Israel’s answer to Abbas: After the ‘Palestinian’ Authority tried to claim the Herodium and turn it into a ‘Palestinian’ heritage site, hundreds of citizens, government ministers, and public figures arrived at the archaeological site in Judea and Samaria Tuesday evening for a ceremony centered entirely on Israeli sovereignty. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said, “They’re trying to steal our history.”
Hundreds of participants—including U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, ministers, ambassadors, and researchers from Israel and around the world—attended the opening event of the International Conference on Israeli Heritage and Antiquities in Judea and Samaria, produced by Matan Israel. For the first time in roughly 2,000 years, the Herodium site once again served as a gathering place for a mass event in the heart of the Judean Desert. The opening ceremony of the international conference, initiated by the Heritage Ministry, took place today.
One of the evening’s highlights was the presentation of the Heritage Award to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, who participated in the opening event and conference activities. The ambassador’s participation expressed the growing international importance of the conference and the central status of the Land of Israel’s historical and archaeological heritage in public and academic discourse.
International Conference on Israeli Heritage and Antiquities in Judea and Samaria | Photo: Eliya Aviv, C14The event took place at the Herodium site as part of the Heritage Land Route project—the Heritage Ministry’s national initiative to develop, upgrade, and make heritage sites, biblical locations, and Jewish historical sites in Judea and Samaria accessible—and transformed one of the world’s most important heritage sites into a living space of culture, heritage, and national identity. At the center of the evening was the massive production “Herod vs. Bar Kokhba: The Battle for Eternity,” which brought to life the site’s story and the historical tension between imperialism and sovereignty, between Herod and Bar Kokhba, precisely where the events themselves took place thousands of years ago. Dozens of actors, live music, installations, street performances, and pyrotechnics turned the Herodium into a living city from the ancient world for one night.
The International Conference on Israeli Heritage and Antiquities in Judea and Samaria, led by the Heritage Ministry, brings together researchers, archaeologists, and heritage professionals from Israel and around the world, and serves as a central platform for discussion of antiquities, heritage, and the historical identity of the Land of Israel. The opening event at the Herodium illustrated the Heritage Ministry’s vision to transform Israel’s heritage sites not only into archaeological sites, but into centers of life, culture, tourism, and education—connecting the Jewish people’s glorious past with future generations.
Event producer Matan Israel told C14. “This is one of the most moving and elaborate events we’ve had the privilege to be part of. It’s a great honor for us to produce something like this. Despite the threats and attempts by enemies to take this piece of history out of Jewish hands—the scale of this event demonstrates how serious we are about our connection to these places. These are the roots!”
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said: “There are those who claim Israel is isolated and that relations with America are troubled. There are those who turn to UNESCO and try to steal our history. Today they’re invited to look at the Herodium, at the international archaeological conference, and at a 2,000-year-old pool that has come back to life. This is our answer, to those who weaken us from within and without—not in words, in deeds.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee: “My job is to represent the United States to the Israelis, but it’s also my job to represent the meaning of Israel to the U.S.—your heritage is also our heritage. Without your heritage, there is no heritage for the United States. The only way to cancel Israel’s heritage is to close your eyes and plug your ears, because the history is carved here on every rock.”
Benny Har-Even, Staff Officer for Archaeology: Great things are happening in archaeology in Judea and Samaria. The land continues to reveal the foundational chapters of Jewish history—find after find, the ancient roots keep emerging and being revealed.
Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Yaron Rosenthal: “The Herodium mountain fortress palace is one of the most important and interesting heritage sites in the world. In recent years, together with the Staff Officer for Archaeology and with the Heritage Minister, we are advancing massive development of the pool complex restoration and many more points of interest at this important site with the goal of making it the number one archaeological site in the country.”