An Israeli bill that would expand civilian control over ancient sites in the West Bank has drawn criticism from Palestinians and Israeli rights groups, who say it amounts to annexation of occupied land and would expand Jewish settlements.
The “Inheritance Authority of Judea and Samaria” bill passed one of three votes in Israel’s parliament in May, but it is unclear whether the final vote will be held before parliament dissolves ahead of an election expected on October 27.
The bill would bring the management of Roman, Byzantine and Crusader-era sites under the Israeli Ministry of Cultural Heritage Management and allow related “expropriation and purchase of real estate” in the West Bank, which Israel calls by its Hebrew biblical name.
It would effectively remove oversight of some ancient sites from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which under the Oslo peace accords of the 1990s has exercised limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank, the area Israel captured in a 1967 war.
The PA’s tourism minister, Hani Al-Hayek, said that “control over these antiquities is meant to expand control and expand settlements in these areas, deep inside Palestinian territories.”
Israel says the bill’s purpose is to protect ancient sites.
The village near the old Sebastia area is facing confiscation of land
Peace Now, an Israeli settlement watchdog, said the bill “constitutes an annexation measure in every respect” and would lead to widespread confiscation of Palestinian land.
Using archeology to expand settlements is not a new practice, but the scale of the Israeli government’s measures has been unprecedented, Peace Now said.
One example is the Palestinian village of Sebastia in the northern West Bank, where residents, many of whom trace their roots to the country back centuries, rely heavily on tourism to a nearby archaeological site.
The ancient site of Sebastia has ruins of the Israelite kingdom from the 9th century BC. as well as Roman, Byzantine, Crusader and Ottoman remains, archaeologists say. It is on a provisional list for inclusion as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
In late 2025, Israel announced a plan to seize about 1,800 dunams (445 acres) at the site, which it said was intended to develop the area, affecting about 5,000 olive trees growing in the village’s groves, village officials said.
“They are incorporating areas that contain water resources, roads and antiquities, leaving us as residents without any resources. It is part of settlement expansion,” said Sebastia’s deputy mayor Nizar Kayed.
Business had already suffered since the end of 2023 with a drop in tourism due to war in the region, said Nahed Sakha, whose Sebastia restaurant sits on land slated for confiscation.
“It seems that the Israeli plan (is) to isolate the archaeological site from the people,” Sakha said.
Israel cites ancient ties to the country
Israeli MP Zvi Sukkot, who has been key in promoting the new bill, says the expansion of Israeli control over the sites is meant to protect ancient relics dating back to biblical times.
“There is nothing here that changes the legal status of Judea and Samaria,” he said Reuters.
“There are many people who are bothered by our desire to prove the ties between the people of Israel and this country,” he said. “All the stories of the Bible, all our history, the people (Israel) were born in Judea and Samaria.”
Sukkot is a member of the pro-settler Religious Zionism Party. Like many others in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and favors the annexation of the West Bank.
UN agencies and most countries consider Israel’s settlements illegal under international law, which violates the Fourth Geneva Convention’s provision that prevents the transfer of civilians to occupied territory.
Israel rejects this view, saying the West Bank, which it captured in the 1967 war, is disputed territory. It cites security needs and biblical and historical ties to the country.
But the new bill has also raised concerns among legal officials at the Israel Defense Institute and Israeli scientists.
In an open letter to Netanyahu and Sukkot, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities called for it to be scrapped.
“This will undoubtedly lead to an immediate deterioration of Israel’s international relations in the field of archaeology, and it will also have an impact on other areas of science and research,” the academy said.
