Roman ruins stand prominently on a hilltop near Sebastia, a site that Israel announced in November it was seizing. The Byzantine-era church lies partially hidden in the shade, while Roman columns emerge from among olive trees, and even older ruins linked to Israelite kings are overgrown. To the west, the Mediterranean is just visible on the horizon, with the hills of the occupied West Bank rising to the north and south.
Community Concerns and Livelihood Threats
In the small town of Sebastia, located just a hundred metres or less east of these ruins, residents are deeply worried. Mahmud Azem, the mayor of Sebastia, received a notice from Israeli authorities in November announcing the seizure of the entire sprawling hilltop archaeological site adjacent to the town. Although reports of an Israeli government project to develop the site have circulated for several years, the notice came as a shock. Most of the 3,500 Palestinian residents rely on either tourism at the site or their olive orchards there for their livelihoods.
The current development plans include a visitors' centre, a car park, and a fence that will separate the ruins from the rest of the town. This barrier will cut residents off from the ruins and any surviving olive orchards, exacerbating economic hardships. Mahmud Azem, aged 50, expressed his dismay, stating, "Unfortunately Sebastia has gone into a dark tunnel. It is an aggression against Palestinian landowners, against olive trees, against tourist sites and it is a violation of the history and the heritage of Palestine."
Unprecedented Land Seizure and Political Context
The expropriation of 182 hectares (450 acres) at Sebastia marks the largest ever seizure of land for an archaeological project since Israel occupied the West Bank following its victory against Syria, Egypt, and their Arab allies in 1967. Supporters of the project in Israel argue that the site has been undeveloped for decades and highlight its identification as the capital of a northern Israelite kingdom known as Samaria between the 9th and 8th centuries BC.
However, critics contend that this heritage project is part of a broader surge in the expansion of Jewish settlements across the West Bank, forcefully promoted in recent years by Israel's ruling coalition government. They assert that any historical significance is merely a pretext for a massive land grab. Much of the area marked for expropriation by Israeli authorities is privately owned, setting a new and dangerous precedent, according to campaigners.
Weaponisation of Archaeology and Ideological Motives
Alon Arad of Emek Shaveh, an Israeli NGO dedicated to maintaining ancient sites as public assets for all communities, faiths, and peoples, warned that archaeology is being "weaponised." He explained, "What is planned for Sebastia is really unprecedented in its scale. And it is very cynical. It is not about history, it is really just about land and annexation."
The multimillion-dollar redevelopment project for Sebastia is being driven by members of the far-right ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, which is part of Israel's coalition government, the most right-wing the country has ever seen. A new access road to the site will bypass Sebastia entirely, allowing tourists to arrive directly from Israel, with expansion of a large Jewish settlement just a kilometre or so from the site also expected.
Amichai Eliyahu, the Israeli minister of heritage and a member of Otzma Yehudit who lives in a West Bank settlement, is an outspoken advocate for annexing the entire territory. In a statement last year, he said, "Sebastia is one of the most important sites in our national and historical heritage. Our desire is to breathe new life into the site and make it an attraction for hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, which will strengthen the connection between the people, their heritage, and their country."
Complex Historical Narratives and Local Perspectives
The complex and multilayered past of Sebastia, revealed through excavations over the last century, has allowed partisans on both sides to selectively emphasise the significance of the site's history. Leaders of the settlement movement in Israel have accused the Palestinian Authority and local representatives in Sebastia of seeking to erase the site's biblical significance and its connection to Jewish history. Israel now refers to the occupied West Bank by the names of the two iron age kingdoms that ruled over its approximate extent: Judaea in the south and Samaria, or Shomron in Hebrew, in the north. The new site in Sebastia is to be known as the Shomron national park, according to plans.
Wala'a Ghazal, the curator of a small museum set in the courtyard of a 13th-century mosque in the town, argued that focusing on just one moment in Sebastia's complex story is misguided. The mosque, rebuilt by the Ottomans, was once a Crusader cathedral that originally served as a Byzantine church and houses the tomb of John the Baptist. She stated, "There has been continual habitation. It is not right just to focus on one or other period. Samaria happened in the iron age but there were people living here before then."
The kingdom of Samaria was destroyed when the Assyrians invaded in 722 BCE, according to archaeologists. Later, Alexander the Great destroyed another settlement there, which was then rebuilt by King Herod and renamed in honour of Emperor Augustus. Over subsequent centuries, Sebastia came under Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Ottoman, and British rule.
Broader Implications and International Concerns
Other Israeli government-backed archaeological projects elsewhere in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem have also faced criticism for being motivated more by ideology than a genuine search for knowledge. For instance, a major dig in a Palestinian neighbourhood in Jerusalem, managed by the City of David Foundation and run by Elad, an Israeli settler group, has been accused of displacing Palestinian families and using controversial laws to take over Palestinian property.
An EU report in 2018 noted that Elad's projects in parts of East Jerusalem were being used "as a political tool to modify the historical narrative and to support, legitimise and expand settlements." International law prohibits an occupying force from developing or interfering with archaeological locations. Sebastia has been inscribed since 2012 on Unesco's tentative list of world heritage sites for the State of Palestine.
Economic Impact and Future Uncertainties
Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, few tourists have visited Sebastia, but residents had been hoping for a return of the hundreds who came daily before. Mahmud Ghazal, who lives adjacent to the remains of the Roman-era basilica and forum, faces particular hardship. His home, gift shop, and restaurant straddle the line set to be the new, uncrossable fence around the site, overlooking the tumbled columns and marble ruins. The 63-year-old expressed pessimism, saying, "This development plan will destroy Sebastia. They will take everything from us."
The situation in Sebastia highlights ongoing tensions in the region, with heritage sites becoming focal points in broader political and territorial disputes. As development plans proceed, the future of this historic location and the community that depends on it remains uncertain, underscoring the deep-seated conflicts over land, history, and identity in the West Bank.
