Israel’s expropriations in the West Bank are now being perceived as a strategy to weaponise heritage sites for territorial gains.
At the ancient Roman site of Sebastia, the Israeli Civil Administration has announced the takeover of roughly 450 acres of olive‑leafed fields owned by families such as Abu Mudif. While the authorities claim the move will protect and develop a national park, Palestinian landowners perceive it as a prelude to forced displacement; most receive little or no compensation and refuse the offers as a recognition of loss.
Abu Mudif, whose land is now slated for conversion, has likened the expropriation to “having your soul ripped away,” stressing how deeply herding the community has ties to these ancient soils.
The Israeli plan to reposition Sebastia’s entrance outside the village, coupled with the exclusion of current residents from the site, has prompted UNESCO to add the locus to its List of World Heritage in Danger. UNESCO warns that the creation of the “Samaria” national park could split the site and threaten its conservation.
Similar patterns appear at Herodium near Jerusalem, where the Israeli state is annexing about 80 acres for a “preservation” project. Palestinian organisations argue that, under international law, the state cannot compel expropriations aimed at settlement expansion.
The controversy extends to a proposed bill that would transfer oversight of archaeological sites from the military Civil Administration to the Israeli Heritage Ministry and grant it powers to seize land across the West Bank. The bill passed its first reading in May but is now delayed amid upcoming elections. The outcome will determine whether heritage sites become tools for controlling the land.
For local stakeholders, the intertwining of archaeology with geopolitics threatens the preservation of cultural heritage while advancing political objectives. International observers now watch closely as Israel’s policies in the West Bank continue to blur the line between historic conservation and territorial expansion.
