Occupation Seizes 4,600 Dunams of Land from Sebastia and Burqa North of Nablus

SadaNews - The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission revealed that Israeli occupation authorities have seized a total of 4,600 dunams of land from the towns of Sebastia and Burqa in Nablus Governorate through an appropriation order targeting the archaeological site in the area.

The head of the commission, Minister Muayad Shaban, stated that this decision represents a serious escalation that is part of a plan that relies on "infiltrating the antiquities" as a means of gradual annexation, by using the Palestinian archaeological heritage to reinforce Israeli control and turning it into a settlement and political tool. He clarified that this step is not isolated but comes in the context of ongoing legislative and legal moves through which the occupying state aims to impose actual annexation of the West Bank under the pretext of protecting archaeological sites.

Shaban pointed to a proposed bill in the Knesset by right-wing members that aims to expand the powers of the Israeli Antiquities Authority to include lands in the West Bank, which effectively means annexing these lands within the administrative and legal structure of the occupation, opening the door to a form of masked legal annexation.

He added that this escalation came after extensive government measures in which the occupation government announced allocating massive amounts to control archaeological sites in the West Bank, as it claims to have identified 3,064 Jewish heritage sites in various parts of the West Bank, including 2,452 sites in area (C), which is entirely under occupation control.

The minister continued that the occupation government allocated 32 million shekels in May 2023 to develop Tel Sebastia as an archaeological tourist site, in a move that expresses a clear political project aimed at reshaping the identity of the place and imposing an Israeli narrative at the expense of the Palestinian historical narrative.

Shaban confirmed that the current announcement follows a series of military orders issued two months ago, which included 63 archaeological sites in the provinces of Nablus, Ramallah, and Salfit, indicating a strategic expansion aimed at controlling archaeological sites and their geographical surroundings.

Minister Muayad Shaban called for widespread Palestinian, Arab, and international action to confront the appropriation decision and to expose the occupation's use of cultural heritage as a legal cover for annexation, emphasizing the need for urgent legal objections and activating diplomatic and legal tools in this issue.

Shaban concluded by stating: Our heritage, identity, and archaeological sites are an integral part of our existence on this land, and we will not allow them to be turned into tools that justify settlement or legitimize annexation. We will continue to work on all levels to protect our land and our civilizational heritage from the occupation's projects.