Israeli authorities are seizing Palestinian heritage sites across the occupied West Bank, using archaeological preservation as a cover for territorial expansion and the erasure of Arab cultural identity, +972 Magazine reports.
🔴 In February, Israel's Civil Administration issued an expropriation order covering over 2 square kilometers around the archaeological site of Sebastia, including privately owned agricultural land – the largest land seizure for antiquities in the West Bank to date
🔴 Palestinian authorities warn that the land grab threatens the town's archaeological heritage and what remains of its tourism-based economy
🔴 Local crews have been threatened and prevented from cleaning the site
🔴 A similar order in Nabi Samwil, near Jerusalem, encompasses the village mosque and adjacent agricultural land
The stated purpose is archaeological "preservation," but critics note that excavations do not require permanent land seizure.
🔊 "What we are witnessing is not archaeology for the sake of scientific research," said Sebastia's mayor, Mohammad Azzam. "It is an attempt to reshape history and impose a new reality through facts on the ground. When historical evidence cannot be altered, the occupation tries to impose its narrative through the barrel of a gun."
An urgent Palestinian bid for UNESCO recognition of Sebastia may offer some protection, but heritage groups caution that even World Heritage status is not a guarantee against settlement expansion.
Once land is declared an "archaeological site" or "antiquity zone," Israeli authorities can expropriate it, restrict Palestinian access, and deny building permits. With the land under Israeli control, the government can then develop infrastructure for tourism, establish settlement outposts, or expand existing ones—all under the guise of "preserving Jewish heritage."
The pattern is already apparent: Israeli settlers have moved into areas around archaeological sites in Hebron and Silwan, and the same approach is now being applied to Sebastia and Nabi Samwil, where Palestinian residents face isolation from their own land.
The Knesset recently advanced legislation to transfer control over West Bank archaeology to a civilian body operating under Israeli law.
♦️ More than 2,600 heritage sites are at stake, including sites with no connection to Jewish history, such as Christian and Muslim landmarks
♦️ Palestinian residents are barred from maintaining sites within their own towns, while Israeli excavations continue
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