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Source: https://www.jns.org/report-pa-is-eradicating-a-hasmonean-era-fortress-in-samaria/
Report: PA Is Eradicating a Hasmonean-Era Fortress in Samaria
(JNS) The Palestinian Authority, taking advantage of the absence of Civil Administration inspectors during the coronavirus shutdown, is consolidating its takeover of Tel Aroma, a Hasmonean fortress in Samaria, according to Israeli NGO Regavim. On Sunday, a fleet of heavy engineering tools from the PA arrived at the site and paved a road leading toward the remains of the fortress. Situated on a commanding ridge controlling the passage between the Jordan Valley and the heart of Samaria, Tel Aroma is the northernmost of eight fortresses established by the Hasmonean Kingdom to protect Israel's eastern border. The Hasmoneans were the descendants of the Maccabees. Senior PA officials recently held a ceremony to declare the fortress a "Palestinian Heritage Site," though their installations at the site have caused the destruction of the fortress wall and reservoirs.