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Israel's President Orders Investigation into Damage at Site of Joshua's Altar

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JERUSALEM, Israel – President Reuven Rivlin called on Israel’s military to investigate damage to an ancient site believed to be where Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mt. Ebal.

Rivlin wrote in a letter to Defense Minister Benny Gantz that reports of the altar’s damage concerned him “deeply.”

“I am writing to you to thoroughly investigate the case in order to ensure no further such damage is done to heritage sites,” Rivlin wrote.

“As sovereigns in our land, we do everything possible to ensure freedom of worship and to protect and honor the holy sites of all religions living in it. It is inconceivable that we, who are rooted in these heritage sites all across the country, do not ensure that our heritage sites are protected against all kinds of damage and harm,” the president said.

The site believed to be Joshua’s Altar. By Hoshvilim - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The holy site is located in Area B of the West Bank, territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The IDF only has civilian control over Area A of the West Bank.

The altar is located near the Palestinian city of Nablus. The city’s municipality said the damage was accidental and was caused by construction workers building a nearby road.

“We are currently working on renovating the road that connects the village with the eastern part of Nablus,” the municipality said. “The work is being carried out by a private contractor, who apparently caused damage to a wall near the road. The contractor will repair the damage, which was caused unintentionally.”

The site believed to be Joshua’s altar rests in biblical Judea and Samaria. describes Joshua building an altar to God “as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel.” There, Joshua read the whole law of Moses to the children of Israel including the blessings if they obey God and the curses if they abandon Him.

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About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle