SEBASTIA, West Bank: An Israeli bill that would extend civil control over ancient sites in the West Bank has drawn criticism from Palestinians and Israeli rights groups who say it is tantamount to annexation of occupied land and would expand Jewish settlements.
The “Heritage Authority in Judea and Samaria” bill passed one of three votes by Israel’s parliament in May, but it is unclear whether the final vote will be held before parliament disperses ahead of an election expected by Oct. 27.
The bill would place the management of Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader-era sites under the Israeli Ministry of Heritage and allow related “expropriation and purchase of real estate” in the West Bank.
That in effect would strip away oversight of some ancient sites from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which under the 1990s Oslo peace accords has exercised limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank, territory Israel captured in a 1967 war.
The PA’s tourism minister, Hani Al-Hayek, said: “control over these antiquities is intended to expand control and expand settlements in these areas, deep inside Palestinian territories.”
