Israeli occupation destroyed 72 historical sites in Valley of Jordan

Israeli occupation continues attacking Palestinian archaeological sites with the aim of falsifying history and changing the sites’ identity amid the international community’s silence and its negligence  of Palestinian calls to preserve world heritage sites in the occupied Palestine.

There are around 6000 Palestinian archaeological sites in the West Bank and most of them were attacked by the occupation, according to Undersecretary of The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Saleh Al-Tawafsheh.

By the end of last year, the Israeli occupation seized the Dier Samaan site in Salfit city and announced the establishment of a settlement in the historical town of Sebastia.

Mohammad Al-Azem, head of the Sebastia municipality, told Al-Monitor in January 2021, “Sebastia is an ancient town dating back 3,000 years. It extends over 5,000 dunums [1,235 acres] and is inhabited by 3,500 people. Herod the Great named the city Sebaste — meaning Augustus — in honor of Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar in 27 B.C.”

Azem added, “The Shafi Shamron settlement adjacent to the town seized 400 dunums [99 acres] of Sebastia. The Israeli army prevents Palestinians from entering 200 dunums of the town’s lands in the area around the four sides of the Shafi Shamron settlement. Israel also controls 2,500 dunums of its lands located in Area C, where work or construction are prohibited.”

Moreover, the Israeli occupation destroyed 72 historical sites in Jordan Valley and seized 230.000 dunums of lands there, according to the official in charge of the Jordan Valley File Mo’ataz Bsharat.

Israel’s control over Palestinian historic and archeological sites and promoting them as part of its tourist sites aims at normalizing Israel’s occupation of Palestine to serve the Israeli government and its supporters.  

Basma Qaddour