West Bank, MINA – The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission has reported that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) plans to seize a total of 4,600 dunums of Palestinian land belonging to the towns of Sebastia and Burqa, northwest of Nablus in the West Bank, PIC reported.
According to the Commission, the IOA announced its decision to appropriate approximately 1,800 dunums of land in the historical town of Sebastia, which constitutes about 40 percent of the town’s total area. This seized land will be placed under the authority of the Israeli antiquities department and officers from the Israeli army’s civil administration.
Muayyad Shaaban, Head of the Commission, stated that “this move is not an isolated action, but it is part of ongoing legislative and legal measures through which the Israeli occupation state seeks to impose a de facto annexation of the West Bank under the guise of protecting archaeological sites.”
Sebastia is a town with deep historical roots, dating back to the Bronze Age when it was inhabited by what are believed to be Canaanite tribes. By the early ninth century B.C.E., it had developed into a significant settlement.
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Today, Sebastia retains numerous important archaeological landmarks, including the western gate, colonnaded street, Roman amphitheater, Greek tower, Temple of Augustus, Palace of King Omri, and the Church of St. John the Baptist.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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