Two weeks ago, settlers of Judea and Samaria woke up to an astonishing sight. Only several days after they began tracking illegal activity by the Palestinian Authority to take over Sebastia, and the thousand-year-old archeological site was already destroyed.
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Aerial footage taken from a drone showed Palestinians setting the area on fire, burning twigs to clean – as they claim – the area. Even if the damage was not done deliberately, it is a painful blow nevertheless as the entire site went up in flames.
Sebastia is, perhaps, a place that most represents Judea and Samaria, because right next to it, at an abandoned train station, began Jewish settlement efforts in the 1970s.
Photos of the damage are difficult to watch, and the destruction of the ancient site, which includes the palace of the biblical King Ahab, was extensive.
The fire spread rapidly, turning major parts of the land into charcoal. Israeli activists only saw the damage later, and it was immediately clear that it would take years to rehabilitate the site, if at all possible. As the area is under shared Israeli-Palestinian control, any attempts to fix it will undoubtedly involve obstacles.
One thing is clear: Judea and Samaria house an essential part of Jewish and world historical sites. According to Jewish tradition, three of the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – settled in Shechem (modern-day Nablus), moved to Efrat and lived in Hebron. Beit El is where Jacob dreamed of the ladder; Dothan Valley is where Joseph was sold by his brothers; and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron is where the forefathers and three matriarchs – Sarah, Rebeccah, and Leah – are buried.
When the Israelis returned to Canaan after the exile in Egypt, they continued the walk in the path of their ancestors. Gideon Ben-Yoash was from Ofra, Samuel the Prophets served in the Tabernacle at Shiloh, and King David lived in Bethlehem. After the exile of the Jewish people from their land, various nations took over the region, including the Romans, Muslims, the Crusaders, the Mamluks, and the Ottomans.
In each period, more layers were added to the history of the region, turning it into one of the most fascinating ones in the world. The land, revered as the cradle of Judaism and Christianity, is fertile ground for archaeologists who seek to uncover the past, major parts of which remain hidden.
But while the entire world embraces the biblical history of Israel and is excited about archeological discoveries made here, some would prefer to deny this history outright – the Palestinians.
According to local and regional councils in Judea and Samaria, the PA has in recent decades been making "active, destructive and savage" attempts to erase and rewrite history, destroying Jewish archaeological sites, and intentionally breaking and removing artifacts, and vandalizing with pro-terrorist and anti-Israel graffiti.
Attempts to rewrite history can be seen on every corner, including taking over distinct Jewish ancient sites, such as Horvat Ormah in Samaria, which contains an ancient Hasmonean fortress of King Abimelech, or the massive destruction of sites like Tekoa, where Amos the Prophet is buried.
Another example is the virtual Palestinian museum, which can be found online, that completely ignores, for example, the fact that there were two Jewish temples in Jerusalem and a rebellion that led to the exile of the Jewish people over 2,000 years ago. The museum – an elaborate website that allows one to see different historical periods in the region – was established by the Palestinian tourism and archaeology ministry and UNESCO.
It describes, among others, the era when the Greeks controlled the land, followed by the "Roman occupation of Palestine in 63 BC." However, based on the accepted archaeological consensus, backed by thousands of books – ancient and contemporary – as well as archaeological finds, it was the Hasmonean dynasty (descendants of the Maccabees) that ruled the land of Israel between 63 and 152 BCE and built a magnificent kingdom there.
As for Sebastia, excavation works began there 112 years ago by Harward researchers. It used to be the ancient city of Samaria, the capital of the Kingdom of Israel, in the 8th and 9th centuries BCE.
Sebastia was destroyed by the Assyrian military during the conquest of the kingdom and the exile of the ten tribes, to be later rebuilt by King Herod. Archaeologists have uncovered, among other things, a part of a citadel, the temple of Augustus, as well as the remains of a stadium and an amphitheater.
Due to the importance of the site, it has been declared a national park and is managed by the Nature and Parks Authority. After the 1993 Oslo Accords, control of the area was split between Israel and the PA. After the division, a conflict ensued over the site, which Palestinians continue to try to destroy, and Israel tries to preserve.
"Until about two years ago, there was a kind of status quo at the site," Adi Shragai, manager of operations at Shomrim Al HaNetzach, a coalition of groups working to protect Israeli archaeological and heritage sites in Judea and Samaria, said. "The Palestinians used to 'steal' a little from Israeli territory, like tiles [from ancient sites] and coins, but not more than that. And about two years ago, although this is not their territory, they started to extend the site. They built a huge parking lot with the Palestinian flag. All this was, of course, done without supervision, and destroyed remnants" of the ancient site.
In November 2020, while visiting the region, then-Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and Head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan were offered coins that had been found in the area by Palestinians.
"They approached us and offered us coins that were looted from the site, and when they were told that they were speaking with the Israeli tourism minister, they joked that they would give him a discount," Dagan recalled.
In December 2021, robbers, apparently, Palestinians, looted the Sebastia amphitheater.
"It was a very professional gang, who knew things ahead of time that only archaeologists knew," Shragai said. "They 'stabbed' three seats, broke beautifully decorated seats of honor, and stole antiquities from under the seats. We checked with the greatest of experts, no one knew" the seats had antiquities in them.
According to Shomrim Al HaNetzach and the Samaria Council, in early July, Palestinians significantly increased efforts to take over the site, as part of their work to rebrand it as a Canaanite-Palestinian heritage site.
The Sebastia municipality, on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and tourism ministry, began a 100-yead "clean-up" program, and Palestinian police officers were documented doing such work on the site.
At Dagan's request, the IDF sent an enforcement patrol to the site, which stopped the illegal work conducted at the site. A criminal investigation was launched against the workers, but the matter did not help. A short time later, the PA resumed the activities, which resulted, as mentioned above, in the destruction of the archaeological site.
"These are heritage deniers who burn what doesn't suit them," Dagan said.
Shragai angrily added, "That is why they burned the palace to the ground. They claimed they came to clear the area but ended up burning the archaeological site."
"One must understand: according to Jordanian law, if there is evidence that someone is operating at an excavation site and damages it, he is to be considered guilty until proven innocent. We have footage of Palestinian policeman and their tools, and they can be arrested."
"We have golden evidence, but no one does anything. The Civil Administration does nothing to stop this. After we sent the footage of the Palestinian police, they said they would get on it. An inspector came and gave warnings, and the next day the Palestinians burned the place."
Dagan: This is a clear trend – a barbaric, strategic ISIS-style super-project designed to destroy and damage Jewish heritage sites and erase history. There is no other way to describe this. The Palestinian Authority works with the ISIS doctrine, time after time, with a deliberate intention and in a cynical attempt to distort history. For us, this is a battle for archaeology, Jewish heritage, and civilization, no less."
And Sebastian is not the only place where this is happening. Just last week, the PA announced plans to build a national park at Tel Orma, the site of an important Hasmonean fort that overlooks the Itamar ridge.
Already in 2009, Palestinian looters caused heavy damage to the site considered crucial to understanding the Hasmonean period. Most recently, Palestinians built a massive mosque "in memory of the martyrs," destroying a part of the ancient structure in the process. Here too, the Palestinian flag was erected. Nearby, Palestinian agricultural works have been taking place for a long time, financed by the United Nations.
Another example of extensive historical and archaeological destruction is the Deir Sharaf village. A Palestinian business began operating there that harms the area, a matter that is documented and easily seen from aerial footage.
This archaeological site, called Al-Khibra, houses the remains of an impressive Samaritan synagogue, said to date back to the Second Temple period. Benches, columns, and mosaics were discovered there, with fragments displayed in museums.
Five years ago, a Palestinian car service, including a vehicle graveyard, began operating in the area illegally, with cars being dumped at various points, which causes damage not only to the ground but to the archeological remains below it as well, due to the harmful chemicals.
The Civil Administration is well aware of the matter. Inspectors patrol the site, and if necessary, issue orders to cease work. Nevertheless, harmful activity by the Palestinians continues.
A few months ago, the Civil Administration marked the site, but Israeli organizations operating in the region revealed that it "takes into account" the car service and excludes it from the boundaries of the archaeological site.
"Instead of correcting the problem and declaring the boundaries of the site as required by archeological standards, the administration is enabling the criminals," said a statement by the Regavim organization, a think tank and lobbying group "dedicated to preserving Israel's resources and sovereignty."
Since the site has been marked, the activists identified Palestinians who crossed them and are moving closer to the archaeological remains. The Civil Administration claims that an order was issued for the Palestinian to clear out the area, and the statement it provided on the matter is, according to Regavim, a general statement it issues in all such cases.
"During a routine drone footage shooting that we conduct to document the illegal takeover of Area C, I spotted a car graveyard and decided to look at it up close," recalled Moshe Shmueli, field coordinator at Regavim.
"I drove on the road that goes up towards Shavei Shomron, Sebastia, and Homesh, an area full of Jewish history and heritage sites. I entered the road leading to the Palestinian scrapyard, which is right next to the main road.
"Already from a distance, I recognized huge piles of cars and car parts. As I approached, some vehicles blocked the road, and I asked the Palestinian workers who were there to move them. I continued a little further down the path until I was shocked to see the neglect of archaeological remains, with car parts, from doors and windshields to engines and exhaust pipes, strewn about. I got out of the vehicle and walked between the columns and parts of the walls, which used to be part of a magnificent Samaritan synagogue, and there was a smell of burnt rubber and machine oil.
"I wandered among the archaeological remains, and a few meters I saw a bustling line of Israeli and Palestinian vehicles arriving for a quick and cheap repair at the garage. You have to understand, the Palestinians use every means possible to overtake the spaces available, and they see every owner of such a garage as a participant in the struggle. And the State of Israel is turning a blind eye to this, worse yet – it acts with selective enforcement."
The damage caused to the archaeological site is extensive. According to Shomrim Al HaNetzah documents, a series of sites have been trampled and destroyed by the PA or robbers, who sometimes operate unhindered under the auspices of the Wild West in Judea and Samaria.
For example, in late 2020 and early 2021, a PA contractor destroyed part of the compound wall at the site of the ancient altar on Mount Ebal, near Nablus, which dates back to the Iron Age, in order to build a road between the village of Asira ash-Shamaliya and Nablus. They even ground the stones of the wall to produce gravel for paving the road.
And in the Hyrcania fortress in the Judean desert, robbers broke the water cisterns and destroyed other parts of the structure.
Although the Civil Administration tackles such illegal activity, its influence and manpower are limited. The Jewish settlement does not blame the administration alone either and acknowledges that a decision is required by the government to act against the criminals – both private and institutionalized.
Judging from the recent footage from Tekoa, the site seems to be destroyed, full of holes made by antiquities robbers. Many findings from the First Temple period were found at the site, which is located about two kilometers south of the settlement by the same name.
Tekoa is a common target for professional robbers, who use metal detectors to dig through the area, and are unafraid to do so in broad daylight. In July 2020, after authorities seized a thousand-year-old Byzantine baptismal basin that was looted from Tekoa, the Palestinian Authority called it "a robbery of Palestinian heritage by Israel."
Shragai said, "Tekoa is an important city that is mentioned in the Bar Kokhba scrolls, but the residents of the village of Tuqu' dismantle the site. This place will never be excavated again, and we will never know what was there."
Gush Etzion regional council chief Shlomo Ne'eman harshly criticized such conduct by the PA.
"As with all the heritage sites, the Altar of Joshua, Mount Ebal, the Cave of the Patriarchs, and the Temple Mount, so too in Gush Etzion – the Arabs are looting antiquities and destroying archaeological sites and are making great efforts to erase the evidence of our deep connection to this land," he said. "I certainly hope that the authorities will put an end to this foolish attempt. But it doesn't matter: try as they might, the Palestinians have no chance. This is our land. They are trying in vain."
Authorities and organizations in Judea and Samaria are blaming the government for the situation, which, in their opinion, is not doing enough to fight the Palestinian destruction of Jewish heritage sites.
"Eighty percent of the archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria are damaged," Shragai lamented. "We are giving them our heritage and turning a blind eye. It doesn't matter if you are right-wing or left-wing – we must make sure that something of what is here is passed on to future generations. There are heritage items from all over the world here, and Israel is included in the world heritage list.
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"In the Hasmonean palaces near Jericho, the control is half Israeli and half Palestinian. On the Israeli side, local workers are paid to guard the site, while on the Palestinian side, 50 meters away, they destroyed one of the things that every beginner student of archeology learns about – Herod's submerged port. A Bedouin who wanted to build a house went there, destroyed the place with a bulldozer – and that's it. Two thousand years of history are gone.
"It's terrible. The government stops all excavations in Judea and Samaria, and they only excavate sites like Shiloh. The Hasmonean palaces, Horkanya, were never explored. Horkanya is like a mini Masada, yet it has never been excavated and the place is full of graffiti, looted, erased.
"When future generations learn about us, they will be ashamed. The government speaks but does nothing. A real disaster is happening in Judea and Samaria, like ISIS, and the state is turning a blind eye. Just like the Nazis burned the Talmud, the Palestinians are destroying Jewish items, and the government ignores it."
Dagan concurred.
This is "total lawlessness on the part of our government. I stand and marvel at the helplessness of the government, which does nothing. Israel is a signatory to international conventions that oblige it to protect these sites. It is a very serious thing that one must shout from the rooftops. This is the most basic level of civilization. A real national disgrace.
"Our palaces are being burned by an entity like ISIS. Have you seen Joseph's tomb burned repeatedly? Who does such things except for ISIS and the Palestinian Authority? What human being does such a thing?
"We are responsible for this destruction, responsible for stopping them. I have hope. We must save our heritage from those who seek to trample, burn and destroy it."
