3 Million Shekels Allocated to Restore Historic Pools Near Einot Pezael

A budget of 3 million shekels, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, will be allocated to renovate the historic pools near Einot Pezael, also known as Herod's Pools. The decision came after tours of the site last week by officials from the Settlement Administration, the Civil Administration, and MK Zvi Sukkot.

The work will begin immediately. Water flow will be redirected through the pool so it can remain full for a longer period, and an immediate survey will examine whether safety work can be carried out along the pool's edge. In the longer term, the plan calls for development and preservation of the entire site, from the spring to the pools below it, in a broader project worth more than 3 million shekels.

Smotrich said the funding is part of a wider effort by the Settlement Administration to strengthen control over historic sites and turn them into thriving, safe, and accessible tourism destinations for hundreds of thousands of visitors. He said, "We are strengthening settlement not with words, but with actions and millions of shekels on the ground."

Sukkot said the neglect of Herod's Pools had been "a simple injustice." He welcomed the swift involvement of Smotrich and the Settlement Administration, said the immediate repair already underway would ensure water flow and swimmer safety, and urged the public to come in large numbers to hike, bathe, and connect with their roots.