One recent Thursday afternoon, an armored bus stood waiting at the entrance to the settlement of Shavei Shomron. Inside the bus, a group of travelers awaited a military jeep to accompany them to one of the most significant archaeological sites in the area: Tel Sebastia – or as it’s known in Hebrew, Samaria National Park.
In the meantime, the guide warned of a high chance of stones being thrown at the vehicle along the way: “Mark Twain also copped stones here,” he said, smiling. He then pulled out a copy of an image of Sebastia that remains scorched in Israeli public memory: Hanan Porat and Rabbi Moshe Levinger being held carried aloft by the crowd, their arms outstretched and faces beaming.
The photo, taken in 1975, is a symbol of one of the settler movement’s greatest victories: Following a mass protest at Sebastia’s old railroad station, located at the foot of the archaeological site, the government accepted the protesters’ demands to settle a military outpost. This eventually became the settlement of Kedumim – the first in the area following the Six-Day War and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
— source Jews For Justice For Palestinians | Hagar Shezaf, Nir Hasson | Sep 16, 2021