World
Sacred Jewish and Christian archeological site vandalized by Palestinian rioters
A group of Palestinian rioters vandalized Joshua’s Altar in the West Bank, a site revered by millions of Jews and Christians.
The altar, which is located at Mount Ebal, was damaged after the rioters burned tires on its remains and spray-painted Palestinian flags and Arabic inscriptions on the stones last week, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
According to a report from TPS, the site is under joint control with the Palestinian Authority and has been the target of vandalism on numerous occasions, part of a larger problem of attacks on Israeli archaeological sites under Palestinian control.
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Following the destruction and severe damage by Palestinian rioters at the Joshua Altar, located on the spur of Mount Ebal, dozens of Jewish worshipers arrived for morning prayers at the site. (TPS)
“Unfortunately, Jewish and Christian holy places are repeatedly targeted by Muslim settlers, such as the Tomb of Rachel near Bethlehem, the Tombs of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Lea, and Rebecca in Hebron, the Tomb of Josef in Shechem (Nablus) and many others,” Rev. Petra Heldt, a leading Christian scholar who has lived in Israel for 40 years, told Fox News Digital. “It is a consistent pattern that shows that there is a wish to eliminate the existence of Jewish and Christian history in Eretz Israel, the historic land of the Jewish people. Therefore, this holy place must be secured, like other holy places in Israel, from Palestinian vandalism.”
The site was later visited by Israeli activists from the Forum for the Struggle for Every Dunam, who called on Israel to do more to protect sacred Israeli sites.
Aerial view of Joshua’s Altar in the the West Bank. (TPS)
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“The grave incident that took place this week is a direct result of the lack of Jewish presence on this hill,” the organization said in a statement, according to the TPS report. “Today, it is clearer than ever that only the fixed Jewish presence of a farm or town will guarantee there is really control over the site, and prevent further damage or destruction of the altar.”
Heldt expressed a similar sentiment, noting the altar’s importance to the Jewish people and calling for greater measures to protect the sacred site.
The site was later visited by Israeli activists from the Forum for the Struggle for Every Dunam, who called on Israel to do more to protect sacred Israeli sites. (TPS)
“The altar goes back to the time of Joshua (1400 BC) who led the Jewish people from exile into the Promised Land,” Heldt said. “It is immediately necessary that the site should get proper protection from such vandalism. A permanent Jewish presence established on and around Mount Ebal will permanently secure that holy place for Jews and Christians.”
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A young couple in Indonesia was publicly caned Thursday after allegedly kissing during a TikTok livestream.
The couple — a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman — each received 21 lashes, according to The Associated Press.
They were reportedly convicted of violating local morality laws under an Islamic Sharia court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province.
The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said.
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Shariah law officials assist an unmarried woman, convicted of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream, to get up after being publicly caned, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
According to local authorities, the couple filmed a TikTok video inside a car one night in March.
As the video went viral, they were subsequently apprehended for what officials described as an “immoral act.”
“Their actions were uncovered thanks to reports from residents who were disturbed by their immoral livestream content,” Sharia police said in April.
“The trigger was their livestream on TikTok while engaging in immoral acts in the car,” Head of the Sharia Police Muhammad Rizal added in his statement. “This sparked criticism from netizens and local residents, who then reported them to the authorities.”
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A man is publicly caned after he was convicted of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
The court also confiscated a cellphone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok video, which authorities promised to destroy, according to the AP.
A Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, 22-year-old Aini Nadhirah, said she believed the punishment was “entirely justified.”
“In my opinion, this caning is entirely justified because it serves as a warning to other Aceh residents to be more careful when using social media,” Nadhirah said, according to the AP.
“It also raises awareness that such actions are unacceptable, thereby educating the public.”
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Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces its own Islamic Criminal Code governing moral conduct.
The province’s right to implement Islamic law was granted by Indonesia’s secular central government around 2005 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist insurgency. The policy was later expanded to apply to non-Muslims.
Under the law, moral offenses — including adultery and same-sex relations — can carry penalties of up to 100 lashes. Caning is also used for individuals accused of gambling, drinking, adultery and premarital intimacy.
Shariah law officials escort a woman convicted of violating Islamic law by kissing a man, both unmarried, during a TikTok livestream after her public caning, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
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Public caning in Aceh has long drawn criticism from human rights groups, including Amnesty International Indonesia, which has called the practice cruel and degrading.
Despite Indonesia having ratified international conventions prohibiting cruel punishment, authorities in Aceh defend the practice, arguing it does not fall under such a definition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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This week, The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a fresh wave of raids across France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. They are digging into the 4.3 million euros of EU funds allegedly misused by the European Parliament’s Identity and Democracy group between 2019-2024. What’s going on?
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The prosecutors are scrutinising whether the party breached public tender rules when awarding public contracts and issued irregular donations using those taxpayer funds.
Importantly, that political group is dead. It has been rebranded into the new “Patriots for Europe” coalition, led by the rising star Jordan Bardella. They are currently the third-largest force in the European Parliament.
It seems like the name on the office door has changed, but the paper trail remains. And the European prosecutors are conducting searches at the offices and homes of communication providers tied to that old group.
Last year when the investigation was announced, Bardella claimed it was “a new harassment operation.”
At the same time, the timing for the National Rally, so Bardella’s party, could not be more brutal.
Next week, Marine Le Pen discovers if a Paris court will uphold a five-year ban from public office on allegations of, well, embezzling public funds. If she is out, Bardella is the designated successor.
Will the National Rally maintain its political momentum? After all, the party relies on its image as the “voice of the people” against a distant Brussels elite.
Watch the Euronews video in the player above for the full story.
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