In the 1930s, when archaeologists first uncovered a copper-mining complex in the Timna Valley near Israel’s southeastern tip, they dubbed it “King Solomon’s mines,” but for several decades the consensus has been that this complex belonged to the Egyptians. Erez Ben-Yosef and his colleagues suddenly upended this view when they identified organic material—including fabrics dyed with the purple pigment mentioned in Bible—that made carbon-dating of the site possible. From this evidence they have concluded that the mines likely were used around the time of Kings David and Solomon, and have thus found tantalizing clues that support the biblical narrative of strong Israelite kingdom at the dawn of the first millennium BCE. (Interview by Rossella Tercatin. Video, 23 minutes. A transcript is available at the link below.)

Yesterday, President Biden reportedly met with his advisers to discuss how to achieve a breakthrough in hostage negotiations. Meir Ben Shabbat takes a closer look at what the terrorists themselves are saying:

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s deputy chief in Gaza, reiterated that this issue is merely one of several demands his group has put forward as conditions for a deal. “We stress that any agreement must encompass a full cessation of hostilities, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing [which allow Hamas to smuggle weapons and supplies from Egypt], unimpeded return of displaced persons to their homes, aid and relief for Palestinians, Gaza’s reconstruction, and a prisoner exchange,” al-Hayya stated.

This stance isn’t new. What stood out in its presentation was the self-assurance displayed by the senior Hamas official, during a week when he and his associates were expected to be on edge, fearing repercussions for the killing of six hostages. However, the reaction to this in Israel and the United States prompted an opposite response from them. From their perspective, not only did they avoid consequences for the heinous act, but through it, they managed to escalate tensions and internal disagreements in Israel, while also prompting Washington to consider presenting a framework defined as a “final offer, without room for negotiation.

Hamas assumes that a final American proposal will inevitably come at Israel’s expense. The primary pressure to reach an agreement is already being applied to Israeli leadership. Hamas faces no consequences for prolonging the process, and so long as it holds hostages, it can always resume negotiations from where they left off.