Ariel David is an editor at Haaretz English, and a Tel Aviv-based foreign correspondent for Italian and English-language publications. He worked for five years as AP's correspondent in Rome, covering Italy and the Vatican.
'Italy's Marie Le Pen' is in Matteo Salvini's shadow for now – but 42-year old Giorgia Meloni, who rails against 'international finance' and winks at the Mussolini fans in her base, is slowly but surely building support at home and abroad
Scientists found microbes that survived for thousands of years inside pores in the clay of ancient pottery used to make and store beer and wine
Neo-fascism and a populist glorification of Mussolini's WWII regime is contaminating Italy's culture and politics, from street gangs to intellectual salons to the highest levels of government. And weak, divided liberal democrats are struggling to respond
New research on the Mesha Stele suggests that King Balak, the Moabite leader who according to the Bible tried to curse the Israelites, may have been a historical figure
From the expulsion of the Hyksos to Armageddon, the epic Passover saga does not reflect a specific event, but seems to contain distant memories that may give us clues to the real history of the ancient Israelites
New archaeological evidence and biblical scholarship suggest Shishak wanted to make Egypt great again – but may have inadvertently steered the Israelites into creating a great nation of their own
The seal bears the name of Nathan-Melech, apparently an officer of the Judahite King Josiah, and was found in First Temple-period ruins
Apparently there was a United Monarchy after all, posits biblical archaeologist Israel Finkelstein – just not under the kings Saul, David or Solomon, but centuries later under Jeroboam II
Prehistoric hominins had a sense of beauty, going by mysterious collection of colorful pebbles found in Qesem cave that had no obvious function
Nebi Zechariah once housed Christians and Muslims living together, and now it's going to house a logistics center. Here’s why Israeli salvage digs almost always end in development
Analysis of funerary artifacts in Iron Age burials at Hasanlu, Iran indicates there were three different sets of offerings: for males, females and a 'third gender'
The Sweden Democrats did well in the recent elections and have deadlocked the country’s politics. Now, a trio of researchers has traced just how deep the party’s Nazi roots run
Here are some must-know facts about Rome's anti-immigrant deputy PM, the latest populist leader to be hosted by Israel
Treasure was likely hidden before Crusaders seized the city from Muslim Caliphate in 1101. Owner may have been a local trader killed in the massacre of Caesarea’s population by conquering Christians
Skeletons of severely malformed brothers who survived their maladies (if not the trephination) found in Megiddo show the ancient Canaanites cared for the disabled
The Neolithic-era stone mask could have been a local way to stake a claim to land in the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, archaeologists suggest
Discoverers say this 1st century image of mythological bestiality is ‘exceptional and unique’ for its sensual and explicit portrayal of the episode that ultimately set in motion the Trojan war
For nearly 80 years, the legendary comic-book writer created characters who reflected the hopes, ideas and foibles of modern American Jewry
Pushed by strong results in national votes and backed by the likes of Steve Bannon, far-right forces are set for big gains in EU parliamentary elections – an outcome likely welcomed by Washington and Israel
Prehistoric people in Southeast Asia were decorating their caves with cattle drawings and hand stencils in Borneo as early as 52,000 years ago, thousands of years before the rock artists of Europe
By authenticating artifacts of unknown origin, researchers have unintentionally abetted their dissemination around the world, including to the Bible Museum in Washington
Marcello Foa, the new head of the country’s public broadcaster, repeated a claim that EU lawmakers for Italy’s Democratic Party were paid by the billionaire Jewish philanthropist
Scrambling to save the last unexcavated biblical town from dirt bikers, archaeologists have found layers going back more than 4,000 years, since before Joshua's time
Marcello Foa, a leading voice in Italy's populist movement, says attacks on George Soros are not anti-Semitic, Bannon doesn't understand Europe and international institutions and migration are the real threats
New finds in the 2,000-year-old underground cemetery include the first Hebrew inscription at the site, as well as signs that Christians and Jews may have shared the burial space
For three centuries, the Jews of Switzerland were only allowed to live in two villages. This is their unique story of resistance and survival in the face of persecution
Rudimentary speech bubbles illustrate scenes from the Hellenistic frontier town Capitolias 2,000 years ago – in an incongruous combination of Greek and Aramaic
The oldest extra-biblical reference to Yahweh is in a 3,000-year-old Moabite stele, which boasts of defeating Israel, may mention King David – and paints a very different picture of God than the one we know
Analysis of stalagmites in caves shows extreme cold lasting a thousand years froze Europe around 40,000 years ago – just about when Neanderthals went extinct
Genetic analysis shows ancient Galilean farmers warmly embraced blue-eyed, fair-skinned immigrants from Iran and Turkey in the late Copper Age