Will UNESCO’s heritage listing halt Israeli plans for West Bank’s Sebastia?
Palestinian officials have welcomed UNESCO’s decision to add Sebastia in the occupied West Bank to both the World Heritage list and its list of World
Palestinian officials have welcomed UNESCO’s decision to add Sebastia in the occupied West Bank to both the World Heritage list and its list of World Heritage in danger in the hope that it will prevent Israel from extending its control over the Palestinian village and its archaeological site. Israel, meanwhile, has denounced the decision and described it as political. Nizar Kayed, deputy mayor of Sebastia, explained in comments to the Reuters news agency that he hoped the decision would help preserve its ancient city. “This decision came after the confiscation order issued by the Israeli occupation authorities, which destroys this area from a cultural and historical standpoint and also destroys people’s livelihoods. It is part of the settlement expansion project in this area,” Kayed said. Olive trees surround the archaeological site, which is dotted with Roman columns, ancient walls, stone steps and an amphitheatre. Many residents of the nearby Palestinian village, which shares the name Sebastia with the ancient site, depend on tourism for their livelihoods. They are facing land confiscations after the Israeli authorities announced a plan to seize about 180 hectares (445 acres) at and around the archaeological site, saying the aim was the “preservation and development” of the area.
Palestinian officials have also expressed concern over a new Israeli bill that, if passed, would expand Israeli control over archaeological sites in the West Bank. In practice, this would strip the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank under the Oslo peace agreements signed in the 1990s, of oversight over archaeological sites in the areas under its administrative control. What do we know about the village of Sebastia? Sebastia is one of the most important archaeological sites in the West Bank. Its origins date back more than 3,000 years. It is believed to be the site of Samaria, the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. The city flourished in the Roman era when Herod the Great rebuilt it and expanded it lavishly, naming it Sebaste in honour of Emperor Augustus. It became a model Roman city with a temple, stadium, a long colonnaded street and other structures. It also contains remains from the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods and is considered a sacred site by Christians and Muslims because of its association with the tomb of the Prophet Yahya, or John the Baptist. The antiquities discovered in Sebastia – such as the city walls, the royal palace, a famous ivory collection and large Roman buildings – stand as living testimony to the succession of civilisations there: Canaanite, Israelite, Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic through to the Crusader and Ottoman periods.
The BriefWire