Officials stop illegal building by palaces of Second Temple 'Hanukkah hero'
Catching the vehicles before construction started likely prevented damage from being done to the current and future archaeological findings.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA soldier is seen walking towards construction vehicles at an illegal construction site in the West Bank(photo credit: Courtesy)
On Sunday, a unique site located near the Palestinian community of Jericho and dating back to the Second Temple period was saved from potential damage and destruction, the Archaeology Unit at the Civil Administration said in a press release via the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).During a routine patrol, Civil Administration officials identified construction taking place without a permit at the archaeology site. Bricks, cement and other building materials were found in various construction vehicles, which were immediately confiscated. The Civil Administration is Israel’s governing body in the West Bank.The suspects were detained by the Maale Adumim police and brought in for questioning.The site is significant as it shows what Hasmonean life was like a short time before the destruction of the Second Temple, the release explained. The area is littered with burial caves of the three generations of Hasmoneans who lived there.Catching the vehicles before construction started likely prevented damage from being done to the current archaeological findings and any future findings near what are thought to be Hasmonean palaces built by the grandchildren and great grandchildren of the Hanukkah hero, priest Mattathias.Head of the Civil Administration Archaeology Unit, Hanania Hizmi, said that the historical sites in the West Bank “cannot be damaged” and that “the archaeology unit works tirelessly to develop and preserve the archaeological sites” in the West Bank.Incidents like these are not uncommon. Last Thursday, illegal construction was also halted when a truck carrying equipment destined for a site near ancient Jewish burial caves was identified by officials.Director of the Civilian Control Unit, Marco Ben Shabbat, said that the Civil Administration will use “all the tools at our disposal” to continue preventing illegal construction from taking place at archaeological sites in the West Bank.
