Less than a month after Channel 14 aired an investigation exposing decades of Arab water theft at the Herodian pools in the Jordan Valley, the historic site has been refilled and hundreds of visitors flocked there over the weekend. Now Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has decided to allocate roughly 3 million shekels (~$825,000) to renovate, preserve, and develop the entire area.
Knesset members Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionist Party and Avichai Boaron of Likud, who led the fight to stop the theft, said the move “restores Israeli sovereignty over our heritage sites.”
The ancient pool—which stood empty and desolate during Channel 14’s filming due to systematic water theft over the past 30 years—was refilled last weekend and immediately drew crowds of Israeli visitors.
2+After the report aired, Sukkot and Boaron launched a determined campaign across all relevant government agencies to immediately halt the illegal water diversion. The results came quickly: last Friday, hundreds of visitors arrived at the pool, now filled to capacity and restored as a thriving natural attraction.
But refilling the pools is just the opening shot. Channel 14 has learned that Smotrich made the strategic decision to fund the site’s renovation and preservation with an unprecedented sum of roughly 3 million shekels, money that came directly from his initiative as finance minister and minister in the Defense Ministry.
2+The budget will be invested in developing and preserving the entire historic site, from the spring source down to the pools below. According to the plan, work will be carried out along the entire water flow route, with the goal of permanently upgrading the site and eventually turning the pool into a regulated, safe swimming facility for the general public.
The massive preservation and development work, made possible by Smotrich’s special budget allocation, is expected to begin as soon as September. It’s a sharp and clear governmental statement against attempts by hostile elements in the area to take control of Jewish historical assets.
2+The message to our enemies is clear and unambiguous: the heritage sites, historic locations, and natural sites of the State of Israel belong to the people of Israel and no one else. The land of our forefathers will return to its glory, and the Herodian pools will continue to stand as living testimony to our deep roots in this land.