many mosaics with geometrical patterns that get repeated for hundreds of years. You can recognize the same style of mosaic that moves on from a synagogue to a church and then to a public building. It’s the same sort of composition that transfers to different buildings,” Jacques Neguer, [the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s art conservation department], says. This repetition and transfer of style makes sense, he notes, since mosaic artistry was probably a profession passed down generations in families.

Pictures of nine mosaics, three of which are from synagogues, can be found at the link below.

Yesterday I saw an unconfirmed report that the Biden administration has offered Israel a massive arms deal in exchange for a promise not to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Even if the report is incorrect, there is plenty of other evidence that the White House has been trying to dissuade Jerusalem from mounting such an attack. The thinking behind this pressure is hard to fathom, as there is little Israel could do that would better serve American interests in the Middle East than putting some distance between the ayatollahs and nuclear weapons. Aaron MacLean explains why this is so, in the context of a broader discussion of strategic priorities in the Middle East and elsewhere:

If the Iran issue were satisfactorily adjusted in the direction of the American interest, the question of Israel’s security would become more manageable overnight. If a network of American partners enjoyed security against state predation, the proactive suppression of militarily less serious threats like Islamic State would be more easily organized—and indeed, such partners would be less vulnerable to the manipulation of powers external to the region.

[The Biden administration’s] commitment to escalation avoidance has had the odd effect of making the security situation in the region look a great deal as it would if America had actually withdrawn [from the Middle East].

Alternatively, we could project competence by effectively backing our Middle East partners in their competitions against their enemies, who are also our enemies, by ensuring a favorable overall balance of power in the region by means of our partnership network, and by preventing Iran from achieving nuclear status—even if it courts escalation with Iran in the shorter run.