Israeli Forces Attack Palestinians At Solomon’s Pools Near Bethlehem, Firing Stun Grenades And Tear Gas

Israeli enemy forces attacked Palestinians at Solomon’s Pools on Friday evening, storming the area between the town of al-Khader and the village of Artas south of Bethlehem and firing stun grenades and tear gas at Palestinians picnicking in the area.

The Yemen-based outlet وكالة سبأ said no injuries were reported, while WAFA Agency said Israeli occupation forces unleashed barrages of stun grenades and teargas canisters at Palestinians picnicking at the site and also reported no injuries.

- IMEMC News

WAFA said the pools are located between the town of Al-Khader and the village of Artas and described them as part of an ancient water system that served Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The same WAFA report said Israeli forces have recently escalated their attacks on the site through repeated incursions and the firing of tear gas canisters, which on previous occasions resulted in suffocation cases among Palestinians.

وكالة سبأ added that Israeli enemy forces carried out 1,261 raids and incursions during the past month of May, targeting Palestinian cities, towns and camps in the West Bank.

Mondoweiss described how, just days after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stormed Bethlehem’s Solomon’s Pools in late May accompanied by hardline Knesset member Zvi Sukkot, residents from Dheisheh refugee camp arrived with Palestinian flags and jumped into the pools.

Mondoweiss quoted Smotrich saying, “It is unacceptable that such an important site remains under the control of the Palestinian Authority,” and added that he declared, “We will change this situation soon and ensure it is reopened to all citizens of Israel.”

Haaretz

The same Mondoweiss account said Israeli authorities intensified targeting after Smotrich’s visit, including closing the site by firing tear gas and stun grenades and beating three young men after arresting them.

Muhammad al-Laham, described by Mondoweiss as a local activist who helped organize the initiative at the Pools, said, “The occupation is trying to turn the pools from a space for leisure and rest into a confrontation zone.”

Palestinian News Network reported that Bethlehem’s executive and advisory councils held an emergency meeting to confront Israeli plans targeting appropriation of the Solomon’s Pools archaeological site, with Bethlehem Governor Mohammad Taha Abu Alia calling it a “growing threat.”

Palestinian News Network said Bethlehem Governor Mohammad Taha Abu Alia stressed a multi-level response that included strengthening Palestinian presence at the site, pursuing legal action, and launching an international media and diplomatic campaign.

The same report quoted Tourism and Antiquities Minister Hani Al-Hayek saying protecting archaeological sites requires partnership between official institutions and local communities, and it said participants called for establishing a permanent daily presence at the site and forming protection committees.

Palestinian News Network also reported that Civil Affairs Director Nader Zoul said Bethlehem was witnessing an “accelerating settlement escalation,” including a project to expand the settlement of Efrat onto Bethlehem land.

In the same context, George Bassous, director general of Solomon’s Pools Tourism Company, stressed raising public awareness about the site, while Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Hanania said “the conflict with the occupation is a battle of narrative.”

WAFA framed the pools as an archaeological and historic site in the occupied West Bank that has come under threat of Israeli takeover, and it linked the latest escalation to Smotrich’s late-May tour and his claim that the site’s continued management by the Palestinian Authority is “unacceptable.”