An attempt to pave a road from the city of Shechem (Nablus) toward the site of Joshua's Altar on Mount Ebal was thwarted Thursday morning after residents of the Mitzpe Yehoshua outpost spotted heavy construction equipment operating in the area.
The residents alerted the security coordinator of a nearby community, reported the incident to the IDF, and arrived at the scene. According to the residents, the equipment operators stopped working and fled toward Shechem, while one of the construction vehicles was seized and confiscated.
The incident occurred near the Mitzpe Yehoshua outpost, which was established close to the ancient site on Mount Ebal. According to the residents' account, several pieces of heavy construction equipment were being used to pave a gravel road intended to connect Shechem with the area of the altar.
Upon discovering the work, the residents contacted security officials while simultaneously advancing toward the construction equipment in an effort to prevent the paving from continuing.
They claim that as soon as the equipment operators noticed them approaching, they stopped working and began fleeing back toward the city of Shechem. One piece of equipment was left behind and seized.
Residents of the area claim that this was not the first attempt to pave a road from Shechem to the site of Joshua's Altar, and that similar attempts had been made in the past, which they attribute to the Palestinian Authority.
According to the residents, previous attempts to pave the road were thwarted through the efforts of local residents and patrols by IDF forces.
The residents link the construction work discovered Thursday morning to what they describe as broader Palestinian Authority activity at historical sites and water sources throughout Judea and Samaria.
Among the sites they mentioned were Tel Aroma, the Hasmonean palaces in Jericho, the springs of Wadi Zarqa in Binyamin, and Nahal Kana in western Samaria.
"Recently, we have been identifying unusual activity by heavy construction equipment in the area, and it appears that the Palestinian Authority is trying to revive its plan to take control of the site of Joshua's Altar, here on Mount Ebal," one resident said.
"Benayahu Melet, may God avenge his blood, who was killed in a serious terrorist attack near Havat Gilad three months ago, led the struggle to stop the plan."
According to the resident, following Melet's death, a decision was made to establish the Mitzpe Yehoshua outpost near the altar in order to maintain a permanent presence in the area and prevent further attempts to pave the road.
"After his murder, we decided to establish an outpost here near the altar, understanding that this was the only way to put a definitive stop to the plan, and the results are evident on the ground," he said.