Cultural watchdog denounces Israeli land seizure to develop West Bank archaeological site

Israeli cultural watchdog Emek Shaveh denounces a decision to seize some 1800 dunams (445 acres) of land in the West Bank at the ancient archaeological site of Sebastia.

“Residents reported that the expropriation will severely restrict access to agricultural lands and could lead to the loss of roughly 3,000 olive trees, some of them centuries old,” says the left-leaning group, which describes its mission as “protecting ancient sites as public assets that belong to members of all communities, faiths, and peoples.”

The Civil Administration, which manages civilian affairs in the West Bank, said last week that it had begun to expropriate the land in the West Bank for the “preservation and development” of an archaeological site.

The land surrounds the archaeological site of Sebastia, near Nablus, which is thought to have been the capital of the northern Israelite kingdom in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE.

The site itself sits in Area C, the area of the West Bank under Israeli security and civil administration.

The adjacent Palestinian village of Sebastia had developed a tourism industry around the site, which will be threatened by the new development plans, which include a separate Israeli road, a fence around the site, and an entry fee.

Left-wing groups have criticized the seizure. Peace Now, another Israeli settlement watchdog, has pointed out that the latest land seizure was the largest ever carried out for an archaeological purpose.

Rossella Tercatin and Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.