A serious phenomenon in Judea and Samaria: Due to the war, Palestinians are taking advantage of the lack of attention to heritage sites, and are currently carrying out wild and unprecedented robberies at archaeological sites throughout Judea and Samaria.
Suspicion of deliberate arson in Gush Etzion// Photo: Judea and Samaria Spokesperson's Office
Guardians of Eternity, a coalition of organizations for the preservation of heritage sites in Judea and Samaria, reports that due to the closure of Judea and Samaria, robbers are combing the ground in order to extract ancient coins and sell them.
Organizations speak of unprecedented destruction and demand urgent action to remedy the situation. "The audacity of the robbers is growing, with the understanding that there is no manpower for enforcement because most of the enforcement personnel are recruited," Adi Shragai, the organization's activity coordinator, told Israel Hayom. "We documented extensive damage in broad daylight, with bandits operating openly with reservoirs (excavators) repeatedly without fear.
Palestinians in Judea and Samaria exploiting the war for evil purposes (archive), photo: Tazpit Agency
"In Khirbet Kafr Fidia in West Binyamin, for example, the site of a Jewish settlement from the Second Temple period with mikvehs and remains of buildings, robbers have been operating with heavy tools for more than two weeks. In other sites such as Tel Tekoa, Khirbet Jamwarura in the western Hebron Hills and Tel Aroma, the damage was greatly accelerated and the sites sustained heavy damage."
The motives are also nationalistic
According to Shragai, the Palestinians' motives are not only financial but also nationalistic and extreme, and there are even those who seek to harm heritage sites. "Hostile elements are trying to vent their anger on national heritage sites, which are located in close proximity to Palestinian population centers, and are taking advantage of the already tense period to harm them for nationalist motives.
IDF activity in Judea and Samaria. Increase enforcement, photo: IDF Spokesperson
"The solution is to increase enforcement through the IDF, and the many reserve forces are already on the ground, but the army refrains from fearing disturbances and setting the area on fire, and in the meantime the sites are being deleted. We call on the defense minister and the government not to abandon the historical sites even during this complex period, so that the day after we will not discover that we have no history left."
Guardians of Eternity said: "The massacre on 7.10 exposed to the world the desire to wipe Israel off the map, and there is no better evidence of Israel's eternity than the remains at heritage sites. An attack on history is an affront to the people of Israel, and we must not allow it. We call on the IDF to pay attention to the escalation, to enforce and deal with heritage offenders severely, before it is too late."
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