It featured a zodiac, animal and human figures as well as intricate decorations that were later discovered to be part of a 6th-century synagogue nestling in the lower approaches to the Gilboa mountain range.

The discovery was made on land purchased by the Jewish National Fund and marked within the boundaries set down for Kibbutz Hefzibah.

But permission was still necessary from the British Department of Antiquities before any archaeological excavations could be carried out on site.

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