An illegal Palestinian quarry in Gush Etzion is causing gradual damage to a major archaeological site – an ancient aqueduct that runs between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem.
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The aqueduct, which dates back some 2,000 years to the time of the Second Temple, is considered a marvel of engineering, as it twists and turns for a distance of some 40 km (25 miles) along rocky, hilly terrain that has virtually no incline.
The aqueducts was one of two that brought water to Solomon's Pools, a large reservoir from which three other aqueducts funneled water to Jerusalem and Herodian. However, it is now being damaged by ongoing work at a Palestinian quarry at Beit Fajar.
Video: Shomrim al HaNetzach
The Beit Fajar quarry, one of the largest in Judea and Samaria, was originally established in Area B, but over the years encroached on Area C, which is under Israeli control under the terms of the Oslo Accords. Currently, the quarry occupies some 1,500 dunams (370 acres).
The damage was first identified in 2013. But because much of the quarry is located in Area B, it is difficult to track its development. A few months ago, the extent of the damage thus far was revealed when Azriel Yechezkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology and Yoav Negev of the Israel Cave Explorers Club surveyed the ancient aqueducts.
Yechezkel and Negev said that years of quarry work has caused "irreversible" damage to the aqueducts, with some 100 meters (328 feet) of tunnel and approximately 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) of the aqueduct on either side of the tunnel reduced to rubble.
For over 15 years, the Regavim movement has been fighting a legal battle against the illicit quarry over the environmental damage it is causing as well as the harm it is doing to the land around it.
Adi Shragai, manager of operations at the organization Shomrim al HaNetzach, said, "It's time for the government to understand that national heritage sites in Area B are simply being destroyed and abandoned. We need to stop the quarry's criminal activity."
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