Jerusalem, 20 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel has begun expropriating land near the ancient Biblical capital of Sebastia for the “preservation and development” of the archaeological site, the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration announced on Thursday.
The move is in response to “intentional neglect by the landowners and the Palestinian authorities,” the Civil Administration said.
The Civil Administration stressed that 1,800 dunams (445 acres) of land are located in Area C of Samaria, where Israel has both administrative and security jurisdiction.
The move aims to allow “infrastructure development, the expansion of archaeological excavations, and the uncovering of additional historical findings,” the Civil Administration said. “This is being done in accordance with the law, and as part of a broad project led by the ministry of Heritage, which includes an investment of roughly NIS 32 million [$9.8 million] to upgrade the site, improve visitor access, and develop the archaeological area.”
The park borders the Palestinian village of Sebastia in Area B, where the Palestinian Authority manages civilian affairs. No village land will be appropriated.
Sebastia was the capital of the Israelite Kingdom during the reigns of Omri and Ahab. Israeli archaeologists resumed excavations at Sebastia in May, the first digging in decades.
Archaeological excavations were held at the site in the early 1900s and then in the 1930s. Jordan initiated smaller excavations in 1967 before the outbreak of the Six-Day War.
The Civil Administration gave the green light to work on creating a national park in Sebastia in the 2000s. However, work stopped 12 years ago “amid political chaos and lack of budget,” Eyal Freiman, Staff Officer of Archaeology at the Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria, told The Press Service of Israel in May.
As TPS-IL reported in April, Israeli archaeologists find themselves effectively blacklisted by the international academic community, unable to publish findings from Judea and Samaria. The politics-driven policies of the academic archaeological world result in the erasing of biblical history. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority deliberately strives to wipe out evidence of the Jewish connection to the land and imperils sites of tremendous historical value, archaeological experts told TPS-IL.
In an attempt to change the equation, the Israeli government allocated an unprecedented $33 million budget to preserve archaeological sites in Area C.
As another part of this effort, the Israel Antiquities Authority, together with leading universities, organized the first international conference on Judea and Samaria archaeology and site conservation, which attracted dozens of researchers from many countries in February.
To further protect Jewish heritage sites, there have been calls to extend the Israeli Antiquities Authority’s jurisdiction to Judea and Samaria, replacing the Civil Administration’s Archaeology Staff Officer. Proponents argue that the Civil Administration is not equipped to deal with the challenges of preserving and excavating sites. Critics warn this move may get all Israeli archaeology banned from international cooperation.
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