The Limited Times

On the ruins of Sebastia, Israeli archaeological excavations accompany the battle of memories

6/28/2023, 4:07:44 PM

Highlights: Tensions have risen in Sebastia since the Israeli government decided to invest NIS 32 million, or about €8 million, to restore and develop the archaeological site. The decision was taken last May, at the request of Israel's Environment, Tourism and Heritage Ministries. It was presented as a response to an attempt to take control of the site by the Palestinian Authority, but also in reaction to the advanced state of degradation in the area. This article is for subscribers only. You still have 87% to discover.


Settlers are exerting intense pressure on this site in the heart of Shomron, the name given in Hebrew to Samaria, in order to build the great Israel, of biblical essence.

Jerusalem correspondent

In the war between Israelis and Palestinians for control of the West Bank, archaeology is a battlefield. Both a Palestinian village and a historic site of prime importance, Sebastia is one of the areas on which this fight is being fought. Here, a few kilometers from Nablus, in the north of this territory occupied by Israel since 1967, clashes often go beyond the symbolic realm to take on a very concrete dimension.

Tensions have risen in Sebastia since the Israeli government decided to invest NIS 32 million, or about €8 million, to restore and develop the archaeological site. This decision was taken last May, at the request of Israel's Environment, Tourism and Heritage Ministries. It was presented as a response to an attempt to take control of the site by the Palestinian Authority, but also in reaction to the advanced state of degradation in...

This article is for subscribers only. You still have 87% to discover.

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