Palestinian fears are escalating over Israeli efforts to seize the "Solomon's Pools" archaeological site south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Moves led by officials in the Israeli occupation government are described as an attempt to alter the legal and historical status of the site, which is considered one of the most prominent archaeological landmarks in the occupied West Bank.
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This follows statements made last May by extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he called for canceling the understandings that granted control of the site to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords. He deemed keeping the site under Palestinian administration a "historical mistake," coinciding with a rise in incursions by settlers and the occupation army into the area surrounding the pools, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
Archaeological Site
"Solomon's Pools" is one of the oldest water storage systems in the region, with its beginnings dating back to the second century BC, before the Romans later expanded its facilities as part of a massive engineering project to transport water to Jerusalem via aqueducts and water tunnels stretching for about 13 kilometers.
During the Ottoman era, a third basin was added, and a fort was built to protect the water sources. Later, the British Mandate authorities upgraded the pumping system by adding pumps and metal pipes between 1923 and 1948.
Although the pools stopped supplying Jerusalem with water decades ago, they have become a natural breathing space for the residents of Bethlehem and neighboring villages, especially with the shrinking of open spaces due to settlement expansion.
Escalation of Incursions
According to local residents, settler incursions into the site have increased in recent months, particularly after Smotrich and Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot visited the location last May. During that visit, Palestinians were cleared from the area to document the visit of the Israeli officials, who demanded the imposition of Israeli control over the site.
On July 10, Israeli forces raided the site, using tear gas canisters while children were swimming inside the pools, an incident described by residents as unprecedented.
Mahmoud Jaber, a local activist and gardener from the village of Artas, said: "This is the only place now in all of Bethlehem where you can find a place to sit and enjoy the water, shade, and green space, and now they are trying to steal it."
Legal and Political Dimensions
Under the Oslo II Accord signed in 1995, Solomon's Pools fall within Area "A," which is under Palestinian civil and security administration.
Alon Arad, an Israeli archaeologist and executive director of Emek Shaveh—an organization dedicated to protecting archaeological sites—said: "This site is being weaponized to undermine and effectively cancel the Oslo Accords." He added: "There are 6,000 archaeological sites in the West Bank, and only a tiny fraction of them have any link to Jewish heritage."
Palestinian officials warn that any Israeli move to control the site could set a legal precedent allowing for the expansion of Israeli intervention inside areas supposed to be under Palestinian Authority control, impacting the future of the agreements signed between the two sides. This follows a prior decision taken by the occupation government earlier this year to impose its control over the perimeter of the "Rachel's Tomb" site inside the city of Bethlehem, which sparked widespread Palestinian criticism at the time.
An Attempt to Falsify History
The controversy is not limited to administrative control of the site but extends to the historical narrative associated with it. Israeli officials claim the site holds special significance in Jewish heritage, relying on its commonly used name, "Solomon's Pools."
In contrast, historians and archaeologists point out that this naming does not reflect the historical origin of the structures, as the construction of the pools began centuries after the era attributed to King Solomon. Its primary expansion dates back to the Roman era, followed by successive additions during the Ottoman and British periods.
Eman Al-Titi, head of the Department of Tourism and Antiquities in Bethlehem, said: "Archaeological sites should never become tools for political conflict. This issue goes beyond mere control over the land itself; it also involves attempts to rewrite history and promote a single historical narrative that does not reflect the archaeological evidence or the multiple civilizations that contributed to enriching Palestinian cultural heritage over thousands of years."
