NGO urges Israeli authorities to protect Second Temple-era site in Samaria

Regavim alleged that the area has been converted into an agricultural plot through plowing, planting and fencing operations, while unauthorized structures have also been erected.

By JNS

An Israeli NGO on Tuesday called on authorities to halt illegal Palestinian agricultural development at an ancient archaeological site in northern Samaria, saying the works were damaging antiquities and encroaching on state land.

The Regavim movement, a research-based advocacy organization focusing on land use and sovereignty issues, said it had sent an urgent missive to “relevant authorities” highlighting the developments at Khirbet Farsin, an archaeological site located about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the Jewish community of Hermesh in northern Samaria.

According to Regavim, the Palestinian Authority has caused damage to four adjacent plots at Khirbet Farsin, which contains remains dating back roughly 2,000 years to the Second Temple period.

The historical site features a Jewish ritual bath, or mikveh, burial caves, underground passages and Ottoman-era structures.

Regavim said aerial photographs indicate that land-clearing and road construction at the site began in 2021 and has accelerated significantly over the past two years.

The work is being carried out using heavy machinery without archaeological supervision, causing irreversible damage, it stressed.

The group alleged that the area has been converted into an agricultural plot through plowing, planting and fencing operations, while unauthorized structures have also been erected.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, described Khirbet Farsin in a Regavim statement as one of the sites “that tell the story of the Jewish people’s presence in the Land of Israel over thousands of years.”

“Every effort must be made to preserve and protect it,” he added, warning that a “living history book is being erased before our eyes.”

Roi Drucker, Regavim’s field coordinator for Judea and Samaria, said the case reflected a broader pattern of damage to Jewish heritage sites across the territories.

“This is one more example of a widespread and destructive phenomenon in which historical heritage sites throughout Judea and Samaria are being trampled and destroyed,” said Drucker.

Knesset lawmakers last month approved in its first reading the Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority Bill, aimed at establishing the state’s direct responsibility for antiquities, heritage and archaeological sites in the area.

Under the proposal, the body would function as an independent professional administration tasked with improving and streamlining the management of heritage sites, while reducing damage to them.

Data gathered by Regavim indicates that there are some 6,000 sites of historical and archaeological importance in Judea and Samaria recognized by the scientific community, with about 2,300 having been officially declared protected archaeological sites.