Israel seizes 40% of historic Palestinian village for 'archaeological park'

Residents of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, have sounded the alarm after an Israeli military order declared nearly 40 percent of the town's lands as an "Israeli archaeological area".

Palestinians said the move threatens to transform the historic West Bank town's identity, while raising concerns over potential settlement construction and further land confiscation.

Local farmer Anan Ghazal said the seizure has made it increasingly difficult to access and cultivate his ancestral land. He owns orchards planted with ancient Roman olive trees, peaches, and apricots, inherited from his grandfather and father.

These lands provide vital income for him and his family during the olive and almond harvest seasons.

"I fight every time to reach my land and never leave it without ploughing or trimming, but others in the town could not reach theirs, and settlers burned them after the occupation prevented their owners from working them, and the weeds grew," he told The New Arab's Arabic language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Since the Israeli military imposed the designation on the area surrounding Sebastia’s ancient columns, farmers have faced repeated restrictions.

Increased military and settler incursions have blocked access to fields, with soldiers often preventing farmers from reaching their land.

The military order was issued on 4 May but was only publicly posted last week, shocking residents who said they were never formally informed of the decision.

The local municipality says this delay hinders legal challenges, as key deadlines for objections have passed.

Mayor Mohammad Azem said that the declaration came alongside two other military orders affecting lands in nearby villages from earlier years.

The lands affected fall largely under Area C according to the Oslo Accords, meaning complete Israeli control, and many hold Jordanian-era land deeds.

However, Azem explained that land registries remain in Israeli military custody at the nearby Hawara base, and Palestinians face administrative hurdles in obtaining documents from the military’s civil administration.

He added: "This means Palestinians are prevented from taking any action on these lands, and we fear that in the coming periods, citizens will also be forbidden even from ploughing or cultivating their lands under the pretext that it is an archaeological zone."

In recent years, Israeli authorities seized 1,300 square meters within Sebastia to build a military post inside the archaeological zone. Just before the Gaza war, plans were approved for a nearly 10-million-dollar development project to create a "Samaria Park" overseen by Israeli settler councils and heritage bodies.

Local officials fear the land could be exploited for new settler outposts, as has happened elsewhere in the West Bank, including with a nearby outpost built on “state lands” that now threatens thousands of dunams in surrounding villages.

Two-thirds of the declared archaeological zone does not contain recognised antiquities, and the plan to establish a biblical-themed park in Sebastia dates back at least eight years, driven by settler groups and far-right Israeli officials.

The municipality also reported that a new settler road will be built to connect the archaeological zone to adjacent settlements, bypassing Palestinian homes and restricting Palestinian movement.

Sebastia is an ancient town with roots dating back to the Bronze Age, inhabited by Canaanite tribes, and flourishing in the 9th century BCE. Its rich archaeological heritage includes Roman streets and theatres, Greek towers and temples, and Byzantine-era churches.