Israel’s archaeological plans in Sebastia risk ‘heritage apartheid,’ Israeli NGO tells ‘Post’

Israel's efforts to control historic archaeological sites at the expense of the Palestinian residents constitute "heritage apartheid," according to Alon Arad, executive director of the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh. Arad told The Jerusalem Post that Israel's actions prioritize its own access to sites over the rights of Palestinians living there.

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Israel’s investment in ensuring access to historic archaeological sites at the expense of the Palestinians who live there is a form of “heritage apartheid.”

His comments follow UNESCO's recent designation of Sebastia as a World Heritage site. Palestinian officials had hoped this designation would prevent Israel from seizing hundreds of acres of land in and around the town. The archaeological site, located in Area C near Nablus, is adjacent to a village in Area B whose economy depends on tourism from the site and its olive groves. Israel's plans to seize control, announced in November, have caused significant concern among Palestinians.

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The land of the Jewish people belongs to the Jewish people. No international organization, certainly not one that acts time and again out of anti-Israel bias, will determine the identity of our heritage sites or rewrite the history of the Jewish people.

Arad views Israel's land seizure attempts as politically motivated, countering the Israeli government's frequent defense that it needs to assert control over key sites due to alleged Palestinian looting and destruction. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu stated that "the land of the Jewish people belongs to the Jewish people" and that Israel is securing its national heritage against attempts to erase its identity or distort its historical narrative.

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Therefore, we are acting to secure the future of our national heritage sites. As part of this effort, we have advanced the expropriation of lands in the area of the Sebastia site to ensure its protection against any attempt to erase its identity or distort its historical narrative.

Arad dismissed these claims as "fake news" spread by settlers and the state. He asserted that the people of Sebastia embrace the site as part of their identity and benefit from tourism. He demanded evidence for Israel's claims, noting that Palestinians attempting to access the site for preservation often face arrest by the Civil Administration. "It's quite hypocritical to claim that the Palestinians are destroying the site without providing any supporting evidence, and then use that argument to justify annexation," Arad argued.

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It's quite hypocritical to claim that the Palestinians are destroying the site without providing any supporting evidence, and then use that argument to justify annexation through the expropriation of land and development of the site by the Israeli side, while completely ignoring the Palestinian community. That's simply hypocrisy.