Israel says that work has begun on a development project around an outdoor pool in the occupied West Bank filled after settlers illegally diverted water from a Palestinian village over the summer. Instead of restoring the water to the village of Fasayil, near Jericho, Israeli authorities are working to formalise what has now been termed “Herod’s Pool”, named after an ancient Jewish king. On Sunday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right settler, announced that “development and preservation” of Herod’s Pool had commenced, connecting it to a larger project to “strengthen [Israel’s] hold” on and preserve historical sites.
The announcement follows Smotrich’s June pledge of more than three million shekels (almost $1m) to develop the site, even though the pool sits on privately-owned Palestinian land belonging to a farmer. The illegal diversion of water to the pool is part of Israel’s monopolisation of water resources in the occupied West Bank’s fertile Jordan Valley. It also marks the latest Israeli seizure of Palestinian land in the name of archaeological heritage.
Here’s what we know about the Herod’s Pool project. Herod’s Pool is the name Israeli settlers have given an ancient reservoir that lies in the Palestinian village of Fasayil. It is named after Herod the Great, a Jewish king from the first century BC.
The reservoir sits next to a natural spring. Although settlers claim it once belonged to King Herod, archaeologists have not established when the pool was built. Alon Arad, executive director of Emek Shaveh, an Israeli NGO that defends cultural heritage rights and monitors the political use of archaeology, told the news agency that the pool’s origins are unclear.
Israeli politicians and settlers have also sought greater Israeli control over “Solomon’s Pools”, three ancient reservoirs in Bethlehem governorate, which have been used by Palestinians for generations. Palestinians say the targeting of their water sources is part of a comprehensive plan to seize the resources of the occupied West Bank and force them off their land. The reservoir sits on land belonging to Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer and his family.
Nemer says that his grandfather purchased the property more than a century ago. Israeli-issued documentation and older title records reviewed by support the family’s ownership claim. Nemer said that settlers had been repeatedly redirecting water from his farm to swim in the pool.
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