In the hills above the Roman columns of the ancient site of Sebastia in the occupied West Bank, olive fields cultivated for generations by Palestinian families are under threat. One landowner, Abu Mudif, says he has been notified that his land is part of a tranche of about 450 acres that the Israeli authorities are taking possession of, ostensibly to protect and develop the site for a major new national park.

Typically, Palestinian landowners receive little or no compensation for such land expropriation. Even when offered, most refuse it, viewing acceptance as recognition and legitimacy of the loss of what they see as their patrimony. For Abu Mudif, this is not just a vital loss of income but something deeper. "If I wanted to describe it, the closest description I can give is that it is like having your soul ripped away. I cannot imagine myself without my land," he says.

Nahed Sakha, owner of a local restaurant under threat of demolition, says the Israeli plan seems to be to cut Palestinian residents off from the archaeological site, which dates back thousands of years and includes significant remains from the ancient Jewish past, as well as Roman, Crusader, and Ottoman eras. "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 added Sebastia to its World Heritage List on 25 July following an emergency procedure, and also placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger. UNESCO says the main threat concerns the "planned expropriation and creation of the 'Samaria' (Shomron) national park, which could divide the property."

The village mayor, Mohammed Azem, standing on a path between the entrance car park and the basilica columns, points to rubbish left in the ruins. He says locals are now worried about cleaning the area for fear of problems with Israeli security forces and settlers. The path divides the site between Area B (Palestinian civil and Israeli security control) and Area C (full Israeli control).

Last week, Israel allocated roughly 113 million shekels (£27.8m) to expand its control over archaeological sites in the West Bank, including projects in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority. Israeli activist Alon Arad, who heads Emek Shaveh, says the Israeli authorities bypassed consultation with the local administration and residents of Sebastia. "Israel is not the owner of this place. This is a Palestinian heritage site. To develop it positively, it must be done with the local community, with the municipality, so they can benefit," he argues.

The Palestinian tourism and foreign ministries hope UNESCO recognition will bolster international support against Israeli land seizures. However, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar portrayed 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 asserted.

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, an Israeli settlement watchdog, states: "Under international law, as well as rulings of the Israeli Supreme Court, Israel is prohibited from expropriating land for settlement purposes or exclusively for the benefit of Israeli citizens. Consequently, to be lawful, the state will likely argue the site serves both populations, despite its apparent primary rationale being settlement expansion and Israeli control."

Shmuel Browns, who has worked on excavations at Herodium, insists Israel feels responsible for protecting the archaeology and history of the land. Yet, far-right members of the current government have pushed further. A proposed law earlier this year would transfer control of archaeological sites from the Civil Administration to the Heritage Ministry, granting sweeping powers to seize land for preservation across the West Bank. The bill passed its first reading in May but is now on hold pending elections.

Alon Arad warns that the bill's very existence demonstrates how archaeology has been weaponized. "This is exactly how the mechanism works. You use archaeology to do excavations, rewrite history, and allocate lands from Palestinian to Israeli," he says. Palestinian residents of Sebastia increasingly fear their close connection with the ruins is being lost, as the conflict over heritage deepens.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk