Haredi Jews protest construction site over alleged ancient burial ground
Haredi Jews protested a Yehud building over possible ancient graves. Police acted. Tombs were found; the origin was unknown, and 300 homes were planned.
Ultra-Orthodox (haredi) demonstrators protested at a construction site in the central city of Yehud over the last few days, saying claims that the new construction is located atop an ancient Jewish burial site.
Footage from the scene showed a group of haredi men lying on the ground at the construction site and pouring soil into areas of the site that had already been excavated.
Border Police officers were seen dragging the protesters away from the site on Tuesday.
According to the protesters, several hundred Jewish graves dated to the Second Temple era are located beneath the construction site. In a statement sent to its residents, the Yehud Municipality stated it was 'aware of the incident' caused by 'a fringe haredi group that objects to the construction at the site.'
Real estate and development firm Aura Israel, which is carrying out the construction, was threatened with a boycott by the group, with videos of protesters emerging on Monday showing haredi men gathering outside the reported home of Aura Israel's founder and owner, Yaacov Atrakchi.
While claims of an ancient Jewish burial ground have yet to be substantiated, the Israel Antiquities Authority told The Jerusalem Post that 'preliminary inspections indicated the presence of archaeological remains.
In a statement, the IAA said it had initiated a preliminary excavation of the site commissioned by Aura Israel. 'The excavation is revealing tombs dating to the Roman period and the Bronze Age. At this stage, it is not possible to attribute the finds to any specific ethnic group. Such conclusions may emerge in more advanced stages of the research,' IAA added.
Plans would see the construction of 300 new housing units in six new apartment buildings ranging from four to 12 stories tall.
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