The ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine have reached a boiling point with the latest threat from Israel to seize ancient water reservoirs near Bethlehem. This move, driven by Israeli extremist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, is not just an attempt to control land and water resources but also a significant challenge to the historical narrative of the Middle East and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The water reservoirs, known as Solomon's Pools, date back to the second century BCE, with the main construction carried out by the Romans. They are a testament to the engineering prowess of ancient civilizations, with a combined capacity of 250,000 cubic meters, making them one of the largest surviving water systems from that era. The pools have been a source of recreation for locals and a sanctuary for Bethlehemites, who have been using them for swimming, bathing, and picnicking.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse in May when Smotrich and another hardline Israeli politician, Zvi Sukkot, threatened to seize the site. They had police drive Palestinians away from the area to be filmed swimming in the middle pool, with Smotrich declaring, 'This is our land.' Since then, settlers have become more frequent, and on July 10, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas while children swam in the pools, sparking outrage in Palestine.
The outrage is not just due to the archaeological importance of the pools but also because it represents a frontal assault on the PA. Under the second Oslo Accord of 1995, Solomon's Pools was classified as Area A, under Palestinian civil and police control, as part of the wider Bethlehem area. This division of the West Bank into areas A, B (Palestinian civil and Israeli military control), and C (full Israeli administration) was intended to be a halfway stage to eventual Israeli withdrawal and the creation of a Palestinian state.
However, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his far-right coalition have accelerated the spread of Israeli settlements across the West Bank, attempting to cripple an independent Palestine at birth. The seizure of Solomon's Pools would set a dangerous precedent, suggesting that parts of Area A could be appropriated at will by ministers, further eroding the Oslo Accords.
The justification for the takeover has been laid down by hardline Israeli propagandists, who argue that the PA has allowed the site to fall into disrepair. However, the PA Waqf, the religious endowment that owns the site, had ambitions to develop it for tourism, but these were crushed when Smotrich withheld the PA's tax and excise revenues, starving it of funds. Additionally, the site is not uniquely Jewish, as it was named after the Ottoman sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, who restored Jerusalem's walls and water supply in the 16th century.
The situation raises deeper questions about the role of archaeological sites in political conflicts and the attempts to reshape history to promote a single historical narrative. As Eman al-Titi, the head of Bethlehem's tourism and antiquities department, stated, 'Archaeological sites should never become instruments of political conflict.' The ongoing tensions and threats highlight the complex and often conflicting interests and narratives surrounding the land and water resources in the region.
