(ZENIT News – TerraSantaNet / West Bank, Palestine, 26.05.2025).- A dozen Jewish settlers, wearing kippahs and holding pickaxes, move through the bushes surrounding the remains of the gate of the ancient city of Samaria, in the present-day Palestinian city of Sebastia. Two years after the Government approved a major project to turn it into an «iconic site» for Israeli tourists, controversial excavations began on Monday, May 12.
The controversy arises from the illegal nature of this activity. International law prohibits occupying powers from conducting archaeological excavations in occupied territories.
Located in the occupied West Bank, the village of Sebastia takes its name from Sebaste, the Roman city built by Herod the Great in 25 BC on the ruins of what has been identified as Shomron, the capital of the Kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries BC. During the Byzantine period, the city became the Seat of a Bishop, and Christian tradition places the tomb of St. John the Baptist there.
While the village and its access roads are located in Area B (under Palestinian civil administration and Israeli security control, according to the division formulated in the 1993 Oslo Accords), the archaeological site has been placed in Area C (under Israeli civil and security control). The last major excavations date back to the 1930s.
The site, poorly maintained and underdeveloped, has been a target of Israeli settlers for years. In 2023, the Government announced an allocation of 8 million euros to restore it and begin other projects: a new access road, a visitors’ center, etc. The stated objective: «to strengthen the bond between the Jewish people, their heritage, and their land,» as Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said, in a statement issued at the start of the excavations on May 12, 2025.
«This is a power grab,» denounced the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh in a Facebook post. With the creation of a new access road, the intention is to isolate the archaeological site from the town and transform it into a tourist settlement to attract Israelis from the region.
Specialized in the defense and protection of antiquities, the organization denounces the political use of archaeological sites: «The role of a conquered power is to temporarily preserve archaeology and heritage for the conquered population. The exploitation of Sebastia with a view to annexation and expulsion transforms it into a war zone.»
Large Stars of David were spray-painted on the stones of the ruins of the ancient gate, where excavations began on May 12. Under the supervision of Uzi Greenfeld of the Civil Administration’s Archaeology Department, they were expected to extend to the site of the ancient palace of the Kings of Israel.
«This is a historic day: by excavating in ancient Samaria, we are touching the Bible with our fingertips,» said Yossi Dagan, settler and President of the Samaria Regional Council. «In the face of the barbarity of the Palestinian National Authority, let us save the holy places,» he added, echoing the typical rhetoric of the far-right religious Zionist Movement.
The archaeological site is the subject of a dispute between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. Everyone is trying to gain control over the historical narrative. In 2012, the Palestinian Authority submitted a request for Sebasia to be included on the Palestinian Heritage List.
The nomination describes the site as «the capital of the Northern Kingdom during the Iron Age II of Palestine and an important urban center during the Hellenistic and Roman periods,» with only brief mention of its biblical history. The site has since been included on UNESCO’s tentative list.
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