The government approved an initial NIS 120 million to embark on a wide-ranging plan to preserve archaeological sites in Area C of the West Bank, including the remains of the Maccabean palaces on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Jericho.
“The government will invest a significant budget in enforcement and in protecting heritage sites in Judea and Samaria, including the use of cameras and drones,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said prior to Monday’s cabinet meeting.
NIS 17m. of that sum is earmarked for “rehabilitating archaeological sites that have been damaged by the Palestinians; I regret that there are more than a few of these,” Netanyahu stated.
“In every corner of Judea and Samaria, one need only put a spade into the ground in order to uncover archaeological finds that attest to our deep roots in the Land of Israel.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
This is an unprecedented initiative “against the destruction of antiquities at heritage sites in Judea and Samaria,” said Netanyahu as he spoke of the Jewish ties to the biblical heartland.
“In every corner of Judea and Samaria, one need only put a spade into the ground in order to uncover archaeological finds that attest to our deep roots in the Land of Israel. These are our roots and this is our land,” he said.
Netanyahu speaks at the cabinet meeting on July 17, 2023. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SETUP)The move receives combination of praise, criticism
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the decision, noting that together with a NIS 30m. plan passed earlier this year to upgrade the Sebastia site, the government had fulfilled its pledge to spend NIS 150m. to bolster the protection of antiquity sites in Judea and Samaria.
There are some 3,000 antiquity sites in the West Bank, of which 80% are in Area C, which is under IDF military and civilian control.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, who holds that all of Area C should be within the final borders of a Palestinian state, accused Israel of attempting to seize those sites to thwart Palestinian sovereignty in that area. He called on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to intervene.
The left-wing archaeological group Emek Shaveh said it accused Israel of “weaponizing” archaeology to justify “touristic settlements” that “entrench and expand the occupation and have become a central component in the present government’s steps toward advancing annexation.
Yesha Council head Shlomo Ne’eman lauded the move.
“This is important news for our national heritage. The importance of our heritage on a national level in Judea and Samaria requires tremendous investment – we must put an end to the extensive looting and destruction that the Palestinian Authority carries out in our country.
“We now hope that the strengthening and development of these sites will prevent the further intentional erasure of thousands of years of our history.
“The development of these landmarks will connect Judea and Samaria to the entire future generation of the State of Israel,” Ne’eman said.
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