While archaeological discoveries in the Jerusalem soil are hardly an unusual occurrence, most often they are from antiquity. But one recent and significant find by a group of volunteers isn’t a Bronze Age artifact, but a mid-20th-century bullet. JNS reports:

The 9mm bullet was manufactured at the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, which was disguised as a kibbutz laundry service in the years leading up to the War of Independence in British Mandate Palestine. The factory played a pivotal role in the 1948 victory that created the modern state of Israel. It was run by the Haganah, the precursor to the Israel Defense Force.

The bullet was found in a part of Ammunition Hill called the Governor’s Palace complex, which houses the historic study farm. . . . “From our vantage point, this is an event of historic magnitude,” said Rani Oren, Ayalon Institute Museum director.

“The 9mm bullets, exclusively manufactured at the Ayalon Institute for the Sten-type submachine gun, significantly fortified the country’s defense and development. Notably, these bullets were the sole ammunition never in short supply during the War of Independence,” said Oren.

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.