The owner of an illegal scrapper that operated near the village of "Dir Sharaf" in Samaria, which posed a risk to a nearby archaeological site, cleared, by order of the Civil Administration, some of the vehicles that invaded the site and the waste that was there.
The existence of the scraper was revealed in an article in "Shishab" about two months ago.
This is a scrapyard located next to an archaeological site called Al-Khirba, where there are the remains of an impressive Samaritan synagogue, which is attributed to the period of the Second Temple.
Benches, columns and mosaics were discovered there, including a beautiful mosaic with a description of a menorah that is currently displayed in the "Good Samaritan Museum", not far from the city of Ma'ale Adumim.
Head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan // Archive photo: Oren Ben Hakon,
Five years ago, an illegal Palestinian car scraper began operating near the site.
The scrapyard has slowly expanded, and the scrap cars it handles are lying in the area of the archaeological site, and car parts are dumped at various points.
The damage from the scrapers, it must be explained, is not limited to damage to the findings on the surface of the ground, but also includes the percolation of harmful chemicals into the ground, which in turn may damage the historical remains found below the surface.
"I continued a little along the path, until I discovered before my eyes the shocking sight of archaeological remains that are dominated by abandonment and neglect, and among them and within them are strewn parts of vehicles, from doors and windshields to engines and exhaust pipes," Regavim field coordinator Menesh Shmueli told "Israel Hayom" in an article about the destruction of archeology in Israel. Q. "I got out of the car and walked between the columns and the parts of the walls, which used to be used by a magnificent Samaritan synagogue, and the smell of burnt rubber and machine oil carried in the air."
Now, under pressure from the Regavim movement, the Samaria Regional Council, the Kedumim Council, and after the publication in Israel Hayom, the owner of the scraper partially cleared the vehicles and waste, this by order of the Civil Administration.
"Palestinians' damage to Jewish heritage sites in Judea and Samaria and the attempts to steal history happen every day," said Menesh Shmueli following the evacuation of the vehicles.
"It is gratifying to see that a step has been taken to correct the situation, even if it is very small and was only carried out after heavy pressure on our part and on the part of other factors in the settlement, but the road is still long and long. The enforcement authorities must fight and protect the archaeological sites in particular, and the open areas in general."
This is not the only step taken by the Civil Administration this week as part of the war on Area C. After ten months of struggle by the head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, and the residents of West Samaria, the security forces in combination with forces from the Civil Administration's supervision unit, the Ephraim Brigade, the Ephraim Police Headquarters and the MGB , destroyed this morning (Thursday) the Palestinian "Casbah" that was built illegally at Gitti Avishar intersection in Samaria.
This brings to an end a long struggle of many months.
The "Kasbah" was built illegally about a year ago by Arab residents of the area and created a dangerous traffic and security hazard for vehicles passing through the intersection, which is one of the most central and important in Samaria. The staff of the Samaria Regional Council and the head of the council himself monitored the demolition. This is the second time that the Civil Administration has destroyed the The illegal site, the place was destroyed in the past and rebuilt.
The head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, welcomed the demolition of the compound and said: "We stand for the security of our residents, the safety and quality of life of the residents, and no less than the dignity of Samaria. Samaria will not be the backyard of the State of Israel. The struggle is not over, I am sure that they They will try to build again. We will be here to monitor and ensure that this does not happen."
Matan Peleg, the chairman of the Am Tiratze movement, which was part of the struggle, said: "We are very happy that the Civil Administration and the security establishment decided to destroy the illegal market at the Gitti Avisher intersection. It is not possible that on the one hand they will destroy Jewish homes and on the other hand they will allow Arabs to set up an illegal market tens of meters away from a Jewish settlement and a central junction in Israel. We will continue to fight the illegal construction in Area C in order to maintain Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. Congratulations also to the head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, for his consistent activity on the issue."
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