Despite explicit pledges by representatives of the Trans-
Israel company, the Ministry of Transportation and the
Antiquities Authority to halt damage and destruction of
ancient graves recently discovered along the planned route
for the Trans-Israel Highway, last week workers continued
with devastating excavations. Police brutally arrested dozens
of chareidim who came to protest the disturbing
desecration.
Burial caves have been found at two of the highway's work
sites. At Site 10, located near Moshav Meor, seven splendid
caves containing over 100 graves and a magnificent stone used
to seal the tomb were uncovered. Archaeologists date the
graves -- indisputably Jewish -- to the Roman Period.
At the second site, located outside Chadera near Shaar
Ephraim, two burial caves were found along the planned route.
Trans-Israel promised to place them 5-6 meters (15-18 feet)
away from the highway by building a supporting wall, but
despite these pledges, in addition to special engineering
plans to avoid damaging the graves, company executives
decided to carry out destructive excavation work.
During a meeting last week at Site 10, Deputy Minister Rabbi
Meir Porush, Chief Rabbinate Bureau Director Rabbi Rafael
Frank and representatives from the Antiquities Authority,
police, Transportation Ministry and the Trans-Israel Highway
agreed that all excavation work would cease immediately and a
more formal meeting would be scheduled to discuss engineering
solutions to avoid harming the graves.
Although the Antiquities Authority, Transportation Ministry
and paving contractor Derech Eretz consented, just minutes
after the meeting ended archaeologists resumed destructive
excavation work, until dozens of chareidi protesters and
activists from the Association for the Prevention of Grave
Desecration arrived on the scene.
On Tuesday, when Derech Eretz workers began to desecrate
graves at the Shaar Ephraim site, House Committee Chairman MK
Rabbi Moshe Gafni arrived and proceeded to obstruct further
excavations with his own body. The excavation work stopped
for several hours but resumed on Wednesday. Burial caves
collapsed when the area was dynamited, leaving none intact.
Arab laborers could be seen, surrounded by human bones and
coffins.
In the evening Rabbi Gafni discussed the problem with Prime
Minister's Bureau Director Avigdor Yitzchaki and with
Transportation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi. Hanegbi promised to
insure the agreements would be honored.
Activists from the Association for the Prevention of Grave
Desecration say that when the project began five years ago
contractors sought solutions to problems that arose, but
recently their attitude took a sharp turn. Although
engineering solutions have been presented, highway
contractors are now unwilling to consider them.
Several attempts have been made to ask businessman Lev
Levayov, who heads the Derech Eretz parent company Africa
Israel, to exert his authority and have the grave
desecrations stopped, but so far to no avail.
