The legend is that the great rulers of Canaan, the ancient land of Israel, were all men. But a recent dig by Tel Aviv University archaeologists at Tel Beth-Shemesh uncovered possible evidence of a mysterious female ruler.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS Elementary and high school pupils in Beit Shemesh no longer conserve water and electricity as a matter of course, according to the results of a citywide survey, part of a new educational initiative.

Emergency officials in Israel have ordered the evacuation of hundreds of hikers from wilderness areas plagued by an outbreak of wildfires, firefighters said.

Ultra-Orthodox men threw stones at buses in Beit Shemesh, Israel, protesting that the buses were not kosher because men and women weren't seated separately. One driver was injured and another driver was forced to fire shots in the air to evade the demonstrators, YNetNews.com said.

BEIT SHEMESH, Israel (AP) - Rain and snow on Thursday disrupted a plan by a group of Jews from Houston, Texas, to fulfill the wish of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who had asked from space that millions of trees be planted in Israel.NASA officials joined 130 members of the Houston Jewish community for a memorial ceremony at the Jewish National Fund's American Independence Park, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.