By TPS • 3 April, 2019

Israelis on a hike in the Jericho area came upon a gruesome scene:  an ancient Jewish burial tomb that had been exposed by local Arabs in the course of construction work had been looted, and human remains were scattered throughout the area.

The ancient burial caves on the outskirts of Jericho date back to the Second Temple era, part of the extensive burial grounds of the Hasmonean palace uncovered at the site. The cave was recently exposed in the course of landscaping work carried out by Arab farmers, who bulldozed the site to prepare the ground for agricultural work.

Professor Rachel Hachlili of Haifa University’s Zinman Institute of Archaeology, who studied this region, identified these caves as the largest Second Temple-era burial ground in Israel.

The hikers, who visited the site over the weekend, were appalled by what they found. Human remains were strewn everywhere on the freshly-tilled ground, the catacombs were thoroughly ransacked and looted, and the sarcophagi that had been resting in the caves for over 2,500 years had disappeared.

Antiquities theft and destruction of archaeological treasures throughout Judea and Samaria is rampant and has become nearly commonplace.

The Regavim organization, an Israeli non-governmental organization dedicated to combating illegal construction which exposed this incident, has sent a constant stream of warnings and documentation to the IDF’s Regional Commander for Antiquities in the Civil Administration, the body responsible for law enforcement in the area.

Yakhin Zik, Director of Operations at Regavim, stated that “the loss of our archaeological record and the ongoing failure to protect and preserve our heritage is an incomprehensible disgrace.”

He called on the government to “approve additional manpower and create standards that will ensure the preservation of antiquities and the severe punishment of looters.”