An earthquake, 5.0 on the Richter Scale, struck shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday, shaking buildings in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Gaza Strip. One person was injured. Israel Radio reported a crack in the ceiling of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament.
Channel 1 showed a map highlighting areas of the capital believed to be especially vulnerable to damage in a major quake, pointing out that the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock - both straddling Israel's Temple Mount - were most at risk.
Reports noted that long ago, the finger of God was seen writing a message of doom on the wall of a king's palace, after he defiled objects sacred to God. Major quakes are also foretold by the prophet Zechariah and in The Book of Revelation.
