Practices involving archaeological sites in the West Bank are being debated because of their connection to control over Palestinian-owned land and settlement policies. The Financial Times reported that the Israeli administration was using archaeology as a tool to expropriate land and that these practices were facilitating the seizure of Palestinian-owned property.
Authority extended to areas under Palestinian administration
The Financial Times reported that, in February 2026, the Israeli administration adopted decisions expanding the authority of the antiquities official to include archaeological sites located partly in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority. The sites were expropriated, affecting local residents.
Zaid Azhari, who lives near the ancient city of Sebastia, said approximately 200 hectares had been seized around the village. Azhari said the land contained olive trees that had supported his family for generations.
Azhari said the loss was not limited to financial income and that their sense of belonging to the land had also been taken from them.
Israeli organization criticizes archaeology policy
Alon Arad, director of the Israeli civil society organization Emek Shaveh, which works in the field of archaeology, argued that the expropriation decision could not be justified legally, professionally or ethically.
Arad said heritage and archaeology had been turned into an annexation program unrelated to archaeology. He said the administration's focus solely on Zionist or Jewish sites could create the impression that the area belonged only to Jews and render other historical realities invisible.
Yonatan Mizrachi, one of the leaders of the Israeli human rights organization Peace Now, said expropriation practices were not new but had increased during Binyamin Netanyahu's tenure as prime minister. Experts said archaeology had become a dominant tool in the annexation of the West Bank during the current government's term.
Fifty-five percent of Sebastia's land at risk
Sebastia Mayor Muhammed Azem said that, together with areas seized previously, the latest expropriation decision covered 55 percent of the town's land. The land planned for seizure was owned by approximately 560 families.
More than 6,000 olive trees, one of the town's main sources of income for many years, were located on this land. Azem argued that Israel wanted to divide the West Bank into sections and said Sebastia was important because of its location between Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarm.
