Israel orders seizure of land in northern West Bank, including key archaeological site

By Awad Rjoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Israel has issued an order to seize 2,000 dunams (494 acres) of land in the northern occupied West Bank, including a major archaeological site near the town of Sebastia, a Palestinian official said Tuesday.

Moayad Shaaban, head of the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said the expropriation order targets land belonging to the towns of Sebastia and Burqa in Nablus governorate. He described the measure as a direct continuation of an earlier notice of intent issued on Jan. 18, 2025.

Shaaban said the decision reflects a broader policy of using legal and administrative tools to advance settlement objectives, adding the land would be allocated exclusively for illegal Israeli settlers.

He warned that the order extends beyond the archaeological site itself to surrounding agricultural areas, including olive groves owned by Palestinian residents, effectively expanding Israeli control over the area.

Sebastia, located along the main road between Nablus and Jenin, covers approximately 4,777 dunams (1,180 acres). According to the Palestinian Tourism Ministry, the site dates back to the Bronze Age and contains remains from multiple civilizations, including Canaanite, Roman, Byzantine, Phoenician and Islamic periods.

In November last year, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the Israeli Civil Administration was preparing to expropriate privately owned land in the area to develop the Sebastia site, including extensive olive orchards belonging to Palestinians.

Earlier this month, the Israeli government adopted additional measures expanding enforcement powers in parts of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority, citing construction, water and heritage-related violations.

In July 2024, Israel’s parliament approved a preliminary reading of a bill which sought to apply the Israeli Antiquities Law to the West Bank and authorize the Israel Antiquities Authority to operate there.

A new version of the bill was introduced in December last year, whose purpose was to extend Israeli authority over antiquities and heritage sites in the West Bank with the aim to include Areas A and B — where the Palestinian Authority has civilian control — under the scope of its applicability.

Israel has intensified operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since launching its military campaign in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. Palestinians view the escalation -- including killings, arrests, displacement and settlement expansion -- as a step toward formal annexation of the territory.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref