Slain West Bank historian mourned as questions swirl around his IDF trip into Lebanon
Researcher Zeev Erlich, 71, remembered for ‘love of the land,’ long career delving into region’s ancient history; reports indicate foray into danger zone with army wasn’t his first
The Israeli civilian researcher killed in a Hezbollah ambush inside Lebanon may have been attempting to study a rumored burial location for an obscure Christian figure, according to swirling reports Thursday which also raised questions about his past research activities.
Zeev Erlich, 71, was killed alongside Israel Defense Forces Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, during a gun battle with Hezbollah operatives on Wednesday, after entering southern Lebanon, in IDF uniform, with a senior officer, but apparently without official authorization.
The amateur historian, who independently published dozens of academic papers on archaeological research in the West Bank and other parts of the region, was remembered by mourners on Thursday as a stalwart of the settlement movement and an expert on the Jewish people and the land of Israel.
“There was almost no subject concerning the Land of Israel that he did not know. He loved the people of Israel in all their forms,” said Pinchas Wallerstein, a former settlement leader and a close friend of Erlich.
Erlich, who went by the nickname “Jabo,” had entered an area in the western part of southern Lebanon to inspect an ancient fortress thought to be the burial place of an obscure disciple of Jesus, Simon the Zealot.
The location of the apostle’s grave has long been the subject of speculation, with theories placing it in Turkey, the Caucasus, the West Bank or even the British Isles.
Erlich entered southern Lebanon armed and in IDF uniform, though he was not an active duty soldier or reservist.
Erlich and Kehati, of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, were killed when two Hezbollah operatives hiding at the site opened fire on them, while the chief of staff of the Golani Brigade, Col. Yoav Yarom, was moderately wounded. A company commander with the 13th Battalion was also seriously wounded in the incident.
Following his death, the military retroactively recognized Erlich as a major in the reserves, adding him to the tally of troops killed fighting against Hezbollah, despite him not being on active duty when killed.
But the military also raised questions about why he was in southern Lebanon, where ground troops have been fighting since October 1.
On Thursday morning, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi appointed Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Baruch to lead a team of experts investigating the circumstances of the incident and Erlich’s entry into Lebanon.
The probe comes in addition to a military investigation into the incident led by IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, and a separate probe by military police.
According to a preliminary IDF probe, Yarom allowed Erlich to enter southern Lebanon to examine the fortress and accompanied him on the visit.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office said that the colonel did not have the authority to approve Erlich’s entry, and that the proper process for a civilian to enter with troops was not followed.
Erlich’s family insisted Thursday that he had the required approval to enter the site.
“Contrary to the claims of the IDF spokesperson, we can clarify that [Erlich] was conscripted and recognized as a soldier in the field — and the person who informed our family of his death is from the IDF Casualty Unit,” Erlich’s brother Yigal Amitai told the Ynet news site.
He described his brother as “a soldier for all intents and purposes.”
“He entered [Lebanon] for archaeological research — as he always does in Judea and Samaria — but with the approval and accompaniment of the IDF,” Amitai said.
The decision to recognize him as a combat casualty, which the IDF rarely does for those not serving in some capacity, was made by the new commander of the IDF Personnel Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa.
The incident was apparently not the first time the archaeologist has forayed into potentially dangerous territory for his research.
The Haaretz daily reported on Thursday that Erlich had entered Lebanon previously during the period of the IDF’s intensified campaign against Hezbollah, which began in September.
The report gave no details of the previous visits.
In 2012, the Ynet news site reported that he was accompanied by IDF troops to document sites in Karawat Bani Hasan and Dir Ista, both near the West Bank settlement of Ariel.
The Palestinian towns are located in Area B of the West Bank, which the Oslo Accords placed under Palestinian administrative control and Israeli security control. Israeli civilians are allowed to enter these areas, though it is not recommended, and archaeological sites in Area B are under Palestinian auspices.
Though a prominent guide and historian, Erlich did not appear to have any academic affiliations or credentials and appeared to carry out his research independently.
Nonetheless, Erlich published dozens of academic papers and edited a series of books on Jewish history in Judea and Samaria during a decades-long career. He was a founding member of the Ofra Field School, in the West Bank settlement where he lived since 1977.
זאב ארליך לא היה סתם עוד מומחה.
הוא היה הסיפור של כולנו.בן 71 עם אנרגיה של נער בן 17.
היה לו סיפור לכל אבן. היסטוריה בכל שביל. תנ"ך בכיס האחד, מפה בשני. בבית ספר שדה עפרה, שבין מקימיו נמנה, הוא לימד אלפים איך לקרוא את הארץ הזאת כמו ספר פתוח.
בגיל שבו אחרים יושבים בכורסה עם… pic.twitter.com/MJz0FLJjTi
— ????????עמיחי אליהו – Amichay Eliyahu (@Eliyahu_a) November 20, 2024
The researcher is survived by his wife Tamar, six children, and grandchildren.
Erlich was eulogized Thursday by pro-settlement leaders, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who remembered him as “a man of Ofra, a man of love for the people of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the Land of Israel.”
Smotrich added in a post on X, “Senior officers helped him analyze and understand the area and its implications for ongoing security and operations over the years,” and that he had “contributed a lot to the security of the country.”
Wallerstein, a former head of the Yesha settlement council, remembered him on Thursday as a “classic” man, who “just knew the lay of the land and was accepted by all streams of society.”
