While finding objects many hundreds of years old is not uncommon in the Jewish state, a recent discovery by archaeologists nonetheless stands out. The Times of Israel reports:

A rare, 1,850-year-old bronze coin depicting the Roman moon goddess Luna was recently found off the coast of Haifa, the Israel Antiques Authority (IAA) said Monday. The coin shows Luna above a depiction of the zodiac sign Cancer. On the other side of the coin is the head of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius, during whose reign (138–161 CE) it was minted.

Like his predecessor Hadrian, Antoninus is known to historians of Rome as one of the “five good emperors” under whose watch there was little corruption or internecine disorder. But unlike Hadrian, who subjected the Jews to some of the bloodiest and most destructive persecution in the empire’s history, Antoninus secured a positive reputation in Jewish memory:

Antoninus’ reign was the quietest of the Roman empire, coming at the height of the period of the Pax Romana, or Roman peace, and Antoninus himself was not from the military, was never in battle, and never even left Rome.

“During his rule, the empire’s relations with the Jews were greatly improved, the [anti-Jewish] decrees of Hadrian were revoked, and Jews were allowed to practice circumcision,” the IAA said.

“These steps led to amicable relations between the emperor and Rabbi Judah the Prince,” the statement said, referring to the 2nd-century CE rabbinic leader who composed the Mishnah.

The negotiations that secured the release of Edan Alexander were conducted by the U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler, with reportedly little or no involvement from the Israelis. Amit Segal considers:

Does Edan’s release mean foreign-passport holders receive priority over those only with Israeli passports? He is, after all, is a dual American-Israeli citizen who grew up in New Jersey. While it may not be the intended message, many will likely interpret the deal as such: foreign-passport holders are worth more. In a country where many citizens are already obtaining second passports, encouraging even more to do so is unwise, to say the least.

Another bad look for Israel: Washington is freeing Edan, not Jerusalem. . . .

Then there’s the question of the Qatari jumbo jet. At this point we can only speculate, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that as Hamas is set to release a hostage, Trump is also accepting a super luxury jumbo jet from Qatar worth around $400 million. Are the two connected?

Still, Segal reminds us that in one, crucial way, this deal is superior to those that preceded it:

The fact that Hamas appears to be freeing a hostage for nothing in return is indeed a victory. Don’t forget: in February, in exchange for the bodies of four hostages, Israel released over 600 Palestinian prisoners, not to mention the Palestinian terrorists—many of whom have Jewish blood on their hands—released in other deals during this war.

As serious as the concerns Segal and others have raised are, that last point makes me think that some of the handwringing about the deal by other commentators is exaggerated. The coming IDF offensive—tanks have been massing on the edge of Gaza in recent days—the many weeks during which supplies haven’t entered the Strip, and Israel’s declared plans not to allow Hamas the ability to distribute humanitarian aid cannot but have made the jihadists more pliable.

And the deal was made on a schedule set by Israel, which said that it would embark on a full-bore offensive at the end of the week if the hostages aren’t released. Moreover, in the parameters Hamas has set forth until now, Alexander, a male soldier, would have been among the last of the hostages to be exchanged.

What of the claim that President Trump has achieved what Prime Minister Netanyahu couldn’t? Again, there is some truth here. But it’s worth noting that the Hostages Forum—a group representing most of the hostages’ families, consistently critical of Netanyahu, and supported by a broad swath of Israelis—has since at least January been demanding a deal where all the hostages are freed at once. (This demand is an understandable reaction to the sadistic games Hamas played with the weekly releases earlier this year and in the fall of 2023.) So Trump let them down too.

In fact, Trump previously promised that “all hell would break loose” if all hostages weren’t released. Neither has happened, so I’m not sure if Trump looks all that much stronger than Netanyahu.

My takeaway, though, isn’t a defense or criticism of either leader, but simply a cautionary note: let’s not jump to conclusions quite yet.