Israel moves to develop disputed reservoir in Fasayil
Work on Herod’s Pool is under way on land claimed by a Palestinian family, while the water diversion that affected a farmer’s irrigation remains under investigation.
Israeli authorities have begun developing and preserving Herod’s Pool, a reservoir in the Palestinian village of Fasayil in the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the work on Sunday, linking it to a project to strengthen Israeli control over historical sites.
The announcement follows Smotrich’s June pledge of more than 3 million shekels for the site. The reservoir is on land claimed by farmer Saad Nemer’s family. Israeli documentation and older title records reviewed by Reuters reportedly support the family’s ownership claim.
Nemer says settlers repeatedly diverted water from his farm to the pool, damaging his irrigation and leaving farmland scorched and greenhouses empty. He has also alleged threats and an assault on an employee.
COGAT, the Israeli military body administering the occupied West Bank, acknowledged that water had been diverted “without authorisation” and said it would investigate. Nemer said water returned for one day before being cut off again; the report gives no findings from the investigation.
The pool is beside a natural spring, but archaeologists have not established when it was built or whether it is connected to Herod the Great. Its name reflects a historical claim that remains unproven.
