Israel reportedly acted decisively in recent days, particularly overnight Monday, to systematically destroy Syria’s conventional and unconventional military capabilities, as the Iran-backed regime in Damascus disintegrated and Sunni rebel factions took over.

Israel Defense Forces International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told journalists on Tuesday, "We're acting to prevent lethal strategic weapons from falling into hostile hands. We have been doing this for years now in different ways and in different situations, and we are doing it right now."

He continued, "Our chief of general staff [Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi] said the primary focus is observing Iran's movements and interests, and our secondary focus is on local factions who are taking control of the area—assessing their actions, behavior and deterrence level—and ensuring they do not mistakenly direct their actions toward us."

He added, "I will just say we're doing our job to make sure that strategic weapons are not in the wrong hands. This is something that I think should be important for a lot of forces in the region, not just for Israel, making sure that there are not strategic problems in this region."

Various media reports describe an exceptionally extensive campaign of airstrikes against some 300 Syrian targets across the country. These allegedly include: Syrian Air Force bases and squadrons; advanced missile and UAV depots; research centers, such as the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS), linked to chemical weapons sites; air-defense installations and large stockpiles of strategic weaponry.

The strikes have reportedly extended as far as an airport in Qamishli in northeastern Syria, according to Reuters, and appear to have targeted Syrian Navy vessels at Latakia Port. Observers and media sources described heavy explosions in Damascus and its outskirts.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Hanan Geffen, former commander of Unit 8200 in the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, told JNS on Tuesday that "the force that seized power in Syria surprised everyone, including, in my opinion, the rebels.”

Geffen added that “the disintegration of the Syrian army, which I've been following for almost 50 years, surprised everyone in an amazing way," and created an unprecedented strategic vacuum.

 “I do not remember a time in history when we faced a similar case in the region," Geffen said, adding that while no one expected such a total and swift collapse, Israeli intelligence had a precise map of Syrian capabilities.

"There has been a very accurate picture of what was happening in Syria," he said, adding that the fate of Syria's chemical weapons was an international concern. In previous years, a common assumption was that the Assad regime would not use unconventional weaponry against Israel, Geffen noted. As a result, until now, Israel and other states had largely left chemical facilities in Syria alone.

 Now that Assad’s regime has fallen, however, only uncertainty exists, he explained, saying,"This time, [the Israeli Air Force] went in a much more aggressive manner, also against the stockpiles,” said Geffen, adding, "It appears as if the IAF used really penetrating warheads, and everything they had in the arsenal, to destroy the Syrian stockpiles, including production facilities in the chemical domain."

Other targets, he said, based on reports, included air defense, regular weapons stockpiles and naval resources. According to Geffen, these targets have been known to Israeli intelligence for decades.

"I must say that whoever made this decision should be saluted," he stressed, adding that there has been minimal international pushback beyond Iranian complaints.

According to Dina Lisnyansky, an expert on the Middle East and radical Islamic movements who teaches at Tel Aviv and Reichman Universities, as well as at Shalem College, “The rebels are a kind of black box in a way; we really do not know what to expect from them," and this is what led Israel to reportedly take the above actions.

Ahmed Hussein al-Shar'a, known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of the most powerful rebel group, Hayat Tahri Al-Sham, led a branch of Al-Qaeda in northwest Syria in the past, although the group does not now affiliate itself with this ideology, she noted.

Nevertheless, the ideological Salafist roots of some of the rebels are similar to those of Al-Qaeda, Lisnyansky cautioned, and the "manner in which they led the rebellion and their rhetoric on social media was very clearly Salafist. They very clearly see what they are doing in Syria as an Islamic directive, a religious directive, of deposing a tyrant who is abusing the weak. The fact that this tyrant [Bashar Al-Assad] is not a Sunni, but rather an Alawite, and is seen as a Shi'ite by the rebels, makes it a doubly more compelling religious directive."

As such, Lisnyansky said, the rebels  remained unpredictable, despite some positive signs. al-Julani stated that the new Syria would be willing to work with all of its neighbors, including Israel, naming it specifically, she noted.

Nevertheless, she added, “We do not know fully what the intentions are." While certain rebel statements hinted at an orderly transition and even regional calm, Lisnyansky stressed, “Israel did not take a chance.”

So far, there is no sign of repression of Syria's minority groups, or mass violence against those who were part of the Syrian regime.

The influence of Turkey and other external actors heightened the uncertainty, Lisnyansky continued, stating, “If Turkey wanted to create some shared border with Israel [via rebel groups under its control], this could harm Israel, and this is also something that needed to be taken into account.”

As a result of these uncertainties, Lisnyansy explained, Israel took a decision to prevent strategic and unconventional weapons from falling into unknown hands.  

Professor Eyal Zisser, vice rector of Tel Aviv University and holder of the Yona and Dina Ettinger Chair in Contemporary History of the Middle East, told JNS that the reason for Israel's move is concern about the unknown, specifically the scenario that Syria's new rulers "will turn out to be Islamists dangerous to Israel, and hence the desire to deny them military capabilities."

The chaos in Syria could also see weapons fall into the possession of armed gangs who could turn their guns on Israel, he cautioned.

"However, my concern is that we exaggerated a little bit, and with a very aggressive move, we needlessly pushed ourselves into the turmoil," Zisser argued. "Now, everyone is looking at us. Without this, we would not have been on the Syrian agenda and no one would be interested in us, and no one would have been particularly hostile to us."

Two Israelis were wounded, one seriously, in a stabbing on Tuesday afternoon at the entrance to a police station in the northern city of Karmiel, the Israel Police announced.

The motivation for the attack—which was first reported as a criminal incident—was not immediately clear, with the police saying in a later statement that all possible motives were being investigated.

The perpetrator, identified as a resident of the nearby Arab village of Nahf in his 20s, was arrested after a search, according to the statement.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency response group said that the seriously wounded victim, reportedly the station's security guard, was evacuated by ambulance to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.

The second victim, who Ynet said was a police officer who came to the guard's aid, was lightly wounded and received treatment at the scene.

In July, an Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in a terrorist stabbing in a shopping center in Karmiel. Police identified the terrorist as Jawwad Omar Rubia, also a resident of Nahf. 

Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis on Thursday, the Vatican announced Tuesday.

Abbas and Francis last met at the Vatican in November 2021, according to Reuters. The P.A. leader is reportedly expected to sit down with the pope at the Vatican City's Apostolic Palace, followed by a meeting with diplomatic officials, including Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

Abbas will reportedly visit Italy as part of the trip, where he will meet President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Both Francis and Meloni have recently become more outspoken in their criticism of Israel's military actions against Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A nativity scene that went on display at the Vatican on Saturday featured a picture of Jesus in a keffiyeh. The display comes at a time when a revisionist narrative has spread about Jesus having been a Palestinian.

The pre-Christmas event came just weeks after the Catholic leader called for an international investigation to determine if Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza constituted "genocide."

For her part, Meloni has told parliament that she blocked all arms deals with the Jewish state just weeks after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. Among those murdered were three dual Italian-Israeli nationals.

The City of Cape Town in South Africa and police are investigating an incident involving an alleged explosive device found at the city’s Jewish community center, the municipality said on Tuesday.

The announcement was about events that first occurred Friday, when what appeared to be an improvised bomb was located near the center, according to a statement by the local branch of the Jewish Board of Deputies, the umbrella group of South African Jewry (SAJBD). The device did not explode, no one was hurt and no damage was caused in the incident.

Following the Board’s statement, local media reported erroneously that no such devices had been recovered, Cape SAJBD executive director Daniel Bloch told JNS on Monday. However, a device was encountered and this has prompted an ongoing investigation led by the serious crimes division of South African police, known as the Hawks, he said.  

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis stated that police are analyzing closed-circuit television footage as part of the investigation. The nature of the device encountered has not yet been confirmed, the mayor said.

“Cape Town is a city of peace-loving people, where differences of faith and opinion are expressed loudly and fully, but always peacefully. Should this investigation confirm an attempted attack, I know all Capetonians will join me in condemning such actions unequivocally,” the mayor added.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party has ramped up its anti-Israel rhetoric since the outbreak of Israel's defensive war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. South Africa has dragged Israel before the International Court of Justice on alleged genocide charges, which Israel, the United States and many other Western countries reject. South Africa recalled all its diplomats from Israel in November of last year.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in May said during a speech: “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea,” prompting criticism by his country’s Jews for allegedly calling to “exterminate Jews from their homeland.”

Two Swedish converts to Islam who were arrested by Stockholm's SÄPO security agency in March had planned to attack synagogues and other Jewish targets on behalf of Islamic State, according to local media reports on Tuesday.

The suspects, identified as two brothers in their 20s, swore allegiance to the Somali branch of the terrorist organization and acquired a weapon at a "basement mosque" near their home in Tyresö, a suburb southeast of the Swedish capital, the Dagens Nyheter newspaper reported.

According to the charges, the older brother, 25, played a central role in the plot. He was said to have been told to recruit potential terrorists to kill as many "infidels" as possible. In February, the suspect allegedly tried to travel to Somalia to join ISIS, but was stopped in Turkey and sent back after authorities became suspicious of his one-way ticket.

The younger suspect, 23, is also suspected of being a member of a terror group. He is also said to have acted on behalf of ISIS and, among other charges, was said to have helped his brother in enlisting terrorists.

A Spanish terror suspect who was arrested as part of the probe was cited as describing the 25-year-old as "extremely radicalized and violent" in a closed chat group in December 2023. The Swedish suspect repeatedly called other members "hypocrites" and urged them to carry out attacks.

Dagens Nyheter quoted from wiretaps that indicated the two Swedes planned attacks on Jewish houses of worship and community centers. The older brother called the possibility that children would be killed in the attacks "collateral damage," according to the Swedish daily.

The newspaper noted that the 23-year-old suspect was employed as a substitute teacher by the Tyresö municipality, despite indications of his radical and violent views, that developed following his 2023 conversion. The older brother converted at age 15 after encounters with "immigrant youth," with his faith radicalizing during a stint in prison, family said.

On June 3, an unexploded bomb was found outside the Gothenburg offices of Elbit Systems Sweden, a local subsidiary of Israel's largest defense contractor. A day later, security forces were again called to the scene after two suspicious individuals were detected at the premises.

The two were arrested and found to be carrying an explosive weighing about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). They were subsequently charged with “aggravated unlawful threat” and “attempted destruction causing public endangerment” for placing the explosive device at the scene.

On Oct. 10, a gunman opened fire at the Elbit office. Nobody was wounded in the attack, police spokesman August Brandt told local media. A minor under the age of 15 was apprehended at the scene.

That same month, two explosions, likely caused by hand grenades, occurred close to the Jewish state's embassy in Denmark, days after gunfire was heard in the vicinity of its diplomatic mission in Sweden.

SÄPO has said that the Islamic Republic of Iran may have been behind the recent terror attacks on Israeli targets in the Scandinavian country.

In May, the agency confirmed that Tehran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to commit “acts of violence” against Israelis.

Israel's Mossad intelligence agency has also suggested that the Islamic Republic is behind a series of terrorist attacks carried out by criminal groups targeting Israeli missions across Europe, including in Sweden.

Two months ago, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his "blessing and curse" speech at the U.N.—framing the curse as Iran's evil axis and the blessing as the Abraham Accords, which could expand further—he mainly had two countries in mind: Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.

These could have been two strategic, game-changing agreements that would have dealt a significant blow to Iran's plans of imposing a siege and an all-Islamic war against Israel. But the Hamas war temporarily halted both.

Now, Trump and his team are putting these advanced drafts back on the table, shaking off the dust and actively seeking to push them forward.

First in line, is Saudi Arabia, the guardian of Islam's holy sites and the world's largest oil exporter. Riyadh's fear of Iran has led the kingdom over the past year to manage two seemingly contradictory relationships: one with the U.S. and the West, with a wink toward Israel, and another with Russia and Iran, alongside gestures toward the Palestinians.

In the final months of Eli Cohen's tenure as Israel’s foreign minister, a peace agreement with Indonesia was drafted. Indonesia already maintains trade and tourism ties with Israel.

MBS's choice

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is torn between two main options: waiting for Trump to resume talks on a full defense alliance with the U.S., in which case part of Saudi compensation would be normalization with Israel; or signing a more limited military defense agreement with the U.S., before Joe Biden leaves office, without requiring normalization with Israel.

The grand deal would ensure, via a defense alliance, that the U.S. would come to Saudi Arabia's full defense in the event of Iranian threats or attacks. The scenario Saudi Arabia fears most is a severe Iranian strike targeting them in retaliation for Israeli attacks.

In such a deal, the U.S. would provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear reactor for peaceful purposes (theoretically, it could later be used to enrich uranium to military levels), F-35 jets and advanced air defense systems. Saudi Arabia, in turn, would sign a normalization agreement with Israel, legalizing and expanding economic ties and upgrading military and intelligence cooperation that, according to foreign reports, already exists.

The smaller deal would relieve Saudi Arabia of having to normalize relations with Israel, as the latter is unwilling to meet the Saudi demand for practical steps toward establishing a Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital. It would reduce cooperation with the U.S. to joint regional military exercises, broader than what currently takes place, and assist Saudi Arabia in fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and drone defense capabilities.

Each of these two agreements has a different American approval process. The smaller deal would likely not require congressional approval, and Biden could proceed with it as he did with the security agreement with Bahrain (announced in September 2023) under his executive powers or by declaring Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally.

If Biden tries to push for a smaller deal through Congress, he will encounter difficulties due to the absence of normalization with Israel. However, a larger deal would require congressional approval in any case.

From Saudi Arabia's perspective, the smaller agreement is not optimal, as it does not guarantee full U.S. protection if Saudi Arabia is attacked. A full, formal defense agreement approved by Congress would, in theory, also bind the next president, Trump. Therefore, Saudi Arabia's inclination right now is to wait for him rather than take a step that might offend him.

On the other hand, the Saudis remember their frustrations with Trump, who did nothing when Houthi rebels, in 2019, overcame Saudi Arabia's air defense systems. The Houthis caused significant damage to Aramco's oil facilities in Abqaiq, using dozens of Iranian drones and missiles launched from Yemen.

Saudi Arabia fears a similar retaliatory attack, following Israel's damaging strike on Hodeidah Port in Yemen last September. According to foreign reports, which Saudi Arabia has denied, Israeli jets flew through Saudi airspace during that attack.

Naval drill with Iran

The latest indication about the timing and direction Saudi Arabia will choose—a larger or smaller deal—came during an investment conference in Riyadh, where Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud participated.

Prince Faisal made it clear that his country would not recognize Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state. On this issue, he explained, Saudi Arabia is patient: It will proceed with the U.S. in areas like trade and artificial intelligence, "areas not related to third parties," which can move quickly, while defense cooperation is more complicated.

Meanwhile, at least until Trump takes office, Saudi Arabia is taking precautions against Iran, though not in ways that Israel or the U.S. would approve. Riyadh is getting closer to both Iran and Russia. This is not an ideological shift toward Shi'ism or the clerics in Tehran, but rather about interests.

The Saudis believe this is currently the safer path to prevent Iran or its proxies from attacking them; safer than what they could expect from the outgoing Biden administration, which they have difficulty trusting.

In the spirit of this rapprochement with Iran, Crown Prince Mohammed, who only a little over a year ago declared that "normalization with Israel is not a question of 'if' but 'when,'" now says, "Israel is committing genocide in Gaza." He even instructed his U.N. delegation to vote in favor of granting full membership to the Palestinians.

As part of the security network Saudi Arabia has set up against its real enemy—Iran—foreign ministers from both countries have already met; the Saudi and Iranian military chiefs of staff have held talks, and the countries participated in a joint naval drill.

A U.S. official close to Trump's administration believes this is a temporary, tactical collaboration, and certainly not fundamental. "When circumstances change, and that will happen soon," the official says, "Saudi Arabia will make its choice again. The [ceasefire] deal in Lebanon and the deal Trump wants Israel to secure before entering the White House, also [with Hamas] in the south, will be a major catalyst for such a change."

220 million Muslims

Next up, after Saudi Arabia, is Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic country with around 220 million Muslims. Jakarta had also prepared a deal with Israel, which fell apart after Oct. 7.

It was supposed to be signed by the end of 2023 and included the normalization and public acknowledgment of already existing trade, economic and other relations, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Indonesia, initially at the consular level. In exchange, Israel agreed to lift its opposition to Indonesia joining the OECD, a club of developed nations established as an economic counterpart to NATO.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is 89, recently announced that his longtime ally and right-hand man will become his temporary successor if Abbas becomes unable to serve.

Rawhi Fattouh, 75, joined Yasser Arafat in 1968. He is an unrepentant terrorist, an antisemitic conspiracy theorist and an absolutist who dreams of a Palestine “from the river to the sea.” His first job was with al-Asifah, the so-called “Storm Forces,” Fatah’s first military wing that launched terrorist strikes against Israeli civilians.

Not long after joining, Arafat recognized Fattouh’s potential. He sent Fattouh to Iraq to obtain formal military training in the Iraqi army. A year later, Fattouh graduated as a lieutenant.

Arafat soon made use of his new skills. Fattouh, then 20, launched terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians from bases in Jordan, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, which was then under Egyptian control.

Fattouh says he retired his “military” uniform in 1973 to focus on politics. That claim is highly suspect. He probably had operational roles through 1989, when Fattouh was appointed to Fatah’s Revolutionary Council.

Even after bridging into politics in the 1990s, Fattouh’s rhetoric continues to demonstrate that he is an unrepentant extremist. He has spent his career fomenting violence and discord, praising terrorists and terror attacks, celebrating released terrorists as heroes and spreading vicious lies about Israel.

Fattouh also holds fast to the usual array of counterfactual narratives. They range from the absurd to the obscene.

For starters, Fattouh said, “Palestine, in its entirety, belongs to us and to no one else. We do not share it with anyone.” He also referred to Israel as an occupying regime.

He believes that Jesus was Palestinian.

He supports the PA’s pay-for-slay program. He said terrorist salaries benefit Israel by keeping former terrorists out of the ranks of ISIS and more potent groups. That’s certainly one way to look at it.

After the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 massacre of 1,200 innocent civilians, Fattouh praised the terrorist group’s “brave resistance.”

Fattouh is also an antisemitic conspiracy theorist. Some of them are truly imaginative. For example, he is a believer in the “Campbell-Bannerman plan,” a conspiracy theory that holds that the British implanted Israel in its current location as early as 1907 during a colonial conference. The purpose was to keep Arab populations disunited and in a state of perpetual conflict.

Fortunately, the British kept meticulous minutes at the 1907 conference. They published a 642-page book of the proceedings. The conference had nothing to do with Israel, the Jewish people or the Land of Israel, which was then under Ottoman control. Although the Palestinian Authority historian who first promulgated this bunk theory recanted it in his later years, the myth lives on.

Blaming the Brits or the Jews for preventing pan-Arab unity and peace is nuts. There has never been either peace or unity among all the Arabs at any time after 632 C.E.

Fattouh also demonstrates a callous disregard for the safety of children. That is characteristic of a violent narcissist. Last summer, the Palestinian Authority named the youth weapons training camp Al-Asifah after Fattouh’s terror group. The camp indoctrinates, radicalizes and trains children on how to handle automatic weapons. Some boys are as young as 7 years old.

In 2019, Fattouh announced a “day of rage,” dismissed all the children from school, and sent them onto the streets to protest then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement that Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria were lawful.

He is vengeful and calls for public trials and punishment for “the occupation and its leaders for their crimes.”

While there is no evidence that Fattouh is still giving orders to kill civilians, it seems highly unlikely that a man who helped nurture the armed wings of Fatah under Arafat for decades could cut himself off from the action.

This conclusion would also be consistent with extensive research and reporting from some researchers that Fatah’s armed wings never truly dissociated from the Palestinian Authority, even in the best of times. It was all a big charade for former President Bill Clinton, the European Union and the peace proponents.

If there is a succession event, I doubt Fattouh will be able to hold a leadership election in 90 days (30 days more than what was set out by the Palestinian’s ruling documents) when Abbas has been unable to hold one in 15 years.

Sadly, if Fattouh can seize and hold power, the new boss will be just like the old one.

The Tel Aviv Municipality in cooperation with Teder Group will be holding its second annual Tel Aviv-Jaffa Jazz Festival, featuring performances by top local artists, original premieres, collaborations and experimental shows.

The festival will take place from Dec. 12–14 at the Teder at Beit Romano. An additional stage will be set up at the Railway Park (HaMesila), and a special event will be held at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

The events at Teder will span various spaces at Beit Romano and its surroundings—from the Teder courtyard to the "Kisa" club, the "Metamon" hall and the Juanita Garden. Additionally, acoustic performances and breakthrough shows will take place at the extra stage in the Railway Park, all free of charge. 

The festival will also feature DJ sets and lectures.

Highlights will include:

• A tribute performance to Miles Davis and Gil Evans' landmark album "Blues For Pablo," featuring Avishai Cohen and Safi Zizling
• A tribute to celebrate 60 years of the New York-based Fania Records
• "Jazz as Resistance" project with Adi Caesar, Yael Abecassis, Laila Moualem, Roy Hassan, Barak Cohen and Jon Ben-Ari
• Albert Piamenta; Nittai Hershkovitz; Deskell; Deswa; Maayan Linick; Katya Tubol; Tamir Muscat and Tom Meira Armoni; Rami Quartet; Juanita Cohen Smith; Hillel Salem; the Kadosh Brothers; Keren Dan; Prada; Ofer Mizrahi Trio; Liquid Salon; Rejoicer; Maya Donitz; Yonatan Albalak; Ofer Landsberg Trio; a showcase by the Rimon School and more.

A rare prehistoric ritual complex has been uncovered in the depths of the Manot Cave in the Western Galilee, Israel.

The study of this complex, published in the journal PNAS, was led by Dr. Omry Barzilai from the University of Haifa and Israel Antiquities Authority, Prof. Ofer Marder from Ben-Gurion University and Prof. Israel Hershkovitz from Tel Aviv University.

"The rare discovery provides a glimpse into the spiritual world of Paleolithic hunter-gatherer groups who lived in our region approximately 35,000 years ago," said Dr. Barzilai.

"The engraved rock was deliberately placed in a niche in the deepest, darkest part of the cave. The turtle-shell design, carved on a three-dimensional object, indicates that it may have represented a totem or a mythological or spiritual figure. Its special location, far from the daily activity areas near the cave entrance, suggests that it was an object of worship. Notably, there are prehistoric caves in Western Europe, with similar findings testifying these places held symbolic importance and served for ritual and communal activities," he added.

In the course of the study of the complex, the researchers uncovered ash remains in one of the stalagmite rings near the engraved rock, confirming the use of fire to illuminate the ritual space, likely with torches. Acoustic tests revealed that the complex possesses enhanced natural acoustics, which could have created a unique auditory experience for communal activities, such as prayer, singing and dancing.

"This is an unprecedented discovery of a space with 'audio-visual equipment,' centered around a ritual object (the turtle), which constitutes the first evidence of communal rituals in the Levant," said Prof. Hershkovitz.

"It is no surprise that prehistoric hunters chose to conduct their rituals in the darkest part of the Manot Cave, as darkness embodies sacred and hidden qualities, symbolizing rebirth and renewal. The establishment of ritual centers during the Upper Paleolithic was a central element in the development and institutionalization of collective identity—a necessary stage in the transition from small, isolated hunter-gatherer groups based on blood ties between individuals to large, complex societies," he added.

The chronological age of the ritual complex in the Manot Cave was dated to 35,000–37,000 years ago, a period associated with the sudden emergence of the Aurignacian culture, known in Europe for its symbolic objects and cave paintings.

"In our excavations in the Manot Cave, we uncovered rich Aurignacian layers near the cave entrance that included flint tools, bone and antler implements and shell beads," said Prof. Marder.

The Manot Cave is particularly well-known for its stunning stalactites and remains of habitation from several prehistoric cultures of the Upper Paleolithic period. Among its notable discoveries is a 55,000-year-old modern human skull, the oldest modern human fossil found outside Africa.

In a small, hidden chamber adjacent to the ritual complex, a complete deer antler with signs of use was discovered.

"Antlers were used as raw material for crafting tools for various purposes by Upper Paleolithic cultures in Europe, and by the Aurignacian culture in the Levant. The placement of the deer antler in a hidden chamber adjacent to the ritual site may be connected to the ritual activities in the cave," explained Barzilai.

According to the researchers, the discovery of the ritual complex in the Manot Cave sheds new light on the spiritual life of the Upper Paleolithic people in the Levant.

"This research enriches our understanding of prehistoric humans, their symbolic world and the nature of the worship rituals that connected ancient communities. Identifying communal rituals in the Paleolithic era marks a breakthrough in our understanding of human society and offers more than just a glimpse into ancient ritual practices. It reveals the central role of rituals and symbols in shaping collective identity and strengthening social bonds," they said.