Annexing history: Israel poised to seize West Bank's archaeological sites under new law

Archaeological sites across the West Bank are awaiting their turn to be seized and plundered after the legislative committee in the Israeli Knesset passed the preliminary reading of a draft law, which will grant the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) powers to operate and conduct excavations in the occupied territory.

The advancement of last month's bill may be viewed through the lens of Israel's ongoing war for total control over the entirety of historic Palestine.

Jihad Yassin, director-general of excavations and museums in the Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry, said to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister edition, that the decision aimed to seize control of Palestine's heritage, geography, and archaeological sites, 60 percent of which lie in areas classified B and C according to the Oslo Accords.

Moreover, its application will mean that practically every village will be subject to supervision by Israel's Civil Administration, itself overseen by Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Following the bill's passing, the administration will have the power to prevent any (Palestinian-led) development or construction in any area believed to be of archaeological importance.

Yassin points out that Israel has been working on advancing this plan for over a century, propelled by its desire to change the features of historic sites, as well as their names, for them to match up with the narrative it sells to the world.

He says that in practical terms, the law was already in effect before the advancement of this bill. This is evident in the fact that over the last decade, he says, the occupation has repeatedly attacked many historic sites in the West Bank, accompanied by IAA personnel.

During these times visitors to the sites have been forced to leave, he says, adding that employees from his ministry and Palestinian archaeologists have been prevented from carrying out any excavations or restoration work.  

Yassin gives examples in the Nablus governorate, considered one of the richest regions of Palestine in terms of its archaeological sites, and where Israeli military and settler incursions - accompanied by archaeologists – are frequent.

Moreover, the relevant Palestinian parties, who supposedly hold responsibility for the sites, are stopped from carrying out any renovation or restoration work in the historic spots. This is the case, for example, with the stone structure known as El Burnat, or "Joshua's Altar" on the summit of Mount Ebal.

Regarding efforts to defy these accelerating plans, Yassin says his ministry has spoken to the Palestinian Authority (PA) about the dangers posed to archaeological sites in the West Bank by the new Knesset decision. Likewise, it has asked the PA to speak to the relevant international organisations, most urgently, UNESCO.

Mohammad Azem is the mayor of Sebastia, a village near Nablus and home to a vast number of important archaeological sites, including what is believed by many to be the burial site of John the Baptist. Israel refers to the site as its "ancient capital" – Sebastia was where Herod the Great's kingdom is believed to have been centred.

Azem points out that the Israeli government has been working incessantly to forcibly impose its control over the archaeological zone in the village, having in recent years allocated 39 million shekels for this purpose. It has done this, he says, despite the area being considered by UNESCO as one of Palestine's ancient heritage sites with outstanding universal value.

Sebastia is home to around 40 archaeological sites which have been discovered so far, and Israel has full control over 80 percent of these, because the bulk of the ancient ruins lies in Area C – subject to the control of the Israeli occupying forces, according to the Oslo Accords.

Azem refutes settlers' claims that Palestinians have vandalised archaeological sites and looted them, saying: "This is our land and we are the ones who defend it with our lives, and we have always developed our archaeological and touristic sites and protected them. Old and young all know they are an invaluable treasure, and testify to the deep-rootedness of the Palestinian people and their right to their land."

Azem explains that relic hunters operate under the eyes of the Israeli occupying forces and many steal artefacts they find and sell them to Israeli traders. He adds that in some cases they received information that people were vandalising or tampering with a certain site, but then Israel would block the road off and "prevent us reaching the place."

Anti-settlement activist Khaled Maali, from Salfit in the northern West Bank, said during the last few years, Israel has seized control of many archaeological ruins in the governorate dating back to different eras. They have prevented Palestinians, especially owners of the farmland where these ruins are situated, from access to the land. Thousands of dunums have been seized in this way.

They have then isolated these sites from their surroundings using barbed wire fencing, and installed surveillance cameras on top of this. The fencing has been connected to operations rooms for the army and the settlers, "who mobilise as soon as they observe any Palestinian approaching," he explains.

"It isn't enough for the occupation just to steal the land; they want [to steal] the history too – by looting the touristic and archaeological regions, and offering them on a golden platter to the settlers, in a desperate attempt to falsify history and geography, and create a distorted narrative they can use to lie about themselves to others," he says.

The Israeli Knesset's legislative committee’s approval of the draft law granting the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) powers to operate in the West Bank is the latest step towards annexing the land – illegally occupied since 1967 - to Israeli sovereignty. It will secure the occupying power's control of the vast majority of the region's archaeological sites, which will then be transferred over to the control of the settlers, ready for their complete Judaization.

Israel's Antiquities Law doesn't currently operate in the West Bank, where at the moment, the Chief of Staff in the Civil Administration (the Israeli body governing the West Bank) holds responsibility for the archaeological sites. His powers include issuing excavation permits, investigating the theft of antiquities, and managing archaeological sites in the West Bank.

However, the proposed law stipulates that in future, "the powers of the Antiquities Authority will include the West Bank, and searching for antiquities in these areas will be the same as searching for antiquities in Israel."

This will mean that the IAA will operate in the same way and with the same freedom in the West Bank as it operates in Jerusalem and inside the Green Line.

The approval of the draft law came just days after the Israeli security cabinet approved a measure undercutting the powers of the Palestinian Authority (PA) about archaeological sites in the occupied West Bank – one of a raft of "punitive measures" against the PA, reported Haaretz.

The 1954 Hague Convention is considered the main international treaty governing antiquities in the occupied territories and is concerned with the preservation of sites with cultural significance, as is the 1999 Protocol to the convention, which prohibits archaeological excavations other than those deemed necessary for study and maintenance work. However, Israel is among dozens of countries which have not signed the protocol. 

This is an edited translation based on two articles from our Arabic edition. To read the original articles click here and here

Translated by Rose Chacko   

This article is taken from our Arabic sister publication, Al-Araby Al Jadeed and mirrors the source's original editorial guidelines and reporting policies. Any requests for correction or comment will be forwarded to the original authors and editors

Have questions or comments? Email us at: info@alaraby.co.uk