Residents of the West Bank town of Sebastia have reacted with anger after Israeli authorities announced the seizure of a sprawling archaeological site, which they say is a pretext for a land grab and settlement expansion. The notice, received in November by Mayor Mahmud Azem, covers 182 hectares (450 acres) of land, including privately owned olive groves and ruins dating back to Roman, Byzantine, and earlier periods.
Most of the 3,500 Palestinian residents depend on tourism or olive farming for their livelihoods. The planned development includes a visitors’ centre, car park, and a fence separating the site from the town, cutting off access to the ruins and remaining orchards. “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,” Azem said.
Critics say the project is driven by far-right members of Israel’s coalition government, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who lives in a West Bank settlement and advocates annexation. Alon Arad of the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh described archaeology as being “weaponised”, calling the scale of the seizure “unprecedented” and “cynical”, adding it is “not about history, it is really just about land and annexation”.
Supporters of the project argue the site, identified as the capital of the ancient northern Israelite kingdom of Samaria, has been neglected for decades. Eliyahu said the aim is to “breathe new life into the site and make it an attraction for hundreds of thousands of visitors a year”. A new access road bypassing Sebastia will allow tourists to arrive directly from Israel, and expansion of a nearby Jewish settlement is expected.
The expropriation is the largest for an archaeological project since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. Campaigners warn it sets a dangerous precedent, as much of the land is privately owned. The site is to be renamed the Shomron national park, reflecting the Hebrew name for the region.
