Jewish residents of Mitzpe Yehoshua intervened to stop Palestinian bulldozers from advancing toward Joshua's Altar on Mount Ebal, an ancient biblical site.
What happened
On October 29, heavy equipment began carving a road toward the altar site before residents alerted a nearby security coordinator and the Israeli military, prompting the equipment operators to flee.
The residents accused the Palestinian Authority of reviving a road project aimed at reaching the archaeological site, which they believe is an attempt to take control of the site.
The site has been the subject of controversy in the past, with a PA contractor destroying part of an ancient outer wall in 2021 and further development plans prompting protests in 2023.
The residents' determination to protect the site is also motivated by a recent killing, in which a 32-year-old father of two who opposed the road project was killed while defending Jewish hikers from a Palestinian terrorist attack.
