Palestinian authority warns of land designation move near Nablus

A senior Palestinian official has accused Israel of moving to seize more than 4,600 dunams of land from two towns in the northern West Bank under the pretext of protecting archaeological sites.

Muayyad Shaban, head of the PLO’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said on Tuesday that Israeli authorities had informed local communities in Sebastia and Burqa, northwest of Nablus, of plans to take control of large tracts of land that encompass a major archaeological zone.

Shaban said the decision would place land containing ancient ruins under Israeli authority, describing it as “a serious escalation” and part of a broader legal strategy to entrench de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, the archaeological site in Sebastia — which lies on a hilltop along the main road between Nablus and Jenin — dates back to the Bronze Age around 3200 BC.

Sebastia covers roughly 4,777 dunams and contains layers of ruins from Arab, Canaanite, Roman, Byzantine, Phoenician and Islamic civilisations, according to data from the Applied Research Institute (ARIJ).

Shaban warned that the Israeli measure is part of “ongoing legislative and legal moves” aimed at asserting permanent control over strategic Palestinian lands while presenting the action as an effort to safeguard heritage sites.