Current sectionWest Bank NewsLandowner says settlers diverted water, planted Israeli flags and barred Palestinians from approaching • Smotrich allocated 3 million shekels for the site's development and preservationShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeMatan Golanand Nir Hasson07:57 PM • June 24 2026 IDTThe Finance Ministry plans to invest millions of shekels in developing an ancient archaeological site in the West Bank's Jordan Valley, located on privately owned Palestinian land that settlers seized and turned into a tourist attraction, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said earlier this week.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:PalestiniansIsrael settlementsWest BankIsrael archaeologyBezalel SmotrichHuman rightsIsrael occupationCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesIranKeir StarmerLebanon EisenkotNetanyahuAlan GreespanHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIsrael's Strategy Has Failed. Why Can't Netanyahu's Opponents Say It Out Loud?NY Primaries Send a Clear Message: Democrats Must Reckon With Israel, AIPACThe Iran War's Real and Only Winner1.5 Years, 98 Hearings: Netanyahu's Testimony in His Graft Trial Comes to an EndCanadian Human Rights Museum Faces Backlash Over Nakba Exhibit Ahead of OpeningRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIWhere Does Andy Burnham Stand on Israel and Palestine?As the World Watched Gaza, Israeli Settlers Charged Ahead in the West Bank. A Clash Is ImminentIsrael Is Conducting a Systematic Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing in the West BankNetanyahu's Mouthpieces Turn on Trump, Revealing a Deeper Israeli IngratitudeIsrael Is Bleeding Support in U.S. and Pouring Tens of Millions to Change ThatTrump's Iran Deal Castrates Netanyahu, but It's Still Catastrophic for Israel