Built more than 2,000 years ago to supply Jerusalem with water, Solomon’s Pools have become the center of a modern political dispute, with officials from the nearby Israeli town of Efrat accusing the Palestinian Authority of allowing the historic site to deteriorate after it was placed under Ramallah’s jurisdiction following the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Most archaeologists date the construction of Solomon’s Pools, three ancient reservoirs located between Efrat and Bethlehem, south of Israel’s capital, to the Hasmonean period in the second century B.C. The reservoirs were built to supply water to Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.) later expanded the system to provide water to his palace-fortress at Herodium.
“Solomon’s Pools are not only the history of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and the source of Jerusalem’s living water, but also the future of Efrat in our ability to exercise our sovereignty, preserve Efrat’s development space and sustain tourism for all religions in the area between Jerusalem and Hebron,” Dovi Shefler, mayor of Efrat, told Fox News Digital.
EXCLUSIVE: ISRAELI PRESIDENT HERZOG BLASTS MAMDANI, PRAISES TRUMP, SOUNDS ALARM ON IRAN
The three reservoirs collectively hold approximately 288,000 cubic meters of water, or more than 10 million cubic feet. They are fed by the Arrub and el-Biyar aqueducts, which, together with rainwater, historically supplied Jerusalem with water year-round. During the British Mandate, the pools underwent significant renovations and became known as “Jerusalem’s beach” until the Oslo Accords.
Under the agreements, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. Solomon’s Pools are located in Area A, which falls under Palestinian civil and security control.
Yonatan Marcus, chief of staff of the Efrat Municipality, told Fox News Digital that during the negotiations, then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin maintained that the pools would remain under Israeli control, alongside other archaeological sites of major Judeo-Christian significance such as Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem.
However, during the mapping process, he said, the words “Solomon’s Pools” remained within Area C on zoomed-out maps, while the reservoirs themselves ultimately mistakenly fell inside Area A.
TRUMP’S MASSIVE GOP FAITH BLOC RAISES RED FLAG ON IRAN DEAL: TRUST HIM, NOT HIS TEAM
Marcus said under Palestinian Authority control, things changed for the worse. “When you visit today, you can see that the place is neglected. Much of it has been destroyed. There are signs everywhere in Arabic stating that swimming is not permitted because the pools are filled with sewage water,” he said.
He added that the sewage contamination was not natural, with wastewater deliberately diverted into the pools, replacing the fresh water that flowed there until the Oslo Accords. He said this occurred despite the PLO’s commitment under the agreement to protect historical sites in Area A.
“Our main goal is to protect these magnificent pools. It’s not just about Jewish history; it’s about Judeo-Christian history and whoever believes in the people of the Bible who walked here,” he said.
He described the reservoirs as the largest archaeological pools in Israel, saying they occupy a strategic location between the Western Wall and the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs along Route 60, known as the Biblical Highway.
Although the pools are located in Area A, Marcus said visits by Israelis take place only on coordinated tours secured by the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, as permitted under the Oslo Accords.
He noted that visits by Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have prompted improvements, saying the Palestinian Authority removed about 200 bags of garbage from the site following years of neglect.
CHRISTIAN LEADERS HOLD EMERGENCY SUMMIT IN JERUSALEM TO CONFRONT GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM
“If the pressure of our coming here is going to make them take care of the site, then wonderful. In the end, our goal is for it to be preserved,” he said.
Ahmad Fattouh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, rejected the allegations.
“It’s absolutely audacious that the leadership of the colonial settlement of Efrat claims to be concerned about the condition of Burak Sulaymān’s pools when they are the very reason behind its declining water levels,” Fattouh told Fox News Digital. He said Israeli locals diverted the springs that feed the pools and argued that the Palestinian Authority has restored the site and developed it as a tourist destination.
Fattouh also accused Israeli officials of using the issue to justify taking control of the site, saying Smotrich’s visit showed that the pools were not completely dry, contrary to claims by Efrat officials.
Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron, said the pools are akin to rediscovering a lost part of the Jewish Temple, as they supplied Jerusalem with water for some 2,000 years.
He said preserving the site begins with attracting visitors, producing educational videos, improving access along the new road from northern Efrat, hosting senior Israeli officials and establishing a permanent presence with cameras, patrols and farms.
“Since the story started breaking, the P.A. is trying to build a mosque there. The goal of the P.A. is to stop Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria and the Land of Israel. They are not about developing anything for its own sake,” Fleisher claimed to Fox News Digital.
Fleisher, who is an influential voice among the Israeli right, called for a radical change in policy. “What we really have to do is dismantle the P.A. and assert sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. In the meantime, the line should be redrawn so that Solomon’s Pools, which are essentially archaeological sites, are placed under Israeli control in Area C,” he said.
Holy Land battle: Solomon’s Pools become flashpoint in fight over Israel’s biblical heritage 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-08-04 10:53:51 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
