Meir Rotter, a police officer and Land of Israel researcher, recovered an ancient carved stone bearing a menorah engraving from the Dhnaba neighborhood in Tulkarm.
The recovery followed information he received in 2017 from Land of Israel researcher Ze’ev (Ze’evo) Erlich, of blessed memory, who said that during a visit to the area he noticed a stone embedded in the door post of a structure in the older part of the neighborhood.
According to a report in Haaretz, Rotter visited the site on Friday together with IDF soldiers. After searching, he located the stone, which had been removed from its original place and was found hidden in one of the courtyards.
Rotter told the soldiers that after Erlich’s visit, “the residents likely understood that there might be something here that could be worth money, worth gold."
He added: “In today’s search in the village, we found this stone hidden, discarded in one of the courtyards, and we will of course rescue it. This is a matter of heritage, something connected to our culture, to Samaria, Israel-and we are returning a lost item to its owners."
However, Israel Police clarified that “the activity described is not known to the Israel Police, and the officer did not act on its behalf." His involvement will be reviewed.
The IDF stated that the incident is known and under examination, and that procedures on the matter will be clarified. It was also noted that the item itself is not in the possession of military forces.