From Biblical Mt. Ebal in Samaria, Israel Monitors Security Threats to the East

MOUNT EBAL, northern Samaria (West Bank) – As Muslims across the Middle East and the world mark their holy month of Ramadan, Israel remains on heightened alert against possible violence. Ahead of the Muslim fasting month, CBN News visited an important military installation, which some call the eyes of Israel to the east. It's also a significant biblical site. 

Mt. Ebal, known in the Bible as the mountain of cursing, faces Mt. Gerezim, the mountain of blessing.  Both are mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy, chapter 11, as God prepared to bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land.  

"So, the Mount of blessing (is) full of houses. The Mount of Curse (is) completely empty. Nobody comes here,” IDF Reserve Brigadier General Amir Avivi told journalists at the site. The tour was organized by Media Central.  

Avivi, Founder of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) also points out that the biblical connection goes back even further.

“You see in front of us a Jewish town called Elon Moreh, situated at the very, very place where Abraham – when he came into the Land of Israel, after he left his home – this is the first place Abraham came to,” Avivi explained. 

“So the first place mentioned in the Bible that has connection to the Land of Israel is this very place that we're standing here,” Avivi said atop Mt. Ebal, overlooking Elon Moreh and the Palestinian Arab city of Nablus, biblical Shechem.

Avivi says that’s significant because the only thing on Mt. Ebal is a military base, with a view from the Mediterranean Sea to the country of Jordan.

“It’s only 70 kilometers. It's 45 miles. This is how small this country is and when you sit on this mountain, you basically control everything,” Avivi said.

He adds that without the base, Israel couldn’t control its borders.

“We're talking about air defense. We're talking about intelligence. This is how crucial this is for us,” he said.

“This is where the technical means are located in order to enable Israel to have advanced warning for any type of threat that may present itself to Israel, coming from the east. So, I'm talking about Jordan, Iraq, and even further than that,” explained Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, also from the Israel Defense and Security Forum.

Which leads to Iran, the country with nuclear ambitions, threatening to wipe Israel off the map. The International Atomic Energy Agency said earlier this year that Tehran has developed its enriched uranium to near weapons grade.

“The Iranians are bringing money to any group that is getting organized – like (the terror group) Lions’ Den for example. Even Lions’ Den, that is not Hamas, it's not Islamic Jihad, and it's not Palestinian Authority. They got money from Iran,” said Avivi.

Avivi says Iran’s influence-peddling also helps undermine and dismantle the Palestinian Authority.

Conricus explained that, “There's a very weak and corrupt Palestinian Authority that isn't stopping that from happening. There are external factors, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and Iran, that are trying to influence the situation in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem in order to bring about violence.”

Avivi adds that Iran is thinking bigger than the Middle East by reaching into places like North Africa to pit Algeria against Morocco.

“Iran wants global domination. We made peace with Morocco, for example, and Morocco signed with us a military MOU (Memo of Understanding), the first military MOU in the Arab world.

“So, when you talk to Morocco officials and you say, ‘guys, why did you do peace with Israel? Why are you signing an MOU?’ The answer is (due to) Iran's involvement by weaponizing Polisario,” he said. (The Polisario Front is a rebel nationalist liberation movement that claims the Western Sahara.)

And, according to Avivi, that global ambition is what would make a nuclear Iran much more dangerous than the world wants to believe. 

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