The price to pay for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is not just a political one.
The transfer of land may also entail giving up important sites that are full of Jewish history.
Previous instances of land transfers to the Palestinian Authority have included places of rich Jewish biblical heritage, such as Jericho.
If the Palestinians will offer open access to important Jewish sites, then the concern surrounding a land transfer may be negligible.
But, there are reasons to be skeptical. The best example of that is the Western Wall. Before 1967, when the Wall was under control of the Jordanians, Jews were not permitted entrance to this important religious location.
In the West Bank, roughly nine miles southeast of Jerusalem, sits one of the most unusual Jewish sites in all of Israel. It is Herodion, and its future is in the balance due to ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
That is not to say that Herodion will not be retained by Israel in the final-status agreement, but rather, that its future is subject to bargaining. And bargaining is the last thing that the government of Israel should be doing with one of the most ambitious building projects of the Jewish king, Herod the Great.
The Herodion complex of a summer palace, fortress, monument, burial ground and district capital, was built between 23 and 20 BCE.
The complex is divided into two sections: Upper Herodion, which contains a palace set within a circular fortress on a huge artificial cone-shaped mountain, and Lower Herodion, at the mountain’s base, which consists of palace annexes for the use by the king’s family and friends and for the central office of the then-district capital.
After Herod’s death in 4 BCE, his son, Archelaus, took control of the complex until it was captured by the Romans in 6 C.E. In 66 C.E., after the Jewish revolt against the Romans, zealots took control of Herodion and built a synagogue and a mikvah (ritual bath) on the site.
Four years later, the Romans regained command of the complex until 132 C.E., when it was abandoned. The history from then on was one of changing hands. There are records to show that between the fifth and seventh centuries there were churches built on the site.
In 1962, excavations began in Upper Herodion by archaeologists led by a Franciscan monk, Vigelio Corbo. After Herodion returned to Israeli control following the Six-Day War, excavation of the lower complex began in 1972 by Professor Ehud Nezer from the Hebrew University.
Further excavation in the upper complex in 1988 revealed water cisterns, tunnels and hidden apertures for sneak attacks — all witness to the great ingenuity of the builders.
The circular design of Upper Herodion — a circular building surrounded by round towers — was very rare in ancient architecture. At its highest point, the view in every direction is stunning and its strategic importance is simple to understand.
The lower part of the complex was built around a large Roman-style garden surrounded by columns. Annexes surround the garden, and one of these is a large rectangular building that served as a main palace annex. At the foot of this particular building is a 385-yard path that archaeologists believe was constructed for Herod’s funeral procession, as described by the great historian, Josephus Flavius.
Archaeologists believe that one building, known as the “monumental building” was possibly connected to the king’s burial chamber, but so far a grave site has not been identified.
Herodion, which is now under the direction of the National Parks Authority, has been intelligently and extensively developed to allow visitors access to all its unique buildings and tunnels, without spoiling its complex infrastructure.
The pace and diversity of the complex’s development would point to the need for Herodion to remain in Jewish control.