Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Monday that the Civil Administration, an agency in the Defense Ministry, has declared 170 dunams (42 acres) of land surrounding the Herodium archaeological site in the West Bank region of the Etzion Bloc as “state land,” meaning land that is not privately owned and can be used for various purposes, including settlement development.As you might imagine, reaction to this development is mixed.[...]
For many PaleoJudaica posts on Herod the Great's palace-fortress, Herodium, and its excavation, start here and follow the links. For the archaeology of the Gush Etzion region more generally, see here and links, plus here and links, here, and here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
