Nablus (UNA/WAFA) - In the town of Sebastia, located on a quiet hill northwest of Nablus, the battle is not limited to raids by settlers and Israeli occupation soldiers. Rather, a more dangerous battle is raging over narrative, memory, and the right to narrate history.
In a move described as the most dangerous in years, the occupation authorities yesterday began implementing a new colonial project called the "Samaria National Park," under the pretext of preserving "Jewish heritage," announcing the allocation of more than 32 million shekels to develop the archaeological site. However, residents assert that the real goal is to impose Israeli sovereignty over the area and isolate it from its Palestinian surroundings.
During a field visit by a WAFA correspondent, accompanied by the Director General of Tourism and Antiquities in Nablus, Durgham Fares, and the Palestinian Tourist Police, more than 15 workers from the Israeli Antiquities Authority were spotted excavating the Column Street leading to the archaeological site, under heavy protection from occupation soldiers.
But the tour was short-lived, as soldiers pointed their guns at them and forced them to leave the site, in an attempt to conceal the ongoing falsification of the facts from the world.
Fares confirmed to WAFA that the project is not a tourism development, as the occupation claims, but rather part of a systematic policy to Judaize the site and impose annexation, by renaming the site and changing its features to serve the Israeli narrative.
He pointed out that the occupation has been working at an accelerated pace over the past three years to impose facts on the ground, the most prominent of which was the occupation government's decision in July 2023 to allocate 32 million shekels to develop the site in Area C, separating it from the village.
In July 2024, Likud Knesset member Amit Halevy submitted a bill to annex antiquities in the West Bank to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The bill, which was referred to the Education and Culture Committee, was based on fabricated historical claims, according to Fares.
In the same context, the Knesset voted on July 17, 2024, on a resolution strongly opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River.
Judaization efforts were not limited to the tourism project. Last July, the occupation announced the seizure of 1300 square meters of Sebastia land to build a military barracks overlooking the Temple of Augustus and the Palace of Omri, granting the occupation direct control over the site and surrounding areas.
Fares points out that the occupation prevents Palestinian crews from restoring and excavating even in areas classified as "B," and seeks to promote its narrative through biblical myths and lies.
The daily incursions into the site by occupation soldiers and settlers have led to a significant decline in visitor numbers, directly impacting dozens of families who rely on tourism, from restaurant and shop owners to tour guides who have been left unemployed, according to Fares.
For his part, Sebastia Mayor Mohammed Azem described the incident as a blatant assault on a cultural heritage spanning over five thousand years, holding the occupation government fully responsible for this crime, which constitutes a clear violation of international conventions that prohibit the occupying power from interfering in the historical heritage of occupied territories.
Azem stressed that the municipality will take all possible legal measures to stop this Judaization plan.
Despite all the violations, Palestinian institutions insist on adhering to their narrative, according to Fares, noting that the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities continues to document the violations and engage with international bodies, most notably UNESCO, to protect Sebastia from attempts at erasure and Judaization.
It's worth noting that last April, the occupying state's planning authorities examined 21 master plans for West Bank settlements and six plans for settlements within the Jerusalem municipality's boundaries. They approved 6 master plans and submitted 10 others. The April plans targeted a total of 17 dunams of private land.
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