הריסת הבניה הלא חוקית
הריסת הבניה הלא חוקיתצילום: דוברות מתפ״ש

Members of the Inspection Unit and the Archaeology Command Unit at the Civil Administration, in cooperation with the Coordination and Liaison Administration in Ramallah, and accompanied by IDF and Border Police forces, carried out enforcement activities today (Tuesday) at the Khan a-Luban archaeological site near Ma'ale Levona in the Binyamin area.

The activity was carried out after illegal construction in the area of ​​the site was identified in recent months by the coordinators of supervision in the Civil Administration.

As part of the activity carried out today, all construction additions built on the Khan were demolished, including doors and windows, as well as the foundations of the building and the fence that was placed on the site.

The Khan a-Luban archaeological site has been a declared antiquities site since the British Mandate, where archaeological excavations were carried out by the Civil Administration's Armed Forces Unit in 2013.

Excavations revealed that the site was inhabited from the Hellenistic period to the early Muslim period. The Khan, built during the Mamluk period, served as a transit station for convoys on their way to Jerusalem, and later served as a police station during British and Jordanian rule.

The director of the Civil Administration's inspection unit, Marco Ben Shabbat, said: "The enforcement activity carried out today is another step in the Civil Administration's effort to eradicate the illegal construction phenomenon throughout Judea and Samaria, while maintaining the rule of law. We will continue to work harder against illegal construction in the area, including against construction that harms archaeological sites, using all the tools at our disposal."

Civilian Archaeology Staff Officer Hanania Hizmi added, "The illegal construction phenomenon at the archaeological sites is a painful and destructive phenomenon that directly harms the archaeological findings. The Civil Administration will continue to act harshly against violators of the national heritage and the history of the region."