cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7023464

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/13297

The ancient Palestinian town of Sebastia in the northern West Bank is a testament to 5,000 years of Palestinian history. Israel announced that it plans to seize the village and its archaeological sites.

Israel’s creeping annexation of an ancient West Bank village and its archaeological site stands to upend the lives of its Palestinian inhabitants and dispossess them of their lands. Israeli settlers and the Israeli army have stepped up efforts to make life “unbearable” for Palestinians, according to the town’s residents, in order to compel them to leave. Many of them face expulsion, as their homes fall within the area slated for seizure.

Villagers, activists, and politicians from Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, have for years warned the international community of Israel’s plans to erase them and the 5,000 years of Palestinian history contained within the town’s archaeological ruins. Their warnings have fallen on deaf ears.

On November 12, the Israeli government issued an order outlining plans to “expropriate” 450 acres of land from ancient Sebastia and the village’s entire archaeological park, which includes homes and businesses.

Israel’s seizure of the lands of Sebastia and the nearby village of Burqa will form part of a plan to create a “national park” for Israeli settlers on one of the most significant Palestinian historical sites in the West Bank out of 6,000 others.

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