In the hills above the Roman columns of Sebastia, where olive groves have been lovingly tended by Palestinian families for generations, the Israeli authorities are making a land grab - 450 acres, to be precise, for a 'major new national park.' Because nothing says 'protecting heritage' like evicting the people who've been the actual custodians of it for centuries.
Abu Mudif, one of the landowners, received the cheerful notification that his land is now part of the expropriation tranche. Typically, Palestinian landowners receive little or no payment for such land seizures, and most refuse what's offered, seeing acceptance as legitimizing the loss of their patrimony. For Abu Mudif, it's not just a loss of vital income - it's 'like having your soul ripped away.' Because who needs a soul when you have a national park?
Nahed Sakha, who owns a local restaurant under threat of demolition, notes that the Israeli plan seems designed to sever Palestinian residents from an archaeological site that boasts remains from the ancient Jewish past, Romans, Crusaders, and Ottomans - basically a greatest hits of history. 'Restoration work has now begun along with excavations,' he says, 'Landowners were told that no-one would be allowed to use or plough their land.'
Unesco, never one to miss a dramatic declaration, has now designated Sebastia not just a World Heritage Site but also added it to the List of World Heritage in Danger. The threat? The 'planned expropriation and creation of the Samaria (Shomron) national park, which could divide the property.'
Village mayor Mohammed Azem stands on a path dividing Area B (Palestinian civil, Israeli security control) from Area C (full Israeli control), pointing at rubbish in the ruins. Locals are now afraid to even clean the area, lest they provoke Israeli security forces and settlers. Because archaeology is a contact sport.
Last week, Israel allocated roughly 113 million shekels (£27.8m) to expand its control over West Bank archaeological sites, including those in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority. Israeli activist Alon Arad, head of Emek Shaveh, which champions the heritage of all communities, says Israel bypassed consultation with local residents: 'Israel is not the owner of this place. This is a Palestinian heritage site.'
The Israeli plans would move Sebastia's entrance away from the village and current car park and shops, effectively cutting off the local economy. Palestinian tourism and foreign ministries hope Unesco's recognition will bolster international support against the seizures. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, however, dismisses Unesco's move as enabling Palestinian efforts to diminish historic Jewish ties to the West Bank. 'No vote in an international organisation can change history,' he asserts, apparently unaware that history is often rewritten by those with bulldozers.
Further south, at Herodium - a manmade hill with a palace built by King Herod - Israel has begun expropriating about 80 acres for 'preservation and development.' Peace Now, the Israeli settlement watchdog, points out that under international law and Israeli Supreme Court rulings, Israel is prohibited from expropriating land for settlement purposes or solely for Israeli citizens. The state will likely argue the site serves both populations, despite the apparent reality that its purpose is settlement expansion and control.
Shmuel Browns, an archaeologist who has worked at Herodium, insists Israel feels responsible for looking after the archaeology and history of the land. But far-right members of Israel's government proposed a law earlier this year that would transfer control of archaeological sites from the military-run Civil Administration to the heritage ministry, granting sweeping powers to seize land. The bill passed its first reading in May but is now on hold pending elections - perhaps not dead, just sleeping.
Alon Arad warns that archaeology itself has been weaponised: 'You use archaeology to do excavations and to the narrative, to rewrite history, but you also use it to allocate lands or reallocate lands from Palestinian to Israeli.' As Palestinian residents of Sebastia increasingly fear losing their connection to the ruins, one wonders if the next excavation will uncover a sense of irony.