Israel Announces $122 Million Plan to Develop West Bank Heritage Sites
The Israeli government said it will spend NIS 250 million on heritage sites across the West Bank. The plan includes a land seizure order covering 1,800 dunams near the Sebastia archaeological site.
montrealgazette.comThe Israeli government announced on May 21 a NIS 250 million plan to develop heritage sites across the West Bank. The announcement described the spending as part of a broader effort that has approved more than 100 new settlements and tens of thousands of housing units.
The plan covers sites that sit on land under Israeli military control since 1967. Under international law, that territory is considered occupied.
November, the Israeli Civil Administration issued an expropriation order for 1,800 dunams of privately owned land around the Sebastia archaeological site. The order affects 550 private plots and thousands of olive trees belonging to residents of Sebastia and the nearby village of Burqa.
A new road is planned to route tourists through a settler-controlled path. The change would direct tourism revenue away from Palestinian businesses in Sebastia. Shops in the town are now closed and streets are quiet.
Officials Describe Revenue Impact Palestinian Finance
Those revenues make up about 70 percent of the Palestinian Authority's income. Salameh stated the Palestinian Authority has been operating on roughly 10 percent of its normal revenue as a result.
Similar management changes have occurred at the City of David site in East Jerusalem and at locations in Hebron and Tel Shiloh. In those cases, settler organizations took over site operations after land transfers. Israeli heritage advocacy group Emek Shaveh said the shift from the term "antiquities" to "heritage" has altered how sites are presented to visitors.
